Skip to main content

Venice - Islands, Bridges, Walkways and Waterways

Venice’s Grand Canal. The grey and orange rectangular structure in the canal to the left is a water-bus station
I took the train to the mainland station(Mestre) which meant that I had to take a bus over to the island and walk my way to almost the other end where my hotel was. There is a more convenient way to get to my hotel which was to take a train to Venice’s other train station, from where I could have caught a water boat which gets me closer to my hotel.

My hotel was a converted 3-floor house. Venice is an interesting small town mostly consisting of shops, restaurants and hotels. As I pointed out, most locals live on the other less known and touristy islands, though you will also find some fair amount of residential houses in Venice.

Venice’s Famous St. Mark’s Square
While the Gondolas that traverse the canals are touristy, these are quite pricey. It is cheaper (free) to walk around and savour the many attractions by foot. Avoid the restaurants by the oceanfront and those that line the main canals as these tend to be quite pricey, and if cheap, make it up with tiny servings.

Some of the places you may like include Castello which has affordable pizza, and the hidden gem of Osteria A La Scuela which is a good place to have a nice Aperol Spritz and enjoy the tradition of the Aperitivo.

If you’re looking for an evening joint, there’s Bacaro Jazz which has some nice-ish music and a quirky decor made up of bras hanging down from the ceiling, but it is touristy and quite pricey. But it is not like there’s much else anyway.

It’s highly recommended to grab a day public transit ticket and take the water bus to Lido island, the larger of the many islands around Venice. If you are looking for a beach, there is a public beach at Lido including rentable lockers. You can also take a water boat to the islands of Murano and Burano which are fairly easy to visit if you have the transit day pass that allows you unlimited use of buses and boats.

A 6 Euro Pizza Margherita in Venice 

An interesting thing to note about Venice is that due to its age, their sewer system predates modern sanitation practices and therefore sewerage empties directly into the canals. The city also floods towards the end of the year due to high winds and tides, though there is a plan to solve the problem by 2020 or thereabout.

Next in these series, all roads lead to Rome, and so do some trains. Or, you can be clever and get the book on Amazon to read about my entire trip all in one place. 


Popular posts from this blog

The bitter story of the downfall of Mumias Sugar company

Have you heard the bitter story of Mumias Sugar?




But what ails Kenya's sugar industry?



Coronavirus still proves Africa's Local Manufacturing Problem






Why we loved Mixcrate and Where to next?




Kenyan products: The art of punishing your consumer



Why are Mosquitoes Found in Some Parts of Nairobi?

Here is what Professor Clifford Mutero of ICIPE had to say: