Venice

Venice is without a doubt one of the most famous and visited cities in the entire world. It is romantic, charming, unique, and a bit daunting. Visiting Venice is definitely a “bucket list” destination to any serious traveler. Our first visit to Venice was over 20 years ago, and looking back on that adventure, it was a disappointment. Our subsequent visits, though, were all remarkably memorable. MUCH has been written about Venice, and I doubt that I can add anything new, but I’d like to make some observations on: (1) Our first visit, (2) St. Mark’s Square, (2) The Doge's Palace (3) the canals and bridges—specifically the Rialto and Academia Bridges, (4) The gondolas of Venice, and (5) Murano and Burano.

Our First Visit to Venice

During the summer of 1997, we spent several weeks in Europe traveling by train. Our system, we thought, was a good one—until our trip to Venice. We scheduled our trips so that when we moved from city to city, we traveled overnight by rail, arriving at the new city early in the morning and ready to explore.

When we boarded the train for our overnight ride to Venice, somehow we were placed on an American college car—pretty much a drinking and partying car. There was virtually NO sleep that night, and when we arrived in Venice early in the morning, it was humid and hot. We were exhausted. Not a good introduction to a world class city to say the least. Fortunately, we braved a return to Venice and since then have visited several times. Each visit is more enchanting than the last! This world class city is amazing.

Piazza del St. Mark’s and St. Mark's Cathedral

Anyone who visits Venice immediately becomes aware that St. Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace are the virtual center of the city. St. Mark’s Basilica is the main attraction in the square with the famous Doge’s Palace beside it. The “doge” was a prince ruler of Venice, and throughout the history of Venice, there were many of them. Doge Enrico Dandolo did the most good for Venice, and this makes him the most remembered doge.

Visiting the Basilica is free, but often there is a long line to enter. A shortcut is to go online and for a few Euros reserve a spot in the Fast Track line. A walk through this massive cathedral is kept at a steady pace, leaving little time to stop and look. Pictures are NOT allowed. Once inside the cathedral, you can pay a small fee which allows you to go to the roof of the cathedral. From there, you will have marvelous view of the square.

The Doge’s Palace

There is a fee to a guided tour the opulent Doge’s Palace. I highly recommend this tour; the price is minimal and the information gained is well worth it. One of the most interesting parts of a tour of the Doge’s Palace is a walk through the prison and across the The Bridge of Sighs.

The “Bridge of Sighs,” with its small windows overlooking the canals of Venice, is sobering. This small bridge links two buildings and got its name because prisoners who passed over it were either sentenced to die or had a life sentence; thus, they “sighed” with their last view of the city.

St. Marks Camponile

Directly across the square from the Cathedral and the Palace is the Camponile—or the bell tower towering 323 feet above the square. For another small fee, you can ride an elevator to the top of the Camponile. Here you will have 360 degree photos of St. Mark’s Square and the canals. The bells are HUGE, so cover your ears if you’re there when the bells are ringing. Once again, I highly recommend going to the top of St. Mark’s Camponile.

St. Mark's Square Musicians

Throughout St. Mark’s Square are lovely shops and restaurants. Day or night, each restaurant always has live music which, of course, adds to the romantic ambiance. The most famous restaurant is the Cafe Florian, which opened in 1720. Name any famous person, and he/she has eaten there. Just for grins, my husband and I stopped for a cup of coffee. That is all we had—ONE small cup of coffee each. The cost: $32.00 BEFORE a tip. Just a little “heads up.”

From St. Mark’s Square, dozens of streets and canals spread out into and around the city. You can easily get lost in Venice as you meander through the narrow streets passing dozens of elegant shops or as your walk along one of the canals or bridges.

The Canals and Bridges of Venice

Venice and its neighboring islands of Murano and Burano are all areas “rescued” from the sea. Originally, this region was a huge mudflat, but as people fled from enemies in Europe, they soon discovered that they could build on pilings and pass between homes and buildings via canals. Within Venice itself there are 117 canals and 409 bridges! All commerce is trans-acted via boats on the canals. This includes deliveries of goods, mail and anything else that is found in a city. It is common to see water taxis, water ambulances, and even water police. Truly, Venice is a place that must be experienced personally to really appreciate.

Venice has many bridges, but a visit there must include a walk over the famous Rialto Bridge, a huge bridge with shops up and down both sides. The Academia Bridge (or Ponte del Academia) is also a must. It crosses the Grand Canal toward the opposite side of the city from St. Mark’s. From this bridge you can get excellent photos of the Grand Canal in both directions.

The Gondolas of Venice

Possibly, though, the most glamorous and famous transportation in Venice is via a gondola that is guided by colorful gondoliers. A gondola is a flat-bottomed boat that for years has been used in Venice because it is so well suited to the lagoon-like conditions. The gondolier uses only one oar which he guides in a skulling manner. The oar also acts as the rudder.

For centuries, the gondola was Venice’s chief means of transportation, and at one time, there were 10,000 gondoliers. Today, the gondolas are mostly a tourist attraction, and there are only 400 gondoliers working now. Even though a gondola ride is rather expensive, they are such icons of the city that tourists take these rides by the thousands. Evening gondola rides are especially romantic when the gondolier not only guides the boat, but he also sings to his passengers.

Murano and Burano

These two smaller neighboring islands can be visited by water taxi. For years Murano has been famous for its world class glass and glass blowing. A visit through the glass blowing factory is quite informative, but please note that the glass is extremely expensive.

After visiting Murano two or three times, my husband decided to also visit Burano! What a surprise! Burano is a "little Venice" without all the tourist traffic. It, too, has lovely shops and restaurants, and the cost of getting there by water taxi is quite reasonable. We found our ride to Burano at the Canal walkway just west of St. Mark's Square. If you are interested in a visit to Burano, wander through that area, and you should be able to locate a reasonably priced water taxi. You will love this little island.

On the taxi ride to Burano, there is a third stop at an uninhabited island, but is said to be the very first site of Venice. There you will see canals, a couple Bed and Breakfast spots, and the ruins of a church, but nothing else.

How to Visit Venice

Europe is famous for its trains, and European train travel is simply a way of life. The Venice train station is located near the ship dock and the Academia Bridge. And, of course, you can visit Venice on a cruise; I’ve been to Venice on several cruise and a private land trip. If at all possible, allow yourself more than one day in Venice—several days if possible. Most of the cruise lines actually allow an overnight in Venice, so if you're booking a cruise, check to see if that is an option.

Regardless of what you do or see in Venice, it will be a life-long memory!