When you arrive to Marco Polo airport, you will be needing a transportation off Venice. The easiest means would be hiring a water taxi to bring you there. This will take almost half an hour but since you will be renting it, the cost can be expensive 80 to 100. If you are on a budget, you can take a bus off to Piazzale Romathis is located just across the Grand Canal if you are from the train station and would cost you 5 to 10 oror by water where you can get a ride for only less that 15 through the Alilaguna waterbus.

The ABCs of Venice transportation

Many people enjoy walking within the streets of Venice but because of the easy means of public transportation, you will find yourself wanting to take some of the beautiful bus-boats called “Vaporetto”. Since Venice is a city built on water, the vaporetto are considered as the main transportation in the city that has regular routes cruising Venice, Murano and Burano from the Grand Canal. For roughly around 6.50, you can purchase a single ticket to a vaporetto. This entitles you to stay inside the boat-bus for almost an hour.

For those who are not aiming to sight-see, riding a vaporetto is not a good option because it is too much for a couple of minutes getting to a specific place. But to those who aim to really see what Venice has to offer through the Grand Canal, then it would be worth it. One simple reminder if when you buy a ticket is that make sure to validate it in the machines before you reach the plank getting off the canal.

Then there’s the “Gondola” which are considered as the classic image of Venice. These are boats that are usually hired privately so you along with your company to cruises the canals of Venice leisurely. You are even treated to a performance by the drivers as they sing some Italian songs. But since you have to rent it, riding Gondolas would cost you so much. If you are on a budget, riding the gondola is not advisable.

If you cannot afford to hire a private Gondolawhich is considered a must when you travel Veniceyou can opt for what they call a “Traghetto”. These are pretty much the same as gondolas, only they are not hired privately and the drivers don’t sing to you. If you just want to cross various points of the Grand Canal, you can ride this since these usually stands along the canal. The traghetto brings the passengers back and forthfrom one shore to anotheron a regular schedule.

Unlike the gondola where you can ask the driver to wait for you, the drivers of traghetto would not wait for you if you came in late. If you miss one traghetto, you have to wait for the next one to come.

If you go by land, take a bus to the Piazzale Roma which is across the Grand Canal from the train station. If by water, get a ride on the Alilaguna waterbus.

If you go by train, get off ONLY on the station Venice Santa Lucia. (The first two, named Venice and Venice Mestre are still on the mainland.) You will be deposited right at the Grand Canal with a big vaporetto waiting for you.

Once in the city, going around is by walking, of which Venice is ideal. But then, a whole city however small cannot be explored by foot alone. Since Venice is surrounded by waterways, long transportation is carried out by water vessels.

Vaporetto

This is the main transportation going to and from places far from the city. These are big bus boats which have regular routes along the Grand Canal from the city proper to other places. (e.g. to Murano, Burano, or Torcello, etc.)

One single ticket for an hour of travel time is around 7 Euros. It is better to get a pass that covers your whole visit. Several kinds of passes are available for tourists covering both water and land transportation. Some have discounts at various shops and attractions in the city.

The main tourist line is the #1 vaporetto. It travels across the whole of the Grand Canal, stopping at every single stop between the train station and Piazza San Marco. If you are in a rush, don’t take the vaporetto.

However, if you want to travel in a leisurely manner because of the sights along the way, the vaporetto is perfect. (Validate your tickets in the machines along the planks before you board.)

If the weather cooperates, it is one grand way to spend the hour (the whole travel time) watching the city float by. Just don’t be in the way of the people who rope the boat up at every stop.

If you want a faster transport, take the #82 vaporetto. It is faster because it stops only at some few points between the train station and San Marco terminals. However, this is a seasonal liner, operating only on high tourist seasons. If you are visiting off-season, there is no #82 vaporetto.

Traghetto

They look like gondolas, but they are not. They don’t have gondoliers with striped shirts singing songs. Traghettos are short distance transport boats used to cross the Grand Canal at various points where there are no connecting bridges.

There are traghetto stands and waiting boats along the banks of the Grand Canal. These traghetto boats transport passengers to and from either side of the canal.

Gondolas

These quaint-looking boats make up for the postcard picture of Venice. In essence, these are expensive water taxis for hire when you want to go on a leisurely, romantic cruise around the city’s canals.

