Venice

Venice is a very romantic city. Its arching bridges, gondolas and narrow streets create that special atmosphere. At night, moon reflects off the water and the streets are often covered with fog. There’s no traffic noise around. Venice is essentially a set of islands, connected by bridges. The main street of Venice is the Grand Canal, and the traffic of boats and waterbuses is usually intense. During Carnevale, which takes place in the early spring, the canals are lit by torches and crowds of costumed revelers fill the narrow streets and public squares of Venice. Venice is actually one of the most visited cities in Europe. Main highlights of Venice are San Marco courtyard, the Palazzo Ducale and its romantic Bridge of Sighs, leading to the Doge’s Prison on the other side of the channel. The glass factories of Venice are definitely worth a visit, along with is museums, like the Gallerie dell'Accademia, which displays art of the 14th to 18th centuries.

The population of Venice has declined to less than seventy thousand. At the same time, the city draws 200,000 visitors a day. Many people have moved to the mainland and parts of the downtown could be rather dirty, neglected and sometimes smelly in the summer. The prices are extremely high. The weather of Venice is always humid. Due to the presence of water, the humidity is kept at a constant 90% level. As a result, cold temperatures will feel colder, and hot ones – hotter. In the hottest months of July and August, the humidity can be very uncomfortable. In fall and winter the water usually rises and floods many areas of the city. The floods usually last for a few hours. All transportation in Venice relies on water. No cars are allowed in Venice, and people usually take water buses, taxis or gondolas to travel along the Grand Canal. However, water buses cost much more than their wheeled counterparts. If you plan to use water buses frequently, you might want to purchase a special pass.