The City of Canals, Venice!

July 7, 2016 by nikirath 34 Comments

Venice is the most unique city I have ever visited in my life so far. My recent visit to this city has left me amazed and the time I spent there with my family is very memorable. We visited Venice just for two days and explored every nook and corner of the city on foot. We stayed at The Westin Europa and Regina which was an absolute delight with magnificent views of the Grand Canal.

As soon as we landed into Venice we rented a water taxi to our hotel. The water taxis are expensive in comparison to the water bus, however we had a lot of luggage and ended up taking the taxi. There is no way to get to Venice by car since there are no cars or roads in Venice, isn’t that amazing. Venice is full of narrow streets and walking ways just like a maze. There are canals and boats all over the city instead of roads and cars. Our boat ride to the hotel was very exciting, it was a speed boat with a covered seating area and right there our trip started with a bang.

Grand Canal

Water Taxi to Venice

View from the Hotel Deck

After reaching the hotel and relaxing for a bit, we made our way to the Piazza San Marco which was just a five minute walk from our hotel. The square was full of tourists surrounded symmetrically on all four sides with magnificent architectures on each side. The sight of the tourists feeding the pigeons with the backdrop of the beautiful St Mark’s Basilica is still vivid in my memory. We sat by the Basilica and enjoyed eating delicious Pizza topped with red pepper and cheese from one of the many Italian restaurants at the square. After enjoying lunch by the square we started exploring the little shops along the narrow streets making our way to the Rialto Bridge which was full of touristy shops along both sides. It is also called the Rialto market and it is the bridge that connects the two sides of Venice that is separated by the Grand Canal. I really liked browsing through the Murano glass work and leather bag shops which were very prominent throughout the city.

Saint Mark Basilica

San Marco Square

Pigeons at San Marco

After reaching the other side, we relaxed for a bit by the canal taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful view of restaurants by canal lit with lamps and decorated with flowers on both sides. I loved walking by them and took the opportunity to capture them as well. We spent the rest of the evening at our hotel enjoying beautiful view of the Santa Maria Church reflecting over the calm well lit water of the grand canal.

Canal view

Restaurants by the canal

Our second day in Venice started with the delicious breakfast at the hotel deck which overlooked the Grand Canal. The fresh smoothies, juices and fruits was an awesome kick start to our day and we were ready to explore the rest of the city. We started our day with a charming gondola ride along the beautiful canals and bridges. Although it was a bit overpriced, we enjoyed riding under the bridges, passing by little restaurants by the canals and appreciated the elegant view from the water. We learned a little bit about the history of Venice and the lagoon that was created after diverting the water from the Adriatic Sea. We were then dropped on the opposite side from our hotel at the Santa Maria Church.

Santa Maria Church

Canals with Gondolas

Gondola Boat Ride

After strolling by the stairs of the church, we crossed the narrow bridges to walk towards the market and made our way to the Academy Bridge. The bridge showcases brilliant views of the city with Grand Canal in the back drop and is such a perfect spot for photography. We then returned to our hotel to pick our luggage to get to the train station. In the mean time we had hot cup of tea with some snacks at the hotel bar at the deck facing the canal view. It was a perfect end to our absolutely splendid trip.

Acadamy Bridge

Church of San Giorgio Maggiore

Canals with Gondolas

Venice has undoubtedly been one of the best destinations that I have ever visited and it is definitely worth an experience. It is truly a romantic city with unique setting. Which is your favorite city so far? Do share. I would love to hear!