Grand Canal
Things to Do in Venice
The Grand Canal in Venice is indeed grand; it is wide and deep enough to take ocean-going vessels, but these have become a local issue as the Grand Canal is busy with smaller traffic in its role as the main water thoroughfare in the city. Curved in a reverse “S” configuration, the Grand Canal is just under 4km (2.4mi) long, and varies in width from 30 to 90 metres (98-295 feet).
Its depth, at an average of 5 metres (16 feet), is sufficient to support hulls of varying sizes, but as aforementioned, cruise ships are a testy matter with residents (55,000 people live in the core of Venice), causing too much wake and noise, and dumping tens of thousands of tourists at once, more than the contained area can manage.
This is the main and central water traffic corridor in Venice, with floating water-buses, gondolas and small personal craft, motorized and not. It runs from the basin at San Marco, through the centre of town to the Venetian Lagoon near Santa Lucia Railway Station. It’s a conduit, flanked with residences, restaurants and shops, and dotted with bridges, the most famous being Rialto, which itself is lined with boutiques and kiosks.
Visitors who opt for a ride along the canal will view the classic Italian-Byzantine architecture of Venice and get a real sense of the layout of the city’s core. It is especially lovely at sunset with lights reflecting off the water. Watch for the annual regatta held on the Grand Canal; it’s a popular event!
Things to Do in Venice
Saint Marks Basilica
In about 1063, a group of Venetian statesmen and religious leaders decided to build a cathedral on the existing grounds of an even older church, the...
Grand Canal
The Grand Canal in Venice is indeed grand; it is wide and deep enough to take ocean-going vessels, but these have become a local issue...
Piazza San Marco
The plaza, or open courtyard, that envelopes the entrance to Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Venice is wide and long, and serves as much more...
Doges Palace
Throughout its many centuries as a city or city-state (before it became part of Italy proper in 1866), Venice has enjoyed and endured many forms of...
Rialto Bridge
The Rialto Bridge that spans the Grand Canal in Venice is famous for several things. First, you can shop there as it is lined with...
Dorsoduro
Given the propensity of Venice to suffer flooding, the Dorsoduro, which translates as “high ridge”, is ioncomparatively high, solid ground and impervious to the whims...
Murano
Murano Glassworks is world-renowned for its colourful glass objects, works of beautiful but practical art, hand-crafted on this island of Venice often referred to as...
San Giorgio Maggiore
This island, just south of the main area of Venice, and on the Venetian Lagoon, is virtually all church and churchyard. It once housed a...
Bridge Of Sighs
The Bridge of Sighs, in Venice, Italy, is assuredly one of the most famous bridges in the world, but people who initially hear its name...
Teatro La Fenice
Gran Teatro la Fenice, called simply, La Fenice, is the main theatre in Venice that supports opera. Like its sister venue, La Scala, in Milan...
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
After the better-known St. Mark’s Cathedral, Santa Maria Glorioso dei Frari is a significant minor basilica in the Venetian ecclesiastical landscape, one of the...
Santa Maria della Salute
Like many of the churches and minor basilicas in Venice (and Italy), Santa Maria della Salute, more commonly called, just “Salute”, is a treasure trove...
San Trovaso
The first time we floated past San Trovaso Roman Catholic Church, we thought it was an old, rather rundown, two-storey warehouse in the Dorodura area...
Things to Do in Venice
In the global battle for most romantic city in the world, the Venice versus Paris finals often switch winners, but here at Affordable Travel, we...
Destinations to Discover
Things to Do in Athens
Athens, Greece, has been the city of cultural imagination and classical history for over three millennia. The largest city in Greece, Athens, the namesake of...
Amazing U.S. National Parks
The United Sates of America is vast, and not only contiguous; it has offshore islands and territories in faraway locales. Its large northern peninsula, the...
Most Amazing Festivals in the World
We humans work hard and when we play, we celebrate. The array and variety of amazing world festivals is an example of how lavishly we...
Things to Do in London
London, England. The words still evoke an era, probably the 1960s and 19670s of mods and rockers, Carnaby Street, youth culture, Princess Margaret, the Beatles...
Incredible Must See Sacred Places
Where is your sacred place? What is a sacred place to you? For those of us living in modern times, a sacred place might literally...
Canadas Most Scenic National Parks
From sea (Pacific) to sea (Atlantic) to sea (Arctic), every province and territory in Canada boasts designated national parks for visitors from around the world...
Things to Do in New York City
New York City is an expensive place to live (it boasts the highest number of resident billionaires of all the cities on earth), with the...
Things to Do in Aruba
Part of the Netherlands Antilles group of Caribbean islands — the “A” in the “ABC” (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) — Aruba is surprisingly affordable. It lacks the...
Things to Do in Venice
In the global battle for most romantic city in the world, the Venice versus Paris finals often switch winners, but here at Affordable Travel, we...
Things to Do in Paris
What more can be written about Paris that has not already been scribed, spoken or filmed? It’s one of the foremost cities of the...