Venice or Venezia, Italy: The Piazza San Marco, or St. Mark's Square, is undoubtedly the most popular tourist destination in Venice. You're bound to visit it at least once, here's a list the Piazza San Marco landmarks and attractions: 1. Valaresso vaporetto stop. The No. 1 vaporetto or waterbus stops at these floating platforms, and so does the Alilaguna airport boat. (Note to Hemingway fans: Harry's Bar is located a few steps inland.) 2. San Marco Giardinetti vaporetto stop. 3. Giardini ex Reali. The city's public gardens open onto the waterfront through an iron gate. The white building at the west end of the gardens is the tourist-office headquarters; a public toilet is also nearby. 4. Museo Civico Correr. This "Museum of the City and the Civilization of Venice" contains paintings, sculptures, clothing, maps, coins, armor, and many other objects from the city's early days. 5. Procuratie Vecchie. This arcaded office building, now owned by an insurance company, was constructed in the early 1500s after a fire destroyed its predecessor. Shops and caf�s occupy the ground floor, under the arcade. 6. Torre dell'Orologio. Animated statues of Moors use hammers to strike the hours at the Clock Tower. Underneath is a passage leading to the Mercerie, the series of shopping streets that connect San Marco to the Rialto Bridge. 7. Campanile di San Marco. Here you can climb stairs or ride up an elevator to the top of the Bell Tower for an aerial view of the city. 8. Basilica di San Marco. This vast cathedral is famous for its Byzantine domes and gilded mosaics. It was built to honor St. Mark after the saint's bones were kidnapped from Alexandria, Egypt in the 9th Century. 9. Palazzo Ducale. The Doge's Palace housed Venice's rulers for more than six centuries. It connects to the adjacent Prigioni Nuove ("New Prisons") via the Bridge of Sighs. 10. Procuratie Nuove. This building was intended to replace the Procuratie Vecchie when it was constructed in the late 16th Century. Today, it houses a wing of the Museo Correr, the Museo Archeologio, the and the Caff� Florian, which has catered to the cognoscenti since 1720. 11. Zecca. The former Venetian Mint containing the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, a research library with more than 900,000 books and 13,000 manuscripts. We were first there in August of 1999. It was very hot and humid.

Getting to Venice, Italy: Even though most people enter Venice by water the most direct way is by air. The closest commercial airport is the Marco Polo Airport (ICAO: LIPZ, IATA: VCE), located on the mainland near Mestre (a more typical Italian city, without Venice's unique structure). The Treviso Airport (ICAO: LIPH, IATA: TSF), located 25 km (16 mi) from Venice, is relatively smaller but it is becoming increasingly busy as the main destination for the Ryanair, Wizzair, and Transavia budget flights. From Treviso Airport, ATVO offers a �10 round-trip ticket price from-to Venice. Both airports have bus connections with Venice (Piazzale Roma), Mestre, Padua and other towns. The ATVO 'pullman' coaches (�10 return) run to and from Treviso to co-incide with flights. The Marco Polo airport runs a shuttle bus --�3-- (or just turn left and walk 10 minutes under the awning) to the Alilaguna water-bus jetty, where �13 gets you a leisurely 75 minute boat trip to San Marco via Murano, Lido and the Arsenale. Or you can take the cheaper boat (�6,50) to Murano which takes only half an hour. Alternatively, you can travel in style (and much faster) by hiring one of the speedy water-taxis (30 mins) for about �100. There are numerous flights into Venice and numerous hotels in Venice. There are several Guided Tour Agencies offering standard city, and historical tours of Venice and the surrounding area. After arranging your flight we would suggest getting your hotel and then letting them arrange tours of the area for you. If you call the hotels Concierge Services ahead of your arrival, all of this can be pre-arranged for you. We do this all the time. It is safe and it works!!! We have never experienced a problem doing it this way! We have links to Priceline.com on our page so that you can arrange your flight and hotel in Venice. Special Note - To Arrange Tours: A New Way To Arrange Your Tours Has Become Popular. It makes the process of getting a tour easy, and timesaving for you. It also is almost always less expensive. In most cases when you are at an attraction, you will be escourted to the front of the line, and be given special treatment. It is viator.com. They can do all of the work for you and get you into some awesome tours of the various attractions. Here is a link to viator.com where you can arrange many special tours in Italy. Find and book Italy tours and activities on Viator.com. Book ahead to save time and money! Here is a link to viator.com where you can arrange many special tours in Venice. Traveling to Venice, Italy? Get 20% Off Venice in One Day - The Original Venice Walk and Grand Canal Boat Tour at Viator. Sometimes there are huge lines to take boat tours in Venice. Viator.com can get you to the front of the line, or in some cases, no line at all!

