Venice is one of the most extraordinary places on the planet — a city built entirely on water, spread across 118 small islands connected by 400 bridges and threaded through by a network of canals that serve as its streets, its highways, and its identity. There is simply nowhere else like it in the world, and the experience of arriving in Venice for the first time — stepping off the train or the water bus and finding yourself suddenly immersed in this impossible, beautiful, impractical city — is one that very few travelers ever forget. The Grand Canal, Venice’s main thoroughfare, is lined on both sides with magnificent Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque palaces that reflect their glory in the shimmering water below, and traveling along it by vaporetto or gondola is one of Europe’s great experiences. St. Mark’s Square, the heart of the city, is dominated by the extraordinary Basilica di San Marco — a Byzantine masterpiece covered inside and out with golden mosaics that took centuries to complete and that glow in the late afternoon light with an almost supernatural beauty. The Doge’s Palace next door is equally magnificent, its pink and white marble facade and ornate Gothic architecture making it one of the finest secular buildings in Europe. And beyond the famous landmarks, Venice rewards the traveler who simply wanders — getting lost in its labyrinthine streets and tiny canals, discovering quiet neighborhoods far from the tourist crowds, and sitting in a simple bacaro with a glass of local wine and a plate of cicchetti, watching the city go about its extraordinary, waterborne life.
