May 7, 2014
TRAVELING TO VENICE, ITALY
After recently living in Venice, California, Ian and I were excited to see the real Venice! During our stay in Eraclea Mare, we took a one-day trip to Venice.
Above: Gondola dock in Venice, Italy
MAP OF VENICE, ITALY
Venice is an Italian city surrounded by water, composed of 118 islands connected by bridges and traversed via canals.
ARRIVING BY SEA
To get to Venice for the day, we drove our rental car over to Punta Sabbioni, parked for €5, and each of us purchased two standard 60-minute tickets for €7 each (to get to Venice and back). You can also drive or take the train to Venice, but I think the ferry was a nice way to roll in and out. More ferry info is available on actv.it, the public ferry provider.
PIAZZA SAN MARCO
Our port of arrival was right near Piazza San Marco. The area was packed pretty full with tourists, so we were eager to get away from the crowds to explore a bit.
A REFRESHING TREAT
Of course, we had to indulge in some gelato. It is Italy, after all! Here’s a quick hyperlapse video of Ian enjoying his gelato amongst the Venice crowds.
A FULL DAY IN VENICE
During our day trip to Venice, we were on no set schedule. We wandered around the endless maze of canals and alleyways for hours, and it never got boring. There was always something new and interesting to discover in a different corner of the city. We watched tourists feed pigeons, observed couples hopping in a gondola for an evening ride through the canals, and even listened to a gondola driver belting out a song for his passengers.
QUICK TIP: The tourist density dwindles significantly just a few blocks in from the shore. If you want to get a peek at what Venice local life is really like, dodge the crowds and head inland a bit.
THE STREET MERCHANTS AREN’T TOO BAD
In comparison to the pushy street vendors in Milan, we had zero complaints about the sunglasses salesmen in Venice. In need of some sunglasses for Ian, we actually bought a pair (after quickly talking the guy down from €20 to €5).
THE GRAND CANAL
The crowds get a little crazy again as you approach the Grand Canal, but it’s worth the walk over to see it.
Or you could rest your feet and hire a gondola!
A FEW MORE SHOTS AS THE DAY NEARED ITS END
Just trying to snap a pic of the statue…
HEADING BACK TO ERACLEA MARE
At the end of the day, we took one of the last ferries back to Punta Sabbioni.
MORE ABOUT VENICE, ITALY
You can read more about Venice on Wikipedia.
Hi Diana,
I like your photos of Venice and totally agree that this city is so beautiful and authentic if you only move away a bit from the main tourist points. I love wandering through its streets.
When you were in Venice, did you also visit Chioggia? I highly recommend it!
Cheers
http://www.themintstory.com
Thanks Anja. I wish we’d had more time to explore Italy. We didn’t make it to Chioggia on this trip, but I appreciate the recommendation! I’ll keep it in mind for our next trip to Italy.