This is gonna be quite a picture-intensive post simply because Venice is truly beautiful and I couldn’t resist taking all those pictures.

It was a 3hr train ride from Florence but as we approached, I knew it was just going to be wonderful… clear blue skies and Venice’s world-famous lagoon and canals. This was the view from the train as we were approaching Santa Lucia railway station.

Santa Lucia station

And I’m sooo glad we splurged a bit on the hotel we chose in Venice. It made the visit all the more memorable. :) We stayed a the Ca’Gottardi boutique hotel… and it was worth every penny. Our room was spacious and well-decorated… :)

Venice is still one of the most interesting and lovely places in the world. This sanctuary on a lagoon is virtually the same as it was six hundred years ago, which adds to the fascinating character. And the best way is still by taking the vaporetti (water buses) which ply the Grand Canal. And here’s where all the photos come in.. Enjoy! :)

It was just amazing to see the different styles of architecture as you travel down the canal… no wonder Venice remains one of the most popular cities in the world to visit!

The famed Gondola ride

Rialto Bridge

San Giorgio Maggiore Island

Did you know that the city Venice stretches over 118 small islands? :)

So once we set foot on land once again, we headed to Piazza San Marco… Piazza San Marco, often known in English as St Mark’s Square, is the principal square of Venice. As the central landmark and gathering place for Venice, Piazza San Marco is extremely popular with tourists, photographers and Venetian pigeons. :)

Here are more pictures from our exploring on foot (and if you haven’t realised, Venice is a car-free city! :) )

One of the many, many shops selling Venetian masks. They are a centuries-old tradition in Venice. Worn during the Carnevale (the Carnival of Venice, elsewhere known as Mardi Gras), they come in all different colors and they can be full-face masks or eye masks. Here is Miss H picking the one she likes. :p

Well, that concludes Venice. I loved the city although I think some may think it’s just over-hyped. And I don’t think there will be a blog post on Milan, we had a short stop-over there (about 2 hours) to grab lunch and have a break from the long train journey. So, THIS IS IT! :) We had a great time in Italy and hope you had fun ‘going’ on this trip with us. And my apologies for the lack of photos of me, haha, I’m the official family photographer… until I can train someone in the family to do it! :) And oh yes, you can see the almost 500 pictures of our whole trip here. :)

Have a great week everyone and thanks for stopping by! :)