On our way home from a recent travel conference in Slovenia, we decided that as it was Sunday and the sun was shining, we would take a detour and spend a night in the magical city of Venice.

A holiday destination that we had never visited before, but one that has been on our bucket list for quite some time, Venice is one of those cities that everyone should visit during their lifetime, and while we only had 24-hours to enjoy the city, we certainly made the most of our spontaneous break!

First up was choosing a hotel in Venice that was a) affordable and b) in a suitable location for those driving to this floating city.  Last minute bookings used to be the best way to get a bargain, but these days the later you book, the more expensive hotels seem to be, and so we were relieved when we came across the Park Junior Hotel in Quarto d’Altino, a mere 15 minute train ride from the city centre.

Within 15-minutes of checking in to our hotel, we were on our way to Venice, and arrived in the centre of this World Heritage Site in time for a typical (but oh so lovely!) Italian lunch, of pizza, salad and Vino Rosso!

There are literally hundreds of bars and restaurants in Venice to cater for the throngs of international travellers, and while most are somewhat ‘touristy’, we found the food to be very good and the prices very reasonable.

After a satisfying Italian feast, we headed off in search of Venice’s most prominent attractions, namely the Rialto Bridge, St Marks Square, Doge’s Palace and the Basilica di San Marco, before making our way to the side of the Grand Canal, where we found the perfect spot to sit and watch the world go by.

A trip to Venice would not be complete without a Gondola Ride along one of the endless canals, but due to the sheer volume of visitors and lengthy queues, we decided that our gondola ride would have to wait until next time…

So now, we have the perfect excuse to return to this romantic and breathtakingly beautiful city, and I for one, cannot wait to spend another 24-hours in Venice!