When one thinks of Venice, this is where the imagination goes,
but there is so much more to Venice than a gondola ride.
However, please do take a gondola ride!
Venice is the amazing floating city. It was built from
swampy land that contained over a hundred small islands. These islands were
difficult to reach and easy to defend. The settlers drove thousands of larch, alder
and oak wood piles into the silt, until they hit clay and built platforms over
the swamp. Over time the salt water and lack of oxygen underwater caused the wooden
stakes to harden and formed a base for building structures. The small islands
became connected by canals and Venice was born.
There are no cars in Venice, everyone relies on the
canals for transportation. You will see building supplies, food deliveries
and packages being carried in by boat.
There are a few ways to get to Venice. You may be taking
the train from another Italian City- if so, you will arrive at Venice’s Santa
Lucia Station (your train may stop at the Venezia Mestre station- this is NOT where you get off the train- don’t get confused!!) The train arrives right on the Grand Canal. From there you can walk 20 minutes to get to the Rialto Bridge or 27 minutes to St Mark's square (aka San Marco). Or if not walking, you will pass through the train station, out to the Grand Canal and catch a water bus (vaporetto)- the cheapest way to get around. Your hotel will inform you which vaporetto to take and which stop to get off. There are also water taxis and gondolas available to take you to your hotel- these are quite expensive, but both are a private way to arrive at your hotel.
There are so many reasons to love Venice, but sometimes
Venice gets “bad press” about being overcrowded and that bad press is true during the summer months (end of May, June, July, August and first week of September) San Marco Square, during the day in the summer, is a total madhouse when there are multiple
cruise ships in the port and tons of families on vacation.-My advice is to go to Venice in mid March, April, the beginning of May, mid to end of September, and the beginning of October
-I suggest being on the opposite side of the
island from San Marco Square during the day, then return to the square for the evening
when it isn’t as crowded.
-Plan on 2 -3 nights in Venice if possible
This is San Marco square the third week of March. At this time of year there were not orchestras playing in the evening, but there were no crowds. We had a really great time.
Here are some pics from my second trip to Venice. These pictures were taken in San Marco Square the last week of September. It was fun sitting in the piazza sipping wine, or an Aperol Spritz and people watching. Orchestras played in the evening. It was really romantic.
However, Venice does flood. This is also San Marco's Square. You may want to look at a tide chart and a moon phase chart before choosing Venice. Full moon and high tide, can lead to flooding. Flooding is most likely to occur in November, December and October in that order...but flooding has also occurred from October until March.
*Here are some pictures of what you will see in Venice.
This is the Rialto Bridge, it spans the Grand Canal
Be sure to visit the market near the Rialto Bridge. You can buy beautiful snacks, cheese and wine for a picnic lunch in Venice or for the train ride to your next destination.
If this were your hotel, you could be dropped off at the dock.
Little back canal streets are charming
Go out for an evening pub crawl
Dine in small inexpensive restaurants where you can make friends with the locals
Dine in fancy restaurants where other travelers may lend you their reading glasses.
Corte Sconta was our favorite restaurant.
Find the back alleys with the laundry hanging out.
Cross over the wooden Accademia Bridge
Visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Museum
The Doge's Palace is not to be missed
Saint Mark's (San Marco) Basilica - must buy advance tickets
Libreria Acqua Alta ..a super cool- Insta-worthy, bookstore. Don't just take pics, buy something... from notecards to prints to a small book-
this is the definition of a "small independent business"
You can take an elevator to the top of the Campanile di San Marco- great view
*If you aren't worn out yet, consider day boat trip to see a few of the outlying islands
Murano is famous for its glass.
Burano is famous for its brightly colored houses and shops
Torcello, the origins of Venice- a quiet respite to walk around
The Lido- is an island close to Venice where you can swim during the summer
I hope that this blog motivates you to visit Venice. It has so much charm.
