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Venice City Breaks & Holidays

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Venice City Breaks

Forget Paris, Venice is the real romantic hub of Europe. Choose any of our Venice City breaks, and you'll soon be jetting off to the North East of Italy. 

Located on the Adriatic Sea, Venice is comprised of many tiny islands linked by bridges and canals. Its unique setting, magnificent architecture and fine artworks are qualities that crown it one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Venice City break holidays do not involve palm trees and sunsets; however, the city's charm still seduces millions of couples all year round.

And of course, it wouldn't be a trip to Venice without a gondola ride. And if you visit in September, you'll be lucky enough to witness Venetian boats compete in a historical regatta. Gondoliers in 16th-century costumes set sail following the Bucentaur in a doge procession. 

This substantial floating stage is watched by thousands of people from the banks every year. 

For amazing food, culture and history, you have to head to Venice. To book, speak to one of our travel experts in-store or by giving us a call. 

Our Top Venice City Breaks

Price is based on 2 adults sharing one room for 3 nights. The prices shown below are guide prices only. Refine your results using your preferred departure airports and travel dates below.

TOP 5 THINGS TO DO
Go to St. Mark's Square, one of the main squares in Venice this beautiful landmark is covered in unique, beautiful architecture
Visit Saint Mark's Basilica, located on te sqare this is the most famous church in Venice
Walk over Rialto Bridge the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice
Take a gondola tour round the city
Taste the amazing Italian food on offer in this amazing city. Enjoy the famous pizza, pasta & gelato
Location
So what's to do and see in Venice??

Venice is unique, its elegant buildings and palaces peering over an ancient maze of narrow streets and labyrinth of canals. Tourists here wake up to the morning calls of gondoliers before venturing out to lose themselves among the twists and turns of this famously romantic haven.

The city rests on one of 117 islands distributed throughout the Venetian lagoon. The aptly named Grand Canal splits the city, running from the Santa Lucia railway station past the famous Rialto Bridge to Piazza San Marco, home to the cathedral of Basilica di San Marco which is adorned with endless mosaics that sparkle at sunset.

The historic centre is divided into six quarters: San Marco, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce, Cannaregio and Castello. Countless waterways wind their way through the city. While some choose to pick their way over the more than 400 bridges, by far the most popular way to get around is to cruise the waterways onboard vaporetto boats or iconic gondola.

Known for its inventive cuisine, lavish spreads of cicheti (Venetian tapas) can be found in bars around the city while canalside bistros offer spectacular fine dining experiences. Venice's penchant for outlandish fashion gave the world eyeglasses, dresses without corsets and platform shoes, and the annual carnival is renowned for the elaborate masks on display.

Venice extends beyond its six sestieri to the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. These are known for glass and lace-making respectively, and Torcello is noted for the magnificent Byzantine Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta resting on its soil. Trips by boat to the islands provide a pleasant escape from the busier historic quarters.

As you might expect from a city famous for its canals, water is the main medium of transport in Venice. Water buses, known as vaporetti, ply the Grand Canal and make scheduled stops. The vaporetti are a far cheaper way to get around Venice than the famous gondolas, piloted by stripe-shirted gondoliers who for an extra fee will serenade passengers. Travelling down the Grand Canal is obligatory but the vaporetti are well-suited for this purpose. Once ashore, the only way to explore is on foot, through the narrow alleys and lively squares; there are no cars at all in Venice. Make sure you have a good map as the city can become a confusing labyrinth.

Outside carnival time, Venice isn't famed for a hectic nightlife. But persistent party animals will find some excitement if they look in the right places. Piazza San Marco has the most popular social venues, and the tourist information centres have current English-language schedules of special events which are very useful to travellers in search of a good time.

Cafes abound in Venice and some host live music performances, with the Rialto Bridge and St Mark's Square are good areas to start when looking for sedate evening entertainment. Nightclubs are more limited and generally more plentiful in summer as some venues close down during the colder and quieter months.

Visitors are often better off trying their luck at one of the city's casinos when looking for round-the-clock fun and entertainment, the most acclaimed is Casino Municipale di Venezia where a passport and jacket are required for entry. Otherwise, there are regular classical music concerts, with the Vivaldi Church, San Stefano, Chiesa di Vivaldi and the Scuola di San Giovanni Evangelista being popular venues.

Although shopping in Venice is fun, it can also be a challenge due to the crowds and the fact that the city's waterways can be difficult to navigate. You should buy items you want immediately, rather than risk not being able to find the store later on. The Rialto is the commercial core of Venice, famous for being the site where the first bridge over the Grand Canal was built. It's the best place to start your shopping adventures in the city.

