In our latest series of Spotlight On we will be introducing you to other great tour operators around the world. This week we hear from Day Trips Slovenia who share their knowledge about Venice.

Day Trips from Ljubljana to Venice

Do you know that Venice is just two and a half hours drive from Ljubljana? If you happen to travel to Ljubljana and explore Slovenian countryside, you can take a trip to the enchanting Venice in Italy. Ljubljana, however, is a perfect starting point for exploration of central Europe.

118 islands

Did you know that Venice is a set of 118 islands and also called the Floating City? It's one of the most romantic places on earth and the city of water, masks, bridges and canals. Venice is the hometown of the explorer Marco Polo, the great lover Casanova and the baroque composer Vivaldi.

Venice is also Slovenian

Another curiosity about Venice is that it is partly Slovenian. On the European map, it looks Italian, but its construction hides an international secret. Most of the wooden piles on which Venice was built and do the job of supporting the city for centuries, were sourced from the Karst region of today's Slovenia.

Venetian highlights

Since Venice always requires more than a day, you might have a taste of it you will never forget. Starting your day trip from Ljubljana, you will arrive in the ancient city at around noon. From then your journey across the many narrow bridges and canals to the most famous Venetian attractions will begin. The English speaking guide will take you to visit the most famous St. Mark’s Square and its magnificent Basilica, you will stop at the Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs - the prison from which Casanova made his famous escape - and, of course, traverse The Grand Canal in a traditional Venetian gondola.

Gondola romance

Speaking of which, gondolas are one of Venice’s most famous symbols that everyone knows. This typical Venetian boat is a result of an ancient tradition of many complex craft techniques. A gondola is 11 meters long and weighs 600 kilograms. If you take a ride with the gondola, your 'gondoliero' will most certainly be a man. But over centuries we witnessed a plot twist: in 2010 Venice got its first (and the only) female gondolier. Giorgia Boscolo, a daughter of a gondolier, became the first woman to pass the qualification exam.

World-famous bridges

The Venetians took a proverb that says the human kind should build bridges very seriously. Venice, in fact, boasts of approximately 417 bridges. You won't cross all of them during your day-trip, but you will visit some of the most famous of which are Rialto bridge and Ponte Dei Sospiri. Rialto crosses the Canal Grande and Ponte Dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) connects the Palazzo Ducale with the local prisons. The name of the bridge comes not from the sighs of the romantic couples as some think but from the sighs of the prisoners led to the palace’s jails.

And now just pack your bags, get the best travel option to visit Venice and don't forget your passport.