EXCURSIONES EN TIERRA

Capture the moment by taking the perfect selfie photo in Venice! Instantly share your experience with family & friends on your favorite social media site as many of the stops will include wi-fi in real time. Professional photographers & selfie experts will teach you how to take the best selfie photo including composition, posing, lighting etc. Capture the spirit of this incredible destination.

Your tour will start with a private boat transfer along Giudecca Canal. Your tour will have designated selfie stops at: • San Giorgio Bell Tower
• St Mark Basin
• St Mark Square
• Bridge of Sighs
• Rialto Bridge
• Fondaco dei Tedeschi

To make this experience even more fun you will be provided with a selfie stick to help catch the perfect picture. End your picture-perfect day with a beverage from the Fondaco bar.

If there is one memory you’ll take home with you, it’s of drifting through Venice’s canals on a gondola as darkened waters lap your boat and music melts on the air. This delightful after-dinner excursion offers the chance to experience that quintessential canal ride while being serenaded by musicians in traditional fashion. O Sole Mio! From your ship, you’ll transfer by private motor launch to St. Mark’s Basin where your gondola awaits. After your ride, you can stretch the evening’s magic with a stroll around St. Mark’s Square. Perhaps stop for an espresso at one of the elegant cafes with their orchestras and chandeliers before catching the motor launch back to your ship.

Explore the attractions in Venice that sound most interesting to you by using an Unlimited Attraction Pass that covers the entrance fees and transportation around the city. Just hop on one of the buses that make continuous loops through Venice and then hop off when it reaches an attraction that sounds intriguing. The pass also entitles you to skip the lines at the busiest attractions, so you won’t waste any time. There’s no need to rush because you can hop on another bus whenever you’re ready. You might linger over the collection of ingenious inventions at the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, behold the Golden Staircase in the Doge’s Palace and reflect on the artistic treasures within the Basilica of San Pietro on the island of Olivolo. You can even see lesser-known attractions such as the National Marciana Library. It holds the first book ever printed in Venice and two rare manuscripts of The Iliad.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Use the Unlimited Attraction Pass to see Venice’s best attractions at no additional cost.
• Ride a bus around town, stopping at the attractions that you find most appealing.
• Stay as long as you like at each attraction to enhance your understanding of it.
• Hop on another bus whenever you please and ride it to another intriguing destination.

Visit two of the Venetian lagoon’s islands, Murano and Burano; the first world-famous center of glass-making and the second renowned for its lace. First you’ll travel along a portion of the beautiful Giudecca Canal passing St. Mark’s Basin and other landmarks, then cross the lagoon to Murano, where you’ll visit a glass factory and have a unique opportunity to see how beautiful Murano glass is made, followed by some time for shopping. After visiting the glass factory, continue with a leisurely trip across the lagoon to lovely little Burano with its gaily painted houses and brightly painted fishing boats. Enjoy a walk through the streets of this charming and picturesque island where fishermen are always mending nets or repairing their boats.

On Burano, one encounters a way of life that is rapidly disappearing. Women sometimes sit in their doorways working on a piece of lace. Burano lace is extremely delicate and time-consuming to create. A small piece may take several weeks to complete, making it highly prized. You'll have a chance to admire some of these works of art when you visit one of the stores that sell the famed Burano lace.

Start with an orientation ride along the Giudecca Canal to St. Mark’s Square, where you’ll meet your guide for a walking tour through the heart of the city and take in many of its famous landmarks. Learn a bit of the history of 'The Most Serene Republic of Venice' and see the impressive Doge’s Palace with its beautiful Gothic architecture of lacy white limestone and pink marble. Adjacent to the palace, the Basilica of St. Mark stands proud as the centerpiece of Piazza San Marco. One of the best examples of Byzantine Architecture, its exterior is magnificently adorned.

See the Bridge of Sighs, the bell tower, the clock tower and many other important buildings as your guide takes you through the narrow streets that lead up to the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge. During your tour, you’ll stop at a glass factory showroom where you’ll see a demonstration on how the famed Murano glass is made, followed by some time for shopping or browsing. At the end of the tour, you’ll meet your escort at a designated time and place for the return to your ship.

A walk through the heart of the romantic city of Venice and a gondola ride are the best introduction to your visit. The first part of this tour is the same as "A Walk through the Heart of Venice" tour, but it also includes a gondola ride through its waterways and canals. The gondola ride will let you discover Venice from the water as you cruise partially on the Grand Canal and on smaller canals. At the end of the ride, you’ll be escorted to the boat for the return to your ship.

After transferring from your ship to St. Mark's Square, you’ll meet your guide and see the facade of St. Mark’s Basilica, a church of inestimable beauty. Your next stop is the Doge’s Palace, a magnificent Gothic masterpiece with its pink marble exterior and lacy stone arches dating from the 14th century. A guided visit will take you through apartments and rooms filled with paintings. ‘Paradise,’ by Domenico and Jacopo Tintoretto, fills an entire wall in the Great Council Hall. Also learn about Venice’s political history.

See the lagoon through the grillwork of the Bridge of Sighs as you walk across to the old prison cells on the other side where Casanova was once held. After this visit to Doge’s Palace you’ll continue to a nearby glass factory showroom where you'll see a demonstration on how the famed Murano glass is made, followed by some free time to take a gondola ride, explore the area, shop, or perhaps visit the interior of St. Mark’s on your own. You’ll meet your escort at a designated time and place for the return to your ship.

Depart by motorcoach to Prato della Valle, Padua’s largest square, where you’ll meet your guide. A short walk will lead you to the Piazza del Santo to visit St. Anthony Basilica, the great religious complex built to house the relics of Padua’s beloved St. Anthony. Its composite style reveals Romanesque-Gothic motifs as well as Oriental influxes. Its interior is highlighted by more of Donatello’s masterful bronze relieves, as well as by his statue of the Madonna and Saints on the high altar. Just outside the basilica, you’ll also see Donatello’s 15th century statue of mercenary Gattamelata, which greatly influenced sculpture during the Italian Renaissance.

Your walking tour will proceed to the old heart of Padua to see the animated area of the University, one of the oldest in the world; the celebrated Caffe Pedrocchi, meeting place for intellectuals and patriots since the 19th century; and Piazza delle Erbe, Padua’s bustling open-air market which overlaps into Piazza della Frutta. The huge building separating the two squares is Palazzo della Ragione, the town parliament for several centuries. After your walking tour, you’ll have some time at leisure before your transfer to the airport.

From the pier, you’ll travel approximately 20 minutes by private motorboat to the San Marco area along the Canale della Giudecca. From the Venetians favorite square, Piazza San Marco, you’ll begin your guided walking tour. After some remarks on the history of Venice, you’ll admire the Marciana Library and the Loggetta by J. Sansovino, the bell tower, the clock tower and its two bronze Moors, the two wings called Procuratie Vecchie and Procuratie Nuove, and the cathedral. Next to the cathedral is the Doges’ Palace, the former official residence of the rulers of Venice (Dogi). This is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture, well known for its ornate facade and multi-arcaded loggia.

Here, you’ll climb the famous Golden Staircase, admire the paintings from Tintoretto and Veronese, and wander through the echoing Great Council Chamber and many other historical rooms. Adjoining the palace is the famous Ponte dei Sospiri, or Bridge of Sighs. This legendary structure connects the palace to the former ducal prison. Today, it is a favorite rendezvous of lovers who believe that if they kiss under the bridge, their love will last forever. You’ll then admire the magnificent facade of the Basilica di San Marco, named for St. Mark. At the conclusion of this excursion, you will return to the cruise ship pier and then head to the airport by motor coach.