How to Enjoy a Day Trip to Venice

Visiting Venice will be one of the highlights of any vacation in Italy. This city lacks the speeding cars and the fast pace of life that distinguish other well-known Italian cities. Spending a week in Venice is ideal, but if you are in a time crunch, you can still enjoy a day trip to this beautiful city.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Good walking shoes
• Money for museum admissions and transportation
• Knee-high rain boots

1. Take the autostrade (interstate) to Venice by car and follow the signs leading to Ponte della Liberta along S11. You will find the parking garages when you reach the island of Tronchetta on the right and can park in the Garage San Marco. This parking garage is near a vaporetto dock. A vaporetto is a public "water bus" that provides transportation.

2. Take vaporetto 82 down the Grand Canal to Piazza San Marcos. Enjoy the beauty of this famous canal.

3. Ride the elevator up Campanile di San Marco, the bell tower of San Marcos. This will give you a breathtaking view of Venice and is a great way to start the day.

4. Visit Venice's most prestigious art gallery, Accademia, to view an extraordinary collection of paintings spanning the 13th to 18th centuries.

5. Shop for Venetian glass on the island of Murano. Vaporettos 41 and 42 will take you there. You can find anything from hand-blown electric guitars to handmade Venetian wine glasses.

6. Tour Saint Mark's Basilica, the "Church of Gold." This beautiful basilica is one of the world's most richly embellished churches adorned with jewels and mosaics.

7. Order some delicious gelato from the Gelateria Paolin, Venice's oldest ice cream shop. This parlor has stood in the same location since the 1930s and specializes in 20 gelato flavors.

Tips & Warnings

• Piazza San Marco often floods in the autumn when the tide is high. Bring knee-high rain boots to navigate around Venice for your day trip.
• A very clean public bathroom can be found at the foot of the Accademia Bridge.
• Yellow signs are posted around Venice that will lead you back to Piazza San Marcos and the Accademia. Look for these signs if you get lost wandering the streets of Venice.
• Visiting hours in Venice museums vary from day to day. Check with the tourist office for a list of hours for the date of your day trip to Venice.
• 011 is the dialing prefix used for faxing abroad from the United States. If you are faxing from another country, check which international dialing prefix to use.
• To reserve a parking space in the Garage San Marco prior to leaving on your trip, fax a request to 011 ([phone] from the United States or 041 528 9969 from within Italy.
• A strict dress code for men and women is enforced in Saint Mark's Basilica. Shorts and skirts above the knee are prohibited. Arms and shoulder must be covered.
• Photographs are prohibited in Saint Mark's Basilica.
• Purse snatchers are commonplace in Venice. Keep valuables locked in a safe in your hotel room.