Onward we travelled, from Lake Garda to to Venice, ready for our last few days in Italy. I don’t think you ever know what to expect when travelling around as some places tend to be the same as others and when they are proper tourist destinations, you usually don’t get everything you hoped for.

So we didn’t hope for much, we just went with minimal expectation and thought maybe we’d have a nice meal somewhere and get a few photos. Pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Venice is just such a cool city and I think we’re both happy to have left Italy on such a high note.

I’m sure many people would say it’s overrated or too packed, but we picked the right month to go there and had a sense of adventure. I would say that unless you’re willing to pay a fortune, you aren’t going to get great meals. What we had was fine, but it probably is the same everywhere you go if you’re on a budget like us.

We wandered the streets, getting lost between the canals and both nights came very close to missing the boat back to our island. The Venice Film Festival was taking place while we were there too, so I of course dragged Luke along to get a hint of celebrity – Didn’t happen. But overall, we had a lot of fun there and want to go back soon.

Notes:

• Take cash everywhere with you. Apparently so many places are still stuck in the 1900s and don’t take card. Especially campsites.
• Venice really is made up of different islands and the water bus system isn’t the easiest to navigate sometimes. But they are on time, and speedy! Stay in actual Venice if your budget allows.
• Prepare to do a fair bit of walking if you want to escape the tourist traps. San Marco was a bit busier, but Dorsoduro over the Grand Canal is quieter and had some good bars and restaurants.
• Just go and get lost and see what you find. It’s better than booking a restaurant and finding it wasn’t all that, although some do give you 20% off if you book through Trip Advisor.

After all is said and done, Italy has been a fantastic host for us and our little camper van. We still have a lot of ground to cover there but Covid-19 is inevitably going to stop us in the next couple of weeks. So, it’s off to Slovenia!!!