This doorway exemplifies the typical architecture one can expect to see when touring Venice, Italy. Similar photo ops are possible along the various alleyways and canals throughout the city.

Transportation: There’s no driving in Venice, so getting around the city will take some getting used to. While gondola rides and motorized water taxis are certainly available, they tend to be a bit pricey. Walking and taking the public water bus are always my methods of choice. Take the first bridge to your left after exiting the train station, and make your way by foot for free to the Rialto and Basilica di San Marco. Take the time to enjoy the sites and attractions along the way. Hopping an affordable, mid-afternoon vaporetto from St. Mark’s Square back to the train station will provide you with the best photo opportunities of the Grand Canal.

Dining: Coffee for four with a view of the Rialto Bridge can sink you an easy 40 bucks. It’s best to wander a few streets away from all of the major attractions before searching out a local trattoria. Using this strategy, you will spend significantly fewer Euros than you would dining within sight of the city’s more famous attractions. If you don’t mind a more casual meal, there are a number of affordable panini shops near the train station suitable for starting or ending your day in Venice.

Activities: It’s definitely possible to drop a large amount of cash during a day in Venice. However, there are many free and affordable things to do in this historic city, along with a few worth-the-money splurges. St. Mark’s Basilica, one of the most impressive religious structures in the world, is free to enter and explore. For a nominal fee, you can purchase small bag of bird seed to feed the pigeons prevalent in the piazza. Strolling the streets is a free architectural and art tour, and can also result in glass-blowing demonstrations at local shops. Must-see attractions include the exquisite Palazzo Ducale, the Peggy Guggenheim collection and the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, which is sure to take your breath away. If the timing is right, consider checking out the Venice carnival during your visit, which is known around the world for its colorful and elaborate costumes.

Photo Credit: The image in this article was photographed by the Trek Hound team, and has been made available for your linking pleasure through a creative commons agreement with our sister site, Pictures of Travel Places.

The Venice carnival may be what puts this city in the international news every year, but it’s a highly sought-after tourist destination at any time. Prized for its architecture, artwork, churches and museums, Venice, Italy offers gondola rides, scenic and strollable streets and boatloads of good food and wine.

There are several itineraries and methods for exploring Venice, and a number of things many people have on their list to experience once they arrive. Here are some of the more popular things to do in the city, to give you an idea of what you can expect to enjoy during your visit there.

Venetian Souvenir Shopping

There are several prized things to shop for as you see the sights. Hand-blown glass, adorned carnival masks and hand-crafted lace all make the list of sought-after souvenirs by Venice vacationers. There are also a number of street artists selling gallery-worthy oil paintings, charcoal sketches and watercolors of famous buildings and scenes throughout the city. Chances are, you’ll stumble across a glass-blowing demonstration during your explorations. Take the time to enjoy it. It’s a welcome break from architecture overload.

Gondola Rides

Taking a romantic gondola ride is the quintessential experience for a vacation to Venice, Italy. Many make the mistake of wanting to book a gondola the minute they approach the Grand Canal from the main train station. It’s my opinion that this is usually far too choppy to enjoy in the manner you’ve likely always dreamed of. A more serene gondola experience can be had in the quieter canals toward the city center.

Piazza San Marco

One of the most famous piazzas in the world, piazza San Marco is named for the Basilica di San Marco itself. But there are many other important things to see at the Piazza. The Duke’s palace, the Bridge of Sighs leading to the prison, the old library and the archeological museum. There are also the two impressive towers leading out of the piazza and onto the piazzetta near the vaporetto station. St. Mark’s square is also famous for its pigeons, which you can feed for a nominal fee when you purchase bird seed from one of the vendors in the open area. This is definitely the piazza where you’ll want to sit with a cappuccino and enjoy the sites.

The Rialto

The Rialto Bridge and surrounding area of shops is a popular spot for photo ops and souvenir shopping in the city of Venice, Italy. There are outdoor cafes where you can have coffee and dessert while overlooking this historic bridge that’s often filmed in movies and is routinely the subject matter of various street artists.

Galleria dell’ Accademia

This former church and convent is on the tourist list for most visitors with even a passing interest in art, as the collection represents how Venetian art progressed in form from fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Works from many famous masters are housed here.

