Venice Travel Tips

With the onset of winters, i will grab on anything that will keep me cozy..and what better than memories..And undoubtedly Venice is a place that you will never forget. There is something about Venice that is unforgettable.The flair of small canals, history of ancient Palazzi, endless walks in the city interiors and sipping coffee through vintage alleys.Every corner you turn, you feel like walking into a  watercolor painting that no camera can ever do justice. But then don’t forget you are not the only one soaking in the beauty of Venice. I have said this before and I will repeat it “Venice is Romantic but crowded”. And I realized that pretty sooner than later. There are many other pitfalls that you can read here as my first impressions that might save you some shocks and surprises here and there.

Read here  as there were too many of them … Apart from the ones I have listed already :

1) Locals in Venice are very friendly and will be more than happy to help in case you get lost.

2) Venice at sunset is mesmerizing and an unmissable sight.

3) Do wear comfortable shoes as you will have to walk a lot. Planned or unplanned but most of the exploration will be done on foot.

4) Give yourself more than a day to soak in beauty of Venice. A day trip is too less of a time to spend.

5) There are several public toilets (Servizi igienici pubblici) around Venice in popular tourist areas but they generally charge €1.50 but are kept clean and tidy. If you intend to use the toilets in Cafeterias then they are for customers only . So before you order it is a good idea to verify the availability of a public restroom.

By Air: Located 12 kms outside the city, Venice‘s Marco Polo airport is Europe’s third most trafficked airport and easiest way to get to the city. The airport is well connected to the city by both canals and road. You can either take a vaporreto or a bus to reach to St. Mark’s Square.

By Train : If you are coming from Florence, Milan or Rome, you can reach Venice by train. Venice Sanata Lucia station is linked by rail to all these cities. From train station you can either hop on to a vaporettos that will give you the taste of commuting over water or you can make 30 mins walk to St Mark’s Square.

By Bus: Venice is well connected by roads to Florence and Naples via north-south route A1 to A4. For the route connecting Venice and Florence, there’s a partnership between SENA, Baltour, and Eurolines. They run coaches between Venice and Florence (and beyond) every day. The trip is about 5 hours one-way.

I know nothing feels better than staying at the heart of Venice but that of-course comes with a price tag. If you want to save money try staying at Lido or Mestre. These places have plenty of options and are well connected with Venice. We stayed at Lido and liked it. To make a right choice just weigh the savings and advantages against the charm of getting a true Venetian experience.

 Things to see

 Piazza San Marco : Piazza San Marco has a different feel to it altogether. It is a bustling tourist ground where you need to fight through pegions hovering overhead to make your way .  Being the center of the city, it is incredibly crowded and its very usual for getting this place flooded with water specially at high tides and flood tides. Piazza in itself is not the most attractive part of Venice. It is the waterways, gondolas, bridges, architecture etc that make it worth a “sight”. While you are at Piazza , there are few things that you cannot miss.

St. Mark’s Basilica : St. Marks basilica is the most famous church in Venice and one of the most-visited sights in world.It is definitely a must-see on any traveler’s Italy itinerary. I will suggest to take a guided tour for this church as it has fascinating history and some interesting stories and legends behind it.

Fun Fact : If you focus on the walls very closely, you will realize that there is no symmetry to this structure. The reason is the marble covering the exterior of the church was stolen from Istanbul and later on stitched together as face of St. Marks.

Doge’s Palace : Doge Palace, house to the Mayor of Venice has a lot of political history to it which you will not be able to appreciate without a guide. It takes around 2 hours to take a complete tour. This Gothic masterpiece has some of the best exhibitions in the field of art and history. For photo lovers , try taking pictures of Doge Palace early in the morning with sun rising just behind it.

St. Marks Campanile : Often affectionately refered as Bell tower, it is the most commanding landmark just opposite to St.Mark’s Basilica. At 99 mts, it is the tallest building in Venice and is open to the public from where you can enjoy the superb views of the city with audio – guides. Entrance to the campanile costs €6. Since the whole city of Venice is built on mud and wood (not much sturdy base for buildings, it is no surprise that the tower crumbled in 1902 and then rebuilt with an entire replica of original.

Bridges : The car free streets of Venice is made up of 118 islands, separated by 177 canals and linked by 416 bridges. Of all the bridges there are some must sees.

Rialto Bridge is one of the oldest bridges and most photographed bridge that crosses the Grand Canal.

Accademia Bridge, a.k.a. the Ponte dell’Accademia, is an important wooden pedestrian thoroughfare across Venice’s Grand Canal.You can capture beautiful pictures of Gondolas passing in canal while standing over this bridge.

 

 

I hope the photos above will help to convince you all that going to Venice without camera is a crime.  The moments you will spend in Venice, you would want to capture them and carry with you. Experiencing Venice is like falling in love. That feeling of seeing something so unique and architecturally different will leave you in an awe . I tried being critical or  find reasons for not loving Venice or so that it may not live up to my expectations,but  I failed. I will love to hear about your Venetian experiences. If you are planning a trip and need any tips, leave me a comment and I will be happy to help. Thank you for stopping by.

PhotoCredits : Photostains