Among the world's unique cities, Venice oozes timeless charm and exploring is a delight due to the absence of vehicles.

In 'the City of Canals’, boats are the main transportation through the network of canals and islands where colourful carnivals, stunning architecture, and compelling cuisine, await.

During their nine-month European explorations, our intrepid motorhoming trio - Lifestyle & Travel Editor, Sharon Cain, series Photographer, Steve, and travelholic Bracken, set off from the snow-capped mountains of St Moritz in search of Venetian dreams.

While tourists pay big bucks to stay in Venice - where accommodation can be up to 300 per cent more expensive than Portugal, Spain and Greece - our happy campers found an alternative with a twist.

Surprise Surprise!

Venice stole my heart when I first feasted my eyes on its fairytale setting eighteen years ago.

We had flown in on Christmas Eve when the festive lights twinkling across the Grand Canal further enhanced the city’s enchantment.

I was in for an incredible surprise when we arrived in Italy, the sixth country in our mega road trip after crossing the spectacular Bernina Pass in Switzerland.

The morning after an overnight park up in Bergame, a UNESCO medieval town, Steve announced our next destination was Venice, just a two hour drive away.

Initially bemused at to how on earth we could motorhome around a car-less city, the penny dropped when we booked into a campsite at the port of Fusina, just three miles West of Venice.

The set up was perfect at dog-friendly Camping Fusina where prices at the restaurant, divine pizzeria, and bar, are a fraction of those in Venice.

Facilities also include a gym, pool, laundry and shop – which avoids lugging bags of food around the city’s gems.

With a stunning location overlooking the water, a fabulous 20-minute local ferry transported us across the lagoon to Zattere. Having journeyed thousands of miles by road, a water adventure was a refreshing change.

Sightseeing By Water

Getting around Venice is cost effectively achieved on foot or by Vaporetto, the water bus or ‘little steamer’ also used by locals which offers 24, 48 or 72 hour passes.

Other modes of water transport are notoriously exorbitant. While a single Vaporetto ticket costs €9.50 for up to 75 minutes, a private gondola ride (charged by the boat not the number of people), sets tourists back €175 between 9am to 7pm and €210 from 7pm to 3am.

I love the hustle and bustle of the Vaporetto’s whose 120 stops across 22 lines connect different areas of Venice along with the lagoon islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. Frequent and reliable, they run from 5:00am until midnight after which three lines remain open until 5am.

Unmissable Landmarks

The Piazza St Marco (St Mark’s Square), hailed by Napoleon as ‘The most beautiful drawing room in Europe’ has been the city's pulsating historic, political and cultural heartbeat of for centuries.

It is also the focal point of the annual carnival – a dynamic, colourful extravaganza of masked balls, costume parties, and parades which takes places over 12 days before lent.

Dominating the square - and the Venice skyline - is the 323 foot bell tower of St. Mark's Basilica that has stood proud for over 900 years.

Sumptuously ornate, the highest of the five levels showcases four large bronze horses that were brought to Venice from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade.

We had enjoyed the amazing views from the top on our first visit and were happy just to soak up the atmosphere without being stung for up to $16 euro for a coffee ‘al fresco’ in the square.

The knack is to either consume caffeine inside while standing at a bar - lowering costs to around $3 and enjoying the vibes.

An alternative is to take a short walk to a nearby neighbourhood café like Bar Ducale, a favourite among gondoliers.

Doges Palace

Venice boasts a diverse wealth of architecture in styles spanning Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical.

A masterpiece of Gothic art, the 9th Century Doge’s Palace, also in St Mark’s Square, reflects the Republic’s golden world of art and history - along with tales of treason, notoriety, and imprisonment.

Arrested for heresy and practicing witchcraft, renowned lover Casanova tunnelled through the Palace roof to escape. Citizens also used to post accusations of tax evasion and treason against fellow residents into the mouths of carved lions on the exterior walls.

The Grand Canal

The Grand Canal - the main waterway ferrying goods, tourists and locals between the lagoon and the heart of the city - has captured the imagination of millions worldwide.

At just 2.4 miles long, the banks are lined with 170 Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque mansions and palaces (Palazzi), some of which date back to the 13th Century.

Heightened by autumn sunshine, the setting epitomised romance and glamour at every turn. Surrounded by such magnificence, I felt I was in the middle of a sumptuous film set.

Passing underneath the Rialto Bridge, the oldest and most famous of the Grand Canal's four bridges, was exhilerating.

The revered artist Michelangelo had submitted designs to build the Renaissance style icon constructed between 1588 and 1591 - but failed to secure the commission.

Standing on the bridge puts the magnitude of the role the Grand Canal plays in this dynamic, pulsating city into perspective.

The best way to experience the canal is on a 45-minute Vaporetto ride on Line 1 from Santa Lucia Railway Station to St Mark’s Square which passes below the Rialto Bridge.
Venice Biennale – ‘Olympics of the Art World’

I highly recommend travelling here when the prestigious and internationally renowned Venice Biennale arts and culture festival takes place.

Since launching in 1895, the explosion of talent and creativity has gone from strength to strength as a showcase for art, cinema, dance, theatre, music and architecture.

Alternatiing between art and architectural themes, participants hail from every corner of the globe.

Exhibitions - some weird and wonderful as we discovered - are spread across pavilions in the Giardini gardens, created by Napoleon Bonaparte, and the city's palazzos and galleries.


Exploring Venice on Foot

With tens of thousands of private, public, commercial and traditional craft plying the lagoon daily, the wonders of Venice are also pleasurable to view by foot.

I relished city life away from the tourist areas, meandering across the network of canals and bridges and tasting tapas and pasta at neighbourhood bars.

Prominent yellow landmark signs are helpful guides and getting lost is great fun, requiring a café stop for a vino to get your bearings.

On our first visit we had strolled along the Grand Canal to the Peggy Guggengeim gallery designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The collection showcases 20th Century contemporary artwork which includes Picasso and Dali. This time we walked through residential areas to get a feel of daily life.

Motorway travel and traffic jams had became a distant memory as we became more immersed in this 5th Century jewel built on water.

Our stay flew by and I devoured every experience before it was time to move on. Waiting at the El Chioschetto bar at Zattere for the Fusina ferry was tinged with sadness, but cheered up with a beer, spritzer, and stonkingly good pannini.

There are no half measures to exploring Venice. Tackling it full on, I found it emotionally exhilerating and exhausting in equal measure.

With six countries already under our belts, back on the road in our home on wheels the next day, we were planning more European cultural diversities and discoveres.

While open-minded about what lay ahead, a part of my heart would remain in Venice, waiting patiently for me to return to its ethereal, dream-like, and timeless beauty.

TRAVEL FACTS

Sharon and Steve travelled independently
Visit Venezia Official - The guide of the city of Venezia
Venice Vaporetto Schedule & Timetable Guide
Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Motorhome camping https://www.campingfusina.com/en/
The 2026 Biennale runs until November 22 La Biennale di Venezia