My Escapes Italy Venice Floating Worlds - Venice, Murano, Burano, Torcello The City of Lagoons and Channels [...]

The City of Lagoons and Channels is an Island!

Look at a satellite map or an airplane photo of Venice and you'll notice it's an island in the blue Mediterranean Sea!
It looked so serene from my airplane window...

We imagine Venice as a city where water rules, a place where getting around with gondolas is as usual as traveling on a bus in a typical big city.

But, in fact - the best way (and the most common way) to get around is by foot! There are plenty of roads and bridges... I didn't even try the gondolas, since I thought it's for couples - too romantic for single traveler!

A gondola trip is ideal for lovers, couples, but also fun for families and other groups.

Obviously, getting around is cheaper by foot, but I know it's not the same feeling and the views are substantially different...

I explored Venice thoroughly, walked on its streets entire days for roughly 3 days and the small city has captured my heart!

There are 3 more smaller island towns northeast of Venice: Murano, Burano and Torcello - all of which I've visited within a guided boat trip package.

Today's Venice Island

Venice is composed of islands and it's in fact found in the Mediterranean Sea - despite the fact that many believe it's "only" a land-based city flooded with water that has many waterways and channels...

Venice is REALLY in the middle of water! Totally!

Venice in the sea:

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It has 117 islets and 409 bridges connecting them. There are 150 channels.

It's in the sea and you can only reach it either by ship or through the causeway linking it with mainland Italy.

Venice is an island city of over 200,000 inhabitants... It's boasting with beautiful ancient architecture and it's flooded with tourists. Honestly, to me it seemed that there were more tourists than locals!

Cruise ships stop by, in fact there's a huge port where these massive ships can dock and disembark passengers who arrive in from as far away as the USA. Of course, many believe that this greedy tourism industry-driven activity is actually destroying the city.

Nevertheless, it's so overcrowded and so commercial and trendy that you might feel a bit like in a theme park. The only thing is that this is a REAL CITY!

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