Venice

       Venice, Venezia, Venecia, Vedenik...

The city has a unique geographical structure, if you have the chance; try to see the city from a plane, then you will see the island with its charming characteristics including so many narrow canals and several islands from the top. As one may expect main transportation vehicles in the city are water buses, boats, iconic gondolas, and canal taxis.

Besides the unique geographical structure, you can easily see that the city had an important role in Middle Ages, Renaissance. Therefore, it has tones of artistic, and historic areas. This artistic city is also the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi.

      

      

    The city is not so big however, one of the most crowded touristic cities. On the other hand, if you are tired of the crowd there are so many other options around the city which offer you pure nature experiences, such as islands, or rural areas.

    

    
       Must be seen/done:

1)      Piazza San Marco

         a.       St Mark’s Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) from 11th century

         b.      Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale di Venezia) from 14th century

         c.       The clock tower; Torre dell Orologio from the 15th 16th century.

         d.      Take the Elevator to the Top of the Campanile

2)      The grand canal tour by water bus or gondolas (The main canal is called the Gran canal)

3)      Rialto Bridge

4)     Ca d’Oro (a beautiful palace on Gran Canal) from the 15th century

  

     

    
       Other suggestions:

•     Islands (Murano the glass island, Burano, Torcello, Lido)
•     Some of the old churchs such as  Scuola Grande di San Rocco, San Zaccaria, San Giorgio Maggiore,
•     Museums (Ca' Pesaro, Ca' Rezzonico, Casa Goldoni, I musei di P. San Marco, Museo Correr, Museo del Merletto, Museo del Vetro, Museo di storia naturale, Palazzo Fortuny, Palazzo Ducale,       Palazzo Mocenigo, Torre dell'orologio, Museo Ca' Del Duca, Museo Col. Guggenheim, Museo ebraico, Museo degli armeni, Museo dei modelli ) 
• So many historic buildings, especially on the Gran Canal,
• The city is also famous for the glass art, masks of Carnavale, and its wine (if you like sweet wine, especially ask for it).  Besides the wine, Pizza, Gelato, and Seafood are strongly suggestible.
• Being lost in the small labyrinth city and while finding your way discovering small hidden beauties of the city is a favorite activity. If you prefer to do it with a guide, there are some walking tours too.
• Talking about the city without mentioning the traditional 11-day Carnival will be an incomplete description. It is held in February/March. Check before planning your trips depending on the year it changes.

            

      More tips

•  Another important clue is although at the first glance it seems like you cannot walk the whole city since it is divided by more than 150 canals,  there are 400 bridges over the canals so it is possible to walk the city except reaching to the other small islands :)
• Staying in the city center can be attractive to some people, but if you are so much into silence and nature then staying a bit outside of the city has a meditative effect with Italy's beautiful rural towns.
• Prepare yourself for a mosquito fight.
• For the city transportation, there are combined tickets besides the single and return tickets. You can buy these tickets at the airport or in the city centers. In order to avoid the long queues at the airport, carry some changes, so that you have the chance to buy from the vending machines.
• From the airport to the city there are boats and sea-taxi options, besides the city shuttle buses.
• Don't make strict plans, and keep in mind that the time schedule of buses and trains can be flexible. If you are in a hurry don't get into a restaurant or make it very clear in advance :) Since Italy by culture is the country of relaxation, being in a hurry/ being quick concepts are pretty relative in this country.
• For bus and train timetables, the days are divided into two groups as working days and holidays. It is not written anywhere but Saturdays are counted as working days. 
• Also keep in mind that in the area it is not so easy to find a wireless internet connection area, in some small cities around Venice finding a free/paid wireless connection is almost impossible.

     Day trip cities (the hidden gems):

    

   Beside the islands (Murano, Burano, Torcello, Lido), 

• Padua (Padova); from Venice to Padova take about half an hour by train.
• Treviso; from Venice to Treviso take about half an hour by train.
• Vicenza; from Venice to Vicenza take about forty-five minutes by train
• Verona; Venice to Verona takes just over one hour to 1 1/2 hours by train.

    

     For basic Italian: http://www.ielanguages.com/italian1.html

                                                                                                                 Ciao!