Venice
First published in 2018
Although the main purpose to go to Venice was to visit the Biennale (see some pictures and a brief description here we could not leave the city without exploring some other parts as well.
I didn't prepare a dedicated plan where to go or what to see. The idea was to walk around the city center and get an idea of what Venice is all about.
As we stayed in Lido we approached the center by boat every morning. This was a great opportunity for a panorama. Unfortunately, we didn't have nice clouds on a single day - either it was dull and grey or the sky was crystal clear. Well, the choice between these two options was easy 🌝.
In the city itself, there is no transportation except on the channels. But the city is small and there are so many things to discover that walking is the best option anyhow. You can take one of the vaporettos (public transportation boats) that navigate through the bigger channels (find more information here) and the number 1 has become a kind of public sightseeing boat, but in the end, there is no real need to do so.
Of course, you can also take a gondola, but expect a heavy fare (80 EUR in 2017) and please don't think of anything romantic. Mostly you queue up in a long line of gondolas all going the same way.
In summertime and when a cruise ship (or two or three ...) is in the city it can become pretty crowded, but as soon as you leave the hot spots the number of people becomes reasonable. You won't be alone, but you do not have to fight your way through the masses anymore.
Best time to walk around would be the early morning or in the evening, but as our hotel was abroad and we were not on our own, we only had one evening to spend in the city itself. And guess what: That was the day when it was raining.
Due to the time limitations, we focussed on the city-center only and even there we missed a lot, not to talk about the other islands like Murano or Burano. So the chances are good that we will come back - Biennale 2019 is waiting ...
