One of the most enchanting cities on earth, La Serenissima is also one of the most daunting to visitors. Yet the seemingly impossible urban layout is exactly what gives Venice its charm. Here are some tips about how to get around and a few interesting places you might otherwise miss.
If you are driving to Venice, your best bet is probably to park your car in Mestre. It's ugly, but it's cheaper than Tronchetto and, unlike Piazzale Roma, you're even likely to find a parking place. Walk across the street and take the train into Venice, a 10-minute ride.
Do get as detailed a map of the city as you can, and make sure it shows all the vaporetto and traghetto stops. The Azienda di Promozione Turistica (Piazza San Marco 71C; open Mon-Sat 8:30am-6:45pm) will give you a free one that will probably be fine for your needs.
On your first night in town, go to bed early and set the alarm clock for a few minutes before dawn. It may sound excruciating, but from dawn until about 8:30am, Venice is even more enchanting than usual. You'll have the streets to yourself. Roam them freely without worrying about where you are. At 9:00, stop in a bar to have a tramezzino sandwich and an ombra (small glass of white wine: you earned it!). You'll be sharing the counter with plenty of locals; ask them where the heck you are. We guarantee you will never forget this early morning stroll.
A cheap (and more entertaining) alternative to the traditional gondola ride is to hop on a traghetto. For 600 lire, you can cross the Grand Canal in a gondola, along with the real Venetians. The trick to looking like a local is to face toward the sidewalk when you get in (the traghetto will turn around when it takes off). If you really want to fit in, don't bother to sit down. Kids especially love riding a traghetto.
Speaking of youngsters, Venice is probably the best place in Italy to take them. Ride the elevator up to the top of the belltower at San Giorgio, take them to the beach at the Lido, show them the gondola workshop (squero di S. Trovaso, Rio di S. Trovaso, near the Zattere) or let them watch the glass-blowers on Murano (Fondamenta Giustinian 8, Murano; vaporetto stop: Museo. Open Tues-Sun). The most fascinating thing for kids (of all ages) may actually be the least known: the Naval Museum at the Arsenale. One section houses model ships from all over the earth; then walk along the canal toward the wooden bridge and you'll get to the second part, the shipyard where several historical boats are on display, including some impressive gondolas. If you keep on walking you'll reach the beautiful entrance to the former shipyards. (The museum is at Campo San Biagio 2148, Castello; vaporetto stop: Arsenale. Open Mon-Sat 9am-1 pm).
The cemetery island of San Michele is a fascinating place for a short side trip. In a truly mystical setting, you'll find the graves of Ezra Pound, Sergei Diaghilev and Igor Stravinsky, along with scores of unknown Venetians (but not all of them: bones are periodically removed to make room for newcomers in this unique graveyard with no place to expand).
If you happen to see footprints embedded in the sidewalk, don't assume they were left there by a mischievous construction worker. Chances are they mark the spot where rival neighborhoods met to fight in days long gone by.
When you need a break from walking in Venice, take the 3-hour tour of The Islands of the Venetian Lagoon which leaves at 9:30am and 2:30pm from the pier at Riva degli Schiavoni. The boat goes past San Giorgio and San Francesco del Deserto, then makes stops and brief tours at Murano, Torcello and Burano. Take along your camera; you'll want to shoot lots of pictures of colorful Burano. About $15./person. If you're not a tour person, hop onto the boat that leaves every hour from the Fondamenta Nuove heading for Burano and Torcello. Plan to have lunch in one of the great trattorie on Burano, or pack a picnic for enchanting Torcello, where there's lots of room for the kids to play.
"Published by and reprinted with the kind permission of In Italy Online."
Jump to the Brochure Order Form