C R U I S E PORT PROFILE: VENICE
cruise itineraries. Ships can cruise the Dalmatian coast, sail east through the Greek Islands to Turkey and Piraeus (for Athens) or west to Civitavecchia (for Rome) and Barcelona. The airport is about 30
minutes by road from the main cruise port or the Stazione Marittima on the Giudecca Canal, where the small ships dock. The stylish way to travel into the city is by water taxi, which will cost around €109 for up to eight people. Passengers can also take an airport bus to Piazzale Roma and a people-mover to the entrance of the port for around €6 per person. From either port, they can walk or take water taxis or buses into the city.
CITY SIGHTSEEING
Most people visiting Venice for the first time dream of being serenaded in a gondola as the sun goes down but it’s more fun – and certainly a lot cheaper – to get around on the water buses, or vaporetto. A single ticket, valid for one hour, costs €7, a 24-hour travel card costs €20. Having said that, by far the best way to discover the maze of canals, bridges and
piazzas in Venice is on foot. You can never get totally lost but a good map saves walking around in circles! Piazza San Marco is the
place to start sightseeing. It was described by Napoleon as the drawing room of Europe and is stunningly beautiful despite being packed with tourists, cafés, souvenir sellers and pigeons. At one end, St Mark’s Basilica attracts long queues
as people wait to see the famous frescoes inside. There are also queues to enter the Doge’s Palace, where tours include a walk over the Bridge of Sighs and for the top of the nearby Campanile, or bell tower, for views over the city. From Piazza San Marco,
follow the signs through the alleyways to the Rialto Bridge for views over the Grand Canal. Art lovers should make their way to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection or the Gallerie dell’Accademia; food lovers should seek out small restaurants where local people go, although it’s also lovely to secure a table outside a café and watch the world go by. Water buses sail from San Marco to the island of Murano, famous for glass- making and to Burano, equally well-known for its beautiful lace-making.
Arcadia in Venice EXCURSIONS
Cruise lines’ excursions in Venice tend to combine a few sightseeing highlights. MSC Cruises, for instance, has a four-hour guided walk and gondola tour, or a 4.5-hour trip to Murano followed by a boat tour priced £69*. Princess Cruises’ four-hour Best
of Venice tour visits the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica, from $130. A five-hour tour from $160 combines the Doge’s Palace with a gondola ride. Cruisingexcursions. com offers a gondola ride from £36, a walking tour from £22, or both for £47.
Holland America Line combines
the islands of Murano and Burano in a five-hour tour priced from $51 to $100; Regent Seven Seas Cruises has a selection of excursions to Murano, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, gondola rides and the Doge’s Palace included in the cruise
price.There are a few unusual daytrips. Oceania Cruises offers a market tour followed by cooking and chocolate-making demonstrations, Princess has a Jewish Heritage walking tour that visits three synagogues and a museum, while Holland America has an excursion dedicated to Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio priced $51-$100. Azamara Club Cruises offers
an evening gondola ride from $202 in its ‘nights and cool places’ programme. Voyages to Antiquity includes an exclusive evening visit to St Mark’s Basilica with 11 cruise itineraries this year. * All prices are per person
MSC Musica, Venice
30 | Travel Weekly Cruise | February 2015
travelweekly.co.uk/cruise
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