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The Jewel of Italy, the Most Beautiful City in the World, the City of Masks, the City of Bridges, Queen of the Adriatic…  or quite simply – Venice. If you are yet to visit, this city promises to offer arguably the most fairy-tale, surreal and romantically hued experience. Here’s what’s not to miss when you go.

Art

A short paragraph will never do the presence of art in Venice justice, but the fact that just one building, the Santa Maria dei Miracoli, was built to house just one painting gives you an idea of how art is celebrated, respected and revered in this glorious city. Art of all forms and eras can be found here, welcomed by a culture that lives and breathes creativity!

Architecture

Piazzas, palazzi, priceless marbles, churches, and basilicas line the streets of Venice, testament to centuries of opulent architectural experimentation and devotion to creating exquisite spaces. The uniqueness of the style here can be found in the fact that Byzantine mosaics sit beside Islamic arches and Latin influenced gothic buildings. Enough to send history buffs bonkers, and fill the hearts of any visitor with utter joy.

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Boats

There are NO cars in Venice at all. It is an archipelago of over 100 islands set in a lagoon connected by around 400 bridges. This means wherever you go, you have to walk, or go by boat. Gondolas are not the only option! Venice is home to a number of styles of boat, from traditional wooden boats, through to powered ferries. Hiring a kayak is a great way to get around, and yes, if you do want to do the Venetian thing and go by Gondola – be prepared to pay for it!

Beaches

Golden sandy beaches aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Venice, but, there are several! Blue Moon is a public beach on the Lido – a 7 mile long sand bar, and free to use. The others will cost to access, but the price you pay is well worth it for a luxurious beach experience! Remember – it is illegal to swim in Venice’s waterways, so definitely head to the beach if you want to cool off in summer.

Backstreet Bars

Bacariare simple bars where you can go grab a glass of wine, beer or maybe a cocktail and tuck into some tapas standing up. They are usually small, dark spaces where people can enjoy a beverage or two, and when the space gets full people quite simply spill out into the street outside.

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Fine Food

The food in Venice is unique thanks to its aquaculture and influences from the spice routes back when the city dominated marine trade. If you are pushed for time in this stunning city go and get yourself Venetian tapas aka chichetito sample as much as possible. The Venetians are also known for producing some tantalising sweet treats too, the frittelle, which appear around carnival time, are not to be missed!

Fashion

If you like flamboyant, velvet, and especially flamboyant velvet, Venice is the fashion centre for you. Hit up Pied a Terre for gondola slippers and Nicolao Atelier for something suitable for carnival. Don’t forget your plague death masks either – they are a must if you plan to go full Venetian with your flares!

Museums

The Museum of Madness is a delightful example of the Venetian penchant for the weird, the wonderful, curiosities and oddities – packed full of psychiatric paraphernalia from back in the day. The Natural History Museum is also worth a visit for its diverse and impressive collection of bizarre specimens.

Don’t forget your travel insurance! Whether you need insurance for water sports while you are in Venice or just want to make sure you are covered should something go wrong  – we offer competitively priced comprehensive single trip and annual travel insurance, and on family policies kids go free!

Tallinn Image by Noiisha CC0

What makes for a great place to enjoy a bank holiday break abroad? We think there are four things that could make a destination the ideal getaway for a long weekend. It either has to be easy to get to, not far to travel to, feel totally different from the UK, or the journey must have a distinct air of adventure. Here are four destinations to tick each box!

Easy to get to:  Tallinn, Estonia

Forget choosing a destination with a lengthy transfer the other end of a tiring flight – go to Tallinn, the city centre is just 3 miles from the airport! You’ll be out of baggage and in the hub of this gorgeous cobbled old town in as little as 20 minutes. Tram No. 4, departs every 6 minutes, and Bus No 2 every 20 minutes and both cost just 2 euros to ride.  The flight from the UK is approx. 4 hours.

What’s so great about Tallinn? It’s got a fairy-tale feel, uber-Instagrammable architecture, is the best-preserved Medieval city in Europe (and a word heritage site), and has just the right mix of peaceful, with a vibrant cultural feel.

Not far to travel: Amsterdam

Your options here are a 40-ish minute flight, which handily puts you just outside the city, or to spend just under 4 hours on just one train that takes you right to the centre. The reasons for Eurostar-ing it are compelling – no liquid restrictions, no extra luggage charges, no waiting in an airport lounge or baggage collection (likely to add an extra 3 hours to the flight time anyway!), and impressively, the train emits 80% less greenhouse gasses per passenger than a flight.

What’s so great about Amsterdam? The city is small, so it is easy to experience all the delights it has to offer on a weekend break. Top of the list would be the canals, the coffee shops, the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House. If you are feeling thrifty, take a look at the things you can do for free in Amsterdam.

Venice Image by Free-Photos CC0

An adventurous journey: Venice

Sleeper trains are the new cool. Romantic – if you ditch a couchette for a private compartment, better for the environment and less stressful than flying, great value for money because your ticket price pays for travel AND accommodation, and it is the most effective use of precious time on a short break. The Thello sleeper train to Venice departs Paris in the early evening – a short ride from London on Eurostar. Travellers tend to get their sleepy head on with a glass of fine wine to compliment the views. Arrival in Venice is perfectly timed to enjoy one of the city’s unique treats, frittelle and a coffee as a late breakfast, great fuel for a full day ahead.

What’s so great about Venice? Apart from being considered the most beautiful city in the world. Four hundred bridges connect 118 islands, all formed by canals in a shallow lagoon. There are no cars whatsoever in this Gothic water world, everyone and everything goes by boat or on foot.

Feels totally different to the UK: Sicily

The ancient Roman ruins along with many other World-Heritage worthy sites gives Sicily a distinctly far-flung-shores feel for a relatively short flight time of 3 hours. It’s also blessed with 1,000km of dreamy coastline comprised of sandy beaches and dramatic rock formations. The long, hot and sunny days of spring, summer and autumn are distinctly different to the UK, but avoid winter as the weather tends to be wet and windy.

What’s so great about Sicily? The diversity of architecture and culture. Greek, Italian, Arabic and Spanish influences are abounding in the cuisine and in the sights of Sicily. A walking street-food tour comes highly recommended where you can chomp on chickpea fritters, stuffed rice balls and a local delicacy – the veal offal sandwich.