Our visit to Venice in May, 2009 was a dream come true. It was love at first sight with Venice. I love exploring the various canals of these slowly sinking city. Walking through the dimly lit canal and listening to the music in St. Mark’s square was the perfect idea of romance to me.
Mark and I loved Venice so much because we were able to really explore it without rushing so much. We woke up early, usually by 5 am because of the jetlag. We would walk around Venice early in the morning and saw Venetian life before the tourist. We had our Croissant and cappuccino with the locals for less than 5 euros for both of us. We had St. Mark’s Square to ourselves before it got congested with tourist. It was just beautiful to see art in every corner and canal.
Mark jumping in front of San Marco Basilica
We lined up early to go up the Campanile San Marco
The Doge’s Palace was Mark’s favorite place in Venice. If you go early in the morning, the line isn’t very lone. However if you arrive late, you can buy The San Marco Museum Pass at the Correr Museum to bypass the line. The Correr Museum is located at St. Mark’s Plaza, at the opposite end of the Basilica.
Bridge of Sighs was under repair and covered when we went.
To enjoy the view at Rialto Bridge go early in the morning or late evening. If you go early in the morning you can check out the beautiful displays in the Rialto Bridge Market. At night there were a few bars opened in the area and many young people hung out there. Good place to get wine and just sit by the plaza or by the canal.
St. Mark’s Square is a short walk from the Rialto Bridge. However, a vaporette pass would be useful with all the going back and forth and a lifesaver for tired feet. I really fell in love with Venice even more when we went back to St. Mark’s Square one night. The restaurants and cafes had live orchestra/band outside and they each competed to draw people in with their music. It was so romantic to just listen to live music under the moonlight.
St. Mark’s Basilica was my favorite place. It had a beautiful mosaic displays which unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos of. Go early to beat the long lines.
For a beautiful view of Venice visit San Giorgio Maggiore. To get there you have to take boat #2 at San Zaccaria. Keep in mind the opening hours are 9-12:30 and 14:30-1800 (*times can change). It is a short boat ride across the water. Its a little confusing once you get off the boat to find the elevator to the top of the bell tower. We walked outside the church first trying to find the entrance to the bell tower. The guy/priest outside didn’t help to point the way. You actually have to go inside the church to get to the elevator to the bell tower. I think the entrance was at the left side of the church.
We found ourselves having the best times wandered around Venice’s streets and canals. We found so many more beautiful churches and neighborhoods not mentioned in the main guidebooks. Tripadvisor was very helpful in planning our trip. We received many tips and suggestions from Destination Experts and from fellow travelers.
To view the rest of the photos, check out the slideshow below.
Photos taken using Canon Rebel XSi and Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 lens and Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
