One of the most magical cities to visit in Italy is Venice. This 1,500-year-old city is filled with beautiful ancient architectural buildings that houses renaissance art collections from famous painters of the time.
The best way to get around Venice is by walking. You’ll walk through narrow streets and squares. The main sights are found at the Piazza San Marco, the center of Venice. It’s the most famous and most photographed plaza in Europe and it’s crowded. Here, you’ll find palaces, churches, architectural buildings, museums, fine shopping and dining.
Visit the St. Mark’s Basilica (Basilica de San Marco), where they have displays of stunning mosaics on the floor and above. Around 11:30-12:30 in the afternoon they shine the lights on the mosaics and it is truly magical.
Another must see is the Gallerie dell’ Accademia. This gallery houses the best collection of Venetian Paintings such as Bellini, Titan and Mantegna.
The Santa Maria dei Frari houses Venetian renaissance arts such as the “Madonna and Child and Saints” by Giovanni Bellini and the “Pesaro Madonna” by Titian.
Don’t forget to walk to the Rialto Bridge and take snapshots of the Grand Canal. This bridge is the largest and the most popular bridge in Venice.
One cannot leave Venice without cruising the Grand Canal and checking out the great renaissance palaces. You can’t help but to be in awe of the architectural buildings—with the help of gondola rides or vaporetto (water bus).
The gondola carries up to 6 passengers. The gondoliers will try to give you a fixed price, sometimes up to $100 for a 40-minute ride. Try to bargain with them because otherwise, you’ll get ripped off.
If you’re visiting Venice for a few days, get the travel pass or Venice card to ride the vaporetto. You’ll save money this way. Single tickets are more expensive. For example, a single adult ticket costs 6.50 Euro while a 24-hour pass card is only 15 Euro.
To get the card, you need to reserve it about 48 hours before arriving in Venice. Order online at www.venicecard.it, and print your voucher to claim your card when you get there, or call the call center +39 0412424 from 8 a.m. – 7: 30 p.m. everyday.
The best time to go to Venice is in the spring or fall. Summer is too hot, sticky and also very crowded.
For first time visitors, Venice is mostly toured on foot, so wear comfortable shoes because you’ll be doing a lot of walking.
Tags: basilica de san marco, gondola, grand canal, italy, piazza san marco, tourism, travel, vacation, vaporetto, Venice, venice italy, venice travel, venice vacation, venice vacation tips