Day 5: After two rainy days, we woke to bright sunshine and were able to enjoy breakfast sitting out on our roof terrace. The plan was to explore the very attractive neighbourhood between the vaporetto stations of Zattere and Academia where we were staying.
The long, wide waterfront promenade of Zattere, away from the hordes of tourists is relatively quiet but well worth a visit. Frequented mostly by locals, there are plenty of inviting cafes and bars along its waterfront, most of them charging far less than in the tourist hotspots of St. Marks Square and Rialto.
The warren of quiet streets, with their fair share of museums and churches were waiting to be explored. We strolled along, crossing over the Academica bridge to the far bank of the Grand Canal from where we had splendid views back to St. Mark’s Square and The Doges Palace. A couple of cruise liners passed by on their way out to the Adriatic Sea, they looked enormous alongside the waterbuses and other small boats plying the canals. At dusk it was time for our final ride on the Grand Canal, viewing the Rialto Bridge looking beautiful illuminated at night, and a look in the small shops beneath the columns of the bridge. With so many narrow lanes and tiny squares there’s always something new to explore in this beautiful city.
Day 6: Our final morning and we had to be up bright and early as we needed to return to Treviso for our mid morning flight. We caught the first vaporetto of the morning to Venice’s main bus station where the Ryanair shuttle bus was waiting to take us back to the airport, the journey taking only 45 minutes.
It had been a lovely short break in Venice and we discovered it’s so much better to stay a few days rather than visit on a day trip.
It enabled us to gain a much better feel for the city and we were able to escape the hordes of tourists most of the time. Yes, it is expensive, but there are plenty of good quality apartments about, and by shopping for food at the local Billa supermarket, we ate (and drank) well, with local produce and little time and effort on our part.
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Your wonderful post reminds me of how beautiful Venice is and how much I miss it. I haven’t been in many years but hope to return soon. In the meantime, I read Donna Leon’s mysteries, which are all set in Venice, and transport me there whenever I want. They’re fantastic. If you aren’t familiar, I highly recommend! Thanks for the post.
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Thank you for your kind words Karen, it’s nice to read you enjoyed this series of posts on Venice. I’ve heard about these books but not read any yet so I’ll try one soon.
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I’m so looking forward to getting lost in the streets of Venice this fall and really enjoyed reading your accounts of your time there, even if it was 5 years ago! Thanks for posting about it and having such a well organized site, making it easy to find. And thanks for travelling as much as you do and sharing your experiences here. Enjoy Hong Kong!
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Thanks so much Sheri for your positive thoughts on my blog. It’s good to read that you find it easy to navigate. Enjoy Venice, I’m certain you will, its a city like no other!
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I am looking forward to seeing Venice in 2 weeks time. I don’t have itinerary yet but reading your post give me some idea. Good one. Thanks.
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Thank you for taking a look at my blog and it’s good to read that you have found my Venice posts useful. Have a good trip, Venice is beautiful.
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Your section on Italy is really awesome – I look forward to exploring the smaller canals of Venice after seeing your photo (very pretty)!
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Thank you Kimberley!
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Beautiful photos. Venice is magical.
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Thank you, it definitely is!
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