I Took my first solo trip to Italy: Here’s what i did
Venice • Italy • Lake Garda • Solo Travel
By Lydia Lawrence
Venice canal side streets
Traveling alone is always such a daunting idea, until you’re soaking up the northern Italian sun, drinking possibly the largest capri spritz you have ever seen and eating fresh Italian pizza. All whilst watching people walk by Lake Garda on a random Tuesday afternoon.
I can tell you there is no better feeling, it’s just so peaceful. When all the stress of travel fades; remembering the correct documents to carry, packing all your things, making sure all your belongings are safe and the most important, being aware of your surroundings.
All these worries disappear the second you can just sit down, breathe in fresh foreign air and remember why you had this sudden urge to get away in the first place.
Solitude.
It’s a difficult thing to get your head around, I had just gone through the most heartbreaking, gut wrenching long distance breakup in my life (that lasted close to 2 years) of constant travel back and fourth.
I had just pictured the idea of letting go of the life I desired having for so long and needed a quick getaway, to day dream honestly about anything and everything else. What better way to do this than taking a relaxing solo trip!
I had travelled to places alone by myself before. However, it was either always a destination with someone waiting for me at the other side or I had gone travelling with a group. This was the first time I was utterly and completely, and hopelessly all by myself, in another country and I wanted nothing more.
Day One: settling into my hostel room & discovering Giudecca, Italy
Choosing my destination was the easiest choice I made. Venice was and has always been a dream destination to me, I saw vintage posters of the rowers and Gondolas drifting around the canals, Tiktok’s of people getting lost in the small side streets and lets not even get started on the amazing food spots. I was just enamoured by everything Venice had to offer and wanted to go there myself.
So, thats what I did, I packed my bags and flew to Marco Polo airport.
The airport transportation was relatively easy to understand, as an english speaker (trying too desperately to learn the Italian basics) it was surprisingly a seamless journey, as I took the river boat from the airport straight to the Hilton hotel. Then to Giudecca, where it docks. From there my chosen hostel was only a 20 minute walk down the prettiest and serene river walk I had ever seen.
Giudecca easily became my favourite place from my whole trip. Front facing onto the Venice river, it is a great place to discover one of Venices small yet beautiful neighbourhoods.
It is in a central location, yet situated on the opposite side off all the tourist attractions. It is brilliant if you want to experience all Venice has to offer and also if you want to have a good nights sleep, away from crowds.
Views from Giudecca
There are various selections of hostels and hotels for a solo traveller in Venice, though the hostel I chose: The generator Venice , was an ideal, affordable and easily accessible accommodation.
As I unpacked my suitcase, I made sure I had all the essentials, locked up all my things and ventured to explore.
I was hesitant to join the Vapperattos ( Venice's public water bus system) at first, as anyone is when trying new things. Although after a few trips, I got used to the water transportation instantly.
Views from the Vapparettos
After a quick 10 minute boat ride to Venice Grand Canale, I wandered through the quaint streets on foot until I got to Rialto Bridge. Being most famous as the oldest bridge in all the canals of Venice.
I then strolled along Piazza San Marco shopping among the luxury boutiques thats until I came across one of many restaurants along the river side and decided to grab a bite to eat.
A closer look at St. Marks’s Basilica
Day Two: Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo & Palazzo Grazzi
My second day was both relaxing and adventurous, I just wanted to wander but I still made a plan of things I wanted to see and where I needed to be.
I collected a map from the transportation office, and also with the help of google maps, I let them both guide me.
My first thing on my bucket list was breakfast. I travelled on the Vaparettos again to Cannaregio, the second largest district in Venice. From there, I found a small cafe in the middle of the market square, ate and journaled peacefully whilst people watching.
After scrolling on Tiktok for inspiration for things to see, I then desperately wanted to visit Libreria Acqua Alta, the viral bookstore, that stretches alongside the canal. When I got to the bookstore, I was surprised to see steps to a beautiful view along the river. I spent hours browsing the collections of books and souvenirs until I left to check off what was next on my bucket list for the day.
Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo
After I left the bookstore, I walked just 15 minutes to Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. Known to be famous for its spiral staircase and breathtaking views looking over the Venetian neighbourhood.
I climbed up the staircase and the views proved to be magnificent, looking over red brick houses and churches in the distance.
After a well deserved ice cream break, I wandered back over to Palazzo Grassi, a well known art museum in the heart of the grand Venice canale. Here, I looked at many displays and art exhibitions, the main one being their Pinault collection “ensemble” by Julie Mehretu.
At night, while on my way back to my hostel I travelled on the Vaporetto line 2, that docked at the ‘Redentore’ stop for my destination back to Giudecca. Many beautiful restaurants and shops were located along the Giudecca canale, so I thought it was the perfect place to eat dinner, looking out to the water and sunset views of St. Mark’s square.
Here, restaurants offered a quieter, more authentic alternative to the main island, such as Trattoria Al Cacciatori, where I chose from a wide range of beef risottos and pastas, with a small cocktail to finish my night.
Day three : Visiting Lake Garda and desenzano del garda
On day 3, my my initial plan consisted of visiting outside of Venice to Sirmone, a small town situated alongside Lake Garda. However, I had not woken up early enough, and my plans had to change due to the times of the Vaparettos, since many stop at 7:00pm or 8:00pm at night.
As I was alone, I made sure to plan what time I would be travelling back to my hostel, which is always the smarter and safest option when solo travelling.
Instead, I planned to visit Desenzano del Garda, a town not far from Sirmone, that was closer to the connecting train station back to Venice and it was just as beautiful as it also surrounds Lake Garda.
I bought train tickets from Venezia Santa Lucia to Desenzano del Garda–Sirmione station which was only 1 hour 30 minute train ride and from there,I walked 30 minutes to the views of Lake Garda and surrounding shops in Piazza Malvezzi, the main square.
Along the way was a walk up to Castello di Desenzano del Garda, a beautiful castle overlooking the town and lake, which also offers guides and toured walks.
After walking around the square and stopping for lunch at "Alessi” one of the beautiful hidden restaurants within the side streets, I made my way over to enjoy the views overlooking Lake Garda itself.
Views of Lake Garda from Desenzano del Garda
Then, after a few hours taking in the scenery and exploring the market stalls along the streets, I made my way back to the castle where I walked up to the train station to arrive back at my hostel in Giudecca.
The last sights of Venice were the most beautiful as I witnessed the sun setting again along the canal after the most unreal breathtaking day.
My flight back to England was very early in the morning so I decided to head back and have an good rest ready for the trip to the airport.
Final views from ‘The Generator Venice’ hostel windows
If you enjoyed following along on my travel diaries check out more posts here. And dont forget to follow @Bloomwithflore on Instagram for more!
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