The moment we have been waiting for (well sort of) ,as we didn’t wish to battle the weekend crowds, we set off bright and early (8am) for a day in Venice. The weather is a bit mixed so we are armed with wet weather gear (which we did need for a couple of seriously heavy downpours) as we leave site to catch 2 buses and a ferry to Venice.

Straight off the boat right next to Piazza di San Marco, we seem to get carried along by the crowds of visitors, particularly when crossing the many narrow canal bridges….

We manage to squeeze our way through the crowds to get a proper look at the Bridge of Sighs….

And into Piazza di San Marco….

As long as you keep your distance from the main buildings the square is huge and likewise once you leave the main thoroughfare you are able to breathe again….

We enjoyed wandering around the side streets for a while and found a small square that was quiet, to sit and plan our next steps. It should be really easy to find your way around but there are a lot of dead ends and bridges where you don’t need them and none when you do! In the end we decided to catch the main water taxi which takes you all the way along the Grande Canal and catch the main sights that way….

Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Punto della Dogano and Basilica Santa Maria della Salute….

Further up the Canal we enjoyed the varied architecture of Palazzio Genovesi and Palazetto Stern….

Rialto Bridge which is much better seen from the canal – the viewing bridge was packed solid….

We alighted at Ca d’Oro which seemed much quieter and prettier and some how less touristy for a welcome walk in the sunshine….

After we had had our fill and recharged a bit we made our way to the Water Taxi, this time deciding to head to the islands – Morano and Burano which we will cover in the next blog.

Not Tilly’s best kind of day – busy streets and boats are her two least favourite things and I have to confess though I appreciate the beauty of the amazing land mark buildings, the main centre around San Marco, somehow felt a little staged and grubby with hundreds of stalls selling every kind of tat imaginable and in complete contrast all the designer shops looked warm and welcoming – not!

As for me – I hate crowds too and whilst I appreciate the beauty of the buildings and the infrastructure of the waterways – I’ve been, I’ve seen and am glad to have done so but I doubt I’ll be back….