Lakeside city on the shores of the Adriatic Sea
Venice is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Capital of the Veneto region in northern Italy, it is located in the middle of a lagoon on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Venice is divided into six districts linked together by dozens of bridges, the best known of which are the Ponte Rialto or the Bridge of Sighs. Venice is also the city of 123 churches, 177 canals and 118 islands. In this article I will make you discover its historic center. Two other articles will be devoted to the Lagoon Islands and Venice seen at night. We are therefore going to have a nice trip in the middle of this world famous city... Take your cameras.
When to come to Venice? I will tell you all year round, but the best period is from April to October. Be careful, however, of the evenings, which even in summer can be cool...a little sweater is essential :) Think of the umbrella even in summer, there can be violent storms
How to come to Venice? - By plane: At Marco Polo airport. You will find shuttles (buses) to the city of Venice leaving the airport. Your ACTV pass.
- By train: Whether from your home or from another Italian city, you can arrive at the gates of Venice at the Venezia Mestre station. From there take the "shuttle train" which will take you to Santa Lucia station in 10 minutes for 1.5 euros...You have arrived!!...take an ACTV vaporetto and you are on the Grand Canal in the heart of Venice .
- By car: Honestly it's not the best way. You will need to find parking outside the lagoon to leave your vehicle there, and then take the "shuttle train" at Venezia Mestre station or a bus from the same place to get to the city of the Doges.
Getting around Venice: - the Vaporettos, which serve as taxi boats, it is the best means of transport on the lagoon (see the map of lines to download below)
- the boats of the Alilaguna company which connects the airport to the lagoon but also Venice to the islands (it can be an alternative to the bus which serves the airport to the station of Venizia Mestre if you have the hotel in the lagoon)
- And of course the Gondolas for the romantics...take your place here to avoid waiting
Accommodation in Venice: You will have no difficulty finding accommodation in Venice, whether in the lagoon or in the city of Venice
Why not a book to prepare your trip and leave with peace of mind?
It's time to start our journey in Venice after preparing this memorable trip. We chose to take the train from Venezia Mestre station, our hotel being 2 steps away. The trip is fast and comfortable. On our arrival, barely crossed the Santa Lucia station that we are immersed in another world. Our eyes do not know where to look, Basilica, canals, vaporetto... an incessant ballet of vehicles on the water leaves us speechless.
We chose to walk through the districts of Santa Croce and San Polo in order to reach Saint Mark's Square... Passing of course by the Rialto Bridge. It takes between twenty and thirty minutes to make this trip. We could have taken the L1 or L2 vaporetto to go to Saint Mark's Square, but this option seemed like a good way to start discovering Venice from another angle through 2 of these districts.
The Santa Croce district is popular, there is a real life, shops, bars, restaurants and local atmosphere. The San Polo district is more lively, you will find churches, art galleries, shops and crafts...why not do some shopping there.
After crossing these 2 districts of Venice we have arrived at the Rialto Bridge which we will cross to reach Saint Mark's Square. A word of advice, go there early if you want to take a good picture without too many people on it :)
Now let's cross the San Marco district to St. Mark's Square. This square is huge and magnificent with these arcades, these decorated walls, its Clock Tower and this view of the Grand Canal. Without forgetting the essentials:
Let's head towards the Grand Canal... A multitude of gondolas are quietly waiting for their customers. Turn left, a few dozen meters you can admire the Bridge of Sighs (you have to visit the Doge's Palace to be able to cross it)
Now is the time to cross the Grand Canal and visit the Dorsoduro district
We visit the charming Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute before continuing through the very lively and bohemian district of Dorsoduro. In the evening, many young people come here for a drink.
There are many Vaporetto stops on the Grand Canal, we choose to take one to approach the Carnagero quarter (former Jewish quarter) after visiting the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Fiori. We go to the S.Toma stop and get off at the San Marcuola Casino stop.
The Carnagero district located in the north of Venice is far from the tourist circuits. Yet it is pleasant to walk there in the calm of the large crowds. Here you will find cheap hotels close to the "real" inhabitants of Venice
Our journey ends here, all that remains is to take the vaporetto back to Venezia Mestre station. We are already looking forward to seeing Venice by night, without forgetting these Islands...so we will see that in another article.
I hope to have made you want to visit this city in a different way, to get off the beaten track...not to confine yourself to monuments that have been seen and re-visited many times, even if they are worth the detour, to get away from the omnipresent crowd. I wish you a good trip and good souvenir photos