Weekend Breaks in Venice - Short Breaks in Italy - Attractions and Sightseeing
Weekend breaks in Venice : More Interesting Places
For weekend breaks Venice can be hellish if you get caught up in that constant tide of tourists flowing into St Mark's Basilica and down the narrow alleyways of the city's photogenic laneways. Visiting Italy in January is one solution to the problem but if you've already booked your short weekend breaks Venice during peak season here are some tips on how to get off the beaten track and away from the crowds.
See - MQSEARCH for the latest advertised weekend break packages if based in the UK and for vacations - here if you are based in the USA.
Top Tips for Short Weekend Breaks in Venice
Tip 1: if you're a Venice virgin grit your teeth and spend a little time seeing the essential sights. There's no point taking a trip to Italy only to go home and tell everyone you saw the 'real' Venice when all they want to know about is St Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge. Once the main sights are out of the way though, get off the main drag and away from the crowds. Get lost in the backstreets where lines of washing hang from windows and secret churches just wait to be discovered. Venice is one big sight, just enjoy its hidden treasures and the chance to wander aimlessly knowing you're about to discover hidden gems wherever you go.
Tip 2: take a trip to sleepy Murano, the centre of Venetian glass production. You can visit the glass factories, see the glass-makers at work and tour the Museo dell'Arte Vetrario which focuses on the history of local glasswork. Nearby is the 12th -century Byzantine Basilica of Santi Maria e Donato, Murano's architectural gem.
Tip 3: still a tourist magnet but nowhere near as busy as the city itself, Burano is a picture-postcard cluster of pastel-coloured cottages famous for fishing and lace making. Even on a short break it's well worth a visit to wander round the sleepy streets and watch the fishermen repair their nets or if you're lucky the old ladies making intricate lace in the shady parks.
Tip 4: take a trip to Pellestrina, a thin spit of land near the Lido separating the lagoon from the open sea. Here you'll find small fishing villages of pastel coloured houses, boatyards, lacemakers and the Murazzi (Istrian stone seawalls) surviving unaffected by the hoards of tourists back in the city. The Murazzi protect the lagoon from sea swells and floods and make a great place for a calming stroll.
Tip 5: for the ultimate Venice get away take a trip to Torcello, an otherworldly place which was the birthplace of Venice but is now home to a population of less than 20. This atmospheric island has an overgrown main square, a crumbling cathedral dating from 638 and the air of an eerie ghost town.
Venice Breaks