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection

For modern art fans, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is a must-see on the Venice tourism circuit. In addition to the sculpture garden where Ms. Guggenheim and several of her pet dogs are buried, you’ll see paintings from numerous important modern artists, including several by Picasso and Pollock.

Afternoon Vaporetto Rides

If you’ve seen as much as you can on foot, mid-afternoon is the perfect time to take a vaporetto – a public water bus – from St. Mark’s Square back to the main train station. The light is fantastic at that time of day to get some great stationary gondola photographs next to the famous striped Venetian poles and historic buildings. It’s also one of the best cheap tours of the Grand Canal at your tourist disposal.

Venice, Italy is arguably one of the most amazing cities in the world and well-worth the tourist dollars for those who can afford to go. These ideas represent some of the most popular things to do in Venice, but there are certainly many other activities and sights. One thing’s for certain. Whether you are able to spend a day or a week, you’ll be able to count Venice as one of your trips of a lifetime. After touring this historic city, it’s possible to launch off and explore other Italian vacation options as well, such as Bolzano, Florence, Verona and Lake Garda.

Photo Credits: Images for this article were photographed by the Trek Hound team. However, they are available for online use through a creative commons agreement with our sister site, Pictures of Travel Places.

There are few cultural festivals more elaborately celebrated than the Venice carnival in Italy. People from all over the world travel to this annual event. Some to participate in the costumed revelry, others to sight see and troll for photo opportunities.

The city is picturesque enough in its own right. Add in the gilded masks, beaded dresses and ornately-decorated hats, and it can begin to feel as though you’ve stepped back in time.

If you’ve never experienced the Venice carnival before, then you’re in for a real treat. Here are several top tips for fully enjoying the experience.

Carnival in Venice takes place during the winter, so you’ll need to stay warm.

Layered clothing, along with a warm coat, scarf and gloves are necessary, especially if you’re traveling to Venice from a warm climate. You may see costumed revelers without them, but it’s likely they have a place in the city where they can go to warm up. You’re going to be there for the full day, so dressing lightly is not a good idea.

Within your first few minutes at the Venice carnival, you’ll be bombarded with photo ops.

This means you’ll want to show up the best camera you can afford. If your time at the carnival of Venice ends up being your one and only chance to witness the event, you’ll want the best pictures you were able to obtain as your lifelong souvenirs.

You’d be surprised how many people show up without ever having obtained a map of Venice, Italy.

This is a bad idea for any first time visitor, let alone when during your very first carnival in Venice. Whether you are using a map on your smart phone, or navigating with the old-fashioned paper variety, it’s critical to have some frame of reference. The streets will be jam-packed, and a wrong turn during the Venice carnival can be extremely difficult and time-consuming to undo.

While I appreciate the appeal of relying only on your Blackberry, I’m of the opinion that you’ll want a paper version that’s at least as large as the pages in your guide book, if not the large folding variety. Venice is a city that’s difficult to get your bearings in unless you have a visual on large portions of the city. (More on this in a future separate Venice, Italy tourism article.)

It pays to keep an eye out while enjoying the Venice carnival.

Remember that there aren’t exactly a large number of guard rails on the streets of Venice. This means it’s extremely easy to simply step off into the drink. Especially with crowded streets and impatient tourists pushing others out of the way to get where they’re going. Cold canal water and ruined camera gear can ruin an otherwise good time. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for the costumes of the revelers. These getups are extremely expensive to purchase and time consuming to create. Navigating around costumed carnival goers carefully as you snap your photos will be much appreciated by those who have dished out for more elaborate outfits.

While there are many things to do in Venice, touring traditional venues may prove difficult.

The city will be literally elbow-to-elbow thick with tourists in many sections, making it frustrating to get close to museums and smaller churches you might otherwise enjoy visiting. My advice? If the Venice carnival is your first time in the city, keep your visit all about the carnival this time. It’ll take enough problem solving to find your way around and make your way through the crowds. Besides, there’ll be enough to see with all of the costumes and piazza performances.

The Venice carnival is a life experience worth having. A little bit of preparation and a sense of adventure will take you a long way.

