Venice Short Break
When you arrive in Venice you can get a boat from the airport direct to many of the hotels. But since this is an expensive option we chose to get the bus. The ACTV runs every 15 minutes and takes 25 minutes to get to Pizzale Roma but can get fairly crowded. Another option is the ATVO coach which runs every 30 minutes. It is slightly more expensive but far less crowded.
Our hotel was a 3* hotel called the Al Sole. It is in the Palazzo Marcello, a 15th century canal side residence built for the Marcello family and still owned by them today. It is located just 5 minutes’ walk from the bus station in a quiet area of Venice, but is just 15 minutes’ walk from the Rialto Bridge, about 20 minutes from St Mark’s Square and there are bars and restaurants in the area. Our canal-view room was simply furnished in keeping with the historical ambiance of the building.
In addition to the obvious attractions of gondola trips, a drink in the cafés in St Mark’s Square, crossing the Rialto Bridge and journeying along the Grand Canal on the water bus or in your own water taxi, I urge you to set off on foot to explore and get lost in the myriad of alleyways.
There is a wonderful guide book called “Venice for Pleasure” written by J G Links. It is a quirky and somewhat old fashioned guide written in 1966, but still offers relevant advice for visitors today, with 5 suggested walks for exploring all areas of Venice. We had a lot of fun trying to follow the routes and saw parts of Venice that many other visitors would simply miss. The guide also encourages you to stop along the route in cafés, bars and restaurants. We stopped at Harrys Bar to try a Bellini cocktail as this is where the drink was first created.
There is a lot of hype about Venice but I have to say that it is a city that exceeded my hopes and expectations. So much so that I plan to go back there next year! There are many hotels to choose from and if you would like to visit this wonderful city please do not hesitate to contact me.