How To Explore the Grand Canal in Venice

The Grand Canal in Venice is one of the most often talked about places in Italy and perhaps, the whole country of Europe. No one structure successfully captures the essence of a city more than the romantic escape of the Grand Canal. This passage way is a testament to the robust and resilient Venetians since they’ve taken their struggles with the sea to heart and made something positive about it. They have been facing the threat of being flooded and inundated for many centuries now but as the gondolas prove nowadays, the Venetians do not let this stop them from making their city one of the most prosperous in Europe.

It’s even worth noting that it’s because of this flooding problem that Venice has become a very popular destination among tourists. There is just nothing more romantic that being in a gondola along the Grand Canal while being serenaded by the boatman (called a gondolier). Whether you this is true is just the stuff that comprises sappy cable network movies, it would be very hard to not get lost in the emotions of awe and romance in Venice. It’s a really different from everything else that you can experience elsewhere so it should be a priority of any visitor to Italy to visit the Grand Canal.

Here are the ways that you could explore the Grand Canal.

1. The Grand Canal is a vast s-shaped marine super highway that bisects the city at strategic areas. It’s almost four kilometers long and it is the widest of all the waterways in the city. You can arrange for holiday tours around the city before you even leave your home country. Numerous agencies do this on a regular basis so these companies already have local boatmen who would be assigned to show you the great architecture and other sites that could be seen along the way. If you’re doing it this way, it’s going to be likely that you’ll be on a bigger boat with a lot more people on board.
2. You could also hire a gondola once you get to Venice. There are also local companies who specialize in this service. Why? Well, for starters, Venice doesn’t have cars! The city really does rely on a system of waterways and canals to ferry people around so the gondola (some of which could even be for sale) is not just an accessory for tourism – it’s actually a tool for day-to-day living in the city.
3. You may also pick up a nice tourist guide at any shop to familiarize you with the great buildings that you can see along the Grand Canal. Most of the buildings exhibit the Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance stylings of the past centuries. Also on the must-see list are the fundacos – great buildings that combines the merchant’s house with the warehouse. Yes, Shakespeare had it right! Venice does have a lot of merchants.

Venice is a romantic escape right in the heart of Italy. When touring Venice, the Grand Canal is one place you shouldn’t miss.