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9-Night Italy Tour from Venice: Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Umbria and Rome - $3,575.00 Succumb to the allure of Italy on a 9-night tour that starts in Venice, finishes in Rome and visits the highlights of the regions wedged between them! Two nights of comfortable 2- or 3-star accommodation is included in Venice, Levanto (near the Cinque Terre), Florence and Perugia plus one night in Rome, as well as train travel between each destination. Enjoy guided activities like a pesto-making class in Levanto and a trip to the Venetian island of San Giorgio, alongside plenty of free time to get to know Italy at your own pace.

9-Day Best of Italy Tour from Milan Including Rome, Tuscany and Venice - $1,324.37 See the best of beautiful Italy on this 9-day tour from Milan! With an expert guide at your side, visit Rome, Umbria, Tuscany, Veneto, the Italian Lakes and Milan, taking in world-class attractions like Rome Pantheon, Florence Duomo and Venice's Basilica di San Marco. Hotel accommodation in the top cities of Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan are included, plus guided walks and a free departure transfer to Rome (should you need it), ensuring you have everything you need to discover Italy with ease!

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Private Tour: Venice Day Trip from Florence - $196.48 Discover the beauty of Venice, one of the most unique cities in the world, on a private day trip from Florence. Accompanied by your own private guide, you'll enjoy personalized attention on your luxury private tour of magical, unforgettable Venice.

Gondola Ride and Candlelit Dinner in Venice - $156.07 Make the most of magical Venice with a gondola ride and romantic dinner for two. Cozy up with your loved one as a traditionally dressed gondolier takes you on a 25-minute gondola ride along the Grand Canal and smaller waterways, passing bridges, palazzos and churches in the glow of sunset. Then, step ashore at the award-winning Antico Pignolo restaurant and savor a 3-course candlelit meal for two of Venetian dishes. It's an ideal way to celebrate an anniversary, honeymoon or other special occasion.

Small-Group Tour: Best of Venice Walking Tour and Grand Canal Water Taxi Ride - $102.56 See Venice sights by land and water on this small-group Venice sightseeing tour. After a water taxi ride down the Grand Canal, enjoy a Venice walking tour, combining famous attractions with places that many tourist maps leave out! See Rialto Bridge and St Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco), and then skip the line to visit St Mark's Basilica. Numbers are limited to 10 people, ensuring you'll receive personalized attention from your friendly guide.Keen to see more' Upgrade to include a two-hour tour of Doge's Palace, where you'll see the palace's magnificent public rooms, as well as the Piombi attic prison, which offers rare and limited access to the public.

Venice Shore Excursion: Small-Group Best of Venice Walking Tour and Grand Canal Taxi Ride - $102.56 See Venice sights by land and water on this small-group Venice shore excursion sightseeing tour. After a water taxi ride down the Grand Canal, enjoy a Venice walking tour, combining famous attractions with places that many tourist maps leave out! See Rialto Bridge and St Mark's Square, and then skip the line to visit St Mark's Basilica. Numbers are limited to 10 people, ensuring you'll receive personalized attention from your friendly guide.Keen to see more' Upgrade to include a two-hour tour of Doge's Palace, where you'll see the palace's magnificent public rooms, as well as the Piombi attic prison, which offers rare and limited access to the public.

Private Tour: Venice Half-Day Walking Tour - $83.60 See the sights you want to see in Venice on this 3-hour tour with a private, professional guide. Customized entirely on your preferences (based on the information supplied at the time of booking), the itinerary is totally flexible. See the world-famous attractions that Venice is known for, such as the Rialto Fish Market, or visit the Jewish Quarter and other lesser-known sights. Stop at a traditional bar for a glass of wine and a snack, and receive personalized attention from a private guide.

Private Tour: Venice Grand Canal Evening Boat Tour - $65.49 Take a romantic evening cruise along Venice's canals aboard a modern Venetian boat. This evening tour by comfortable boat takes you along Venice's famous Grand Canal, and allows you to explore further than a traditional Venice gondola allows. You can choose to speed along for one or two hours with your very own boat and personal guide.

Private Tour: Venice Gondola Ride Including the Grand Canal - $77.81 Float through Venice by private gondola boat on a 1-hour tour, and learn all about the history of the quintessential Venetian gondolas, too! As a gondolier navigates the boat along the famous Grand Canal, relax and listen to fun facts and trivia about the boats and the city from a local guide. Pass along pretty Rio della Madonnetta, and then ogle top Venice attractions such as Rialto Bridge and the glamorous Gothic Ca' d'Oro mansion on the Grand Canal. The traditional gondola is small but seats up to five people comfortably in addition to the onboard guide and gondolier.