From Venice Airport to Venice - Must-See Attractions on Your First Day!

If you and your loved ones are travelling to the Water City for a holiday, you would be well advised to book a convenient shuttle service to take you from Venice Airport to Venice city itself. The question is, will you settle for a simple taxi service to your hotel or will you get your holiday started early by booking a transfer that doubles as a tour? If you prefer the latter, here are a handful of destinations that will serve as great first-day encounters in your visit.

Seeing the Highlights in One Plaza

If you want to take in as much as you can while travelling from the Venice Airport to Venice itself, make sure your driver takes you past the Piazza San Marco. This is the best place to see three of the greatest wonders the city has to offer in just one spot: the magnificent Basilica di San Marco that serves as the city's link to its Byzantine past; the Torre dell’Orologio that serves as a mark of the centuries the city has lived through; and the Palazzo Ducale, or the Doge’s Palace, which once served as the city’s administrative nerve centre. All these (and a few other attractions) can be readily accessed from the piazza.

Watch Over the City From the Campanile

If you want to observe the grandeur of the city from a bird’s eye point of view, make sure your transfer takes you around the Campanile di San Marco, or St Mark’s Campanile. It can also be accessed from the Piazza San Marco, but it deserves special mention since it provides one of the very best views of the city.

Take a Relaxing Ride on the Grand Canal

While you'll need to hire a shuttle to get from Venice Airport to Venice, there is nothing quite like navigating the waterways on a gondola as you absorb the sights and sounds of the city. You can buy Vaporetto tickets to ride larger passenger boats that give you more room to walk around in if you prefer. Whatever your choice may be, no trip to this gorgeous city will ever be complete if you do not explore at least some of its major waterways.

Time Your Visit for Carnevale

If you can time your visit to arrive in the period from mid-January to early March – depending on the year - you will be in for quite the treat. Locals dress up in exquisitely made costumes and elaborate masks allow themselves to get lost in the reverie of the Carnevale. It can be quite intense during this time of the year, but the excitement, colour and vibrancy make it all worthwhile.

Keep all these attractions in mind once you've arrived on the shuttle from Venice Airport to Venice and you'll make the most of your stay.

Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct. If you’re looking for a transfer from Venice airport to Venice, Shuttle Direct provide pre-booked shuttles to major destinations all over Europe. Wherever you travel, Shuttle Direct can make sure that you don’t miss your car on your holiday abroad.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.