Romantic Venice
It is just an hour and half flight from Stansted then a 45 minute coach transfer to the Piazza Roma in Venice. This is where the cars and buses and any other type of motorised vehicle has to end its journey as Venice is traffic free and the world’s only pedestrian city. From this point it’s all about the canals! We caught a water bus to our stop at St Mark’s Square. The journey takes you along the Grand Canal and under the Rialto Bridge. We stayed at the 4* Duodo Palace hotel right near the Teatro Fenice (Venice's theatre), just a 10 minute walk from St Mark’s Square the focal point of Venice.
The beauty of Venice is that you can walk everywhere. I must admit it is not ideal at all for disabled guests or families with pushchairs as there are steps leading up to most of the little bridges that connect all the walkways over the canals. There are miles of shop lined walkways all leading out to a canal at some point. There are signs all over to point you in the right direction of Rialto or Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square).
There are so many sights to see in Venice - the Basilica San Marco, Rialto Bridge, Bridge of Sighs, Doge's Palace and of course St Mark’s Square itself. A coffee in one of the cafes lining the square will set you back 8 euros but just a few metres away off the square you can have the same for 3 euros. All part of the Venice experience I guess! Coffee and 'people watching' is a favourite pastime of mine! A great place to enjoy the best views of Venice is at the top of The Bell Tower in St Mark’s Square. You take a lift up to the top and from this height of 97 metres you are able to take some truly wonderful photos!
We enjoyed lunch at one of the restaurants lining the Grand Canal right by the Rialto Bridge. I would defiantly recommend this as the view is amazing. Just to sit and watch the daily workings of the city pass by on the Grand Canal is fascinating. We saw telecom boats, police boats, and boats carrying all sorts of goods and building materials as well as private water taxis crossing the waterways.
A Gondola ride is a must. There is no point trying to haggle the price down as it seems set with all the Gondoliers! Its around 80 Euros for a 45 minute ride. Our Gondolier was very knowledgable and gave us an informative narrative as we passed through the little canals and out on to the Grand Canal. We found out all about the association of Cassanova with Venice and the house he once lived in amongst other things.
If you are planning to take a loved one to Venice and wish to show your romantic side then make sure you take a padlock along! The Accademia Bridge is lined with padlocks that have been attached by couples in love and have their initials or names written on them. The saying goes that if you throw the keys into the Grand Canal below, you will have eternal love...ahhh.
Once you have explored Venice itself, you may want to take a boat trip to one of the outer lying islands such as Burano, famous for its lace or Murano, famous for its glass.
Venice becomes almost deserted after 10pm. There is little in the way of nightlife unless you can attend a classical music concert or there is an opera going on at the Teatro Fenice. There are a couple of little bars and also a Hard Rock Cafe which stayed open late.
Venice is like nowhere else. I would recommend it for couples of any ages who like to wander and take in the ambiance of a place and see getting lost in the maze of alleys and streets as all part of the experience! This was my third visit to Venice and I still regard it as the most romantic city on earth and my personal favourite.