Photo Credits: All photos in this article were taken by the folks here at Trek Hound, but are available along with other pictures of the carnival in Venice through a creative commons agreement on our sister site, PicturesofTravelPlaces.com.

Alleys in Venice are smaller versions of the Grand Canal, small waterways through which gondolas, merchandise and grocery delivery boats navigate in order to reach the shops and homes of the city.

This particular scene enjoys the mid-day light, along with a candid capture of Venice’s most well-known job, that of a gondolier. Having visited Venice a few dozen times during the time I lived in Italy, I was able to witness this scene often. It pulled at my heart strings every time. Venice is truly one of the most romantic cities on Earth, and rivaled for that title by few. Also of note is Bolzano, Italy.

So, who’s got a gondola pic they’d like to share? Join in below with a link to your Venice photo post.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

This particular afternoon snapshot taken along Venice’s Grand Canal is particularly illustrative of how things really appear in this amazing city, which is one of my favorites world-wide.

The uniformly parked gondolas along the barber-style poles parked in front of one of many gracious historical buildings from days gone by is exactly how I remember the water bus rides from St. Mark’s Square back to the central train station.

Got a Venice photo or memory which is particularly special to you? Feel free to share it with us.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

This photo post was submitted to the February 26, 2010 edition of DeliciousBaby.Com’s Friday Photo Carnival.

Love costume shots? Enjoy Italy? If so, this photo is likely one you’ll enjoy.

This picture of a costumed reveler was taken at the carnival in Venice back in 2000. I particularly love this shot because I was able to shoot it along the water’s edge by St. Mark’s square, which is a great spot to get people pics without a congested background.

As you might be able to tell, it was rather cold and windy on this particular day but this party participant didn’t seem to mind as she posed for photographers along the dock.

Related Reading: What to See and Do in Bolzano, Italy.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

This post was submitted to the January 15th, 2010 edition of DeliciousBaby.com’s Photo Friday.

Photo Credits: TrekHound.Com

This post was written some time ago, when this blog was just to keep track of our journeys and see if this online writing thing turned into something we wanted to continue doing.  So please forgive the homespun feel of the piece. Not my most elaborate travel article. For those of you who want to see some interesting Italy pictures however . . .

This is my friend Rachel and her husband. His name is Dave too.

A husband and wife in carnivale costume.

Street corner in Venice.

My Dave with Rachel on the bridge right outside the Venice train station, over the Grand Canal.

I’m mask shopping in Venice!

One of the smaller, back-alley canals.

A smorgasbord of Venetian masks.

Lady in costume by painted Venetian “barber poles”.

Rachel and Dave by the Grand Canal.

Rialto bridge packed with carnivale tourists.

Grand Canal with water bus.

Yet another Grand Canal shot.

Venetian architectural pic.

Young reveler in a back alley of Venice.

A quick gondola shot.

Side shot of Saint Mark’s.

Great sun costume.  All the people who were dressed up were very good sports about posing for us picture takers.

Dressed all in gold.

Three people dressed up like characters in a deck of cards. In Saint Mark’s Square.

The man in blue and white with the long nose mask let me pose with him.

Procession in blue on a platform in Saint Mark’s Square.

Another group of three in coordinating costumes.

More good sports letting me pose with them. There were so many awesome costumes.

An entire family dressed up like court jesters. They were having such a great time together. It was nice to see all of them doing this as a family.

Same family letting David and me pose with them.

I really thought this guy looked like the Phantom of the Opera. Great shot!

Colorful flouncy costume.

Another peek around the column shot with a reveler in purple.

Madame Butterfly!

Large group in colorful cone-hat costumes.

The same group, posing for the picture takers. We really love this photo.

A husband and wife in red and gold.

In black and white with beads.

Unusual set of costumes.

At first glance, you’d think that this was more than one person. But keep scrolling.

A pair of revelers in coordinating threads.

Me posing with a person in very colorful duds.

These two had my favorite costumes of the whole day.

Solo pic from the same costumes above.

Another group of three!

This last one is David’s all time favorite Venice Carnivale picture.

Related Reading: What to See and Do in Bolzano, Italy