As mentioned before, we had an overnight stay in Venice during our cruise. This allowed us plenty of time to explore the canals and alleys of this unique city and even get lost numerous times. The first thing we did once in the center of town was to take a walk across Piazza San Marco. It was packed with people, so we quickly took a vaporetto (water taxi) ride the length of the Grand Canal. This was a cheap way to see a ton of the city and get oriented with it’s layout.

From there we continued on the vaporetto out to the island of Murano. This island is famous for it’s glass, but unfortunately we arrived a little too late to see any of the glass making. We did enjoy the peace and quiet of the island for awhile, and when we were ready for dinner we headed back into Venice where we spent the evening before retiring to the ship.

The second day we arrived first thing at the Doge’s Palace and explored it for an hour or so. From there we went inside of the Basilica di San Marco, and enjoyed the view from the Horses Loggia. Next up on our busy day, was a trip to the top of the Campanile. Fortunately there’s an elevator in this bell tower, and the views from the top were very nice. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the ship and onto our next destination. Here are some of my favorite pictures from this stop.