The Grand Canal Review

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The Grand Canal

Fodor's Review:

Venice's Grand Canal is one of the world's great thoroughfares. It winds its way in the shape of a backward "S" from Ferrovia (the train station) to Piazza San Marco, passing 200 palazzos born of a culture obsessed with opulence and fantasy. There's a theatrical quality to a boat ride on the canal: it's as if each pink- or gold-tinted façade is trying to steal your attention from its rival across the way. The palaces were built from the 12th to 18th centuries by the city's richest families. A handful are still private residences, but many have been converted to other uses—they now including museums, hotels, government offices, university buildings, a post office, a casino, and even a television station. It's romantic to see the canal from a gondola, but the next best thing, at a fraction of the cost, is to take the Line 1 vaporetto (water bus) from Ferrovia to San Marco. The ride costs EUR 6 and takes about 35 minutes. Invest in a Travel Card (EUR 15 buys 24 hours of unlimited passage) and you can spend the better part of a day hopping on and off at the vaporetto's 16 stops, visiting the sights along the banks.

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