What is Venice like?

Question

What is Venice like?

Answer 1

The thing that struck me when I first visited Venice was just how vibrant everything was. I walked out of the station and laid eyes on the Grand Canal. The sparkling light, bright colours of the boats, and the translucent blue of the water was something I never expected.

In most photos the city looked gray and dull - in winter it can be - but on a bright summers day it most certainly isn't. Just look at these photos http://www.venice-italy-veneto.com/photo...

Answer 2

I've been to Venice 3 times. I like shoulder season, when there are fewer tourists and no smelliness. The city is a living maze and you should expect to get lost. Don't worry, it's fun! The lapping of the water in the canals is relaxing and a constant background to your trip. Great food in the Veneto - excellent Prosecco, unique seafood only found in the area, fantastic risotto. Acqua Alta (high water) occurs more in the off season and that, too, is an adventure. It's impossible to take a bad photo in Venice. Sunsets are gorgeous. A rich, cultural place to visit.

Answer 3

I was in and out of it for a few hours, both in daylight and at night.  It is a beautiful and quaint city that is rather unique in that it has a system of canals in the centre of the city where most of the tourist attractions appear to be found.

The city is built on 118 islands and is intersected by a series of canals linked by about 400 footbridges.  Venice, at least in the centre, has no roads and no automobile and truck traffic.  It has canals and the vehicles in operation tend to be mostly water buses, water taxis and gondolas.  The streets are quite narrow, and a lot of small bridges link the main waterways.  In size, it is a relatively small city that maybe compares in size with Florence.

Tourists can take a boat down the Grand Canal as part of the public transit system.  The focal point tends to be the Piazza San Marco, a large town square.  It is well-known for the large flocks of pigeons that frequent it.  The Cathedral of San Marco is at one end of it, and a Bell Tower is situated at the other end.  A Clock Tower also is nearby.

The Rialto bridge is very attractive and crosses the Grand Canal.  It is an especially spectacular sight lit up at night.

The Palazzo Ducale, or Doges Palace is worth seeing and is of historical significance.  It is where the Doges used to live in grandeur.  The Bridge of Sighs is attached to it, and is rumoured to derive its name from the fact that prisoners had to cross it on their way to their punishment and therefore would sigh in crossing over it.

Tourists who are pressed for time should easily be able to see the main sights of interest to tourists within a day.  Nevertheless, it has numerous places to see, many of which are situated close from one another.

The water in the canals is not clean, as an obvious consequence of the heavy boat traffic received and due to other types of pollution that have formed.  Tourists might find the smell of the water to be bothersome and inconsistent with the visual beauty of the architectural gem of a city.  

The architecture is interesting, especially the features of the Cathedral of San Marco.  The city should be seen lit up at night.  

Answer 4

OMG i loved venice it was sooo much fun! a little stinky but it was so cool how they used boats as cars!

Answer 5

A photo and history are best 100 words..look at here,,

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezia

by..Francis-Florence- Italy

Answer 6

Its the most romantic place on earth.. no cars.. you take a boat or you walk.. ... small boutiques.. europe in all her glory....

Answer 7

First of all, of course, it's magically beautiful.  To be in, to be surrounded by, and to look at--somehow--it's much more than the sum of its parts.  The quality of the light is different from anywhere else I've ever been.  Maybe it's just all that water.  But if you look at the paintings in the Galleria dell' Academia, you see it there too; evidently in the 16th, 17th, and (especially) the 18th centuries it was just the same, and felt the same, as it does now.  And the painting!  Venice is worth visiting just for the ceiling paintings in the churches, not to mention the galleries.  And the music, and the architecture, and the sublime food!  Venetian bread is as good as French bread.  And that is saying a lot.  

Answer 8

It's costly and sinking; although, people are still living in the buildings. the water is murky green and reeks. the people their make money off of gondola rides which are 100 euros. overall its not too exciting. its just a bunch of tourist ooing and awing and buildings. that's about it.

don't forget to get some of their famous murano glass jewelry.

Answer 9

Picture a medieval city: narrow, winding streets (width 2-3 m=7-10' or less) called "calle" (pl. "calli"), houses of red bricks, max 3-4 floors, some in disrepair, some with carved stone elements (windows, doors). Moreover, it's build on a group of little islands, so every 10 m or so the street ends in a little stone bridge to pass over a channel (called "rio", pl "rii"), little larger than the street itself. Here and there, the streets enlarge in small piazzas (called "campo", pl. "campi"). It's at the sea, so there's marine smell and seagulls almost everywhere, and also pigeons. Some channels are larger, and there is traffic on them: vaporettos, that play the role of buses, gondolas, very expensive taxis, and private boats. In some place, and in some hours, is literally full of tourists, and moving around is difficult. In other places, and times, you may feel alone (and lost in the labirintine calli).