Italy, Finally: What Nobody Tells You Before You Land in Venice

There is a particular kind of anticipation that builds when you are finally about to visit a place you have been dreaming about for years. Not the casual excitement of a weekend trip — the deep, slightly terrifying kind that makes you wonder if the reality could possibly live up to the picture you have been carrying around in your head.

Italy was that place for us.

And I am happy to report — the reality was better. But getting there? That part had a few surprises nobody warned us about. Here is everything from Episode 1 of our Italy series, starting at JFK and ending in the most beautiful city I have ever been in.

📺 WATCH IT Prefer to watch? The full Episode 1 is live on YouTube now. Come back here for the details, the tips, and the things that didn’t make it into the video.

The Airport Lounge Reality Check

Let’s start at JFK — specifically at the Chase Sapphire Lounge, which we had been looking forward to as our pre-flight treat.

The short version: we waited 25 minutes to get in.

The longer version: airport lounges have changed dramatically in the last few years. Credit card perks have made them accessible to far more travelers, which sounds wonderful in theory and can feel considerably less wonderful when you are standing in a queue at 7am before a transatlantic flight.

Here is what I would tell you to remember if you are flying with lounge access:

Arrive earlier than you think you need to. The wait is real, especially at peak travel times.
If you hold the card that belongs to the lounge or are flying with that carrier, you may get priority access — ask.
Lower your expectations slightly on the luxury quotient. These are busier spaces than they used to be.
That said — once we were in, it was genuinely worth it. Made-to-order meals, a proper buffet, comfortable seating, and the kind of breathing room that makes a long-haul flight feel like less of an event.

My husband had the spicy shrimp. I had a Beyond Burger. We sat there and felt like humans again. Highly recommend — just build in extra time.

Amsterdam, Biometrics, and the Sprint We Did Not Plan For

We flew through Amsterdam, which introduced me to something I had not encountered before: biometric boarding. The process itself was genuinely smooth — a quick scan, no fumbling for documents, and you are through. I loved it in principle.

What I did not love was the two-hour delay that turned our comfortable connection into a full sprint through Schiphol. We made it. My dignity did not entirely survive, but we made it.

The lesson here is one I will keep repeating for the rest of my travel life: if you have a connection in Amsterdam, build in more buffer than you think you need. The airport is large, the terminals are spread out, and delays happen.

💡 TRAVEL TIP When flying through Amsterdam with a connection, aim for at least 2 hours between flights. If you are checking bags, consider 2.5. The biometric process is fast — the distances between gates are not.

Arriving in Venice: Everything I Wished Someone Had Told Me

And then we landed in Venice.

Or rather — we landed at Marco Polo Airport, which is on the mainland, not in the city itself. This is the first thing about Venice that surprises first-time visitors: you do not just hop in a taxi. There is no highway into Venice. There is no train that takes you to the center. The only way in is by water.

Which, once you get over the slight disorientation of it, is absolutely extraordinary.

We took the Alilaguna — the public water bus that runs from the airport directly into Venice. Here is what you need to know before you book:

Book your tickets in advance, especially in peak season. You can do this online before you travel.
Travel with carry-on luggage if you possibly can. Navigating Venice with large suitcases is not impossible, but it is genuinely hard work — cobblestones, bridges, narrow alleyways.
Do NOT get off at the first or second stop. We made the deliberate decision to ride to the very last stop, and it was one of the best choices we made on the entire trip.

That last point deserves its own section.

Why We Rode the Alilaguna to the Very Last Stop (and Why You Should Too)

Most people get off the Alilaguna early. The earlier stops are closer to the main tourist corridors, so it makes logical sense.

But here is what happens when you stay on until the end: you arrive in a quieter part of the city. Fewer crowds. No tour groups assembling outside the boat. Just narrow streets and the gentle sound of water and the feeling — even on your first afternoon — that you have already found a Venice that belongs a little bit more to you.

We wandered out from that last stop with no map and no agenda and found our way through the city entirely on instinct. We stumbled across a tiny shop selling handmade gondola slippers. We crossed bridges we did not know the names of. We got slightly lost in the most wonderful way.

It was the perfect introduction to a city that rewards the traveler who is willing to slow down.

💡 TRAVEL TIP Ride the Alilaguna to the final stop. It adds a few extra minutes to your journey and sets you up to experience Venice from a quieter, less-trafficked starting point. The difference in atmosphere is significant.

The Rialto Bridge: Worth Every Step of the Walk

I want to be honest with you about the walk from Santa Lucia station to the Rialto Bridge: it is longer than it looks on the map. Considerably longer if you take every interesting-looking alley along the way, which is exactly what I recommend.

But the Rialto itself — I have seen famous bridges in a lot of cities. The Rialto still stopped me.

The Grand Canal stretching below you in both directions. The light on the water doing something the camera can almost capture but not quite. And on either side of the bridge, the carnival mask and costume shops that have been there for centuries — color and craft spilling out of every doorway.

I stood there longer than I planned. That kept happening in Venice.

The Best Way to Experience Venice: No Agenda

If I had to give you one single piece of advice about Venice — one thing that would make your trip more memorable than any itinerary I could build you — it would be this:

Give yourself at least one afternoon with no plan.

Not a loose plan. Not a few “optional” things on a list. Truly no plan. Pick a direction and walk. Cross whatever bridge looks interesting. Follow whatever alley catches your eye. Let Venice show you what it wants to show you rather than what the guidebook says you should see.

We found the best things that way. A hidden square completely empty of tourists on a Tuesday afternoon. A café with three tables and an espresso that I am still thinking about. A canal that appeared at the end of an alley like a secret the city decided to share.

These are the moments that travel is actually made of. You cannot plan them. You can only leave room for them.

And Then, Montegrotto Terme

After Venice we made our way to our base for the first leg of the trip: Montegrotto Terme in the Euganean Hills. This is where the Italy that most tourists never visit begins — thermal springs, wine, local restaurants with no English menus, and a pace of life that genuinely asks you to slow down.

Dinner that first night was everything I had hoped Italy would be. Local cheeses, regional dishes, wine poured generously, and absolutely zero reason to rush.

That is a story for Episode 2.

The Quick Takeaways

Allow extra time at the airport lounge — they are busier than they used to be and the wait is real.
Book Alilaguna tickets in advance and travel carry-on only if you can.
Ride to the very last stop. Trust me on this one.
Build in connection buffer when flying through Amsterdam.
Give yourself at least one unscheduled afternoon in Venice. It will become your favorite part of the trip.

I am so glad we finally made it to Italy. There is more to come — a lot more. New episodes are dropping regularly on YouTube and I will be sharing the stories here on the blog that do not make it into the videos.

If Italy has been on your list for a while — come along for this series. And if you are starting to think it might be time to actually plan that trip, I would love to help you design it. That is what I do.

Book a discovery call here:

And find out what kind of traveler you are first — take the free Travel DNA Quiz: forms.fillout.com/t/3CSf4Uoyurus

Book a discovery call here:

And find out what kind of traveler you are first — take the free Travel DNA Quiz: