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The Grand Canal in Venice, Italy

Written by VacationIdea.com Travel Editors.

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The best way to see the Grand Canal in Venice is by boat. While you can hire a water taxi, the slower and cheaper vaporetto Number 1 is a good choice. The Grand Canal is over 2 miles long and features three bridges.

The section of the Grand Canal between the train station and the Rialto bridge offers scenic views of century-old palaces. Museums in this area include the Natural History Museum, International Gallery of Modern Art and the Giorgio Franchetti collection.

From Rialto to the Accademia bridge, you will travel past the lively Rialto area, Riva del Vin, Ca' Rezzonico and the Accademia galleries.

The last section of the canal, from the Accademia bridge to San Marco, is quite dramatic where Santa Maria della Salute towers above the mouth of the canal with its white Baroque facade.

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