The best plan for sightseeing in Venice is to have no plan at all. Those who choose to follow a map soon end up on a one-way street with a watery end, or cut off by construction.
For initial sightseeing, it is advisable for visitors to get on one of the main well signposted tourist thoroughfares from the train station to St Mark’s Square, either via the Rialto or Galleria dell’ Accademia. As water is so integral to the city, another recommended way for tourists to get a feel for Venice and its layout is to take a vaporetto ride from Piazzale Roma, located in the far east of the city, right along the wide artery of the nearby Grand Canal to St Mark’s Square in the centre. The Grand Canal provides an insight into the very essence of Venice, with all sorts of waterborne craft, from vaporetti and speeding water taxis, right through to the more leisurely traghetti and, of course, the ubiquitous gondola. |