I tried really hard for placing an appropriate adjective along with the title of the post. Only to conclude that it would be an understatement for the magic that Venice holds. Every corner and every moment in Venice is like a picture postcard. It’s one of those places that you just so wish was real. It is. There are no vehicles, no roads. Exquisite pontes(bridges) connect one island on the lagoon with the other. One has to either take a water bus(Vaporetti) or water taxi or the best of all, be yourself on your feet. The remarkable thing about Venice is, that despite all the visitors and tourists, it still is successful in preserving its charm.
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| Venice through Vaporetti |
Done with an early breakfast , we left for our journey from Florence to reach Venice in TrenItalia pre-noon. The journey was comfortable and quite relaxed. Both of us caught some sleep on board, which was later followed by some cups of coffee from the train pantry. Yet again, as always in Italy, we cut across through some of the breathtaking landscapes. The train journey was comfortable and most of the people who traveled were not tourists. Perhaps it had more to do with the timing of our train, than anything else.
There is a tourist center that is located at a convenient location on the station Venezia Saint Lucia. There was a ritual exchange of maps, ideas on the division of time, and how to reach our hotel. We step outside the station to soak in simply amazing beauty of Venice. Every sight, every nook of Venice would for sure, stay with you forever.
The sunshine floated through the waves of the lagoon, and in our Vaporetti we could simply not believe the breathtaking views that passed by. We lazed our way to reach our Hotel as we were carrying lot of luggage. Few bridges aside, we reached our hotel through bustling tourist streets.
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| Ponte showcasing the upcoming Venice festival |
We caught up with our lunch and then took a ride of the magic of Venice in the water bus and saw the sun setting somewhere in Venice.
That was the best evening of my Life.
(Travel across Venice through night on the post ‘Venice, Through the Night‘.)
Shop What
- Souvenirs
- Glass based artifacts
- Personae
Bottom Line
- Gondola rides are highly overrated. These rides are simply not worth the price you pay.
- Sometimes it may be difficult to find places. As a thumb rule, begin with some idea of your destination in Venice from the tourist center.
- Free Maps were not available at the Tourist Center but you could find them at your Hotel.
- Venice is expensive.
- Public transportation is best on the Vaporetti, especially on Single day or 3 day passes. Highly recommended.
- Hotel, at times can be far off from the Vaporetti stops which necessarily have to be covered on feet. Travel light or stay in hotels that are close to Vaporetti stops.
- Venice is more European than other Italian cities with majority of people speaking English.
- Best time to visit is during fall or winters.
Travel Facts
- Stayed : 1 day .
- Stayed at : Hotel , Scandinavia – OK, Choose better ‘value for money’ hotels close to Vaporetti stops.
- Traveled with my better half .
- Traveled in TrenItallia from Florence in January 2013.
Somehow I wanted it to be a longer post. You have summed up well.
Thanks Umashankar. You've posted the first comment on my blog, which makes it more special. I'll be posting the second post on Venice, ' Venice, Through the night' shortly.
Hi Sir..As usual, beautifully narrated :). Wish it was longer!! Looking forward to more such delicacies from you to feed my adventurous soul.
Thanks Manish for your encouraging words. My next post on 'Venice, Through the night' will be posted soon. Hope you find that post interesting.