Mini Travel Guides

Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and among its charms are the  quiet canals and the gondoliers who will take you on a romantic cruise.  Read more about Venice on a budget.

Written by Carla Scott for EuropeUpClose.com

Related posts:

1. Up-Close Picture of the Week: San Marco Square, Venice
2. Up Close Picture of the Week: Venice, Italy
3. Up Close Picture of the Week: Kelso Abbey

One of the most captivating cities in the world, Venice is unique in its  beauty. The ancient buildings and quiet canals take you back to a time of romance and mystery.  Here’s our up-close guide to Venice.

Photo by Bill Fogarty for EuropeUpClose.com

Venice is one of those Europe destinations that nearly every tourist wants to head to, and usually I try to avoid these places – but Venice is special. My most recent trip to this beautiful city was just for a long weekend and I almost left without taking the obligatory Venice gondola trip.

No gondola ride in Venice? It’s a sin! Initially I thought I would try and skip what I saw as a tourist trap, but then as I walked alongside the canals of Venice and saw people floating along in shiny black gondolas I started to get jealous. That’s why I spent a Sunday morning down in front of Piazza San Marco asking around for prices. It was pretty early in the morning and few tourists were around, so a number of the gondoliers were standing around with nothing to do.

Prices varied dramatically at this time of day but eventually an entrepreneurial gondolier offered my friend and I a forty-five minute ride for 60 Euros, much less than half the price most of them were quoting. It was well worth it – one of those experiences you reminisce about later. Basically, I’d say if you want your Venice gondola ride, go for it. My Europe travel tip is to try to avoid peak tourist times and be prepared to haggle to get the lowest price.  But don’t miss out on one of the best things to do in Venice.

If you’re planning a trip to Venice,  use the price comparison search box below to find the best price for your accommodation in Venice.

Touristy Venice gondola trips still a must for me

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

Confused as to the transportation system in Venice? Let Jen explain how to get around Venice using  Gondolas, Vaporetti and Traghetti

Photo by Morgen Young for EuropeUpClose.com

When one thinks of Venice, images of floating down canals while being serenaded by a strapping gentleman in a striped shirt typically come to mind. While indulging in this cliché is definitely recommended during a trip to Italy’s “city of water,” gondolas are not the only option for transportation around Venice, you can also take a  vaporetto, motoscafo, a traghetto or a water taxi.  Here’s the difference.

Gondolas
Though taking a Gondola ride is a wonderful experience, it will cost you. The city of Venice sets official rates for gondola rides (starting at €80 for 40 minutes and an additional €40 for each 20 minutes after that; after 7 p.m., the rate is hiked to €100, with €50 for each additional 20 minutes, all of this plus a tip, of course). However, many gondoliers consider these rate structures to be “guidelines” but not set in stone and, therefore, charge much more. “Extras,” such as singing, will cost you even more. It’s a good idea to negotiate the total rate with the gondolier before getting in the boat. Gondola rides can be arranged through your hotel, but be prepared for the concierge to tack on a hefty surcharge.

Water-bus (Vaporetto and motoscafo)
For a less expensive option, hop on the convenient vaporetti and motoscafi water-buses to get from one end of the city to the other. They run continuously throughout the day, and it is rare to have to wait for more than a few minutes to catch one.  The No.1 vaporetto stops 13 times between the Piazzale Roma and the Piazza San Marco.
The standard vaporetto fare is €6,50. However, you can save quite a bit of money with a 12- to 72-hour “Venice Tourist Travel Card” or a  Venice Connect Pass available at  the Venice transit authority. If you are planning to be in Venice for a while (living, studying, etc) be sure to check out the “Cartavenezia” discount transportation card.

Water taxi
Quite a bit pricier than the waterbus is a water taxi (they should call them water limousines). They typically do not have meters, so ask the driver to be specific about the price before getting on board. There are extra fees for radio- dispatched service and many water taxis have beverages for purchase.

Traghetto
These inexpensive gondola ferries (traghetto is the Italian word for ferry) are a necessity for crossing the Grand Canal at seven points between the railroad station and the Santa Maria della Salute church.You can find the traghetto stops by following the yellow signs down to the canal.

Foot Traffic and Bikes
Motorized land transportation is rare is Venice. Most locals and tourists walk or ride bikes (or mopeds) through the city’s narrow streets. Bikes can be rented at a variety of locations throughout the city.

