I would return to Venice because it's like nowhere else in the world, and it may soon be gone. While the rest of the world has changed and modernized, Venice has remained the same. Sure, now people have computers and cell phones, but the true Venetian lifestyle lives on. Old Italian women hang their clothes on lines over narrow alleys and canals. Kids cautiously play soccer next to these canals, making sure not to kick the ball into the water. While wandering down alleys in perfect silence (there are no vehicles), you can almost imagine that it's long ago, when Venice was not a part of Italy, but a powerful city state. It's like something out of a fairytale when you see a gondolier drifting down a canal or hear a busker playing an accordion at dusk. My trip“It looks like a map!” I remark of what I can see of Germany in the early morning light. We're starting to descend, almost at the Frankfurt Airport. I'm so excited, I can barely sit still. I'm thirteen, and it's my first time in Europe.I get on our connecting flight to Venice, and as we fly over Switzerland I catch a glimpse of the ...

Here at Holiday Velvet we often get asked about where you can leave your luggage whilst you are waiting to 'check in' to your apartment or after you have 'checked-out'. Whilst you can always ask the owner directly if they are able to look after your bags for a few hours, left luggage facilities still exist at many major train stations and other transport hubs. These days, most of these facilities run on an automated locker system (gone are the days when you checked in your bag in as you would a coat in a nightclub). Remember that they may fill up at peak periods. Rome When arriving at Termini Station on the Leonardo Express train from Fiumicino airport, you can leave your baggage in the ‘piazza’ on the lower-ground floor (follow the ‘Deposito bagagli’ signs). It’s open 6am-midnight, 7 days a week. Venice ‘Deposito bagagli’ is available at Santa Lucia Train Station (open 6am-midnight daily). Cooperative Trasbagagli is a private company that will not only store you luggage for you, but take it by boat to your place of accommodation, saving you schlepping bags over the bridges and canals. They have two offices in Venice; one at the Piazzale Roma (open 6am to ...

area around the Rialto Bridge is very much the heart of Venice and to roam the romantic streets while licking delicious Italian ice cream is an experience that cannot be beaten! There are a few ice cream vendors in and around the Rialto area and one of the most popular and best is La Boutique del Gelato which is on the corner of Calle Paradiso and Salizada San Lio La Boutique del Gelato is considered to be the best place to buy ice cream in the Rialto area of Venice and probably in the whole of the city. Simply, the quality of the ice cream is superb and is complemented by an extensive choice of flavours and the generous size of the scoops. There are one or two ice cream sellers in Venice who sell ice cream cones that hold little more than a couple of hearty licks, whereas La Boutique del Gelato is considered to be reasonable value bearing in mind the amount of business the ice cream shop attracts especially in the summer months. La Boutique del Gelato is open from ten in the morning until eleven-thirty at night and there is always a crowd of people with tongues ...

The centre of Venice comprises six regions and one of them is called Dorsoduro which lies south of the Grand Canal and includes the Island of Guidecca. There are numerous attractions to be found and explored within Dorsoduro and below is a brief list of suggestions. Accademia Gallery at the edge of Dorsoduro is one of the finest exhibitors of Venetian art and its history, with masterpieces on display by Titian, Tintoretto, Giorgione, Veronese, Bellini, and Tiepolo. The Peggy Guggenheim Museum exhibits contemporary works of art and a superb selection of paintings for the 19th century. The museum is on the bank of the Grand Canal and from the gardens there is a stunning view of Venice. Santa della Maria Salute Church is one of Venice’s most iconic landmarks. The church marks the entrance to the Grand Canal and was built to give thanks to God by those who had survived Europe’s plague which killed more than one in three Venetians. Ca' Rezzonico is a baroque Palazzo with beautifully preserved frescoes and antique furniture. It is on the Grand Canal near the Tiepolo and by one of the last remaining producers of gondolas. ...

The San Marco district of Venice is where visitors to the unique city will find world-famous fashion designer shops featuring names such as Laura Biagiotti, Armani, Camiceria, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Valentino, Ceriello, Cima, La Perla, and Kenzo. If you choose a holiday rental in San Marco Venice the shopping opportunities are endless. Laura Biagiotti is at 2400 Calle de le Ostreghe, where you can buy designer clothes that are both stylish and practical. The shop in San Marco offers a superb selection of clothes to suit all occasions and the attendants are welcoming and helpful. Giorgio Armani is located at Calle Goldoni 4412, San Marco, and offers distinct and brilliant designs that offer quality at affordable prices. For those people accompanying shoppers, there are comfortable sofas on which to recline and admire the latest outfits that are being tried on. Camiceria is located at Calle Vallaresso, 1340, San Marco, and is the city’s leading maker of shirts women’s blouses, gowns, dresses and pyjamas. Dolce & Gabbana in San Marco is located on Calle Vallaresso, 1314, and offers world-renowned designs of women’s clothes. Prada is located at Campo San Mois, 1479, and is one of the largest of the Prada shops in Italy ...

One of 6 districts in Venice, Cannaregio is the northern section of Venice and lies between the Grand Canal and the lagoon. East / west, it goes from the famous Rialto Bridge to the railway station and in between it offers some lovely bars, cafés and restaurants within a popular residential neighbourhood. Looking around the unique city of Venice, it is best to be on foot, although Cannaregio is on the waterbus route that goes along the Cannaregio Canal and the Grand Canal. The main tourist streets in Cannaregio are Lista di Spagna and the broad Strada Nova where there is a McDonald’s, complemented by souvenir shops and market stalls. To the north of Cannaregio are three canals running in parallel and, to the south, along the Fondamenta della Misericordia there are attractive bars that buzz with classic Venice excitement. There are many places to visit in the Cannaregio district and top of your list should be Ca' d'Oro, which is one of the most beautiful of the palaces that overlooks the Grand Canal.Other exquisite places to visit are legion, but to name just a few it is definitely worth seeing: Santa Maria dei Miracoli, which is at the eastern end ...

It is probably no news to you that there are no cars in Venice Italy - if you arrive by car you must leave it at the Tronchetto parking garage or on the mainland and then take a train to Venice main train station "Santa Lucia". Most visitors however arrive by train at the Santa Lucia train station. How do you reach your Venice apartment from here? GETTING TO YOUR VENICE APARTMENT BY WATER BUS (VAPORETTO) The water bus number 1. is the one you will most frequently use - it runs from Piazza San Marco over the train station and all the way to San Marco: 13 stops in total. Here is a link to all the Water Bus Routes in Venice (pdf). GETTING TO YOUR VENICE APARTMENT BY WATER TAXI Careful! Although water taxis are very convenient (and stylish!) they are expensive! As these taxis don't have meters you must agree the rate with the driver before you step in. To give you an idea, a water taxi journey from Venice Marco Polo airport is 150 Euros and short journeys from the train station to your Venice apartment usually cost 50 Euros. GETTING TO YOUR VENICE APARTMENT BY GONDOLA FERRY (TRAGHETTO) The Traghetto is ...

San Marco is the centre of Venice and the city’s main tourist magnet. Piazza San Marco, or St. Mark's Square, was “dubbed” by Napoleon as "the finest drawing room in Europe". St Mark's Square is home to Venice's Basilica di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale. Choosing a holiday rental in this area means being in easy reach of all the main palazzos, museums and the other "sestieris" in Venice. Be warned though: this is a very touristic area and the narrow streets around the piazza can get extremely crowded. Here is a short video of the wonderful architecture and atmosphere of the piazza: