How to Do Venice in 48 Hours

Piazza San Marco, the Campanile and Doge's Palace (Photo credit: **Mary**)


By Katy Hyslop


Canals, gondoliers, romance, swaying buildings and mystery persons wearing painted masks. This guide will help you get behind the mask of Venice in just 48 hours.
Providing you haven't spent the better part of the day trying to locate your accommodation you may find some time after checking in to do some exploring. One of the first things you will notice is no traffic. Vehicles are restricted to the last piece of solid ground near the train station, Piazzale Roma. This is where the bus terminal and public carparks are located and where your journey begins.

Getting Around Venice - Transportation Tips

Image via Wikipedia By Sarah Dudleymore


'The Vaporetto'
In this amazing world wonder city on water probably the best way to get around (if you don't want to walk a full day) is the "Vaporetto".
The Vaporetto is a boat that is like a bus except it stops at a pier to pick up passengers.
A one way ticket costs 6.50 euro (2008 price) each way per person for any line along the Grand Canal, valid for up 60 minutes.
Before boarding a 'Vaporetto', you must stamp your ticket in a little yellow box, found on both sides of the platform. If you forget to do so, tell the guy that ties the boat to stamp it for you. By doing this, you will avoid a fine of EUR30 if you get checked by the ticket-person while in the boat. If this happens make sure the ticket-person gives you a receipt for the fine you paid. You do not have to show your ticket on board unless a ticket-person, comes on board and asks you to show it, but make sure it is stamped.
If you plan on using the 'Vaporetto' often, you might want to consider purchasing a pass which end up saving you money in the end.
According to your travel arrangement you will have different choices to get around in Venice at your arrival:
Arrival by Train at the Santa Lucia Station and using a Vaporetto
When you get off at the Venice train station stop (Santa Lucia), walk outside and go down a long set of stairs to the boat docks. There are two "Vaporetti" main lines.
You will have a choice of taking Line 1 or Line 2 to get to San Marco. Both of these lines make several stops including Rialto Bridge, but Line 2 is a much faster and preferred line.
Using Water Taxis in Venice
Water Taxis are fun and great for large parties of 5 to 8 people splitting the costs. This way is fast and fun, but it could be a bit expensive (approximately 100-150 euro depending on the number of people and luggage for a 20/30 minute ride into most parts of the city). If you use this taxi service in the early morning hours or very late evening, you will pay approximately 10 euro more.
Arriving at Treviso Airport (Ryanair)
The best and least expensive way into Venice from Treviso Airport is to take the Ryanair Bus Shuttle service for 5 Euro per person to Piazzale Roma in Venice. From there, you can get a public "Vaporetti" along the Grand Canal. Attention: Take the bus only to Piazzale Roma.
Arriving in Venice by Car
If you are driving in or have a rental car, ask your car rental company to allow you to drop off your car in the Piazzale Roma (big square on firm land) in Venice. Do not park your vehicle at the Airport location. From the airport makes the commute into the city much longer with a possibility of a higher cost.
Sarah Dudleymore is a professional travel consultant. She is working for "The Key to Italy" a travel agency specialized in Venice Apartments for Rent and with a wide offer of Apartments in Venice in San Marco Area

E-Book

Print Book















Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Dudleymore


http://EzineArticles.com/?Getting-Around-Venice---Transportation-Tips&id=1743363

Related articles

• Venice: 5 sure ways to save in Venice (eurocheapo.com)
• How to Have the Best Trip to Venice (vino-con-vista.blogspot.com)

Venice, Italy - Basilica Di San Marco

Image via Wikipedia

By Harry Preston
Venice's most visited sight was originally the doge's private chapel, but since 1807 it has been, deservedly, the city's cathedral church. Its makeup is an eclectic mix of cupolas, spires, sculpture and mosaics, leading Mark Twain to compare it to "a vast warty bug taking a meditative walk". The Quadriga, four horses that adorn the front, are copies of statues looted from the hippodrome in Constantinople. The originals are in the loggia of the cathedral. Its altar is said to house the body of St Mark, smuggled from Alexandria in AD 829 by two merchants and adopted as the city's patron.

The building itself is built on the plan of a Greek cross. While the structure of San Marco has altered little since 1063, its decoration has changed repeatedly as more and more treasures were brought back from the Orient. Columns, capitals and friezes were added on an ad hoc basis until the basilica's ancient brickwork disappeared under marble and carvings.

The interior is dark and dense with 4,OOOsq m (4,3056sq feet) of mosaics, including bronze and gold tiles. In candlelight, the nave has an other-worldly feel but beware the uneven floors, the result of centuries of flooding and subsidence. The mosaics of the narthex (above the central doorway) show Old Testament scenes including the Creation, while the interiors of the main domes show Pentecost, the Ascension, and Christ Pantocrator. The Baptistry (usually closed to the public) is richly decorated with mosaic scenes from the life of St John the Baptist.

The multiple choir lofts were the inspiration for the early development of a Venetian style of "polychoral" music in which different groups of singers answer each other. As a result, the post of maestro di cappella at San Marco was much sought-after in the music world. The Gabrielis, Andrea and Giovanni, ran San Marco in the 16th century; one of the earliest opera composers Pietro Cavalli (1602-1676) was both chorister and organist and Tommaso Albinoni (1671-1751) is said to be buried somewhere inside the basilica.

The whole complex has been referred to as the world's biggest display of stolen property. Among the plundered Byzantine silver and gold is the Pala d'Oro, a jewel- encrusted altarpiece covered with over 3,000 precious stones. The Tetrarchy, a porphyry statue of three emperors on the south side of the building, was taken from Constantinople in 1204 and presented to San Marco. The foot missing from one of the emperors was discovered recently in Istanbul - but is being kept there. Visit early to avoid the crowds and follow the signs to Loggia dei Cavalli. From here, even if you don't visit the horses and loggia, you can look down into the basilica and get a clear idea of its shape.

For an online guided tour of Venice, Italy, or for more information about the city of Venice, visit http://www.GuidedTourVenice.com. For an online guided tour of Dubai, UAE, or for more information about the city of Dubai, visit http://www.GuidedTourDubai.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harry_Preston

Venice, Italy

Image via Wikipedia

by:Harry_Preston
Venice is the greatest architectural repository in the world. All six sestiere of the city contain palaces and churches in the three most impressive styles Europe has produced: Gothic, Renaissance and the baroque. What makes Venice even more remarkable is just how many of these buildings there are. Palaces are crammed against each other and churches appear around every corner. However, Venice is also a city of squares (campI) which means that buildings are displayed to best effect in a series of leafy outdoor "rooms" that crop up one after the other. There are no long roads in Venice unless you count the Canal Grande, the city's high street, but even that curves like a snake so that new vistas are continually revealed. The canals of Venice divide the city into many manageable chunks and turn what might otherwise be a narrow dark alleyway into a luminous border down which float shiny black gondolas full of camera- wielding tourists.

The city of Venice occupies a special place in history. It was the first great republic since Rome. It had an elected head of state (il Doge) and an insatiable appetite for both making money and then spending it on ostentatious decoration. At its zenith, it had the most powerful navy in the world and a virtual monopoly on European trade with the Orient. As it declined, Venice became a byword for decadence, a city-state addicted to gambling, sex and intrigue. It was always stylish even if it wasn't always beautiful. Nowadays, even the scruffiest campus is still distinctly and proudly Venetian. Its citizens remain in their hearts a truly independent people.

In 1797, this ancient Republic was dissolved by Napoleon, in 1815 their city was handed over to Austria and in 1866 they were absorbed into the new kingdom of Italy. But the mindset of Venice remains entirely Venetian. The people speak their own version of Italian and they resent interference from the mainland. Recently Venice's first female gondolier started working for a hotel. There was an outcry among the other intensely chauvinistic gondolieri, not so much because she was a woman, but because she was not from Venice. For the traveller, Venice offers far more than one trip can achieve. You could easily visit ten times before you see all that is to be seen, and even longer to work out how to get from one place to another on foot. Venice is a maze, but one jam-packed with amazing treasures.

