Venice Hotels

Monday, December 11, 2006

Best time to go Venice

No doubt, Venice is a city that everyone desires to visit. But Venice is not all pleasant every time of the year. So, before you pack your bags and land in this beautiful city, it is a good to have some idea as to which is the best time to visit Venice. Summer is scorching hot and crowded too, so it’s good to avoid June-August. September- October months are pleasant but its high season and finding hotels in Venice won’t be easy.

March –May is good time to visit Venice. Weather is pleasant with clear spring days and comparatively fewer crowds. September is the next best in terms of weather, but October is quieter. Winter can be unpleasantly cold – but nothing is exciting then to seen Venice wrapped in white sheet and it looks breathtakingly beautiful.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Venice Hotels

Venice is one the most popular destinations in Europe to go for vacation and relaxation. The attention grabbing attractions include historic buildings, galleries, winding streets, canals, piazzas, churches and monasteries. The city is relatively cheaper in comparison to other tourist hubs of Europe. It has some of the best budget and deluxe hotels.
Venice Hotels are a mishmash of styles and quality, of price and views. A pension which ranges in quality somewhere between a youth hostel and a hotel or small inns is an ideal choice for one who is looking for cheaper accommodation. But these options are generally considered to be a poor type of accommodation in Venice. There are many lavish resorts available for the celebrities and the elite class. The continual glut of tourists results in a lack of space in many Venice hotels. So, if you want to stay during your visit in Venice hotels, plan accordingly and reserve your hotel room in advance.
There are some cheap budget hotels in Venice such as Hotel Galleria with a marvel at the beauty of Grand Canal at sunset. But to avail the facility one need to book the hotel room in advance. Overlooking - as all great Venetian hotels do - the Grand Canal, this hotel has stained glass and ornate balconies for what seems like forever. This is the most affordable of the deluxe Venice Italy hotels, unless you are willing to spend over quadruple digits for a one-night stay at the Gritti Palace or Hotel Cipriani.
If you are afraid of culture shock when traveling to Venice, don't stay in the American Hotel. Though it sports reasonable rates and a great location, the name is something of a misnomer. It is Venetian to the end, with aged murals and hospitable terraces overlooking the Grand Canal.
In fact, the cheap hotels in Venice are commonly the hardest to find. But if you search nearby Campo Santo Stefano, you will find a nice little accommodation in Venice called the Locanda Florito, clean and functional, with minuscule rates. The Locanda Montin is another inexpensive inn, strange and old-fashioned, with a remarkable restaurant attached. Wherever you stay in Venice, it is for sure you are going to have a gala time out there.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Venice is a land of tradition and culture. For centuries, Venice's international reputation has been one of a decadent carnival, a place where anything goes. Many of the young workers in hotels in Venice, restaurants, museums, and stores throughout Venice actually live in the nearby suburb of Mestre, which is growing in population. At night, particularly outside of the main tourist sestieri of San Marco, Venice develops an eerie, quiet calm (a lot of shops and cafes close early) and seems almost an abandoned city, particularly in the Dorsodoro, a more residential section of the city. The Cannaregio is also a quiet neighborhood, in which one still finds the "world's first Jewish ghetto"

The Venetian character is considered as shrewd and practical because of its past glory as a wealthy mecantile center. Venetians are attributed with a talent for business and prosperity. But it is a paradox that this practical streak coexists with an incredibly rich artistic and historic past. No city is quite as instantly recognizable as Venice, with its mix of Italian Renaissance art and Byzantine-influenced architecture, another legacy of its past ties, in both commerce and war, with the East.

Music also plays an important part in the character of Venice and the Venetians. Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice, and Mozart librettist Lorenzo da Ponte had significant ties with the city. Venice was also home to the first public opera house, and later, to one of the most famous opera houses in the world: La Fenice, built in 1792, and tragically destroyed by fire in 1996.

But music still plays an important force in the city. Concerts abound in churches, musicians fill the piazze, and tuneless vagabonds ‘entertain’ patrons at cafes and restaurants.

Monday, November 27, 2006

As compared to other hip cities in Europe, Venice is relatively quiet place in the early evenings. Nightlife in the city is centered around the many bars and cafes on the Piazza San Marco. Drinks are a bit expensive in this area, but it is worth a visit to simply soak up the Mediterranean atmosphere. Cafe Florian on the south side of the piazza is one of the more famous establishments and it is said that when Casanova fled from the prisons in the Doge's Palace, he stopped here for a coffee.
Campo Santa Margherita has recently become a happening place where the city’s young and beautiful people gather for fun and entertainment. This is place is full of cafes and bars. One of the liveliest options here is the Margaret Duchamp, which situated halfway between the train station and Ca' Rezzonico, and features an outside terrace and a designer interior. Other popular where you can visit include Campo San Bartolomeo at the foot of the Rialto Bridge and nearby Campo San Luca. Campo Santo Stefano is also worth a visit as it includes one of the city's most famous ice cream bars.
Many young people also like to head for Mestre, where is more space and less restriction on noise. Even less restrictions, head out to Padua for a big night out. The best option for partygoers in the centre of Venice is Disco Club Piccolo Mondo, Calle Contarini-Corfu, Dorsoduro, where visitors can enjoy house music and entrance is fairly cheap.
Hotels in Venice provide an ideal base for tourists. There are many good hotels in the city, which offer fine accommodation to its guests.

