Visiting Venice will be one of the highlights of any vacation in Italy. This city lacks the speeding cars and the fast pace of life that distinguish other well-known Italian cities. Spending a week in Venice is ideal, but if you are in a time crunch, you can still enjoy a day trip to this beautiful city.
Take the autostrade (interstate) to Venice by car and follow the signs leading to Ponte della Liberta along S11. You will find the parking garages when you reach the island of Tronchetta on the right and can park in the Garage San Marco. This parking garage is near a vaporetto dock. A vaporetto is a public "water bus" that provides transportation.
Take vaporetto 82 down the Grand Canal to Piazza San Marcos. Enjoy the beauty of this famous canal.
Ride the elevator up Campanile di San Marco, the bell tower of San Marcos. This will give you a breathtaking view of Venice and is a great way to start the day.
Visit Venice's most prestigious art gallery, Accademia, to view an extraordinary collection of paintings spanning the 13th to 18th centuries.
Shop for Venetian glass on the island of Murano. Vaporettos 41 and 42 will take you there. You can find anything from hand-blown electric guitars to handmade Venetian wine glasses.
Tour Saint Mark's Basilica, the "Church of Gold." This beautiful basilica is one of the world's most richly embellished churches adorned with jewels and mosaics.
Order some delicious gelato from the Gelateria Paolin, Venice's oldest ice cream shop. This parlor has stood in the same location since the 1930s and specializes in 20 gelato flavors.
