Venice

Venice was built on water in the middle of a lagoon and because of that it’s known as the ‘City of Water’.

It’s one of Italy’s most romantic cities and is located in the northeast of Italy. The city consists of six districts called sestieri: Cannaregio, Santa Croce, San Polo, San Marco, Castello, and Dorsoduro. Venice was founded in 1412 A.D. and remains today an architectural wonderland. It has three large bridges the Ponte dei Sospiri (the Bridge of Sighs), the Ponte Rialto, and the Ponte Accademia, that span the Grand Canal. Its small streets along the winding canals make for great walking. You’ll find many things to do in Venice. It’s magnificent churches, palaces, lively squares, and interesting shops are a great place to start.

Bridge_of_Sighs Venice

Venice has many attractions and is known for its beautiful museums, palaces and churches, but one of the best things to do is take some time wondering along the canals off the main tourist track. Some of the main highlights are Saint Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace, Rialto Bridge and Venice’s Top Islands. Instead of taking a walk along the canals taking a boat ride or a gondola is also a fun way to get a good overview of the city. If you love art museums then Galleria del’Accademia is one of Italy’s best, with 24 rooms in 3 historic buildings, its well worth a visit. 40 days before Easter Venice’s Carnevale celebration is held, which is a colourful and lively festival that lasts 10 days.

You will find fine Michelin star restaurants in Venice like the Osteria Da Fiora which is wonderful but also very pricey. If you don’t have a huge budget and are looking for a great cheap restaurant that serves delicious food then try Taverna del Campiello Remer, this perfect little restaurant is hidden in a courtyard near Rialto Bridge. Other great cheap places to buy food are Brek self service restaurant, which is a reliable Italian chain that sells cheap lunchtime meals, Alla Basilica, a low cost eatery behind St Mark’s and Spizzico, which is an Italian fast food chain that sells cheap slices of pizza, salads and desserts as well as chips and soft drinks.

Venice is without doubt one of the main centres for shopping in Italy and the numerous districts provide a shoppers paradise. Whatever you are looking for you are guaranteed to find it in Venice. The Piazza San Marco, the Rialto, the Mercerie and nearby Calla dei Fabbri have been the main shopping area’s for hundreds of years. In the San Marco area you will find top fashion designer outlets like Armani, Laura Biagiotti, Gucci, Krizia, and MaxMara, to name a few. For the more outrageous and contemporary design, be sure to visit Fiorella in Campo Santo Stefano, where there are plenty of stylish outfits to be found.
Nightlife in Venice can be varied. The city has a long tradition of classical music and there’s always a concert going on somewhere in the town. Several churches also host classical musical concerts from locals and international artists. If you are interested in pub crawling then Piazza San Marco, Campo Santa Margherita and the west side of Rialto Bridge all offer a number of venues for an entertaining evening. If you love Jazz then the Venice Jazz Club is brilliant and has succeeded in creating a cosy and authentic venue. On a Friday and Saturday they hold concerts, but make sure to book in advance as it fills up in a heartbeat. Another popular place is the Irish Pub Venezia which is a friendly pub with lots of beer and great attitude.

Piazza_San_Marco,_Venice