Europe

[Visited: March 2007 and many times before]

Venice one of the most imaginative cities one can visit, and has been so since centuries. Its special appeal obviously lies in its unique location in the lagoon and on the water, its fragile situation, and its many remarkable buildings. Here, I will concentrate on the most typical aspect of Venice, its canals. While the Canal Grande is the best known and the biggest canal (as the name implies), there are many more smaller canals which deserve a visit. It is relatively easy to explore them.
Even without a map, it is exciting to just follow your instinct and wander around the small streets in the outer areas of Venice. Here, you can still find quiet piazzas, alleys ending on one of the canals, laundry hanging in the streets, old Venetian women chatting on their balconies. Here are also small bars, churches, surprises behind every corner. Hopefully, your sense of orientation guides you back to the right direction and you don't get lost in the maze of canals and alleys.
Back to the main routes also brings you back to the crowds. Here, you will find gondolas in the canals with tourists paying high amounts of money for a short ride, the inevitable souvenir shops, but also the quayside on the lagoon with great views on the waterside of the city. As the sun goes down on Venice, it also starts its play of light and shadow with the narrow canals and this is certainly also not a time to miss in this unforgettable and attractive city.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Venetian canals (Italy). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Venetian canals.
Read more about this site.