Another top tourist spot in Italy, is Venice. A lot of tourist that visit here, are either catching a cruise form its port, or on a stop over as part of a different cruise. You have some options on how to get around. If flying in to the airport, you can then take the train to the island, or stay near the airport, and take the metro into the island (this is your cheapest route, as hotels are much cheaper mainland side, and metro is a couple of dollars to get to the island).
Once at the metro or train station, you can walk the island (get a map for sure, as GPS can be iffy), or utilize the water taxis to get to certain points. They run about 15 Euro round trip. If you are on a time schedule, this is your best bet.
The most popular thing to do, is take a gondola ride. Get ready for sticker shock, as 30 minute ride is 80 Euro, and in 30 minutes, you won’t see much (other than a whole lot of other gondolas). Official licensed gondoliers are identified by their boats (the metal forked head piece on the front of the boat). If you want the most of your ride, spring for the extended 120 Euro version, and you will get a little more privacy. The next best bet, is take a Grand Canal tour, and you will see much more, and pay a lot less.
