Fly to Venice

Venice's center is St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) with St. Mark's Church, the Doge's Palace and the Campanile. The Campanile is a tall tower that is a visible landmark from many places in Venice.

The construction of Doge's Palace was started in the 8th century, but the beautiful outer walls with the arcades were built around the 15th century. Venice's ruler, the Doge, lived in the palace, and the state also maintained the building.

Just behind the Doge's Palace is one of Venice's most famous bridges, the Bridge of Sighs, which led over to the city's old prison. The bridge's name derives from the prisoners' sighs as they were led across the bridge towards the prison. St. Mark's Church is an impressive building, with beautiful mosaic work. Originally the church was the doge's private chapel. According to legend, the church was built over the remains of the apostle Mark.

Lido di Venezia and Burano are islands while Lido Jesolo is a headland off Venice. It is easy to get to all three of these places with one of the many boat connections from Venice.

Lido di Venezia has nice beaches, suitable for those who want to combine a beach holiday with the opportunity to visit Venice. Most Italians vacation here.

Burano is a fantastically beautiful island with 3,500 inhabitants just north of Venice. The island is known for its very colorful houses, and is a magnet for hobby photographers. You can visit the island on a morning trip from Venice.

Lido Jesolo has a 15 kilometer long sandy beach and is a popular tourist destination in the heart of the Adriatic Sea. The hotels are lined up along the beach, many with private beaches with restaurants and bars. There is also a lively main street with lots of eateries and nightlife.

The Skocjan caves in western Slovenia are truly impressive. The tour through the caves goes along a 2 kilometer long spectacular route that takes you high above illuminated waterfalls, along precipitous mountain sides and down into cave valleys. The Skocjan caves are an experience of a lifetime!

You can drive from Venice to the caves in just 2 hours and the actual trip through the caves takes 3-4 hours. The trip takes place on good motorways, and with a fit Italian rental car the trip goes by like a breeze.