All Paths Lead to Venice!

Ah Venice.

Paris may be the city of love but for many people, (myself included) you can’t get much more romantic of a setting than this Italian city that seems to be floating on water and completely removed from the rest of the world. From the moment you step off the plane, train or car and cross over the Grand Canal, you’ll know you’re somewhere special that, simply put is without equal.

Located in north eastern Italy next to the Dolomites mountain range and a few hours west of Slovenia, it’s easy to see how Venetian culture is quite different from the other Italian cities. While still Roman Catholic, Venice has a distinctly Eastern Orthodox feel to its buildings and places of worship, due to centuries of being closer to that tradition than that of the Vatican – indeed, it wasn’t until relatively recently that Venice was a part of Italy proper. What this means is regardless of how much you’ve seen of Italy from travelling between Milan, Florence, Rome and Sicily, you can still be surprised on a trip to Venice.

So how do you get here? There are many routes that lead to the magical floating city, ranging from road, rail, sea and even flights to Venice. Take a look below on tips on getting to this city depending on your mode of transportation!

Rail

Taking the train to Venice, as is true with most travel in Italy, quite often makes the most sense as it’s reasonably affordable and gives you a dramatic entrance to the city as you cross the water over the bridge. Depending on where you’re coming from, you can make it to Venice in a few hours (and depending on the speed of your train!), giving you plenty of time to explore Venice even during a travel day.

Air

You can’t fly directly into Venice but rather adjacent to it, as the island city has no room for a landing strip. Flying into Marco Polo airport is a great option as well to see the city from up high and is serviced by many of the discount airlines to many international destinations as well. Hop on a water taxi, shuttle bus or regular taxi to get into the city once you arrive.

Venice is a popular part of many Mediterranean cruises, giving travellers a chance to spend the day in the city before departing for their next stop. The downside of this method, of course, is that you’ll be competing with all the other cruise ship patrons all going through the same landmarks. It’s great to get a sample of the city but in my opinion, the city is at its best once the cruise ships depart in the evening!

Road

Yes, you can drive to Venice and even park in Venice but you can’t drive around Venice – it’s pedestrians only. It’s maddening to think of anyone living their life in a city that relies mostly on boats to get around but somehow, that is just life in Venice. This means you can make Venice a stop on your Italian road trip or take a coach bus from any other destination, making Venice one of the most versatile travel spots there is!