Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

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.

Venice, Italy Sea View
Above: Gondola dock in Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

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.

Ferry ride to Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

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.

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

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.

Gelato in Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

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.

Canal in Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Canal in Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

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.

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Canal in Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

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).

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

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.

Grand Canal in Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Grand Canal, Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Grand Canal in Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Or you could rest your feet and hire a gondola!

Gondola ride in Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Grand Canal in Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Grand Canal in Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

A FEW MORE SHOTS AS THE DAY NEARED ITS END

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us
Just trying to snap a pic of the statue…

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

HEADING BACK TO ERACLEA MARE

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.usVenice, Italy on northtosouth.us

At the end of the day, we took one of the last ferries back to Punta Sabbioni.

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

Venice, Italy on northtosouth.us

MORE ABOUT VENICE, ITALY

You can read more about Venice on Wikipedia.

2 Replies to “Venice, Italy”

  1. 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

    1. 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.

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