Visit Venetia Studium on San Marco for fine velvets and silks of every imaginable colour, woven into subtle scarves, delicate evening bags and luxurious pillows. You can buy unique costumes and masks at Atelier Marega, where you can often see the preparation and painting of the masks. Francis Model sells locally-crafted leather goods, and for gloves and accessories go to Fanny, on Calle dei Saoneri and Campo San Polo. Handmade paper and beautiful miniature buildings, made by Moro, can also be found in Venice. Look out for handmade examples of Venetian glass (Murano glass) and fine lace sold throughout the city.

Mention Venice and the image of beautifully lit canals and graceful gondoliers come to mind. But this romantic city boasts many more excellent tourist attractions. The Grand Canal (Canalazzo), Venice's main waterway, divides the city with city quarters to the west and east of it. It's the core around which much of the activity in Venice is conducted, surrounded by the elegant facades of the palazzi. A 'must-see' is St Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) in the heart of Venice, while the 14th-century Basilica dei Frari, a Gothic Franciscan church, is mostly known for being the resting place of Titian and the Venetian sculptor, Antonio Canova.

Explore the School of St Roch or the Gallerie dell'Accademia, which houses one of Europe's finest art collections from the 14th to 18th centuries. Visit the historic La Fenice Theater or the Jewish Ghetto of Venice, from where the word 'ghetto' derives. Jewish culture is still very active in the ghetto, home to five synagogues as well as various shops and restaurants.

The traditional mode of transport in Venice is by foot or boat, so enjoy the strolls and relaxed boat trips. All visitors to Venice should buy a Venice Card, as it gives you use of the main tourist services, including optional discounted airport transfers, vaporetto services and admission to some museums and attractions.

With such a rich and diverse cultural history, many would think that Venice would be a dull holiday destination for kids. But on the contrary, this beautiful canal city offers its younger visitors plenty to see and do.

Obviously, a ride on one of the famed gondolas will be a memorable experience for children of all ages, and highlights are guaranteed to include spotting the fire fighters' boat, the ambulance craft and more. While parents are admiring the architecture in St Mark's Square, be sure the kids have enough breadcrumbs to feed the hundreds of pigeons this square is known for.

Kids will also enjoy the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, as there is lots of space to run around outside, and Parco delle Rimembranze is probably the best-suited park for children in Venice. It's a great place to head for a picnic or a stroll, while for outdoorsy families, a hike or walk in the Po Delta Natural Park is a must.

On rainy days, visit some of the museums this historic city has to offer, such as the Naval Museum or the Museum of Natural History. Kids will love the Museum of Natural History, which is home to the skeleton of an Ouranosaurus excavated in the Sahara Desert by a Venetian palaeontologist in 1973. The museum also features an aquarium where children will be able to view and learn about marine life living off the Venetian coast.

Talking about the water, Venice's Naval Museum is also a great place for kids to explore, displaying intricate models and, in many cases, the real-life thing. A trip to the nearby island of Murano is also a must, where children will be mesmerised by the glass-blowers and their incredible creations.

While Venice's cuisine can't quite compare with many other Italian destinations, the city does have some wonderful restaurants featuring the cuisine of the Veneto. Near the Rialto Bridge is a string of restaurants with tables along the canal, where you can enjoy the quintessential Venetian practice of dining by the canal lights. The Dorsoduro area has the highest concentration of places where locals, especially students, go to eat.

One of the Venetian cuisine's most celebrated ingredients is cuttlefish and its ink. This powerful black ink serves as an ingredient and a sauce in polenta, risotto and pasta dishes. Despite the intensity in colour, the ink has an unexpectedly mild taste. Also popular in Venetian restaurants and bars is Cicchetti (Italian tapas), usually made up of small servings of fish, little sandwiches, plates of olives or even very small servings of regular full-course meals.

For top-quality produce, visit the street market stalls. If self-catering, the Rialto food markets are the best place to find fruit, vegetables and cheese, along with chilled coconut and a huge range of seafood, most of it fresh out of the lagoon.

Travellers looking for authentic Venetian cuisine and prices should avoid establishments with menus in six different languages displayed in the windows, and rather head away from the tourist centre to look for quaint and welcoming eateries tucked away in the city's nooks and crannies.

Best Time To Visit
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
  • Currency Euro (€)
  • Flying time from the UK Flights from Glasgow to Venice are around 2 hours 45 minutes
  • Language Italian
  • Passport & Visas If you are a British passport holder you do not need a visa to enter Italy & your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay.

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MARIE FERRIDAY
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