Venice – a beautiful Italian city. The canals, the gondolas, the romance. It is a city rich with history and culture and one of the best places to visit in Europe.

When visiting Venice, there are a number of things to see and do – St Mark’s Square, a gondola ride, the Grand Canal, The Doge’s Palace, the Rialto bridge. Crossing over the many bridges in the city, you pass over the canals and wander the streets leading you through the beauty that is Venice.

While Venice is a beautiful city which rises above the water, it’s a city that remains standing because of tourism.  The many sights that the city has to offer won’t let you see what lies behind it’s canals, squares, and tourist shops.  To experience Venice, you must get lost in its people and culture.

Leaving St Mark’s Square, you can walk along the water on the Riva degli Schiavoni.  While this is a popular spot for many people to walk along, most don’t get much further than three or four canals down before turning around.  However, continuing down this long promenade, the name changes a few times but so does the scenery.

Wandering deeper into Venice, you discover a side of the city which resembles your own town – grocery stores, kids playing in the streets, schools, and parks.  It’s not a part of Venice that many people choose to discover or even realize that it exists.  However, it can be the most enjoyable part of this city.

While daring to go deeper into this city, I saw parents and kids playing in the park.  I saw locals hanging outside the store chatting.  I got lost in the canals and found streets that were quiet and empty.  Everywhere I turned, I found a found a dead end – another canal.  Yet in these dead ends, I discovered the real city.  Away from the crowds in St Mark’s, I found a quiet “peace” of Venice.

Beautiful trees in Venice

Near the back of the main island of Venice, you find the Giardini Pubblici – a public garden.  Never would people imagine that they could see so many trees in Venice.  Walk along the water, listen to the sounds of the trees, or just enjoy the scene on a bench.  Experience the side of Venice that many locals see beyond the usual Venice attractions.

While many people come to Venice for the beauty, romance, and it’s unique design, I discovered that there is more to Venice than the canals and grand squares.  For all of it’s history and sights, there is a culture and people which still thrives today, deep inside the city. My Europe trave tip is to get lost in this city and sample the flavour of  Venice off the beaten track.

Venice and glass goes together like hands and gloves. And tourists visiting Venice often want to visit a glass factory. Out at Murano, the glass blowing island in the laguna, you can get that possibility. All through the day tourists are welcome to one of the many glass workshops to watch artists working.

You don’t need to visit Murano to meet glass artists though. You find them in Venice as well, and the best ones, the most charming ones, are those out of the busy tourists calles (streets). A few years ago we stumbled upon Mauro Vianello quite by chance. Through his studio window we saw him working with his long, colourful sticks of glass, we opened the door, walked into his studio Glasshandmade, and right there and then we were hooked.

Mauro kept on working while talking with our daughter, asking her what she wanted him to make, all the time letting her see how he worked with his art, how he created small animals, a heart for a necklace, a pinocchio……… Marta, and also both her parents were hooked, and there and then we started a collection: glass art from handmade glass.

Are you interested in a quiet place to stay in Venice? What about choosing a small flat instead of a hotel? Let me recommend Nati House. It is a small flat situated in Cannaregio, well out of the tourist crowds. There you can make your own meal if you want to, shop groceries from the small local stores, you can sit on the small terrace watching the boats passing by, and still you are only a short walk from the railways station, Canal Grande and Piazzale Roma.

To find out more about Mauro Vianello you can visit his blog, or you can read about him at tripadvisor (where his is No 1 among Venezian attractions)

Venice, the island jewel of the Renaissance, offers visitors more than high culture, a combative history and exquisite art.  A brief trip on a vaporetto (passenger boat) or a ferry from Italy’s mainland can lead to one of the freestanding islands within the Venetian Lagoon.  Despite the tourist trade, many of these islands have retained their local culture, architecture and traditional way of life.  A one-day excursion is all you need to enjoy the islands of Venice.

Burano, the lace-making island

A short island hop takes you from Venice to Burano. Famous for its centuries-old lace-making tradition, Burano is also a photographer’s paradise. Brightly colored buildings stand shoulder to shoulder along the canals. Peering through the house’s open shutters, you can catch snippets of life on this charming little island. Laundry, drying in private yards and public squares, adds a note of gaiety to the décor. Another typical sight of Burano is the San Martino Church with its impressive leaning bell tower that rivals the most slanting of Venice’s campanilos.  Inside the church, you will admire a magnificent Crucifixion scene by Giambattista Tiepolo, Venice’s master painter of the 18th century.

