Venice The City of Bridges and Water Buses

Did I find Venice fascinating?  Yes

Did I find Venice romantic? Yes

Did I find Venice one of the most beautiful city built by man? Yes

Did we take a gondola ride? No

Am I glad we went to Venice?  Yes

Would I return to Venice? No..but it was all about the atmosphere while we were there!

“To build a city where it is impossible to build a city is madness in itself, but to build there one of the most elegant and grandest of cities is the madness of genius.” Alexander Herzen

We arrived in Venice on a Thursday night and checked into a hotel on the mainline and headed out early on a bus with a stop right across the street from our hotel that took us directly to the vaporettos a fancy word for the water buses in Venice, operated by ACTV, the public transport authority for Venice.  I read you should head directly to #2 and sit in the very front for the best views and picture opportunities.  We did exactly that and for the next hour we sat enchanted by the intricate canal system and listened to Rick Steven’s audio tour.

I couldn’t wrap my head around how Venice was laid out and how to get around before we arrived, but I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to get the stops.  Finding where you wanted to go once you got off of the water bus was a different story, however.

Once you start walking there is no frame of reference regarding what direction you are going.  It was fun to just wander the winding paths between buildings and if we wanted to find a particular site–well, just follow the crowds.