We got on a FrecciaBianca train bound for Venice from Milan Central station in the late afternoon. There were luggage racks at the end as well as mid compartment. I had read warnings on online forums regarding putting luggage at the end of the passenger car so we kept it in the mid-compartment luggage racks. The train had a dining compartment too but we had already had lunch at the Milan station.
We arrived at the Venezia Santa Lucia station in the early evening. The weather Gods were not kind as there was a thunderstorm going on in Venice. Heavy rain and strong winds had followed us from Switzerland all the way to Italy. We took the #44 Water Bus from the station to Giudecca Island (Palanca Stop) where our hotel Hilton Molino Stucky was located. The Palanca stop is about 10 minutes walk (with luggage) from the hotel. We were completely drenched by the time we walked into the lobby with our luggage.
After dining on some yummy appetizers at the Executive Lounge, we took the Hilton courtesy shuttle to St. Mark’s Square. We started walking towards the square and before you know it, we took a wrong turn and were walking in narrow streets of Venice away from the square. After realizing we were a bit lost and after getting some directions from locals we came back to the square. During high tide, the water overlows into the square. It was a bit late and most of the shops in the square were already being dismantled. We walked around listening to the water slapping against the walls, and some street performers playing beautiful italian music. It was very romantic. After spending a couple of hours we took the shuttle back to the hotel.
Day 1:
After breakfast, we took the complimentary shuttle again to St. Mark’s Square.
Our first stop was Bridge of Sighs. It was barely 10 AM and and there was not much crowd there yet. When we passed by the same spot in the afternoon, the crowd was unbelievable !!
We thought of getting a gondola but at 100 Euros was way too much for us cheapskates !! Looking at the number of gondolas packed with people it didn’t feel that romantic either.
Then we walked to St. Mark’s square which had already started to get very crowded. Since we had 2 PM “skip-the-line” tickets for St. Mark’s Basilica we decided to walk to Rialto Bridge first and come back to the square later. We followed the many posted signs towards Rialto Bridge. Walking the narrow streets from St. Mark’s Square to Rialto Bridge was typical Venice – different shops selling sea-food, souvenirs, masks, etc. all along the streets.
Rialto Bridge was such a treat. Looking from both sides of the bridge, you get the feeling that you are finally in real Venice, the Venice you see in pictures and movies. There were water taxis, gondolas, and water buses all going their way on the Grand Canal. Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges that cover the entire span of the Grand Canal. It was pretty crowded up on the bridge and also the market next to it (Rialto Market).
After spending about an hour on the bridge, enjoying the beautiful scenery of Venice, we decided to have our lunch. With so many small side streets throughout, we took our time and scouted for a pizzeria and finally found a local one a bit away from the bridge on a side street (prices get cheaper the further from the canal you get within the market). They had plenty of local flavors. The pizza was delicious. I will never forget the wonderful feeling of having our lunch sitting on the steps of the Grand Canal close to the Rialto Bridge and watch the boats and gondolas go by.
After we finished eating, we walked through a few of the shops and picked up some souveneirs (best prices are found in Rialto market). We then walked back to St. Mark’s Square, again following the numerous signs posted.
The “skip-the-line” reservation holders enter the St. Mark Basilica through the left door and the regular attendees use the main door. Entry is free to the basilica but since we were here for only 1 day, I didn’t want to waste any precious time standing in the very long line. The high tide had flooded the entrance of the basilica and the officials had to put some planks inside the entrance gates, we had to wait about 10 more minutes before we were allowed in.
Even though the entrance to the basilica is free, there are several sections cordoned off that are only accessible if you purchase separate tickets, which we did not do. We ended up just walking around the main floor and admiring the various mosaic art on the floors as well as various painting on the ceilings of the basilica.
After spending about an hour inside, we went out and took some pictures around the square. By this time the square was overflowing with tourists (and water!). After spending about half an hour walking around the square people watching, we took the shuttle back to the hotel.
After taking some rest at the hotel, we took the Hilton shuttle to the Zattere stop which is on the main Venice island just opposite of the hotel. We walked to the Ponte dell’Accademia bridge (the “lovers locks” bridge). There were thousands of locks on the sides of the bridge symbolizing the lovers who put the locks there and throw away the key in the grand canal thus sealing their love forever. Romantic and touristy at the same time :). This bridge is also one of the four bridges that span the entire Grand canal (Rialto Bridge being another one).
After admiring the beauty of the Grand Canal for a while we started walking. Pretty soon we were in a local area with narrow side streets, artsy shops and some courtyards with not a tourist in sight. It was wonderful.
Pretty soon it was late evening and the world cup 2014 final was going to be starting. We took the shuttle back to the hotel, had dinner at the hotel lounge and watched Germany beat Argentina to take the cup.
Next day, after our breakfast we walked back to the boat stop and took a water-bus to the Santa Lucia station for our journey onward to Rome.
Venice along with Amsterdam was my favorite city in Europe. If I am back in Europe again, I plan to stop over in Venice again for a couple of days.