Il Vaporetto and other Venice, Italy General Tips

Favorite Thing: The vaporetto, or waterbus, is how you will get around Venice, besides walking. Try to avoid picking it up at Piazza San Marco, where it's usually packed with tourists. The number 1 is the slow boat, so if you want to take it easy and be able to admire i palazzi along the Grand Canal and take pictures, this is for you. You will need to buy a ticket ( at the tabacchini "T"), and they do check! We were staying for a month, so we bought an extended pass which saved us some money.

Leave a Comment

Add to Your Trip Planner | Post a Question | Write a Tip

Visiting Venice?

Read reviews about Venice Hotels

Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.

Bridges: Favorite Neighborhoods

Tip Rating:

Written by nicolettart

on Oct 8, 2003

Favorite Thing: Venice is divided up into sestieri, or neighborhoods. Try to get lost (if you have the time!) --you will know where you are by the piazza you are standing in. Our favorite neighborhoods are Cannaregio, San Polo, Castello, and we always ended up eating at Campo Santa Margherita at Antico Capon for pizza. Don't ask for directions, because you will not find an address by "house number and street". Instead, look for the sestiere or campo (square) to figure out your whereabouts. Oh, and the signs with arrows pointing you to Rialto or San Marco may not help, either. We saw arrows for Rialto pointing left and right--go figure!

Leave a Comment

Add to Your Trip Planner | Post a Question | Write a Tip

Churches: Chiesa dei Gesuati

Tip Rating:

Written by nicolettart

on Oct 8, 2003

Fondest Memory: This church was part of my everyday panorama in Venice. We stayed on Giudecca Island, where you could look across and see the church of Santa Maria della Salute and farther up, the campanile of St. Mark's Square. But right across the canal was this church, built by Dominican friars and richly decorated, including a ceiling painting by Tiepolo and a painting of the Crucifixion by Tintoretto.

Leave a Comment

Add to Your Trip Planner | Post a Question | Write a Tip

St Mark's and Piazza: Piazza San Marco

Tip Rating:

Written by nicolettart

on Oct 8, 2003

Fondest Memory: ..is of Piazza San Marco devoid of people, before the boatloads of tourists arrive at 9-10 o'clock. Picture yourself standing in the middle of the empty square in the early morning light. Breathtaking! On another occasion it began to rain, and I loved watching the people scatter as the huge raindrops fell, then seeing the piazza all wet!

Leave a Comment

Add to Your Trip Planner | Post a Question | Write a Tip

Islands of the lagoon: Giudecca Island

Tip Rating:

Written by nicolettart

on Oct 11, 2003

hoping the bell won't ring!

Favorite Thing: From the Zattere, you can take a waterbus to la Giudecca, where the main sights are the church of Il Redentore, and San Giorgio Maggiore. San Giorgio Maggiore is located at the tip of Giudecca Island, and you can climb to the top of the bell tower, for great panoramic shots. Just don't go when the bell is about to ring!!

Leave a Comment

Add to Your Trip Planner | Post a Question | Write a Tip

Visiting Venice?

Read reviews about Venice Hotels

Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.

St Mark's and Piazza: Climbing to the Top

Tip Rating:

Written by nicolettart

on Oct 14, 2003

Favorite Thing: You will need to take these ancient stairs if you want to go to the top of St. Mark's Basilica and see the panorama of the square. You will also see the real bronze horses, kept inside.

Leave a Comment

Add to Your Trip Planner | Post a Question | Write a Tip

St Mark's and Piazza: Horses of St. Mark

Tip Rating:

Written by nicolettart

on Oct 13, 2003

Fondest Memory: Climb up to the top and you will see the real bronze horses inside, not outside the basilica. The horses were among the treasures looted by Napoleon, and eventually returned in 1815. The four horses are Venice's symbol of liberty.

Leave a Comment

Add to Your Trip Planner | Post a Question | Write a Tip

St Mark's and Piazza: Magnificent Mosaics!

Tip Rating:

Written by nicolettart

on Oct 13, 2003

Favorite Thing: This should also be a "Do Not Miss" tip. Take your time to admire the amazing mosaics inside the basilica. This one is of St. Nicholas, and is covered with real gold.

Leave a Comment

Add to Your Trip Planner | Post a Question | Write a Tip

Art Museums: Salvador Dali Exhibit

Tip Rating:

Written by nicolettart

on Oct 13, 2003

Favorite Thing: I will never forget the awesome Dali exhibit I saw in Venice. It was near the Rialto Bridge, I can't remember exactly where, but easy to find. Dali's work was shown as three-dimensional sculptures. The most memorable was his "Persistence of Memory", you know the one with the clocks melting in a surreal landscape. There were bronze sculptures of clocks melting, in verdigris and gold leaf---it was so cool.
I know what you're thinking, "gee, what a geek".

Leave a Comment

Add to Your Trip Planner | Post a Question | Write a Tip

St Mark's and Piazza: Basilica of St. Mark's Interior

Tip Rating:

Written by nicolettart

on Oct 14, 2003