In these hard times, the gondola business is still going on strong in Venice, which means the world is still full of romantics with money to burn. Of course, getting around Venice need not be in gondolas, and they can be just as romantic as you can make them to be.

If you are planning to visit Venice, one of the major things that you should consider is getting there. If you are from other countries, say from the United States, the best and easiest way to get to this beautiful city is by riding a plane. Via Delta Airwayswhich is the only one that offers direct flight to Venicefrom JFK airport in New York, you can fly straight to the city without hassles and stopovers. You can also take other connecting flights to nearby cities in Europe and just find your way to the city via land transportation.

If you are in nearby cities already such as from Padua or Florence, you can take the train since Venice is orderly serviced by regional and national train system. You can arrive at the Sta. Lucia Station and take other forms of public transport. It is a must that you get to know the right means of getting there to avoid spending too much when you can actually save some for other activities or for shopping spree.

Knowing the city

A Venice vacation can be a great treat for anybody. Especially to those people who are often gets stressed out by the modern world. This is because this can give you a perfect break away from all the toxicities modern life has to offer. But, before going into a vacation Venice, take some time to know the place that you are planning to go to. This will really help you a lot in maximizing the time you are going to spend there.

The first thing that you need to pay attention to is you schedule during your vacation. Since you don’t have all the time in the world to explore Venice during you vacation, it is best that you plot the list of activities that you will be doing during your stay. Your schedule or itinerary might include visiting Venice’s interesting sites and historical places. This is very important especially for first-time visitors because these tours can give them a primer and background about the place. For those who would want to know about the history of the place, they can visit historical sites including the Piazza San Marco or the St. Marks Square which will introduce you to the city that is Venice. Within this are other tourist attractions including the St. Marks Basilica and the Doges Palace.

You can also try water adventures and activities. A Venice vacation is nothing if you don’t get to experience water activities waiting for you. During your stay, it is a must that you take a boat and visit the lagoon’s islands called “Torcello,” and take a Gondola trips through the Grand Canal.

If you are planning to go on a trip to Venice, it is a must that you prepare first for the trip. The most basic thing that you can do is to introduce yourself to the place by knowing the basic things about it. You can do this by visiting various websites that offer information on Venice. These sites will give you an overview about the place, what to expect, how to get there, and a wide array of activities available for you. By visiting a websites, you can also get travel discounts or cheaper airfare fees especially when you book for a much earlier date. Getting a low rate airfare to get you to Venice is ideal to help you save some money for the big adventure.

Aside from browsing the Internet, you can also get important information and tips from travel magazines, which feature the place. In these feature stories and articles, you can get various opinions, comments, and observations about the place that can help you decide if you really can afford Venice vacations or if everything will worth the trip.

The best dining options

Aside from the most basic things that you should know when you will go on a trip to Venice, there is one particular thing that you should considerdining. If you are not a picky eater, you can just opt for anything that is offered within the vicinity. But if you can be sensitive about eating and dining in other places, then you might want to take some time off to research about dining in Venice.

A taste of Italy is visible in dining experiences in Venice. The most common dining area here is called the “Bacaro,” referring to a mainstream Venetian bar. In this area lie several “hole-wall-eateries” that offers delectable local Venetian snacks as well as local choices of wines that are relatively cheaper compared to other dining options. You can find “Bacaros” in all almost all areas of the city that are really designed and place in areas where people usually go for sight-seeing.

If you opt for a bigger and more comfortable dining place for you family or for your companions, dine in “Osteria”. These refer to family-run restaurants that are also plenty around the city of Venice. These restaurants offer home style cooking where you can choose from a wide variety of local specialties at very affordable prices. For those who have tried local specialties and are craving for other food choices, they can also opt for ethnic restaurants that can be found in the heart of the city.

These can be more expensive since they are not available locally and are especially-made for a few customers.

Now celebrated every February, the carnival is the one time when the whole city becomes as colorful and spectacular as the masked and costumed citizens are. In the past, it used to be a long festival running from December 26 all the way to Ash Wednesday.

Today, it still is a wild, enjoyable and fun festival that lasts for ten days where people put on masks and colorful costumes to become the people of their own fantasies. With their real selves hidden under costumes and masks, they would go out into the streets and participate in the festivities.

