One of the most intriguing cities in all of Italy, Venice offers opportunities for exploring that you won’t find in the other major cities of the country. Venice is relatively small and thanks to the surrounding waterways rather small as well. This means you can put on your good walking shoes, take your map and find just about anything you might like to explore in a matter of minutes. But then, the number one piece of advice you’ll hear about Venice isn’t to find yourself a map – it’s the exact opposite in fact. Get lost in Venice.
Ignore the Map
While you might fold it up and stick it in a shoulder bag if you’re afraid you’ll really and truly need it, get rid of your map for a day. Put on your walking shoes and grab some money before you stroll out the door to your hotel. Then just walk where your heart leads you. Follow people who look interesting to see where they are going. Take a turn down a street where you hear a fountain trickling merrily. Perhaps follow the sounds of a small market.
Venice is a rich city in a very small amount of space. The sheer volume of interesting artifacts and treasures is astounding and most of the very best you find quite by accident, so don’t look where you’re going – just go. If you’re really concerned, there are often directional signs helping to point you in the direction of major attractions or you can ask for directions as needed.
Ignore Time
You don’t need to know what time is it, so don’t get in the habit of pulling out your phone or looking for the clocks in Venice. If you know you just have a day to explore, you’ll spend much of it worrying about how much time is left in that day. So ignore the clock and just work hard to experience the city while you’re there.
Don’t worry about how many people are in line ahead of you and ignore the crowds as best you can. You’re here to explore and feel your way through the city and you can’t put a time limit on exploration like that so just don’t. It would be wise to have a clock-free day on day when you don’t need to be at the train station at a certain time, however. If you do have a very specific end time for your day, set an alarm on your phone or watch so that you’ll be reminded of the time when it’s up, but not before.
