Destination in focus Venice

A cruise to Venice is always a magical experience. There’s a fantastic amount to do apart from the almost obligatory gondola trip through the canals.

St Mark's Square is vast and filled with superb buildings for architecture buffs – there’s St Mark's Basilica itself, a wonderful example of Byzantine influenced Venetian architecture – as well as the beautiful pink-fronted glory of the Doge's Palace with its glowing gothic facade. For food fans, the cuisine of Venice features many kinds of seafood and pasta, fish and shellfish soup serve in a bowl made of bread!

The city stretches across 118 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon between the mouths of two rivers: the Po and the Piave. When visiting Venice, remember that the city’s busiest visiting periods are between May and September, Christmas and New Year, during Carnival in February and at Easter – at these times you are likely to find yourself queuing for gondalas or restaurant tables. There is also The Venice Film Festival which is oldest film festival in the world and takes place in late August or early September on the island of the Lido. It is one of the world's most prestigious film festivals and is often attended by international celebrities, film stars and directors. Companies like Costa, MSC Norwegian Cruise Lines and P&O run regular cruise visits to Venice.