Many shows are mounted in the squares and mostly in Piazza San Marco, especially on Jeudi (Thursday) and Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the most important days of the carnival. In other parts of the city, there are also several street performances, parades and other attractions.

Origin

The origin of the carnival is said to have begun in celebration for the victory of Venice against Ulrich, the Patriarca of Aquileia in 1162 A.D.

It reached the height of its magnificence around 1700 when it began to attract visitors from all over Europe. There grew a mini-industry to manufacture more masks and costumes (mostly of the heavy velvets for cloaks and capes) for use by more people participating in the occasion.

It was the time when kings and princes and other European royalty would take part in the Carnival in order to have a good time on the city’s squares and streets.

Today, it is still celebrated by the whole city, this time with tourists watching and joining in the open-air celebrations, including public shows and private parties organized and held in the Venetian palaces.

Masks

The symbol of Carnival is definitely the masks. These are created by skilled craftsmen whose art were inherited from past masters. These handcrafted masks are quite expensive but are available all over Venice.

The most famous and fashionable mask (and costume) is the unisex Bauta. The whole get-up consist of a black tricorn hat, a black cloak and the white papier-mche mask. The mask leaves the mouth area uncovered for eating and drinking.

The Moretta is a black oval mask with holes only for the eyes. There is also a mask of a cat called Gnaga. The mask of the plague doctor is one with a long nose or beak.

The wearing of masks during the festival had been dated back to the 12th century although it was only in 1608 when it was officially deemed proper. Since then, mask-making is handled by the masters with only a handful considered the best.

The importance of the carnival in Venice is seen all year round with the display of fancy dresses in stores. Also, if you visit the city anytime of the year, the mask-making shops are all hard at work making this beautiful symbol of the festival. It is if all the days of the year are solely in preparation for the carnival.

2. La Cusina – Dining in La Cusina gives you the chance to enjoy the view of Santa Maria della Salute – a most sought-after sight you can enjoy while devouring a sumptuous Italian cuisine like ravioli stuffed with sea bass in a light cream sauce with wild fennel. Prices of main meals ranges from 21 to 23 euros while secondary meals ranges from 23 to 34 euros.

3. Avogaria Locanda and Restaurant Sweet, quiet and modern, this restaurant specializes in Puglian cuisine, mostly olive oil-based meals like burrata con verdure, fresh mozzarella with creamy center and vegetables, tuna fish “tagliata” with sesame, filetto di branzino in crosta di patate al forno, and sea bass fillet with potatoes. By plane, you can reach Avogaria either thru Marco Polo Venice Airport or San Giuseppe Treviso Airport. It’s located on Calle dell’Avogaria in Dorsoduro and with telephone number: 011-39-041-296-0491.

4. Fiaschetteria Toscana – This “bright, elegant, and relatively small place” wrote Mark Bittman, is tucked in the heart of Venice, 200 metres from Ponte di Rialto in Salizada s. Giovanni Grisostomo. Fiaschetteria Toscana got its name in late 1800s when the Busatto family, from Montecatini in Tuscany, opened a bar offering typical local products. Today, despite its name, this restaurant serves traditional Venetian fare like sarde in saor or marinated sardines. Their risottos are one of the best in the city made with aged organic Carnaroli rice popularly known as Acquerello from a small Piedmontese producer. The end-product? A Venetian risotto which is perfectly soupy and loose but hardly creamy.

5. Cantinone Gia Schiavi – Located just southwest of the Accademia bridge, this place is popular for their great wine selection from Venice. They are open from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm thru Mondays to Saturdays and 10 am to 1 pm on Sundays.

6. Al Covo – This lovely restaurant located in Castello, Venice is popular not only for their fresh seafoods and excellent selection of moderately priced wines but also for their warm and welcoming atmosphere. Waiters are friendly, suggestive and English speaking. One of the owners of this lovely restaurant hails from Texas, which explains the hospitable atmosphere to Americans. Their menu includes garnished light beef tartar steak, fresh granzevola or spider-crab meat, and canocce or shrimp salad for starters; roasted lamp chops with lentils and homemade mint sauce and deep-fried fish and shellfish with crispy vegetables and matchstick fries for main courses. They also have a fresh 24 hour salad for side dishes.

