DISCOVER VENICE – THE CITY OF CANALS

EUROPE,  EXPERIENCES, ITALY, VENICE

Gliding through the serene waters
Kissing your beloved under the Sigh in the Sunset
Sailing through the city of romance
Taking a Gondola ride in the town of bridges
Unfading charm of Venice
We have witnessed in the past,
Are spectators in the present,
Will be the admirers in the future!

Venice is a city overwhelmed by beauty and glory! It is not only known for the scenic beauties but is also considered to be a land of romantics, poets, artists and sweethearts. Unlike the few other places we have visited in Italy, Venice is the most famous and crowded one!

This city arouses a lot of curiosities. It is embedded with a mix of modern and traditional architecture. If you are wondering about things to do in Venice Italy, then there are umpteen things to like the Gondola Ride, sight-seeing, diving into the scoop of gelato, visiting the Saint Mark Basilica, shopping at the local shops, kiosks and a lot more!

We did all of this although it was quite crowded than usual the day we went!

Colorful Venice bustling with beauty

Every spot is quite picture-worthy in Venice

ALSO READ: HOW WE SPENT A NIGHT IN A TREEHOUSE IN SRI LANKA

GONDOLA RIDE

Your trip to Venice is not a trip to Venice until you take a Gondola ride, floating in the canals stretched across the Venice. Boat is the main means of transportation, reason being approx. 150 canals all over Venice.
Without any denial it is the most romantic place but not to forget that they charge different fares at different timings! (It also varies according to the number of people in the ride) Also you can prefer going to the crowded Grand Canal or can go to the lesser populated and peaceful canals. The choice can be all yours!
A 40-minute gondola ride in Venice would set you back by €80 ($104).

Serene Venice waters- perfect for gondola ride

So neatly decked on the shore

VISIT TO SAINT MARK BASILICA

This place makes to the top 5 destinations in a tourist’s Venice itinerary. It has the most exquisite history and a lot of interesting stories & legends behind it!
If churches are your thing then to experience the tour to this place in solace you can book VIP tickets also! With mosaics and gold architecture, this place is indeed very mesmerizing, that is why it’s on the second place in our list of things to do in Venice Italy.

DOGE’S PALACE

Signifying Venice’s magnificence and its gothic past was Doge’s palace! It was an opulent hallway and a museum that gives a glimpse of a variety of legislative, political and judicial branches of Venice. It has chambers, prisoner rooms and gateways that can be seen after prior reservation of the tour.

Doge’s Palace in Venice

Palace’s view

VISIT THE MURANO’S GLASS FACTORY

We took a tour to the glass factories which did have some antique properties and a vast display of glass work art. It unveiled the excellent craftmanship of the workers and the high-quality material made.
Although I would recommend not to buy any stuff from there because they were highly expensive and in contrast there were local shops and kiosks outside the factory selling the same stuff at a relatively cheaper price!

Visit the glass factory Murano in Venice

BRIDGE OF SIGHS

Bridge of Sighs is the most famous bridge in Venice as well as in the whole world! It symbolises romance and is made of white limestones.

It has historical significance and this foot bridge connects the Doge palace and Prigioni. The Bridge of Sighs was built by Antonio Contino and there are a lot of theories related to this place!

The famous ‘Bridge of Sighs’ in Venice

ITALIAN COFFEE & PIZZA

There’s no staying away from coffee and pizza in Venice, Italy. You can gorge onto scrumptious pizza in outdoor seating cafes whilst enjoying the street scenes.

The coffee tastes so good – with just a bit of sugar added to it

Just doesn’t look great – tastes awesome as well

And these scenes are pretty common in Venice

PLUNGING INTO THE GELATO SCOOP

You can find Gelato shops in every nook and corner of Italy! Since I have a sweet tooth, I tried a variety of flavours and I have no special favourite because all of them were sumptuous.
Be it Nutella gelato or yogurt, chocolate and strawberry fondant or coffee and banana ice-cream, all of them were amazing.

ALTERNATIVE WAY TO SEE VENICE

The prime appeal of the City of Canals is indeed the water and how all activities and operations are conducted through the waterways. Commutes occur, kids go to schools and deliverables are sent on a boat. There was a time when gondola were nothing but a way of life in Venezia. However, with the crowd influx, gondolas have become more a touristy gimmick.

Unless you are ready to shell out big bucks from your pocket, you need to share a small boat space with many a strangers for a small 30 minute water stint.

You can instead go for a 2-hour boat ride under the Rialto Bridge and enjoy sightseeing. On a guided tour, you can see the old custom house where every boat making a way into Venice tax had to pay tax. Sail past that famous hotel where George Clooney took the marital vows.

So if you can resist the tempt of gondolas, definitely try seeing Venice on a boat tour.

Walking tour or boat tour – there are so many ways to see Venice

Just forgot everything and enjoy Venice

NOT TO FORGET

1. Do visit the surrounding lagoons, islands and beaches
2. If planning to visit Venice in February then do attend its famous festival – ‘Carnevale’ which is packed with entertainment, attractively dressed natives and good food
3. According to a famous belief if you kiss your lover under the Bridge of Sighs (which you can while taking the Gondola ride) at the sunset then that Love lasts forever
4. The quintessential Venice had a lot of places to shop and pamper yourself. Better to take a guided tour when in Venice to know more about the unexplored things and places.
5. A walking tour will take you through various offbeat places in Venice so make sure you wear comfortable shoes for exploration.
6. If time permits, take the water taxi to visit neighboring colorful islands – Burano and Murano. We’ll definitely be back in Venice to explore these two gorgeous instagram-worthy islands.
7. Expect anywhere close to 60000-70000 tourists swarming onto Venice’s shores on any good weekday or weekend. Yes, that’s the level where Venetian tourism has reached that the number of tourists is higher than the native Venetians living in the city.

Ah, sweet Venice! Just ditch your map and get lost in this city of many charms.

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