Italy & Greece Vacation 2001
3. Venice and Ferry to Greece

These pages relate the personal vacation experiences of two South Africans, Debra and Matthew Perks, in Italy and Greece during September-October 2001.  The site has the following pages - the Introduction Page (includes Rome), a Page on San Gimignano, Pisa and Florence, this Page on Venice (and the ferry trip to Patras), a Page on Piraeus and the ferry to Santorini,  a Page on Santorini Island a Naxos Island Page and finally Athens.

Accommodation in Venice is pricey - we had booked into the Locanda Al Soffiador on Murano Island which meant using the Vaporetto to get to the hotel and settle in. We bought 72hr. "tourist tickets" for the water busses and made very good use of them over the next 3 days. The tourist ticket is definitely worthwhile - Vaporetto trips are great both as transport and as a way of seeing Venice and the nearer islands in the lagoon but will get expensive if single tickets are bought for every trip.

The following pictures are general scenes of Venice, most of well known landmarks or simply shot during waterbus rides.   

We visited the Lido and found a very different environment from the rest of Venice. The cars and grand hotels create a different feel. There is also an atmosphere of a "beach holiday" town not found in central Venice. An enjoyable day and a very calm sea.

22 to  24 September : Ferry trip to Patras and bus to Athens

The ferry departure point for Patras, Greece is at the extreme west of Venice Port.  This is a long walk, especially carrying a backpack. Something not well advertised is the existence of a shuttle bus run by Minoan and Blue Star Ferries from Piazzale Roma, the road transport parking area near Santa Lucia railway station. Our original ferry booking was for midnight of the 22nd,. A lack of safe storage for our packs prompted us to change the booking for the 13h00 ferry. This turned into a special treat since the views of Venice as we departed on the Minoan Lines' "Aretousa" were great:-

The day was overcast and chilly, especially high up on deck. From that elevation there were views of Venice and all the boating activity that cannot be seen from anywhere else.

The pilot left our ship at the point where the Venice lagoon main channel enters the Gulf of Venice in the Adriatic at "la Bocca di Lido". We were on our way to Greece.

The "Aretousa" is primarily a working ferry boat, but the accommodation and facilities make it pretty comfortable. We had the most basic cabins, which were tiny but comfortable. Those with a bit of extra cash have the options of fairly luxurious accommodation. The sea was flat, and the "blueness" of the scenery was unbelievable.

We arrived at Patras at about 21h00 and found a reasonable hotel fairly easily. On the downside the air conditioner sounded like a 737 taking off. This with temperatures in the 30's. Central Patras on a Sunday night in summer is very lively - the street below buzzed until well after 01h00. A sweltering morning followed but the bus (a very regular route runs between Patras and Athens) had an aircon that made life bearable. (As far as Athens anyway). Welcome to Greece.

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