Venice the city itself is very historic. So while on a vacation there, sight-seeing opportunities could be unlimited. When you go there on a vacation, it is a must to see the mainif not the majortourist attraction offered by the city: the Piazza San Marco or the St. Marks Square. Here, you can visit the wonderful St. Marks Basilica, The Doges Palace with its amazing bell-tower as well as many other local establishments that are great for sightseeing and photo opportunities.

A visit in the St. Mark’s Square is only the “appetizer” in the list of must-see attractions in Venice. The next would be riding the world-famous “Gondolas” which is a staple picture of any Venice vacation. Riding the Venetian Gondola is a must for those who set foot on Venice the first time because it provides an ease and comfortable tour of the city. Gondolas a usually rented for a specific period of time and you can ask the driver to cruise you along the narrower canals inside the inner quarters of Venice. You can take a tour of the city via The Grand Canal first then you can take the back canals which will provide you a more intimate feel of the city.

Next would be a tour of the Grand Canal which is the biggestand most detailed tourist attractions in Venice. This canal stretches from the railway station down to the far end of the city where St. Marks Square is located. The ideal means of touring the Grand Canal would be through the Grand Canal Boat Tour that offers convenient route for the most wonderful sites within the city.

Aside from visiting the St. Marks square, the Basilica, and the Doges Palace located in the San Marco District, other must-see attractions in Venice would ideally include sightseeing in the Castello District that features the “Arsenale,” the “Biennale Art Exhibitions” as well as other public gardens. You can also visit the main attractions offered by the Dorsoduro District including the “Accademia,” the “Peggy Guggenheim Museum” that features rare Gondola workshops as well as the “Campo Santa Margherita.”

If you have more time, try to go around the Cannaregio District where you can find the “Jewish Ghetto,” and the “Ca D’oro,” as well as the San Polo district for great bargains at the “Venetian Mercantile Empire” and “Rialto Fish Market,” and a wonderful features of the “Friari Church”.

A complete tour of Venice would include a visit to its museums and art galleries where you can see the works by almost all great Venetian masters like Titian, Bellini, Tintoretto and Giorgione. Aside from the Peggy Guggenheim museum, other museums and art galleries that you must visit should include “The Correr museum,” the “Naval Museum,” the “Gallerie dell’Accademia,” the “Museo Civico Correr,” and the “Glass Museum at Murano.”

Getting to Venice

Depending on your location, Venice could be reached via plane, trains and cars. Once you arrive in Italy, there are many ways in which you can reach Venice and one of the easiestnot to mention the fastestwould be via plane from the Marco Polo Airport. Actually, the airport could be considered as an attraction itself because of its high-tech features and facilities. The airport system is very passenger friendly to avoid confusion especially on foreign visitors. It basically consists to two floorsthe ground floor mainly reserved for various rental agencies, desks for water-taxi reservations, booths cruise agents, escorts and guides, area for public transportation and kiosks for tourist information while the first floor is where the gates for departure as well as the duty-free zone that offer various Italian products for easy and convenient shopping experience.

If you are flying to Venice from the United States, it is best to rely on Delta Airways because they are the only one who has direct flight. From JFK airport in New York, you can fly directly to Venice without so much hassle but if you are coming from other areas in the States, you can have connecting flights to other cities in European like London, Rome, Frankfurt, Milan, Paris, or Amsterdam off to Venice.

If you are coming from neighboring cities such as Rome, Milan, Treviso, Florence or Padua, you can take the train into the Santa Lucia railway station. Since Venice is serviced by national and regional train lines, you can get to the city in no time. But if you prefer to get there by car, you will have a big problem since Venice is literally built on water, so it is considered a “no car zone”. However, you can still get near Venice using the car only up to the terminal using the bridge Ponte della Liberta coming from Mestre. From there, you can park your car and take the ferry from Lido and then you will have to take the “vaporetti” off to Venice.

Before arriving in Venice, it is a must that you have a plan in staying there since it can be quite complicated especially for first timers. The major things that you should consider include the time since you are not familiar with the country, it is best to know when is the best time to get to Venice so you can enjoy almost everything it has to offer.