Friday, November 17, 2006

It is difficult to find words to express the beauty and uniqueness of Venice. On my last visit to the city, this is what I realized. It’s a fairy-tale city that attracts visitors to its narrow calli and palazzo-packed campi. Increasing number of tourists has somehow put pressure on the city but despite the mass tourism and the shops full of flashing plastic gondole and the serried ranks of nylon football shirts on stalls around the Rialto – can really tarnish the romantic dream.

It was during the time of the Crusades, Venice had grown into the seat of a global trading empire: La Serenissima, the most serene. Having liberated the body of St Mark from Alexandria in the ninth century, the city then went on to construct its two signature buildings – the Basilica di San Marco and the ruling Doge’s Palace – around it, and set about beating its rival Genoa to the lucrative Byzantine markets. The resulting riches financed an astounding flowering of artistic and architectural talent and created the Venice that we see today.

The Grand Canal is one of the main attractions of the city today, Though it no longer teems with trading vessels, but it still delineates the six main central neighborhoods of Venice. Each of these six sestieri has its own bizarre street numbering system and character. The heart of the city is San Marco, cradled by the great lower bend of the Grand Canal, the Venice of tourist brochure legend. The key sights of San Marco are linked by three main thoroughfares forming a rough triangle: from the piazza to the Rialto Bridge, from the Rialto to the Accademia Bridge and from there back to the piazza.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Venice initially creates the slightly anticlimactic feeling that everything looks exactly as it should. Every year, the city's water levels rise. The muggy summer air cooks the canals and scrapes the paint and enamel from the city's finest pieces of art. Faithful to its origins, everything in Venice seems to be in peril. This has - logically - spiked tourism in Venice, which for years has been the sole means of support for the historic city, so at least you can rest assured that the high prices you'll encounter will be used into programs to renovate the city. Because, despite its continual decay and a layout so confounding it makes your eyes spasm, the city is still one of the most beautiful destinations in the world.

Tourism in Venice reaches its peak during Carnavale, the annual celebration before lent, where millions of visitors come from around the globe to take part in festivities. Another popular attraction is St. Mark’s Basilica, which is also known as ‘The Church of Gold’ .The Academy Gallery is surely the most famous, where many of the city's masterpieces are displayed.

Accommodation in Venice hotels is mishmash of style and quality; of price and views. If you come during spring or autumn you will be able to make the most of your stay. Similarly a winter break makes the city all the more romantic. Here are some of the top attractions of Venice:

Basilica Di San Marco: An opulent synthesis of Byzantine and Romanesque styles, Venice's gem. It didn't become the cathedral of Venice until 1807. Famous for its 43,055 square feet of stunning mosaics, it’s a spectacle not to be missed.

Ca' d'Oro: This exquisite Venetian Gothic palace was once literally a "Golden House," when its marble traceries and ornaments were embellished with pure gold.

Gondola ride: It is a highlight for many who visit to Venice.
"La Salute: The view of "La Salute," as Venetians affectionately call it, from the Riva degli Schiavoni at sunset or from the Accademia Bridge under the moonlight is simply unforgettable and one that all who visit should try and get to see.
Check out the Palazzo Ducale or Doge's Palace. Rising above the Piazzetta San Marco, this Gothic-Renaissance fantasia of pink-and-white marble is a majestic expression of the prosperity and power attained during Venice's most glorious period. Don’t miss it.
Go People Watching! Sit in one of the canal-side café’s, sip a glass of local wine, dine on olives and cheese and go people watching. This is a very Venetian pastime, (in fact it’s an Italian pastime) and gives you time to rest your weary feet and absorb Venice on a gentler level.
Pay a visit to Santi Giovanni Paolo. This massive Dominican church, commonly called San Zanipolo, contains a wealth of art, The second official church of the Republic .
For a touch of true Venetian class, pay a visit to the Querini-Stamalia. The art collection at this Renaissance palace includes Giovanni Bellini's Presentation in the Temple and Sebastiano Ricci's triptych Dawn, Afternoon, and Evening.
Although Venice is one of the world's most enchanting cities, visitors do pay a price, literally and figuratively. Many complain about the outrageous costs but enjoy the journey and stay in Venice.