Why I Think Venice is OVERRATED

Everybody loves Venice, even people that have never been there before. I can’t blame them, the city is absolutely beautiful and one of the most picturesque cities I’ve ever been to. But this is also one of my least favorite cities I’ve ever been to. I’ve given it a couple chances too, thinking that maybe I would like it more the second and third time around, but that wasn’t the case. Now before anyone gets offended, remember this is just my opinion and my experiences with Venice. This is also a blog for SOLO Females, I believe in being completely transparent with my readers and I want to share my experiences, good or bad. So why do I think the city that everyone is just so obsessed about is overrated?

I don't think it's romantic

Venice is the city of romance, it’s supposed to be one of the most romantic cities in the world. Personally, I don’t feel like it is. I felt it’s just as romantic as any other city, nothing about Venice screamed ROMANCE to me. Even the gondola rides that are supposed to be super romantic, are not. The guys don’t even serenade you. Now I might have a different outlook on this if I actually went with a significant other. But I’ve been there alone, traveling with other person and a group of us, and every time I felt the same exact way about it.

It's expensive

Venice is EXPENSIVE… I get it the entire city is surrounded by water and you need to import goods but damn! Venice is just stupid expensive. There is no reason a glass of wine and a bottle of water should cost me €25 in Italy! And let’s not even mention lodging there. The first time I went to Venice I shared an Airbnb with two other people I was traveling with so the price wasn’t ridiculous when divided by the three of us. The most recent time I went alone, my Airbnb was literally a 4”x6” closet (no windows, just a twin bed, and a mirror). The twin bed barely fit in there and it cost me nearly €100 a night.

It’s crowded and touristy

I come from a big city that has nearly 10 million people living there and even more tourists a year. I’m used to the big city crowds and the tourist traps all over the cities. But there was just something about Venice that didn’t sit well with me. Multiple times I was deprived of my personal space. On my first trip there I was only in Venice for 2 nights and ended up getting three panic attacks because I couldn’t walk down a narrow street (I get claustrophobic). The daytime population is always overcrowded even during offseason.

The food is the worst in all of Italy

Yep…. I never thought I would get bad Italian food in Italy... Well, I did in Venice. Not only was it overpriced, the turnaround time for the food has to be so quick (because there are so many tourists there) that the actual food quality isn't that great. Don’t let this point deceive you and think that the service is good, it’s not. I’ve traveled all over Italy, it’s my favorite country, but only in Venice, I wasn’t able to get a decent slice of pizza. We were joking that Chef Boyardee makes better Italian food than the food in Venice.

There is nothing to do there

Other than walking around and snapping photos in this picturesque city, there really is not much to do here. It's the perfect place for photographers but not if you want to actually see something. There’s only so many bridges you can walk across before it all starts looking the same.

Don’t get me wrong the city is beautiful and unique indeed. It’s on many people's bucket lists and it was on mine for a very long time. I suggest you visit it just once and see for yourself if you like it or not.

Xoxo Ania Travels 💜