Let's see if we can find something of interest, shall we?
A guided kayak tour of Venice might be fun if you still have any energy whatsoever left after 11 days of a cruise.
Learn to be a gondolier with private gondolier classes.
Hear all the ghosts stories of Venice and learn about its creepy history on a guided evening ghost walk.
Do you like glass? If so, hop on vaporetto Line DM (light orange) at the P.le Roma and enjoy a 20 minute boat ride over to Murano. Get off at any stop, but Colonna is handy for glassblowing demonstrations; Museo is close to the Glass Museum and the Basilica of Santi Maria e Donato. You can take part in some glass blowing, enjoy the art glass in the shops and museum, or simply wander around this pretty little island.
If lace and textiles are your thing, take a trip over to is picturesque island of Burano. This one is a bit trickier to reach, but it can be combined with a stop in Murano, if you'd like. You first have to get to St. Mark's. From there get on the Line LN (lime green circle) in the F.te Nove direction. Or get to the F.te Nove vaporetto station and take Line LN in the San Marco direction.
Remember that neat looking place we saw cruising into Venice? That's San Giorgio Maggiore. It does have a church, but you can take a lift up to the top of it for € 3 and have quite the view of Venice. It's also worth a visit if you like architecture. Oh, there's a bar on the island with some pretty great views across the canal to St. Mark's, too.
If opera gets you hot and bothered you should get tickets for September 23rd because La Traviata is playing at the Teatro la Fenice. Even if you aren't interested in the opera, the theater is filled with history and beauty. In 1774 the original opera house, the San Benedetto Theater, burned to the ground. When the new theater opened, it was named La Fenice (The Phoenix) as a tribute to its rise from the ashes of the first theater. Sadly, in 1836, that one burned down, too. It was again rebuilt and enjoyed peace for nearly 160 years. Then in 1996, disaster stuck and it was again completely destroyed by fire. La Fenice reopened in 2003. Go take a look. Take vaporetto Line # 1 and exit at the Giglio stop. Bring some water bottles, just in case.
Oh, and there's shopping. The selections run the gamut from the tacky to the sublime. There are just too many choices to talk about here so please look through the Shopping links on the left. You will find tips, shops, guides, and just about everything else there is to know about buying and browsing in Venice.
A guided kayak tour of Venice might be fun if you still have any energy whatsoever left after 11 days of a cruise.
Learn to be a gondolier with private gondolier classes.
Hear all the ghosts stories of Venice and learn about its creepy history on a guided evening ghost walk.
Do you like glass? If so, hop on vaporetto Line DM (light orange) at the P.le Roma and enjoy a 20 minute boat ride over to Murano. Get off at any stop, but Colonna is handy for glassblowing demonstrations; Museo is close to the Glass Museum and the Basilica of Santi Maria e Donato. You can take part in some glass blowing, enjoy the art glass in the shops and museum, or simply wander around this pretty little island.
If lace and textiles are your thing, take a trip over to is picturesque island of Burano. This one is a bit trickier to reach, but it can be combined with a stop in Murano, if you'd like. You first have to get to St. Mark's. From there get on the Line LN (lime green circle) in the F.te Nove direction. Or get to the F.te Nove vaporetto station and take Line LN in the San Marco direction.
Remember that neat looking place we saw cruising into Venice? That's San Giorgio Maggiore. It does have a church, but you can take a lift up to the top of it for € 3 and have quite the view of Venice. It's also worth a visit if you like architecture. Oh, there's a bar on the island with some pretty great views across the canal to St. Mark's, too.
If opera gets you hot and bothered you should get tickets for September 23rd because La Traviata is playing at the Teatro la Fenice. Even if you aren't interested in the opera, the theater is filled with history and beauty. In 1774 the original opera house, the San Benedetto Theater, burned to the ground. When the new theater opened, it was named La Fenice (The Phoenix) as a tribute to its rise from the ashes of the first theater. Sadly, in 1836, that one burned down, too. It was again rebuilt and enjoyed peace for nearly 160 years. Then in 1996, disaster stuck and it was again completely destroyed by fire. La Fenice reopened in 2003. Go take a look. Take vaporetto Line # 1 and exit at the Giglio stop. Bring some water bottles, just in case.
Oh, and there's shopping. The selections run the gamut from the tacky to the sublime. There are just too many choices to talk about here so please look through the Shopping links on the left. You will find tips, shops, guides, and just about everything else there is to know about buying and browsing in Venice.
