If You Go: Venice

As with all of our major trips, below are the key highlights of things to do and plan in Venice.  It was a somewhat touristy location, but its a spot that may not be there in our kids' generation!  I am glad we went - but definitely 2-3 days is all you need in Venice proper.

Where to Stay
Important note - Venice hotels are uber expensive (aka Hilton is ~$450 a night and an average hotel is ~$300 a night).  While not inexpensive, we opted for a less expensive AirBNB for this trip and had great luck.

• Arsenale Flat: This was a great two bedroom flat that was totally modern and renovated.  It was about a 7 minute walk from San Marco square - a great location.  It had lots of space and basic amenities like a blow dryer, tv, etc.  I would recommend this spot 

Things to Do 

• Doge's Palace Secret Itinerary Tour: This was excellent!  The group was ~25 people and the tour lasted a little over an hour.  You get to see spots that are not open to the public and see Venice's criminal justice system including the courts and the dungeons.  Tickets are ~$20 per person, but include Doge's Palace when the "secret" part is complete.  Highly recommend - pre-book your tickets. 
• Urban Adventure Wine & Cicchetti Tour: This was another fantastic tour.  This was about 3 hours in the evening (though you could book day time too) and included a brief walking tour and visits to five Venice wine bars.  Each of the bars included a hearty pour of wine and a delicious traditional appetizer.  Tickets are $75 per person and must be booked in advance.  We didn't feel like eating dinner after this.   Highly recommend.
• Correr Museum: This is the museum that overlooks San Marco Square.  It includes a walk through the fancy rooms used by the Empress of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as well as many historical artifacts.  Admission also includes the archeology museum.  This was not really high on my list originally, but our last day included an incredible amount of rain - the joy of this spot is that it has large lockers for keeping your bag / coat dry in the rain.  If you have time, it's interesting.  Tickets are ~$18 per person, recommend if it's raining  
• Island Tour: You can easily hop on a water taxi over to Murano and Burano.  If you have time, I recommend this - Murano is great for authentic souvenir shopping and Burano has a lot of lovely photo spots and restaurants.  We looked into a private boat and guide - but decided to hop into a water taxi instead - which worked brilliantly.  Water taxi day pass is ~$20 per person.

Things to Eat 

In a word: everything.  All of the food we had was fantastic.  One spot we booked in advance and would recommend, but we wandered into lots of random breakfast and lunch spots that were also fantastic: 

• Vineria all'Amarone: This is a tiny restaurant tucked behind the Rialto bridge. They have a great wine list and an option for a series of wine pairings. They also have the most amazing bruchetta ever.  Wow, it was like fireworks were in my mouth amazing.  We also shared ravioli and spaghetti - which were both delicious for main courses. 
• Suso Gelato: This spot is right near Rialto as well - it had amazing gelato!!!  Highlight recommend!!!