Luxury Cruise Holidays to Venice, Italy

Overview

Built as a trading town for the northeast of Italy, the impressive and utterly unique city of Venice boasts a remarkable construction of stilted houses, cobbled courtyards and miles upon miles of canals. Famous for the exploits of legendary romantics like Casanova, and regularly filmed for major motion pictures like James Bond and Indiana Jones, it’s one of the most popular and culturally important cities in Europe.

Sightseeing in Venice

Venice may be small in size, but what it lacks in space it more than makes up for in exciting attractions. From the famous Grand Canal that snakes its way through the city, to the floating festivals filled with Dragon boats and Gondolas there’s always something happening here. If your cruise enjoys a stopover in the port of Venice, you might have difficulty deciding what to see first. Here are some of our favourite ideas:

Rialto Bridge: This much photographed bridge was built to span the Grand Canal in 1591, a replacement to the original wooden bridge that was partially destroyed by fire during a city uprising. Not only is it beautifully constructed with a very ornate design, but it houses some exciting boutique shops and stalls on both sides of the bridge which sell everything from fashion to chintzy trinkets.

St Mark’s Square: The Square is a focal point for tourists, with everyone heading here the first time they visit the city. It’s a beautiful courtyard set amid old buildings that now house restaurants, cafes and shops. Seating spills out into its centre and it’s a pleasant place to sit for a while and sip an Espresso. You’re not allowed to feed the pigeon’s in St Mark’s Square, although that doesn’t stop street vendors selling bags of seed for that very purpose.

Basilica Di San Marco: As places of worship go, Venice’s Basilica is an architectural wonder that took almost 800 years to finish building. Designed in an elaborate fashion, much to the chagrin of the leaders of the Roman church at the time, it is a wonderful attraction and free to enter.

Shopping in Venice

Venice has plenty of shopping streets and canals to explore, although the best places are often the ones you come across by accident. Cobbled courtyards and winding narrow lanes are sometimes home to the most authentic trattorias or the most exclusive boutiques.

Venice is perhaps best known for a few special items including Murano glass, Venetian lace and, of course, those immediately recognisable porcelain masks. Head down to St Mark’s Square, where the surrounding streets are home to some of the best tourist shopping in the city.

Arte Vetro Murano is a family of native Murano glass blowers who decided to try something different. Instead of the traditional glass vases and goblets, they turned their trade to modern jewellery, incorporating some very unusual techniques. Their skills have really caught on and they’ve become a household name in Venice. Their bijou store can be found in the Navagaro district.

Eating Out in Venice

Italy is well known for its love of fabulous cooking, from freshly made pastas to hand-thrown pizzas, but when your cruise ship calls in at the port of Venice, there’s something else you really must try. The Bellini is a popular cocktail first created by Guiseppe Cipriani at his Harry’s Bar. It’s a blend of sparkling Prosecco and pressed peach puree. Harry’s Bar is still there on Calle Vallaresso, so you can take a sip of this iconic drink at the place it all started.