Indie Places

Venice’s Canale Grande, or the Grand Canal, is the main “street” of central Venice.  This canal forms an S as it follows an old riverbed.  The Grand Canal begins at the Tronchetto parking garage, a huge parking garage.  One thing you should know about Venice: there are no streets in the city.  If you’re driving a car, be ready to haul your luggage to your hotel—there’s no on-site parking unless you’re staying in one of the hotels in Venice is on the outskirts of the city.  Within Venice, it’s all walkways and canals.

The Piazzale Roma transportation centre is located at Tronchetto, and from there, you can grab a boat on the canal.  It’s around 4 kilometres long, and there are a number of different routes on the canal.  If you’re looking to see the entire canal, take the No. 1 from the Piazzale Roma and ride to San Marco.  This is an especially beautiful trip at night when everything is lit up.   This boat trip is a great way to relax after dinner, plus it makes frequent stops along its 40-minute trip from one end of the canal to the other.

While riding down the Grand Canal, you’ll find a number of sights to see.  You’ll actually go under three different bridges.  If you want, you can always journey along the side of the canal yourself and walk over these different bridges.  You can cross the Ponte di Scalzi, the Rialto Bridge, and the Accademia Bridge as you wander along the waterway.

If you want something a bit more private, gondolas also traverse the Grand Canal.  They’re a bit expensive, of course, but they’re also incredible romantic.