Venice, Italy is one of those places that seems to be on everyone’s Bucket List. Its unique architecture and history draw millions of visitors every year. Whether you want to stroll through the narrow streets of Venice or boat through her legendary canals, Avventure Bellisme Tours offers excellent Venice tours at a reasonable price.
Avventure Bellisme Venice Walking Tour
Our walking tour began on the waterfront in the Royal Garden - just a short stroll to St. Mark's Square.
Our guide was energetic, knowledgeable and with a face that offered joyful smiles at every opportunity.
Our tour included a radio receiver and earphone for each participant. Our tour guide had a small microphone. Her words were broadcast to our receivers so that we could hear her instructions and descriptions even in the noisiest tourist areas.
Our tour guide led us through large, open piazzas, main streets and even hidden alleyways barely wide enough for our shoulders. She stopped often to clearly and fully explain the canals, religious structures, architecture, sculptures and history of Venice. Her tour was both educational and enjoyable. The tour included entry to St. Mark's Basilica.
Our guide also explained how Venice is built on pylons driven into the muddy sea bottom. Wood and stone are layered on top, layer by layer for each building. The main foundations of the buildings are actually wood because of the need for light architecture on the pylons and mud. To enhance the beauty of these wooden structures, plaster casts and statues were placed on the outside of each building to give the appearance that the buildings were made of marble.
For the two days before our journey to the city, Venice had flooded. Many streets were under 3 feet of water. By the time we arrived, the water had receded but was still 3 to 4 inches deep on some streets during high tide. Many people chose to wear rain boots to keep their feet and pants dry. At St. Mark's Square, the water was at least 4 inches deep but the local government sent out workers to erect temporary raised wooden sidewalks for tourists to walk on. Our tour guide knew the best ways to navigate through the flooded streets and guided us with ease and confidence.
We were very satisfied with our Venice walking tour.
Avventure Bellisme Venice Boat Tour
The Avventure Bellisme Boat Tour began at the Royal Gardens where our tour guide introduced herself and gathered our group of 8.
We walked a few yards to the waterfront and boarded a stylish motorboat with both open and covered seating options. We chose the open-air seating which allowed us ample opportunities for photographs.
The guide and boat driver took us through and around all five districts of Venice. It was an excellent way to view the city from a totally different perspective than the walking tour.
For those who are hoping to take some memorable vacation photos, the views from the water are fantastic.
The boat tour gave us a much better view of many of the incredible homes of Venice's wealthy residents - some families have owned those very homes for almost 1000 years.
We thoroughly enjoyed our boat tour.
Accommodation Tips
For travelers wishing to visit Venice for several days but that want to avoid the big crowds and maintain a reasonable budget, the Best Western Hotel Bologna in nearby Mestre is the perfect choice and only a seven minute train ride away. As a matter of fact, they like to call their location “Venice At Hand!” For more information, visit our Hotel Bologna article at http://floridacruiseandtravelersmagazine.com/HotelBologna.php
When heading in to Venice for the day, remember to pick up a map of Venice before you arrive. If you are coming from Mestre by train, there are free Venice Tourist Maps in the Hotel Bologna lobby near the hotel guest complimentary computer stations. If you wait until you get into Venice to look for a map, you will have to pay around 3 to 5 Euros for a map and most vendors will not accept a credit card.
Conclusion
We enjoyed our Avventure Belliesme walking and boat tours. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable. The views of the city were magnificent. We highly recommend Avventure Belliseme Tours.
Avventure Belliseme Tours
