From the category archives:

Venice

Traghetti: Budget Alternative to Gondola Rides in Venice

If you want to experience riding in a traditional Venetian gondola, but you don’t want to pay the 100+ euros that a private gondola ride costs, try a traghetto  ride. A traghetto is a public transport gondola that takes you in a straight line from one side of the Grand Canal to the other side.
Taking [...]

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Venice: Vaporetto Tour on Grand Canal

On Day 2, before we went out to dinner, we spent a couple of hours doing a vaporetto (water bus) tour on the Grand Canal. This is a great budget alternative to the traditional gondola ride. (Riding the vaporetto costs less than two euros, while a gondola ride costs over 100 euros. )
All we had [...]

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The Kindness of Strangers in Venice

We’d just arrived in Venice after a 20 hour flight. Somehow I had mislaid the map with directions to our guest house. Tired and confused, I went into a tiny little snack bar. I figured since this was a tourist street the guy would certainly  speak English. Using my one Italian word, I said “Scusi” [...]

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Finding our Guest House In Venice

Even though I thought I was  organized, somehow I had forgotten to bring the piece of paper that had the directions to our guest house in Venice. At this point we’re 23 hours without sleep and trudging down a main tourist drag (Strada Nuova) against the current of a  sea of people.
It was magical
Nonetheless, it [...]

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Day 1: Nanaimo to Venice

It’s a long way from Nanaimo to Venice, and I wanted to make the journey as fast as possible.  Alas, my chauffeurs had a different idea.
I really should be grateful to them for hauling me out of bed at 3:30 for a 6:10 a.m. flight out of Nanaimo, which is only 30 minutes away by [...]

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Calli, Campielli e Canali: Ultimate Map of Venice

Calli, Campielli e Canali is generally agreed to be the ultimate map of Venice. With this book in hand, you will be able to find even the most out-of-the-way places in Venice.
However, it is distinctly more difficult to carry than the average map, because it is in fact a true book of 226 [...]

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Buy Multiday Pass for Water Bus in Venice

Another Italy travel tip is to purchase a multiday pass for the vaporetto  (water bus) in Venice. It’s a great deal that many tourists aren’t aware of or aren’t confident enough to use. Buying a pass allows you to get on and off whenever and wherever you want, without having to purchase another ticket. Lots [...]

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