Beautiful! A incredible walk along the way. Just cross the bridge. Maybe 20 minutes away if your…read morewalking from st marks.

We walked to this Basilica one morning before lunch... it's a beautiful basilica on the point of…read morethe Grand Canal and worth the visit. They're doing some renovation inside currently, but it's still beautiful. It's amazing to see the sheer size and beauty, especially when inside of the construction!

The waterways are the lifeline of Venice and the Canal Grade, or Grand Canal, is the main water way…read morethat connects everything in Venice. If you look at the map of the islands, the Grand Canal connects everything with a graceful S shape. In the medieval and renaissance times, Venice was a major trade area and an essential route for merchant ships bringing spices, silk, and other goods from the east. Our gondolier told us how there weren't bridges until Napoleon came along. Everyone traveled around by boat and the closer to the water the richer they were. Even today, traveling by water is the main method of getting around the city. When we first arrived, we saw movers with a crane on their boat hauling furniture. On our last day there, we even saw ambulance by water. It was also such a treat being able to take a gondola ride as part of our experience in the city. I enjoyed the day to day moments of walking around and exploring the city and taking photos on the Grand Canal. Every scene was so unique and stunning.

This waterway runs the entire length of the Lagoon of Venice! There is much traffic on the…read morewaterway: water buses, water taxis, gondolas and private boats and amazing to see how they navigate it all. I purchased a 3-Day Water Bus pass and it allowed me to enjoy the beautiful views, massive buildings, Rialto Bridge and exquisite architecture of all the other buildings along the waterway.

We've been in Venice several times. Always a joy. But somehow we've never made it to Burano. So…read morethis time we did. Had a weekly pass for the Vaporetto and took the No.12 from Fondamenta Nove in Venice. The trip took around 40min. And even on a weekday in April the Vaporetto was completely packed. But Burano is popular for good reason, it's an insanely pretty place! The Vaporetto will stop at the northern part of the small island. And it is indeed small. You can explore it easy in a few hours. It's very walkable - and most parts are even fit for wheelchairs and strollers (special bridges for these). From here you best get to the Fondamenta Assassini and Mauro. That will take you Vial Baldassare Galupp, the main drag here in Burano with countless shops, cafés and restaurants. And the famous buidlings in all colors (not just on this street of course). Soon you will reach the main Piazza with the lovely Chiesa di San Martino. Its tower is pretty tilted/leaning. You can see it clearly from further away west. From there you can head to the Fondamenta Cao di Rio - a more quite walk along along the canal. We did just that and then walked along the also pretty quiet Fondamenta della Peschera in the south. That will bring you back to the Fondamenta Cavanella and then Fondamenta Mauro where you came in first. It's a nice little round-trip. Of course there's more to explore. But this covers the most important and famous parts. There's also good food. Many good option. Cicchetti of course. But we've felt like a real meal and had lunch at the Osteria Cicchetteria da Gigetto. Excellent fried seafood and wonderful pasta. Nicely located at a more quiet canal. It's a really lovely place, this small island. The colors are amazing, we were lucky to get a picture-perfect blue skied day. And the colors were really glowing. It's definitely a must-do at least once. The ride there isn't that much fun, but definitely worth it.

What a treat! Watching an authentic woman who has had the tradition of lace making passed down to…read moreher was an honor to witness! Looking around the island during my visit was special and hearing about the tradition of painting the houses in colors that stand out because the men who are fisherman need to see their house distinct from others in the foggy weather! True or False...Burano benefits by having beautiful homes that tourists find unique! We had lunch while On the island and the food was fresh and tasty... If in Venice..only 30 mins or so distance..you can catch a public water bus and I would say it is worth it!

