Romantic Destinations: Venice, Italy Travala.com Blog

Whether you’re enjoying the honeymoon period of new love or looking to celebrate a well-established love, Venice is one city that ignites the flames of love in every heart and which should be on your list of best romantic cities.

As a city of 118 islands connected by bridges and boats, there’s only one way to navigate the waters: by gondola. Although there are no longer 10,000 gondolas being sculled along the canals of Venice, you’ll have no difficulty in finding one of the 400 gondoliers to take you on a romantic trip for two. Splash out and have your loved one serenaded in Italian.

Leaving Venice is always difficult, so picture prisoners condemned to death sighing as they catch their last fleeing glimpses of Venice as they are marched towards their deaths. Thus the Bridge of Sighs was named.

These days, it is less foreboding and instead is one of the many bridges that make walking around Venice such a wonderful and romantic experience.

At the heart of Venice is the Rialto Bridge. It spans across the Grand Canal and is the perfect setting for any modern day Cassanova making a romantic proposal. lined With pretty boutiques, souvenir shops and exclusive stores lining and surrounding the Rialto bridge, it is also the perfect place to pick up some Venetian art.

Indulge in the sweetness of your love by grabbing a coffee in St Mark’s Square. As the largest and most important square in Venice, it is the place to people watch and with the stunning Basilica of St Mark’s, the Campanile (bell tower) and Doge’s Palace towering over it, it is one of the most impressive squares in Italy, if not the world.

Although Rialto is the main island of Venice, you really should explore some of the other islands for some romantic experiences in Venice this St Valentine’s

Our favourites are Murano and Burano and these can make for relaxing day trips or, for those on short breaks, a quick tour.

Murano is famed for its glassmaking and a tour of one of its workshops provides a fascinating history of glass making (and an opportunity to buy) on the island while the mosaic floor of the Church of Santa Maria and San Donato is also a work of art.

While the glassmakers of Murano create elegantly coloured glassware, it is the fishermen of Burano who we have to thank for making this island a sensory delight. With the smell and taste of fresh fish, book one of Burano’s seafood restaurants for a romantic meal—but not before you have enjoyed a romantic walk along its vividly painted homes and visited its lace workshops.