Visiting Venice: City of Romance and Mystery

Hotels in Venice can be very expensive. An alternative you might wish to consider, if you are staying in Venice for a week or more, is a fully equipped vacation rental apartment. Many are independently operated and managed around the city and can be booked through websites such as SleepingVenice, Apartments in Venice and Venice Rentals. Staying in a rental apartment can be a great alternative to hotels for independent tourists wishing for a more authentic experience in the city, or large families of groups wanting to stay in a multi-bedroom unit.

That said, there can be some downsides to rental apartments in the city: lack of maid service and other amenities, as well as less flexibility in rescheduling or emergency trip cancellation. You might wish to read my in-depth guide "Vacation Rental Apartments - An Alternative to Hotels" to decide which option might be best for you in Venice.

There are numerous ways to explore Venice, by foot or by water. It is actually quite a walkable city, with numerous bridges crossing the canals, narrow walkways along the canals and streets or "calles" in between the waterways. Although signage can sometimes be confusing and it is easy to lose your sense of direction, there is only so far you can go in Venice before hitting a major waterway or attraction, so it is simple to get back on track quickly enough.

To explore the other islands of the Venetian lagoon such as Murano and Lido, one can use the inexpensive Vaporetto ferry system. Various lines serve different destinations, and the Vaporetto can also make for an inexpensive way to tour the Grand Canal and sight-see from the water.

A gondola ride is of course incredibly romantic and a traditional way to get around Venice. However, today it is an extremely expensive option - think 100 Euros or more - and primarily meant only for tourists. For a similar yet inexpensive alternative, take a traghetto across the Grand Canal as the Venetians do. These gondola ferries cost only 50 Euro cents and operate 7 different routes along the Canal. Men stand and women sit, by tradition.

Lastly, those in a rush or needing to get longer distances can hire a motorboat water taxi. However, again these are very expensive and only really for tourists with a great deal of cash to burn. Some tourists arriving at Marco Polo airport may get suckered into thinking a water taxi (for 100 Euros) is their only way to Venice proper; instead, save money and take one of the Alilaguna ferry boats for about 15 Euros instead.

Once phenomenon many visitors to Venice may experience is the "Acqua Alta" or high waters. The Acqua Alta is not so much proof that Venice is sinking but rather of atmospheric changes and rising sea levels due to global warming. Acqua Alta can occur at any time but is typically most prevalent from late September to April, and particularly in the months of November, December, and October, in that order.

To be prepared for Acqua Alta, visitors should make sure to pack a pair of knee-high rubberized boots or other waterproof shoes with them for their visit. While gangplanks are generally utilized to keep foot traffic above water, it is inevitable you will end up "foot-deep" at least in the waters during Acqua Alta. And sloshing around Venice with wet shoes and pants is no fun at all.

Like any large, tourist-heavy city in Italy, Venice is home to countless restaurants - some outstanding, and some pure tourist traps. Venice does not have the finest reputation for food as a result of the many mediocre, tourist-focused establishments serving microwaved pasta and pre-made frozen pizza to those who know no better. But that is a shame as there are many fine - and affordable - restaurants in the city for those willing to travel away from the most popular tourist districts and attractions and discover where the real Venetians eat. For tips on avoiding tourist trap restaurants and getting the most of the restaurant experience, check out my detailed article on Dining Out in Italy.

The waters surrounding Venice have long supplied the city's residents and visitors with abundant seafood selections and delicacies. Seafood certainly plays a major role in many of the finest dishes of Venetian cuisine. You can learn more about specific dishes to try, such as Seppia al Nero and Sarde in Saor in my article Ten Seafood Delicacies to Enjoy in Venice, Italy.

Another special aspect of Venetian cuisine you should experience is Cicchetti. Cicchetti is the Venetian equivalent of Spanish tapas, or small plates, enjoyed by locals in small bars and osterias typically in the late afternoon and early evening. You can even make an entire, fun evening meal out of traveling around to different Cicchetti bars, sampling rice balls, marinated vegetables, seafood bites and tiny sandwiches of house-cured meats - all washed down with delicious wine or Venetian "Spritz" cocktails.

Many visitors to Venice may explore some of the other popular islands of the Venetian lagoon, such as the beachlover's paradise Lido and the glass-manufacturing Murano. But many overlook quiet, rustic Torcello, which was in fact the first island of the lagoon settled by those fleeing the mainland after the fall of the Roman Empire. Today, Torcello is sparsely populated and returned much to a natural state and to farmland. But the island houses a delightful museum of historic artifacts and art, and several early churches well worth a visit. The church of Santa Maria Assunta is the oldest still standing in the Venetian lagoon and features a stunning mosaic Virgin Mary. You can climb a campanile and get fabulous views of the entire lagoon. Getting to Torcello is easy on the Vaporetto, and one can make a wonderful day of visiting Torcello, Burano and Murano.

All photos on this page were taken by me, Nicole Pellegrini, in March of 2007. You can see more of my Venice photography in my Venice photoset on Flickr. There are over 700 of them, so take your time and take a virtual tour of Venice viewing them any time you like.

If you would like to use any of these photos yourself, please drop me a note first. Thank you, and thanks for reading my page all about Venice!