How to get there:
From Venice, the easiest way to get to Burano is to take the LN (Laguna Nord) ferry from the Fondamente Nuove stop on Venice’s northern shore. Ferries run every half hour and the journey lasts 42 minutes.  A boat also links Burano with the Lido, heading along the outer edge of the lagoon.

Murano, the glass island

North of Venice, the island of Murano has been a glass maker’s paradise since 1291 after Venetian traders brought back from the east the secret of this craft. One of the best ways to appreciate the artisanal skill is to see glass making in action. Private tours will take you to workshops where a maestro vetraio (master glass-blower) can be seen withdrawing a dollop of molten glass from a red-hot oven with his blowpipe, then adeptly twisting and shaping the glowing gob into a graceful miniature doll.  Like magicians, the maestros repeat the same procedure over and over with remarkable agility, each time creating an amazing art piece. If you are hungry for more, head toward the famed Rio dei Vetrai (the glass-blowers’ canal). It houses many of the glass  island’s 100 workshops where teams of glass makers create artistic glassware and jewelry. The items are then displayed in boutiques in Murano and Venice. Enjoy this feast for the eyes and remember that Venetian glass remains a coveted gift that is always in fashion.

How to get there:
From Venice, you can take the boats 41 and 42.  For shopping, you may want to get off at the boat’s first stop, Murano Colonna. There is also a direct boat, the DM, leaving from Tronchetto, Piazzale Roma and the railway station (Ferrovia). Murano’s Faro station is the first stop on the LN (Laguna Nord) ferry from the Fondamenta Nove on Venice’s northern shore.

Torcello, the evocative

Just north of the glass island of Murano lies Torcello, the oldest continuously inhabited region of Venice.  At one point, the population here reached a peak of 20,000.  The island served as a refuge to Veneti fleeing the mainland during one of Venice’s ubiquitous wars. Today, however, less than 100 people live on this island. Nevertheless, every year, thousands of tourists flock here. One was Ernest Hemingway who wrote part of Across the River and into the Trees during his sojourn here. Visitors come to Torcello to soak up the atmosphere of Venice as it once was. A quiet canal leads the visitor to the heart of the island. Here, the gigantic Cathedral of Santa Maria Asunta, built in 639 AD, stands as testimony to a thriving past. And visitors to the cathedral will discover superb Byzantine mosaics that date to the 11th and 12th centuries.  You too, as the rest of the crowd, may be pulled toward a much less grandiose-looking item: a simple stone seat, branded  “the throne of Attila the Hun.”  It actually has nothing to do with the King of the Huns  – - but was most likely the bishop’s chair. The Church of Santa Fosca is also worth a visit. Built in the 11th century, the site boasts a large bell tower. The adventurous won’t let a fear of heights get in their way. After climbing the steep stairs, there is a spectacular view of the Lagoon and Venice in the distance that should not be missed.

How to get there:
From Venice, take a vaporetto or ferry to Burano where another ferry will take you to Torcello.

Lido, the classy

This small, sandy island stretches some 12 kilometers to the southeast of Venice. Facing Venice and the Lagoon on one side and the Adriatic Sea on the other, it is considered one of the most charming beach hideaways on the Adriatic Sea. Some claim that it was the first classy seaside resort in Europe. By the 1930’s, it could already count several luxury hotels. Today, the upscale, yet relaxed, atmosphere attracts people who want to escape the mainland’s chaos. Lido’s small piazzas, narrow and shaded streets are perfect for a nice afternoon stroll. Beautiful mansions, pastel-colored houses and elegant stores line Piazzale S.M. Elisabetta, the main avenue that leads to the beach. Come September, Lido’s hotels are filled with the rich and famous. Indeed, the island is home to one of the world’s oldest film festivals: the Venice Film Festival.

How to get there:
By vaporetto from Burano or from Venice.

Written by Brigitte Aflalo-Calderon for EuropeUpClose.com

Napoleon famously labelled the San Marco Square in Venice as ‘the finest drawing room in Europe’. For thousands of years this square of land has fascinated the world, and it continues to be just as popular even today, making it one of the best places to visit in Europe.

