ShoreTrips says...

During the course of this tour, you'll find the real world, not the congestion that others will be experiencing in the midst of San Marco Square. Your guide will take you from the city that the locals know to the favorites of the tourists, and foot traffic will increase as you walk towards San Marco Square. This wonderful walk through all of the important neighborhoods of Venice will give you an understanding of this city that few will leave with--even if they stay for days.

Your true introduction to Venice should be by boat. Cruising the canals from the harbor, we'll take you to the waterfront side of the major sites as it is Venice's "Main Street." Over 2 miles long, nearly 150 feet wide, and nearly 15 feet deep, it is the biggest canal with the most impressive palaces.

And Venice is a city of palaces, dating from the days when it was the world's richest city. This cruise is the only way to really appreciate the palaces, approaching them at water level, where their main entrances were located. This boat will not traverse the small canals of neighborhoods, but only through the center of the city. Your boat ride will be guided and, therefore, narrated with interesting stories, and there are plenty!

We'll complete this ride in the Cannaregio District, where the Jewish ghetto is located. The word "ghetto" is Venetian for foundry and, as the Jewish people were confined to the site of Venice's former copper foundries in 1516, the name was adopted here. Here, you'll find the real world, not the congestion that others will be experiencing in the midst of San Marco Square. Your walk will continue to direct you towards the commercial center of the city, but you will feel much appreciation for this area, not only from the tour of the Jewish Museum and the ghetto itself, but from the quiet and peace you'll feel.

You will meander over small canal bridges, along pedestrian streets, narrow walkways along the canals, and in and out of assorted districts. The Venice you will see will bring a reality of life in a floating city, as well as the expected spots crowded with tourists. You will see the Rialto Bridge, the fish and produce market, the Venice Opera House, and, of course, Doges Palace and San Marco Square.

If the timing works, we will take you across the canal on one of three traghettos--small boats where you stand as a man poles you to the other side for a fee of about €1. It is a 5-minute ride and you hope no one will rock the boat!

You will complete this tour with a feeling of understanding of this city and its interesting history and we will get you to the last shuttle from San Marco Square back to your ship before departure.