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Introducing Venice (2021)An orientation for first-time visitors
ABOVE: An aerial view of Venice, Italy. The Adriatic Sea is on the left, with the Venetian Lagoon and Venice's historic center to the right of the long, narrow Lido di Venezia.
Are you planning your first trip to Venice, Italy? If so, this brief introductory guide will make your task easier. Basic geographyAs you can see from the Google satellite map below, Venice is an island city: The centro storico or historic center is a tightly-integrated cluster of 118 small islands that are linked by more than 400 footbridges. (Every time you cross a canal, you're stepping onto another island.) The entire city center covers only about 1,800 acres or 725 hectares, which is a little more than twice the size of New York's Central Park or London's Hampstead Heath.
The red marker shows the location of the Rialto Bridge, which is the historic hub of central Venice. (To get rid of the white "Rialto Bridge" label, click anywhere else on the map.) If you zoom out by pressing the "-" button twice, you'll see Venice Marco Polo Airport near the top of the photo, about 6 km or 4 miles from the city center.
To the right or east of the historic center is the Lido di Venezia, a long, narrow strip of land that separates the Venetian Lagoon (which surrounds Venice) from the Adriatic Sea. Cruise ships and ferries enter and exit the lagoon via the Porto di Lido, a gap between the Lido and the suburb of Punta Sabbioni. Picking the right hotel locationIn our "Picking the best hotel location" article, we make a statement that's worth repeating here:
Many first-time visitors book hotels (or let their travel agents book hotels) without giving any thought to location. This can lead to frustrating and expensive mistakes. To see why, let's look at another aerial photo:
Let's say that you're arriving by air and spending two days in Venice before departing on a cruise ship from the San Basilio pier. Your travel agent books you into a hotel in Castello, inland from the Piazza San Marco. You're traveling with large, heavy luggage. Because your travel agent knows a lot about cruising but very little about Venice, she didn't realize that:
You're going to have a frustrating experience that could have been avoided if you'd stayed at a hotel closer to your cruise terminal. The same principle applies if you're arriving and departing by train: By staying within walking distance of the Santa Lucia railroad station, you'll save time, hassle, and money. To find suitable hotels quickly and easily, see our Venice Hotel, B&B, and Apartments Guide.
Venice TransportationABOVE: This photo, taken from the Ponte dei Scalzi bridge, shows two ACTV vaporetti (water buses) on the Grand Canal. The Ferrovia ACTV piers and the Santa Lucia Railway Station are visible on the right, behind the boats and the Scalzi Church. ArrivingIn our "Arriving in Venice" article, we tell you how to reach the city center from the Venice Marco Polo and Treviso airports, from the Mestre and Santa Lucia railroad stations, from the cruise and ferry terminals, or by car. If you're driving, you'll also want to see "Parking in Venice," which has advice (with Web links) about where to park in Venice or on the mainland. Also see our Venice for Cruisers section if you're arriving or departing on a cruise ship. Getting around the cityOur Local Transportation Index lists articles about water buses (vaporetti), water taxis, pedestrian and car ferries, tourist travel cards, and related topics. Most of the time, you won't need to use water buses or other boats unless you have limited mobility or you're traveling to an island such as Murano, Burano, or Torcello. What you will need is a good map, so read our "Venice Street Maps" article before looking for a newsstand, souvenir shop, or bookstore. Also see "Walking in Venice," which has more advice on maps along with tips about directional signs, street signs, and addresses. After you've read these articles, go to our Venice Travel Guide, which lists all of our Venice travel articles by category. Finally, don't miss our Venice Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) article, which covers a wide range of Venice travel topics. |
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