Also, the length of the vacation so you can have almost everything you need and the weather and climate so you will not get sick while on vacation.

The busiest times are between May and September, Christmas and New Year, during February and at Easter. In September, a film festival is held on the Lido. The best time to visit Venice is on early spring and late autumn. Summer is also good with fine weather and long days to visit churches and museums in the afternoon, going on excursions and picnics, watching concerts and operas. Between June and September many hotels are full so if you choose to visit on these months make sure to book two months in advance.

The public transportation is by vaporetto or small passenger ferry along the canals. What anywhere in Italy would be a via or street, is in Venice, a calle. Take note that a street beside a canal is called fondamenta, smaller streets flanked by houses and shops is called ruga or rughetta, a tiny side lane connecting two bigger streets is ramo, and a quay is riva. Venice has its own style of street numbering, each district has a long series of numbers. A hotel might give its address as San Marco 4687 but its number doesn’t help much, to avoid confusion rely on street names.

For up-to-date practical information, it is best to consult the current issue of Un ospite di Venezia. This can be obtained from the Azienda Promozione Turistica, Piazza San Marco 73c, and the reception desk in most hotels and pensioni. It lists the opening times of museums, scuole or shools, chiesa and cathedrals and more which vary from one season to another.

Trattorie are numerous than hotels in Venice. If you are looking for excellent international cuisine you can dine at Antico Martini near the Fenice. For local colour and good inexpensive Venetian food, go to Locanda Montin which has rooms hung with modern pictures and large shady garden. There are many Venetian dishes that do not depend on seafoods like risi e bisi or risotto made with peas and ham. Among cheeses, the rather dry Asiago is good. Most of the wines served in Venice come from Veneto like Tokai from Friuli, Soave di Verona and Pinot Nero. Soave, grappa, proseco are among the top local wines of Venice.

It is worth remembering too that in all cafes imported drinks are expensive than Italian ones. And if you sit down at a table you pay much more than if you stand up at bar. So like most Venetians, better to sip your coffee or have your glass of wine standing.

Venice is one unique place where almost everything is interesting, worth looking into and worth taking a photo. They are worth touching with your fingers. Sometimes, you seem to be able to inhale that peculiar combined fragrance of the sea, the land, and the history of the place.

The sites and the sights

Before going to any site you fancy, take time first to soak in the city. Simply walk around its small streets and alleys. You may stop by at the famous St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge, although at most times of the day they are choked with tourists. If your stay is longer, come back in the evening (or early mornings) when the crowd is thinner.

The Basilica di San Marco is beside the square, and it is one of the biggest attractions in all of Venice. The entry is free, although you have to stand in line for the long queue but it is worth the wait. The church’s interiors are all done in mosaic from walls to ceilings to the floors, and it takes your breath away.

Right next to the basilica is the Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) where the former rulers of the city lived. There is an entry fee to the palace, but this is the only way you can traverse the famous Bridge of Sighs which leads to the courtroom. Inside is Tintoretto’s Paradise, the world’s largest oil painting.

Three of the small islands most famous to tourists are Murano, Burano, and Torcello. The closest is Murano, famous for its glass-making all over the world, and large groups of tourists usually crowd shops demonstrating some glass-blowing techniques. You may watch or you can go the other way and perhaps find out-of-the-way shops that do the same thing and satisfy your curiosity without jostling with the crowd.

Then, there is Burano, formerly famous for its lace-making in the past, although most of the island’s inhabitants are fishermen. What strike your eyes’ fancy are the colors of the houses. They are all painted in the brightest of colors, and are so distinctive and fascinating even from a distance. They say the reason for this was to help the fishermen returning late from a long day at sea find their right homes fast and easy.

Torcello is the farthest and has the fewest people actually living on it. It has fewer tourists too, and you can have the oldest church in Venice all to yourself and some few fellows. The church also has its walls and floor done in mosaic, just like St. Mark’s Basilica.

All these are just some of the big reasons why one wants to visit Venice. And we have not even talked about the gondolas and the gondoliers and moving about in those watery alleys. We have not mentioned about the famous yearly Venice carnivals, the masks, the costumes, the merry-making and the music.

Why visit Venice? One probably needs a long list for the other reasons which are good for another article.