Europe Bike Trip Part 6: Venice

A quick word of advice to anyone thinking about taking bikes into Venice: don’t.

After exploring Croatia by bike we rode into Venice, Italy. Dealing with our bikes was, to say the least, not a fun experience. If you’re biking through Italy and planning to stop in Venice the most affordable option is to find somewhere to store your bikes outside of the city. Then, take the train into Venice and pick them up when you leave. Bikes are not actually allowed in the central town itself, so if you take bikes into Venice you will have to find a parking garage before getting on a water taxi. Parking for bikes is not cheap. We figured this out the hard way, but once we parked our bikes we were able to kick up our feet and relax in the sinking city of Venice.

Once we were settled into the city, Venice provided the perfect destination to end our journey. The gorgeous city served as a reward for all the kilometers we had traveled by bike. We visited all of the major points of interest including Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. However, we had the best time sitting near the water with a beer in hand, watching the massive yachts sailing into port and imagining the kinds of people who own these behemoths.

We all flew home in great shape after a few days, despite all the pasta and wine that was consumed in Venice! Overall, biking through Europe was a challenging and rewarding experience. I would recommend to anyone seeking a fascinating and active adventure!

-Wendy