Fortunately, certain essentials can be covered in a day. Piazza San Marco, the Basilica, the Campanile, the Ducal Palace, the view across the Basin of San Marco to San Giorgio and a trip to Caffe Florian are all in close proximity to each other. Then the real fun begins as you follow a route, decide to explore everything there is to see in one area, use the public transport system to hop between islands in the lagoon or work your way through a personal must-see list of churches, palazzi, scuole and museums. At every stage of the day Venice will tempt you with delicious possibilities, whether you want to snack, drink or enjoy a long meal, the way Venetians do.

This is a city that appreciates the good things of life. Simple rules will help you enjoy this part of your visit more. Avoid restaurants where waiters invite you in. Avoid eating or drinking anywhere along the main shopping thoroughfares (the Mercerie) and be aware that if you choose anywhere picturesque to eat that you'll be paying for the view. That said, you will find that certain views are worth the extra euros. It would be a crime not to have coffee in Piazza San Marco at least once and the view along the over- priced Riva del Vin is worth the mark-up. The legendary Harry's Bar is small and expensive but it has that certain quality, to be found in very few places, of being something really special. Much the same rule applies to shopping. The further from the main thoroughfares, the better the price, but you may want to buy a carnival mask from a stall on the Riva for the thrill of having done so.

Carnival (Carnevale) is one of the high points of the Venetian year. This city-wide party is a gorgeous re-creation of 18th- century Venice that should certainly be experienced once, but the city in February is inevitably crowded and over-priced. Summer is also crowded and prices go up during the International Film Festival and the Biennale, so think about visiting Venice out of season. Whenever you go, you will find a city that is unforgettable, one that has been drawing tourists since the Middle Ages and one of the few cities in the world that genuinely deserves to be called unique.

Venice, Italy - San Marco District Hotels

Image via Wikipedia

The San Marco district is situated in central Venice. Who hasn't heard of Piazza San Marco, "The drawing room of Europe"? It's the only square in Venice to merit the name Piazza, all the others are called Campi. In the words of Wikipedia "As the central landmark and gathering place for Venice, Piazza San Marco is extremely popular with tourists, photographers, and pigeons." Given Venice's relatively small size, you can enjoy San Marco without staying there, but you may wish to take advantage of this great location and stay in the neighborhood. For your convenience we have listed district hotels in approximate order of cost, starting with the least expensive. We have personally verified all hotel websites to make sure that they include English-language pages.


There are only three rooms in the Al Teatro bed and breakfast so you better reserve early in anything but the off-off season. The largest room has a balcony and can hold four beds. The Teatro in the name is Teatro La Fenice (the Phoenix) the Venice Opera House that has twice risen from the ashes. One of the owners was born in this very house so we are really talking about a family operation. The bed and breakfast address is Fondamenta della Fenice, San Marco 2554.

The Ca' dei Dogi offers six rooms and an attic apartment ensconced in a Fifteenth Century Palace a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Piazza. You get a view of the Doge's Palace and breakfast in the courtyard. There's a restaurant on-site where you can enjoy traditional Venetian specialties. Some of the rooms have private terraces and wall tapestries and mosaic tiles abound. The hotel address is Corte Santa Scolastica, Castello 4242.

The Locanda Orseolo Hotel is almost right around the corner from the Piazza. This family-owned hotel faces the Orseolo Canal. There's a quiet courtyard and each room is dedicated to a Carnevale theme. There are 12 rooms. The hotel address is Corte Zorzi off Campo San Gallo, San Marco 1083.

The Novecento family-run hotel is only a short walk from the Piazza. Their rooms are decorated in a variety of styles. While there is no on-site fitness center, guests are welcome to use the nearby Hotel Flora's fitness center that even offers a personal trainer. Weather permitting, breakfast is served in the courtyard. As an extra attraction the hotel also organizes art exhibitions, giving the guests an opportunity to meet local and national artists. The hotel address is Calle del Dose, Campo San Maurizio, San Marco 2683/84.

The Bauer Il Palazzo is quite luxurious. You'll eat breakfast on Venice's highest rooftop terrace, Il Settimo Cielo (Do you need a translation?) The terrace also boasts an outdoor hot tub and none of the 44 rooms and 38 suites are decorated the same. There's an exercise room complete with personal trainers, a bar, and a gourmet restaurant where you can dine indoors or on the terrace. The hotel address is Campo San Moise, San Marco 1413/d.
Vino Con Vista Florence and Tuscany: Wine With a View of Italy (Volume 1)