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Piazza
San Marco |
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San Croce and San Polo
- West |
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Dorsoduro - South |
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Castello - East |
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Islands in Venice
Lagoon |
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Tips for Venice – Before you go, while you're there, read our blog post for arrival, timed ticket entry for St. Mark's Basilica, how to avoid getting lost, disadvantages of strollers, self-service laundromat, and more. |
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Boats, boats, boats – Venice is really hundreds
of islands in a lagoon, connected by bridges. Remember
no cars are allowed in the city proper – this is a real pedestrian
city. |
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 Vaporettos
(water buses) go up and down the Grand Canal, and out to the islands
of Murano, Burano and Torcello. Line 1 goes up and down the Grand
Canal, with views of the all the palazzos. For the map of vaporetto routes and fares, check
out the ACTV site.
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Gondola rides usually last about an hour, nighttime is an especially magical time
to go. Gondolas hold six people (excluding the gondolier), and there are
plenty of places to pick up a gondola on canals throughout the city (not
just in front of Piazza San Marco). Tell your gondolier to explore the
smaller canals (if you go on the Grand Canal, it 's the same view as
the vaporetto ride...) |
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If you want a short, but very cheap gondola trip (with two
gondoliers), take the gondola ferries (traghetti) that go back and
forth across the Grand Canal. You do typically need to stand up, so it's
best for older kids, and the perfect thing for teens. The traghetto crossing
is a real short-cut across the city. |
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On our blog Boats in Venice: Life without a car. |
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Lions of Venice – The primary patron saint of
Venice is St. Mark, and his body is buried in the great Basilica of San
Marco. St. Mark is represented as a winged lion, with his paw on an open
book, the gospel. Everywhere you go in Venice look for the winged lion in
all sorts of places – emblazoned on the red and gold flag of Venice,
statues, fountains, door handles, bronze gates, church sculptures, even
gondolas and cannons are festooned with the lion. |
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For more about history of lions in Venice, read our blog post Lion of St. Mark. |
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Churches – Venice is packed with churches, many decorated
with paintings by Venetian artists, but our favorite church is the exquisite Santa Maria dei Miracoli in the Castello sestiere. The church is covered
inside and out with lovely pastel-colored marbles. Water from the canal
laps against the stone foundation on one side. The scale of this church
is small and intimate, something kids can relate to. And on the altar
is an bejeweled 15th century painting of the Madonna and child –
it's believed the painting itself can work miracles. |
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Stone wells – Hundreds of years ago,
ever wondered how the Venetians managed to have fresh water, living in the
middle of the lagoon? Ingeniously, in each campo (small square), they built
a sand-lined cistern, which collected and purified rain water. While you're
walking through Venice, keep your eyes peeled for the stone cisterns, still
in the center of each campo. |
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Go to a concert – Venice is a very
musical city – Antonio Vivaldi, born in Venice, and was a violin
teacher and concert master at an orphanage for years. One of his most famous
pieces, the Four Seasons, is often performed at different churches
around town – ask at your hotel for a concert schedule. |
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Fun food – |
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At all seasons, gelato (ice cream) is available,
in all kinds of flavors. In cold weather, hot chocolate with whipped cream
is the drink to try. Venice has a sweet tooth, and there are lots of different
pastries (some with an Austrian touch) – cookies, strudels,
meringues, croissants filled with honey or jam, and traditional zaletti,
large cookies (plain, chocolate, or pistachio) made with corn flour and buranelli, s-shaped cookies typical of Burano. |
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Shopping – |
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Venice is a fun place to shop, opulent windows filled with colors and
textures. There are wooden or plastic models of gondolas in all shapes
and sizes, and models of other Venetian boats. Look for glass items such
as animals or miniature vases, necklaces, earrings, rings in all colors
of the rainbow. Lots of choices
for lace fans, parasols, and winged lions or gondolas. |
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Take a stroll through Venice with Sandro, a puppy with a nose for adventure, who knows his way through the city, every bridge and shortcut, greeting friends on the vaporetto, fruit boat, glass studio, because today is a very special for gondolier Nic, his best friend. (Picture book)
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16th
century Venice. Donata breaks the rigid confines of her noble family
to explore her beloved city. Sparkling story of a teenage girl who
would rather wear smelly clothes of a fisherboy than silks and parasols,
and glows with the light and colors of Venice. (Chapter book)
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1492, Fabrizio comes to Venice to help his master find a secret manuscript. Sneaking into Doge's Palace, rescuing his master from prison, falling into a chilly canal, exploring the city of winged lions, helped by his friend Bianca. Action packed adventure. (Picture book)
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Jack and Annie
are whirled back to Venice 250 years ago, right in the middle Carnival,
the big yearly festival. They've got to find the Grand Lady of the
Lagoon, a painter named Tiepolo, a clock with the right time, and
the winged lion, before a flood destroys Venice. (Easy reader)
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Marietta's family are glassmakers, and live on the island of Murano. Her father teachers her how to blow glass, and one day she sees a beautiful glass bowl with tiny pieces like blooming flowers, made with an ancient technique.Years later, she creates a special "thousand flowers" glass bead. A true story, filled with color and light! (Picture book)
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When Anna Maria comes to the famous orphanage in Venice where Vivaldi is the music teacher, she brings with her a very special violin. But after her violin is tossed in the canal, Anna Maria goes on a search through Venice. (Chapter book)
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Antonio Vivaldi, renowner composer of Venice, lived in the city, taught music and singing, and is most famous for his The Four Seasons. In this book, gorgeous illustrations portray each season, and press the button to hear musical selections. (Picture book, audio)
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Ella and Ethan are having fun eating gelato and exploring the canals, but they have two mysteries to solve – finding a missing gondola (belonged to the doge of Venice) and locating a five hundred year old mosaic. (Easy reader)
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A gondolier family glides through Venice, drifting past winged lions, bridges, peaceful cobbled streets. "Drift down streets of water, baby. Close your sleepy eyes." A lovely book for little kids. (Picture book)
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Take a trip through Venice – a unique city with 117 islands, vaporettos, gondolas and water taxis, Venetian specialties (lace, glass, seafood), the Grand Canal and beautiful marble palazzos, weddings on the water, famous buildings and churches, pigeons at Piazza San Marco, and more. Whimsical, fabulous illustrations, fun facts, this is a classic. (Picture book)
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Open the small box and unfold a charming miniature cityscape of Venice – 12 different places, including St. Mark's, Rialto Bridge, Burano Island, Doge's Palace, and fun facts about each landmark. (Mini pop-up book)
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