We took a water taxi from the mainland airport to our hotel (which personally was a little too rich for my blood, but what can I say except that my companions enjoy traveling in style.)
As you can see from the photos, the sea was a little choppy that day. Not recommended for jittery people. It was definitely an experience.
We checked into our hotel located on a busy road near the train station, which proved to be very convenient location. My room was about the size of a dorm room, which I think is probably the norm for mid-range European hotels.
I loved the fact that the room overlooks a small courtyard, which I thought was very Venetian (or rather, my preconception of Venetian.)
And the window shutters were so quaint. The outer and inner shutters were made from wood and closed with an iron latch.
I was hoping for those old-school room keys with the tasseled keychain. Instead, I got the next best thing, a super hefty bronze keychain. Basically, the keys never leave the premises - you drop them off at the desk before your leave and pick them up once you return. Not a very efficient process, mind you, but I thought it was rather suitable for where we were.
Venice is definitely a touristy place. Everywhere you turn, there are people, cameras, and the sound of luggage wheels against cobbled stones. It wasn't as congested as I had feared but maybe because it was already near the end of the tourist season.
Here are some pictures outside the train station, near our hotel. You can see a little bit of a water bus station in the picture on the right.
By the time we checked in, dropped off our luggage, and got our tickets (museum pass + actv vaporetto 48h) at the "kiosk" by the train station, it was about 2-3pm. (Note: if you buy your tickets online a few weeks in advance, you can get a small discount. On this trip, I didn't do that simply because my family insisted on buying once we arrive, just in case.)
I added the Vaporetto Dell'Arte, which is a water bus designed for tourists, to my 48h water bus ticket for an extra 10 euros. It makes for a great first impression of Venice - plenty of space onboard, great for taking photos. It also comes with an audio guide and a complementary map (however, I have say that I much preferred the hotel's complementary map - more detailed and contains a map of the water bus routes, which came in super handy.)
The story of how I struggled with the audio guide on the Vaporetto Dell'Arte.
I plugged my earbuds into the audio jack on the screen. No audio.
I tried pressing the screen, thinking it was maybe a touch screen. It was not.
I pressed all the buttons in same vain hope that the audio would magically turn on. It did not.
There I was, a college graduate with a freakin' degree in science, struggling. I've troubleshooted far more complex machinery than this but try as I might, I could not get the audio to work.
After 15 minutes, I was starting to look like an idiot.
And then, I looked down.
D'oh!
The best thing about the Vaporetto Dell'Arte is that the relatively emptiness of the water bus is great for taking photographs. You can take the bus as often as you want in the 24h of purchase (or it might be as long as your regular water bus ticket, I'm not too sure.) The not-so-good part is that it's nowhere as frequent as the regular water bus routes (only one bus every 30 minutes, starting at 9:00am).
The Grand Canal
One of the most impressive buildings along the canal - Ca d'Oro, which means "Golden House."
Look at that lattice work! I'm gushing I know, but I just can't help it.
And here's a close-up.
The famous Rialto Bridge.
Look, a gondola! What would Venice be without its famous gondola?
The gondoliers are unbelievably skillful with their vessesls. The canal gets quite crowded with the water buses, water taxis, and other water transport vehicles, but not once did I see a gondolier even scratch their gondola. Impressive.
Perhaps not as grandiose as the Rialto Bridge, this bridge has an awesome view.
San Giorgio Maggiore
Our final stop was an island just south of Venice, San Giorgio Maggiore.
The white, classical renaissance building is the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore with the campanile (bell tower) to the left.
How do you not love a church with a sea-turtle over its doorway?
The interior of the church.
The campanile is a must. It's about 4 euros I think but totally worth it. A great place to escape from the heat and just enjoy the nice sea breezes.
A lift takes you up the bell tower as to avoid the rickety stairs (which are probably hundreds of years old).
The views from the top of the bell tower
San Marco's Square, with the Doge's Palace and the Campanile di San Marco in plain sight.
The Monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore.
Some more of that lovely view.
As you can see from the photos, the sea was a little choppy that day. Not recommended for jittery people. It was definitely an experience.
We checked into our hotel located on a busy road near the train station, which proved to be very convenient location. My room was about the size of a dorm room, which I think is probably the norm for mid-range European hotels.
