Solo travelling in Venice: Best tips and places to visit

For a long time now, there has been talk of “seeing Venice before it sinks”, with the city being built on over 100 islands in a lagoon in the northeastern area of Italy. 

As the sea-levels rise, Venice will eventually sink underwater. 

But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time to explore the beautiful canals and cobbled streets – just make sure you book that trip soon, whether it’s with your partner, friends or by yourself. 

Here, Travel News Blitz writer Atlas Scholes talks about their first-ever solo trip, their best tips and budget-friendly options for those wanting to explore the city without hurting their bank.  

Venice bucket list

If you’re planning to embark on a solo trip to one of Italy’s most popular cities, it’s important to know where to start and where to go to make sure your Venice bucket list is all checked off before you get on that flight back home.  

Solo travelling can be a daunting goal, a holiday suddenly becomes all your responsibility: flights, hotel, transfers and what to do. 

To eliminate the first three struggles, I booked my holiday through Jet2 – it wasn’t necessarily the cheapest option, but for four nights, breakfast and all my travel and accommodation costs involved, it was less than £500. 

For my maiden solo voyage, I didn’t mind spending the extra cash booking everything through a travel agency just for the extra security in knowing that I would get where I needed to be without any problems. 

I alsostaying on the outskirts of the city – I stayed in Lido di Jesolo, quite a popular beach town just a ferry’s trip away from the heart of Venice – great money saver, but also gives you a little break from the bustling city life. 

I'm a terribly nervous flyer; in May 2024, I went on a trip to Rome with my friends, and I had my hand gripped onto their arms like I was going to break a bone, so the thought of having to go through take-off on my own terrified me. 

But I stocked up on some lemon sherbets, had some downloaded music playing through my headphones, and with some deep breaths, I got through it just fine. 

Towards the end of my flight, just before we started descending, the woman sitting next to me sparked up a conversation and asked me if I was flying to meet family like she was.  

I told her I was just on a trip by myself, and she had lots of questions, but mainly she just told me how great it was that I was doing this trip. 

This wasn’t the only time I heard this on my holiday, but it was special every time a stranger said it. 

Life’s a beach

Whilst there isn’t a lot to do in Lido di Jesolo, being able to go for a walk down the beachfront at a moment's notice was a nice way to spend some time getting used to being on my own. 

My first night, I got food at the hotel I was staying at, and bumped into a group of Welsh ladies that had been travelling together for years – the next night they invited me out for a meal and karaoke. 

Catching the ferry from Lido di Jesolo to Venice was incredibly easy, and though I did go with some new friends I made (a lovely couple from Hull), if you go into any news store, they’ll have duo-tickets for the bus and ferry for any time usage during the day. 

The ferry takes you just a short walk away from St Mark’s Square, which is a central hub for all the key sites, like Doge’s Palace, St Mark’s Basilica and not far away from the Rialto Bridge. 

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Stunning architecture

You can easily spend the day just walking around and admiring all the stunning architecture without having to spend a penny to go inside any of the buildings, if you don’t want to, but I absolutely would recommend going inside St Mark’s Basilica – the outside is stunning to look at, but the mosaics on the inside left me speechless. 

I paid a little extra to go on the balcony, and I would say it was worth the extra pennies if you have them. 

On my first day trip to Venice, I also hopped on a ferry to go and see the islands of Murano and Burano – beautiful islands just outside of the main city, with Murano being famous for its glassblowing history, and Burano famous for its colourful buildings. 

There was a day I had to myself where I decided to go and do everything I hadn’t done yet – like a gondola ride and find some tiramisu. 

Gondola rides are infamously expensive, however, if you go to the St Marco water-bus/ferry stop just a five-minute walk away from St Mark’s Square, you can get a 30-minute shared gondola journey for just £35 – it seems expensive, but instead of paying £95+ for a private one, a shared one is very much worth it for that bucket list check. 

As for tiramisu, I went to a place called I Tre Mercanti. There will be queues as it has become very popular online, but the sweet treat at the end of the wait is worth it. 

Different flavours

They have lots of different flavours depending on the day; when I went, I got a classic and a pistachio one, and I will forever be dreaming about both. 

My final night was spent at the hotel with the friends I’d made during my travels, and whilst it was nothing spectacular, I never once thought my solo travelling would’ve been spent with so many people and ending with endless memories of laughs and stories. 

Deciding to go on a solo trip was a very impulsive decision, but I did it to prove to myself that I was capable of doing everything I ever wanted to do.

If I ever get nervous or scared to do something, I now know I can do it, because I hopped on a flight to Venice by myself at 21.

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