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Venice's Waterfront
(St. Mark's Basin)
From:
Venice's Top 11 Free Sights
ABOVE: A view of St. Mark's Basin after a 15- or
20-minute stroll up the waterfront promenade, with the bell towers of San
Giorgio Maggiore on the left and San Marco on the right.
 As
you leave the Piazza San Marco and the Piazzetta (the branch of St. Mark's
Square that leads past the Doge's Palace to the water), turn left and follow the
Riva degli Schiavoni, the first section of the waterfront promenade that
runs continuously (with several name changes) to the Giardini Pubblici park and
beyond.
 Along
the way, you'll pass the San Zaccaria
and Pietà waterbus platforms. San Zaccaria (sometimes abbreviated to "Zaccaria")
is a
major stop for several ACTV vaporetto lines;
Pietà (shown in the inset photo) is the turnaround station for double-deck
pedestrian ferries that connect central Venice with suburbs on the Lido and
points beyond.
 If
you're lucky, you may see one or more ships tied up along the waterfront:
possibly a river vessel like CroisiEurope's Michelangelo (shown at
right), or perhaps a yacht, a sailing ship like the Italian Naval Academy's
Amerigo Vespucci, or a small ocean cruiser.
 You'll
also pass hotels, cafés, exhibition venues, and--after 15 or 20 minutes--the
site behind the public gardens where the Biennale di Venezia art
exhibition takes place during odd-numbered years.
Unless you're pressed for time, keep going until you reach Sant'Elena, a
relatively modern 19th and early 20th Century residential neighborhood with
parks, the city's football stadium, and a marina.
Another waterfront itinerary:
-
Cross the Accademia Bridge
from San Marco to the
sestiere or district of Dorsoduro. Bear left as you leave the
bridge and follow the main tourist thoroughfare to the imposing
Santa Maria della Salute Church,
which is worth a quick visit. (Admission is free.)
-
 From the Salute
church, walk the short distance along the water to the scenic viewpoint
at Dogana di Mare, continue around the tip of the island, and follow
the wide promenade called the Zattere along the Giudecca Canal.
(You'll see plenty of water traffic including vaporetti,
motoscafi, cargo boats, local
car ferries, year-round cargo and passenger ferrie to Greece,
and--during the warmer months--cruise ships, especially between about 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. on
Saturday afternoons).
St. Mark's Basin by the Numbers
Next page:
Grand Canal
Top photo copyright © Steve Geer.
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Hotel Advice:
Location can be important in a
car-free city with 400+ bridges, especially when you're walking with luggage.
Before you book, see:
- Aerial Venice Hotels
Read our tips on choosing the
right sestiere or district. Then view individual hotels and their
surroundings in large satellite photos and aerial close-ups.
Venice for Cruisers:
From our
Venice Travel Blog:
A water taxi ride to Venice Airport
A
warning about water taxis
Venice Railroad Station: a vaporetto view
Long lines at Venice Airport
Free boat trips to Murano
Need to
pee? Prepare to pay
Crime in
Venice
The perils of overpacking
Venetian daily life
From
Maggie in Venice:
A dog's life in Venice
A
Beagle boards a water bus
Maggie in Venice video clips
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