The city of Venice, Italy is one of the world’s most iconic travel destinations. Set on a lagoon in the waters off the North Eastern Coast of Italy, the old world city of Venice has no other world wide comparator. A travel visit to Venice, Italy should be on everyone’s world travel list. We’d spend the day exploring its neighbourhoods and identifying local chichetti wine and snack shops getting to know this world class city.

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This post is one chapter on our trip to Malta, Italy and Germany. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status and credited to Alaska Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Activity: Getting Lost in the Walkways of Venice, Italy.

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The folly of Venice, Italy is that it is almost a floating city set in the middle of a water lagoon off the coast of Italy. There are no roads in Venice and the city is interconnected through a series of pedestrian walkways and waterways. It’s the perfect city to get lost walking around in and one of the world’s best travel experiences if you can get it right by visiting at dusk when it’s not completely over crowded.

Setting Out to St Mark’s Square:

Although we had a cloudy start to the day at breakfast at the Westin Europa Regina Venice, it was gorgeous bluebird skies weather by the time we headed out the door. We had a look at the usual favourites and the must see attractions in Venice including the bridge of sighs.

Looking into St Mark’s Basilica:

We took a look into St Mark’s Basilica, a church that has been on site here since the 800’s AD. It’s towers and frescos inside were impressive and consistent with the surrounding period.

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We left San Marco’s square and went walking and exploring today with no set agenda. I’ve found this to be one of the best ways to discover Venice as there is always a surprise around every corner.

Exploring the Dorsoduro neighbourhood:

We walked through the Dorsoduro area (SW corner of Venice) over the Ponte Accademina bridge. I had not previously been to this neighborhood before and it was a pleasant calm compared to the frantic crowds massing around the San Marco district.

Climbing the Ponte Accademia Bridge:

The views of the Grande Canale from the Ponte Accademia bridge were simply gorgeous. It’s a wooden structure that was initially intended to be temporary but has become a permanent feature. It was a highlight of our visit.

Entering the Basilica Santa Maria:

We headed over to the Basilica Santa Maria, taking in a view of the Westin Europa Venice from the opposite site of the Grand Canal. The basilica was surprisingly bland inside, compared to it’s magnificent stature outside that can be seen from the Westin across the way.

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Calling for Chicetti in Dorosondo:

We walked through Dorosondo and stopped at a chicetti bar for snacks at the bottom of the bridge stairs. We had a small glass of Pinot Grigio de la casa for 1€. What an awesome and wonderful way to break up the day with some tasty snacks in an authentic local environment.

Viewing the Rialto Bridge:

We then headed up to Piazza San Margerita for a pizza snack from Pizza Al Volo and then over to the Rialto Bridge. It was a great leisurely walk through some of the heartlands of Venice.

We continued our walk through the San Polo and Santa Croc district. There were lots of canal and alleys to keep things interesting and much less crowds than the San Marco area. We ended up on the Grand Canale just short of the Rialto bridge.

As it was getting late in the day, we wandered back toward the hotel via the San Marco square in order to get ready for dinner.

My Thoughts on Venice, Italy as a place for walking:

All in all, we had a great day filled with lots of walking. It was really nice to see the quieter side of Venice and I can highly recommend getting off the beaten path if you have time do so in your next visit.

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If you’ve visited Venice, did you enjoy walking through it’s streets and alleyways?

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