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Each one a single question, answered in fullI
The articles
- 01
The Doge's PalaceCan you walk across the Bridge of Sighs?
Yes: the Bridge of Sighs is part of the visit to the Doge's Palace, which crosses it to the New Prisons and comes back the other way. What the bridge was really for, where the romantic name came from, how the palace route reaches it, and where to stand for the classic view from outside.
- 02
Getting AroundOnly Four Bridges Cross the Grand Canal: Planning Routes
The Grand Canal cuts Venice in two, and only four bridges cross it in nearly four kilometers. Where they are, why a map misleads, and how to plan walks, water-bus rides and traghetto crossings so the canal works for you rather than against you.
- 03
Getting HereHow do you get from Marco Polo Airport to Venice?
Marco Polo Airport is on the mainland, across the lagoon from the island city. The three ways in, bus to Piazzale Roma, Alilaguna water bus across the lagoon, or water taxi, and how to choose between them by where you are staying and what you are carrying.
- 04
St Mark's BasilicaHow do you visit St Mark's Basilica?
St Mark's is a working church with four separate visits, a line that crosses the Piazza on busy days, and a golden interior that rewards knowing where to look. How the visit is divided, how to book, when to go, and a route through the church, the Pala d'Oro and the loggia of the horses.
- 05
Getting AroundHow does a gondola ride in Venice work?
A gondola ride is a private hire at rates set by the city, rowed by one of about four hundred licensed gondoliers. How the boat and the gondoliers work, where to find one, what to agree before you board, which route to ask for, and how it differs from the traghetto and the water bus.
- 06
St Mark's BasilicaHow were the gold mosaics of St Mark's Basilica made?
How glass, gold leaf, and eight centuries of retouching created the golden interior of St Mark's Basilica.
- 07
The Grand CanalWhat will you see on a boat ride down the Grand Canal?
A ride on the slow water bus down the Grand Canal is the best introduction to Venice: six centuries of palaces, four bridges, the market and the Salute, in under an hour. What to look for, stretch by stretch, from the station to San Marco, and how to make the ride.
- 08
When to ComeWhen is the Venice Carnival, and what actually happens?
The Carnival of Venice fills the city with masks and costumes for about two weeks before Lent. When it falls, where its history comes from, what the traditional masks are, what visitors actually see, and how to plan a visit around the busiest weeks of the winter.
- 09
When to ComeAcqua Alta in Venice: the Tide, the Sirens and the Walkways
Between autumn and spring, exceptional tides flood the lowest parts of Venice. What causes the acqua alta, how the levels are measured, what the sirens mean, where the raised walkways go, what the MOSE barriers changed, and how to plan a day around a high tide.
- 10
Eating & DrinkingCicchetti and Ombre: How a Venetian Bacaro Actually Works
The most Venetian way to eat is standing at the counter of a bacaro with a small glass of wine and a few cicchetti. What a bacaro is, what is on the counter, where the word ombra comes from, how ordering and paying work, and when to go.
- 11
The LagoonMurano, Burano and Torcello in One Day: Order and Timings
The three islands of the northern lagoon make one of the best days out of Venice, if you get the boats right. Which order to see them in, which boats to take, how long to allow on each, and why the last boat back decides the whole day.
- 12
Getting HereVenezia Mestre Is Not Venice: The Commonest Arrival Mistake
Mestre is part of the municipality of Venice but not the island city: a mainland town across the lagoon with its own station and hotels. How the mix-up happens, how to tell from an address, and what to do if your room turns out to be there.
- 13
Getting AroundThe Traghetto: Venice's Cheapest Gondola Crossing
Only four bridges cross the Grand Canal. Between them, a traghetto, a plain gondola rowed by two oarsmen, ferries foot passengers straight across. What it is, where the crossings are, how to ride one, and why it is worth knowing about.
- 14
Booking AheadThe Venice Access Fee: Who Pays, Who Registers, and When
On its busiest days, Venice charges day visitors a fee to enter the historic center, and asks nearly everyone else to register an exemption. How the fee works, who pays, who is exempt, who must still register, where it applies, and how to check the rules for your dates.
- 15
Getting AroundHow the Vaporetto Works: Tickets, Passes and Lines
The vaporetto is Venice's bus: numbered lines run by ACTV along the Grand Canal, around the city and out to the islands. How single tickets and time-based travel cards work, how to decide between them, how to validate, and which lines a visitor actually uses.
Written one at a timeII