I loved the fact that the room overlooks a small courtyard, which I thought was very Venetian (or rather, my preconception of Venetian.)And the window shutters were so quaint. The outer and inner shutters were made from wood and closed with an iron latch.
I was hoping for those old-school room keys with the tasseled keychain. Instead, I got the next best thing, a super hefty bronze keychain. Basically, the keys never leave the premises - you drop them off at the desk before your leave and pick them up once you return. Not a very efficient process, mind you, but I thought it was rather suitable for where we were.
Venice is definitely a touristy place. Everywhere you turn, there are people, cameras, and the sound of luggage wheels against cobbled stones. It wasn't as congested as I had feared but maybe because it was already near the end of the tourist season.
Here are some pictures outside the train station, near our hotel. You can see a little bit of a water bus station in the picture on the right.
By the time we checked in, dropped off our luggage, and got our tickets (museum pass + actv vaporetto 48h) at the "kiosk" by the train station, it was about 2-3pm. (Note: if you buy your tickets online a few weeks in advance, you can get a small discount. On this trip, I didn't do that simply because my family insisted on buying once we arrive, just in case.)
I added the Vaporetto Dell'Arte, which is a water bus designed for tourists, to my 48h water bus ticket for an extra 10 euros. It makes for a great first impression of Venice - plenty of space onboard, great for taking photos. It also comes with an audio guide and a complementary map (however, I have say that I much preferred the hotel's complementary map - more detailed and contains a map of the water bus routes, which came in super handy.)
The story of how I struggled with the audio guide on the Vaporetto Dell'Arte.I plugged my earbuds into the audio jack on the screen. No audio.
I tried pressing the screen, thinking it was maybe a touch screen. It was not.
I pressed all the buttons in same vain hope that the audio would magically turn on. It did not.
There I was, a college graduate with a freakin' degree in science, struggling. I've troubleshooted far more complex machinery than this but try as I might, I could not get the audio to work.
After 15 minutes, I was starting to look like an idiot.
And then, I looked down.
D'oh!
The best thing about the Vaporetto Dell'Arte is that the relatively emptiness of the water bus is great for taking photographs. You can take the bus as often as you want in the 24h of purchase (or it might be as long as your regular water bus ticket, I'm not too sure.) The not-so-good part is that it's nowhere as frequent as the regular water bus routes (only one bus every 30 minutes, starting at 9:00am).
The Grand Canal
One of the most impressive buildings along the canal - Ca d'Oro, which means "Golden House."Look at that lattice work! I'm gushing I know, but I just can't help it.
And here's a close-up.
The famous Rialto Bridge.
Look, a gondola! What would Venice be without its famous gondola?The gondoliers are unbelievably skillful with their vessesls. The canal gets quite crowded with the water buses, water taxis, and other water transport vehicles, but not once did I see a gondolier even scratch their gondola. Impressive.
San Giorgio Maggiore
Our final stop was an island just south of Venice, San Giorgio Maggiore.
The white, classical renaissance building is the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore with the campanile (bell tower) to the left.
How do you not love a church with a sea-turtle over its doorway?
-The interior of the church.
The campanile is a must. It's about 4 euros I think but totally worth it. A great place to escape from the heat and just enjoy the nice sea breezes.A lift takes you up the bell tower as to avoid the rickety stairs (which are probably hundreds of years old).
The views from the top of the bell tower
San Marco's Square, with the Doge's Palace and the Campanile di San Marco in plain sight.
The Monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore.
Some more of that lovely view.
The shots you got from the vaporetto are gorgeous! (Looks like you guys had really great weather, as well.)
ReplyDeleteHuh, were you watching something about dinosaurs?
I think I recognize the setting of my postcard! How amazing is it to have that kind of art just hanging out in niches like that? I'm sure Europeanss are used to that kind of thing now, but it's still a wonder to me!
I think the dinosaur was an ad for the Natural History Museum.
DeleteWe were pretty lucky weather-wise the entire trip. Venice only rained for a few hours on the first day and no floods.
Haha, I've been going over the photos and a lot of the photos came out blurry (especially the ones taken under low-light conditions). There are some "arty" photos that were shot entirely by accident, so all you see are my feet or my bag or the pavement.