Venice - March 2017
We flew direct with Easyjet from Luton, taking approximately 1 hour 45 mins. On arrival, we had pre-arranged a water taxi to get us to our hotel. This took about 35 mins and was a great experience. It actually docked just opposite our hotel which was on The Grand Canal.
Our hotel was The Carlton on The Grand Canal. We were greeted by a very friendly doorman and receptionist. As we were early checking in, we decided to drop off our luggage and go out to explore Venice.
What a beautiful city!
Most people would catch the local water bus called "The Vaporetto" which you are able to pre-buy a ticket for as many days as you would require. It is very easy to walk around though, especially if you have a map and some comfortable footwear!
We actually only booked a one-day pass which lasts for 24hrs from validating it. This will take you to where ever you require along The Grand Canal, with 'stops' all along for getting on and off at various areas you may wish to visit. There are also quicker ones which save you stopping all the time, should you want to get somewhere a bit quicker. Be warned though - these water buses can get very crowded and are not for anyone with claustrophobia!
There are so many places to visit in Venice but I think that by far the most beautiful is "St Mark's Square" it is stunning with many things to see, St Mark's Basilica, The Doge's Palace, The Bridge of Signs which joins the Doge's Palace to The Prison.
If you're in St. Mark's Sqaure, food and drinks can be expensive and I would recommend walking a couple of streets away and sitting and watching the world go by in some of the smaller local street-side coffee shops and bars. They are so much cheaper and worth a little walk.
If you want some local shops to walk around, there are some amazing little boutique style shops. Street stalls, pizza and ice cream stall also.
We found the "Tourist Menu" in the restaurants well worth the price, approx 12 Euros each for 2 courses (one meat and one pasta) The local alcoholic drinks were about the same price as the UK
Our hotel did not have air conditioning, which was ok, even though the weather was warm as we were able to open the window in the room and pull down the blind. I would however choose a hotel with air con if I was going in July or August, as the weather is very hot.
The hotel offered great service and was very clean and very comfortable. It's very central and very easy to access the rest of the city.
I would highly recommend Venice for a 3-night break; it was a very pretty, safe and friendly city.
I look forward to visiting there again in the not too distant future!
