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Venice Journals

Venetian Delight

A July 2001 trip to Venice by A. Stevenson

Homes and Gondolas Photo - Vaporetto, Venice, Italy More Photos
Quote: A group of four friends, we spent 3 days in Padova and Venice. We were on a very tight budget and yet managed to thoroughly enjoy ourselves!

Venetian Delight

Overview

Tranquil Morning Photo - Venice, Italy
Quote:
Getting lost at night in Venice and joining up with other lost people, testing our horrible Italian to get directions to the train station and being met with smiles.

Quick Tips:

Buy a rugged "map book"!

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking and the "vaporetti" (taxi boats) are definitely the best way to see Venice. Cars aren't allowed into the city, and if you decide to drive to the city entrance, finding a parking space can take anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours. Also, the parking lots at the city entrance require you to leave the car keys with them (yes, it's legal).

Hotel Maritan

Hotel

Quote:
Clean and nicely decorated hotel on the outskirts of Padova. About a fifteen minute walk from the train station, with nearby restaurants and gas station.

We were quite pleased with our room, it had its own shower and well-lit, large bathroom. We were never once bothered by noise. The price is very reasonable considering that it is a three-star hotel (we had been told it was 2-star!), and that we stayed during the high season. The hotel staff was friendly and helpful.

However, breakfast left much to be desired (no fresh foods other than one or two types of fruit), and items in the in-room refrigerator were insanely expensive.

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on October 15, 2001

Hotel Maritan
Via Gattamelata, 34
Venice, Italy
+39 049 850177

Vaporetto

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Attraction | "Vaporetto (Taxi Boat)"

Homes and Gondolas Photo - Vaporetto, Venice, Italy
Quote:
We each bought a 24-hour tourist ticket, at 18,000 lire (9.30 Euros). This allowed us ride the Vaporetti (taxi boats) as much as we wanted in the 24-hour time period. We decided to start out in the morning with a tour of the city on the 41-42 line. The vaporetti were almost always packed, but by keeping our eyes peeled at stops we were all able to find seats with good views. It turned out to be an excellent way to get good photos and see the city. Vaporetti are very slow and noisy: they stop about every 500 meters and bang up against the landings, so if you're looking for a quiet, romantic way to see the city, go for a gondola! (They're much more expensive though!) ...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on October 15, 2001

Vaporetto

Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Square/Piazza San Marco

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Attraction | "Piazza San Marco"

Isola San Giorgio Maggiore Photo - St. Mark's Square/Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy
Quote:
It's safe to say that every Venetian tourist visits San Marco. We chose to avoid it between 10am and 6pm, and came back around 7pm on the second day in order to go to the top of the Campanile (bell tower) and get views of the city near sunset. Contrary to other bell towers I've climbed, this one has an elevator! Though there were quite a few people in the tower, with patience and a tad bit of pushiness we were all able to get good photos, and really enjoyed the stunning views. We were especially glad we'd waited for sunset, as the lighting was gorgeous. We left the Campanile just before 8pm, and were glad to have done so when we heard the bells ring! We can't be certain, ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 15, 2001

St. Mark's Square/Piazza San Marco

Venice, Italy 30124

Lido

Story/Tip

Quote:
Our first day in Venice, we'd woken up too late to avoid huge crowds in the city, so we decided to visit Lido, an island just to the south of Venice and served by several vaporetto lines. It turned out to be a welcome relief from hordes of people, and a good place to find restaurants. We ate at a small pizza place with terrible service and not-so-great pizzas (which is why we no longer remember the name of the restaurant!), but made up for it with delicious gelati - Italian ice cream - and a stroll through the island. There's not much to see compared to Venice, but there is a post office as well as several places to buy postcards. It's just the place for a temporary escape from c...Read More

Wandering Through History

Story/Tip

Cleaning Gondolas Photo - Venice, Italy
Quote:
Venice is the perfect city to get lost in - as long as you've got a map once you want to be "found"! On our third day, we split into couples (my boyfriend and I, our two friends) and set a meeting point at a certain time. After that, we just walked, with no particular destination in mind. There are so many historical sights in Venice that while picking one or two is a good idea (San Marco, the Bridge of Sighs), trying to plan anything more is almost senseless. We walked past dozens of churches, beautiful bridges, homes with flowers spilling out of their windows, and places where the rare remaining native Venetians went about daily life. It was lovely, wandering from one surprise ...Read More

Padova

Story/Tip

Quote:
Padova is a half-hour train ride from Venice (Santa Lucia station). The only reason we stayed in the city was because it had the cheapest available hotel we could find... but after spending an evening discovering the city, we wished we had known about its history earlier!

There are dozens of beautiful old buildings, and a large piazza with statues, surrounded by even more picturesque buildings. Reasonably priced restaurants with good food abound.

We're planning on returning to Venice, and Padova as well! If only we can find an entire month for vacation...

About the Writer

A. Stevenson

A. Stevenson
Nice, France

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