Small canals, romantic gondolas, and picturesque alleys – Venice enchanted me! A few years ago, I visited this Italian city in summer during peak season. Back then, Venice already facinated me. However, I was also a bit overwhelmed due to the many tourist, the heat, and time pressure. This time, we came back in November and although the weather was quite gloomy, Venice had it’s very own wonderful charm. There were ways less tourists than in summer and therefore we were able to enjoy our stay to the fullest. In this blog post, I show you my impressions in form of many photos and tell you which places you shouldn’t miss.
The Waterway to Venice
If you want to visit Venice, it’s best if you get there by boat. Although I don’t really like boat trips, as you maybe already know from this blog post, I made it to Venice without any incidents. After arriving in Venice, we went past the Bridge of Sighs to St. Mark’s Square.
Why the Bridge of Sighs is called the Bridge of Sighs? Well, that’s because the bridge connected Doge’s Palace where the court was with the prison. So the view out of the Bridge of Sighs window was the last view outside that convicts saw before their imprisonment or execution.
St. Mark’s Square: The biggest and most famous Square in Venice
If you are in Venice, of course you shouldn’t miss St. Mark’s Square. It’s the biggest and most famous square of the city with about 175 metre length and 82 metre width. The square was a setting in a lot of movies like James Bond Casino Royale, The Tourist, and many more.
At its eastern end there is the great church of St. Mark. However, as the square is full of tourists, even in November, this is not my favourite place in Venice.
The picuturesque Alleys of Venice
To really feel the city’s charm, you should leave the tourist routes and walk through the picturesque small alleys of Venice. Beside cute little cafés you will find amazing buildings and the most beautiful bridges.
Venice’s Palazzi, Churches and Gondolas
Only the historical center of Venice involves about 90 churches. The most famous one is, of course, the Church of St. Mark, there are, however, a lot more worth seeing chapels.
Of course, also Palazzi belong to Venice. During our trip, we had the amazing opportunity to visit one. You will find some photos and informations in this blog post.
Exploring Venice by gondola is definitely the most exclusive and therefore a very pricy way. I decided to save the money and to rather spend it for hot chocolate and sweets. However, I really enjoyed looking at the glamorous and opulent gondolas. By the way: Did you know that you need a licence to work as a gondolier? The exams they have to do for the licence are said to be very tough. Moreover, the licences are strictly limited so aspirants have to wait until one of the gondoliers goes to pension.
After walking so many kilometres, we decided to warm up and had hot chocolate with a lot of cream at a super cute café. Afterwards we went back to mainland by boat.
I hope you enjoyed this virtual trip through Venice as much as I did. Soon, I will share my impressions from Padua, the Euganean Hills and Bolzano with you. So stay tuned!
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