Venice's only Gothic church. It is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It is simply called "I…read moreFrari" as it was built by the brothers (frati) of the Franciscan order. LOCATION: In the San Polo sestiere but I remember just stumbling onto it while walking the island from my hotel in Dorsoduro to the train station on the opposite side of the island. ADMISSION: €3 Modest dress requested. I'm an atheist but as Christianity was highly influential in shaping European history I visit churches with the intent of understanding the history (and sometimes) art in shaping a region's cultural identity. As the Frari is not in San Marco, Rialto or any other major Venetian landmark I would've easily missed this church if not for Rick Steves' audioguide (http://podcasts.ricksteves.com/walkingtours/FrariChurch.mp3). His reasoning is that offers an opportunity to experience art in-situ (right where it was designed to be seen) as opposed to hanging in a museum. The audioguide explains the major art pieces in detail way better than I ever can. Here's a summary of the major pieces inside the church. - Titian's Assumption of Mary. This is considered to be Titian's magnum opus and his first major commission from a church. It's located behind the main altar. Its depiction of Mary was revolutionary for its time as she is seen as triumphant and depicted in soft and warm colors. - Titian's Madonna of Ca' Pesaro. What's significant is that this broke Renaissance tradition by depicting Mary and Jesus off-center and interacting with the commonfolk. - Giovanni Bellini's Madonna and Child aka the Frari Triptych. - Tombs of Titian and Canova. Titian had his tomb decorated with a relief of his most famous painting. On the other side Canova's cenotaph (Venice's most famous sculptor) is pyramid-shaped and was once meant for Titian, but when the church used the present design his pupils repurposed it for their master instead. It's a cenotaph because he isn't buried here but an urn contains his heart. Once you're done exploring the church the surrounding area is quieter than San Marco or Rialto. It makes for a good lunch/dinner spot and the prices are more reasonable.

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (aka Frari Church) was one of my favorite attractions in Venice…read more The church is beautiful, there were no lines to wait in, and the cost was only 3 Euros per person. Frari church has many beautiful Venetian sculptures. The main highlight at this church is Titian's Assumption over the main alter. We downloaded Rick Steves' free audio tour onto to our iPods and it really added to the experience since our knowledge on Venetian art and Frari Church were minimal. You can download the free audio tour at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/italy-audio-tours/id272230438 After you visit the church I recommend checking out the Dorsoduro neighborhood along the Grand Canal and buying a cone of gelato!

This is a beautiful basilica located on the island of murano. It took about 35 minutes to get there…read moreby vapareto from the Arsenale stop. The basilica has some of the most magnificent 12th century Byzantine style mosaics - in the apse in the Virgin Mary standing alone amidst a gold background, while the floors are also beautifully mosaic too. Entrance fee is 3.50 euro- well worth it in my opinion.

Beautiful church. It's worth seeing. No pictures allowed as is true in most churches but we saw…read moretourists taking pictures anyway. The area is photogenic outside and there's a nice restaurant right by the church that has outdoor tables and there's also a gelateria near it.

There's no shortage of surprises in the labyrinth of roads throughout the metropolitan city of…read moreVenice! One of these roads led us to the open seafood market, filled with the hustle and bustle of fishmongers selling their freshly caught and hauled in seafood. There are numerous stalls selling a vast variety of seafood of every kind! The ambiance is high energy and excitement. Mixed in with some locals buying seafood are wide-eyed tourists taking in the impressive selection of fish & shellfish that would delight any seafood lover. This made me want to return to Venice next time and stay in the heart of the city so I can buy some of the seafood to make a dinner or two during my stay. As I didn't buy anything, I can't say much about the service, but every fishmonger there seemed friendly from what I can see. This was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon in Venice and I can't wait to be a customer the next time I visit Venice.

This is the oldest Jewish ghetto in the world and it's been around since the 1500s…read more It was created to keep the Jewish community separate while living in the city. The segregation was finally ended in the late 1700s by Napoleon. Now the area thrives with shops, bakeries, stores, and restaurants. It's a stark reminder of a horrible past but a history that should be known and understood. We met wonderful residents and businesses owners and had the most delicious treats from the bakeries as well.

Founded in 1516 the The Venetian Ghetto aka Jewish Ghetto, is a district in Venice. Under the…read moredecree which founded the area people of the Jewish faith were forced to live. The area is fairly quiet especially when compared to the crowds in San Marcos. This makes it an ideal place for a stroll. There are tons of shops, eateries, and interesting architecture. There is a synagog and a Holocaust memorial as well.