It is said that if you want to really get hopelessly lost in a city then Venice will be your choice. This city promises to wrap it's arms around the most cynical traveller and seduce them into a world of romance and magic.
Venice is built on three hundred and seventeen small islands, and holds one hundred and fifty canals, connected by an amazing four hundred and nine bridges, of which only three cross the main canal. The area it covers is a mere 458 kilometres. Although the city appears small, it is really quite extensive for its size.
Venice is THE place to get hopelessly lost for a day. However, Venice isn’t all cities and crowded streets: through the mysterious alleyways leading off from the city, endless mazes of backstreets and deserted squares, you'll find that Venice is a perfect place to walk for hours on end...pretending to know where you are.
Venice is always in celebrating something. Although the city is particularly busy in the flourishing months of spring, especially around Easter. Accommodations is one of the most difficult things to find around that time , as well as around Christmas, New Year, and festival Carnevale in February. Like Italy 's other great tourist areas, Venice is not at its worst in summer. Although it's crowded, there are many other special activities on offer. The most extraodinary of year to visit is late March into May, with clear spring days and fewer crowds.
Ways to get around:
Vaporetto (water bus) is most amazing method of getting around Venice; you won’t find too many public transport routes as unforgettable as vaporetto. Get yourself a travel pass to ride the exlusive vaopretto - single tickets don't come cheap, and are less economical if you plan to spend days touring Venice and exploring every nook and cranny.
The classic gondola ride with the opera-warbling operator is pretty touristy and expensive but the traghetto is a commuter gondola that crosses the Grand Canal at strategic points. Water taxis (motorboats) are almost as expensive as gondolas, but their pilots don't wear stripper shirts and bellow out 'O Sole Mio'. In my opinion why go to Venice though if not to take a Gondola ride?
The attractions in Venice include many remarkable structures, such as an impressive array of bronze work, tapestries and paintings from the 5 th to 6 th century, as well as a whole handful of amazing buildings and galleries showcasing the artistic side of Venice.
St Marks Basilica:
The mightiest of Venetian monuments, the one that really shows the greatness of Venice is undoubtedly the Basilica of San Marco. It was built over several centuries, frequently transformed and enriched with precious treasures, often from the Far East. It's architecture is a mixture of Byzantine, Roman and Venetian.
Doges Palace:
The Palace is the most representative symbol of Venice's culture, which, together with the Basilica of San Marco at the back and the Piazzetta in the forefront, forms of the most famous sceneries in the world.
The Rialto Bridge:
The Rialto Bridge is the most famous of the bridges that cross the Grand Canal (the other two are the Accademia Bridge and the Scalzi).
The Bridge of Sighs:
Its arched profile, suspended over the water of the Palazzo Rio, composes one of the most famous scenes of the city.
St Marks Square:
The Basilica of San Marco overlooks one of the most beautiful squares in the world, a real marble salon, the city center for centuries. Next to both the Basilica and the Doge's Palace, all the most important religious and civil ceremonies have always been held there and now the Piazza San Marco is considered the city's main symbol and tourist attraction.
Eating Out:
This can range anywhere from the budget pizza to the unbelievably expensive depending where to want to eat. Besides the well-known pastas and pizzas, a lot of places serve dishes containing fish finished off with “polenta”, a corn-based basis of various meals. Venice is also famous for its sweets, cakes and ice creams in all sorts and sizes and are a must for both locals and tourists.
Shopping:
A mix of low-end trinket stores and middle-market-to-upscale boutiques line the narrow Mercerie running north between Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. More expensive clothing and gift boutiques make for great window-shopping on Calle Larga XXII Marzo, the wide street that begins west of Piazza San Marco and wends its way to the expansive Campo Santo Stefano near the Accademia. The narrow Frezzeria, also west of the piazza and not far from Piazza San Marco, offers a grab bag of bars, souvenir shops, and clothing stores.
Venice is uniquely famous for local crafts that have been produced here for centuries and are hard to get elsewhere: the glassware from Murano, the delicate lace from Burano, and the cartapesta (papier-mâché) Carnevale masks you'll find in endless botteghe, where you can watch artisans paint amid their wares.
Getting Here: Note - remember, there are two main means of transportation in Venice, pedestrian and waterborne.
By Air:
The nearest airport to Venice is Marco Polo (about 5 km from Venice). The next closest airport to Venice is Treviso (about 30 km from Venice). Many airlines now fly direct from airports in the UK to Venice or Treviso.
There are 3 budget airlines that fly to the Venice or Treviso...
Easyjet flies from Bristol, Gatwick and Nottingham East Midlands to Marco Polo.
Ryanair flies from Dublin, Liverpool, Luton and Stansted to Treviso.
Thompson flies from Manchester and Gatwick to Marco Polo.
By Taxi:
Departure point is outside main entrance of airport.
By Water Bus:
Departure point: quay at the airport (take free airport shuttle-bus to get there). Leaves at least every hour from 06.15 to 00.20.
By Bus:
Run by ATVO Eurobus service/Ryanair. Departure point is outside main entrance of airport.
Photo courtesy of Venice Tourism