Depending on how much time you have there is plenty to do here, from exploring every room in the Doge’s Palace to attending service at the Basilica. Here’s a list of five Europe travel tips you shouldn’t miss out on at the St. Mark’s Square:

Visit the Basilica – What’s a trip to Italy without a visit to a basilica? And Venice’s St. Mark’s Basilica is one of the best around. A combination of domes, mosaics and intricate artwork, the Basilica was favoured by the city’s all powerful Venetian elite. It continues to dominate the Square even today, attracting tourists and locals alike.

Climb the Bell Tower – Whether you are a fan of Venice or not, there is no denying its beauty. And the best views of Venice are caught from the St Mark’s Bell Tower. The bell tower is a simple brick structure close to the Basilica; it rises to about 98 meters. The tower has played many roles over the years including doubling up as a defence tower during its formative years. Today it is a very popular tourist spot. If the climb is too much, take the elevator to the top for the most spectacular views of Venice.

Explore the Doge’s Palace – The Doge’s Palace has for long been the most powerful residence in Venice and the city’s seat of power. Its gothic make-up and interior opulence (this includes architectural brilliance, famous artworks and antique furnishings) make for excellent tours today. Be prepared for long queues here, particularly later during the day.

Have Coffee over some Live Music – The San Marco square is lined with open air cafes. Waiters in black waist coats carry trays of coffee and sinful pastries; under the arches a cluster of musicians strum a soothing note. Mind, this musical interlude doesn’t come cheap – the cafes charge a 6€ music cover charge, making the already pricey coffee a tad bit more so.

People Watch – You don’t always have to spend a stack of Euros to enjoy Venice. Try finding an empty spot under the arches along the square (not always an easy task), or at one the cafes and watch the Square in action – the Square is home to hundreds of many pigeons – they are both charming and scary, particularly when the come right at you. Watch the pigeon handlers; kids running the length of the square; people from around the world mingling with the locals; a flurry of accents and shopping bags, and the Basilica in the backdrop.

What do you think of the St. Mark’s Square in Venice?

One of the world’s most important collections of 20th century art is displayed in the Palazzo Veneiri dei Leoni, overlooking Venice’s Grand Canal. The palazzo was the home of Marguerite (Peggy) Guggenheim and is now the home of the Peggy Guggenhein Collection, a museum  much loved by admirers of abstract art.

Peggy Guggenheim was born in 1898 to great wealth, and when she turned 21, she inherited a small fortune. (Her father, Benjamin Guggenheim, went down with the Titanic in 1912.)  Peggy traveled from New York to Paris and there befriended avant-garde artists in Montmartre and began collecting their works. Many of her purchases were created by artists who later became known as the greatest painters and sculptors of the 20th century.

Peggy opened galleries in London and France, and after World War II moved to Venice. There she lived in the 18th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal and continued collecting and lending pieces to museums.   When she died in 1979, her collection went to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and in 1980 her former home opened to the public.

Anyone visiting Venice should be sure to see the Guggenheim Collection. It is superb, with  masterpieces of Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, and Surrealism. A few of the artists shown are Picasso, Braque, Calder, Mondrian, Kandinsky, Duchamp, Klee, Pollock, and Léger.  In addition to art from Peggy’s personal collection, there are pieces that were given to the foundation after her death.  Some are on long-term loan, such as the Gianni Mattioli Collection of Italian Futurist works.

In Peggy’s former bedroom, you’ll see the “bedhead” designed for her by Alexander Calder. It’s a sculpture with entwined fish, insects, and plants, all in silver.  There’s also a photograph of Peggy sitting on the bed, holding one of her beloved dogs.

The outdoor spaces are also filled with notable artworks.  One sculpture that always gets attention is “The Angel of the City,” a man on a horse facing the Grand Canal. The rider is nude, with a large (and removable) phallus. Legend says that Peggy would order the phallus removed when she knew that nuns would be coming by in their gondola.

Peggy is buried in the garden of the palazzo; beside her grave is a plaque commemorating her dogs. In the “New Wing” there’s a museum shop and a good terrace café. The Guggenheim Collection is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily except Tuesdays and December 25.

Written by Marilyn McFarlane for EuropeUpClose.com