The Grand Canal by Vaporetto

The Grand Canal is Venice's main street, a reversed S of water about four kilometres long that winds through the heart of the city from the railway station and Piazzale Roma to the basin of San Marco, lined from end to end with the palaces of the old merchant aristocracy. There is no better introduction to the city than riding the whole length of it on the public vaporetto, and the slow Line 1 stops at nearly every landing, zigzagging from bank to bank, so you have time to take everything in. Sit outside at the front or back if you can. The procession of buildings is a lesson in Venetian architecture: Byzantine arcades at the Fondaco dei Turchi, the Gothic lace of the Ca' d'Oro, Renaissance palaces by Codussi and Sansovino, the Baroque bulk of Ca' Pesaro and Ca' Rezzonico, and the unfinished white single storey of the Peggy Guggenheim. Four bridges cross the canal: Calatrava's modern glass-and-steel Constitution Bridge near the station, the Scalzi, the Rialto and the wooden Accademia. In between you pass the Rialto Market, the gondola stations, the traghetto crossings and the endless traffic of the canal, from refuse barges and ambulances to wedding boats and police launches. The ride ends in front of the Salute and the Doge's Palace, the grandest arrival in Europe. Single tickets are expensive, so if you plan more than a couple of rides, buy a time-based travel card for one or several days, which covers the vaporetto network including the lagoon islands, and validate it at the reader each time you board.

How to ride it: board Line 1 at Piazzale Roma or Ferrovia (the station) for the full journey to San Marco, which takes a little under an hour depending on traffic; Line 2 runs a faster route with fewer stops. Going in this direction keeps the best for last, with the Salute and San Marco opening up at the end. The seats outside, at the bow on older boats and the stern on others, are the prize, so be ready to wait for the next boat if they are full. Avoid the morning and evening rush hours, when the boats fill with commuters and day-trippers; the late morning and evening are calmer.

Tickets and passes: tickets must be bought before boarding, from machines and ticket offices at the main stops or online, and validated by tapping on the electronic reader at the landing before each journey; inspectors fine passengers without valid tickets. Time-based travel cards, sold for one, two, three or seven days, quickly pay for themselves and also cover the lines to Murano, Burano, the Lido and San Giorgio. Tiqets sells transport passes and airport transfers, so you can arrange them before you arrive. Large luggage can carry a supplement, and boats can be crowded, so pack light.

Make it a night ride too. After dark, the Grand Canal is magical: palace windows lit up, chandeliers glowing in the piano nobile, and the water black and quiet. Ride back from San Marco to the station on a late boat and you will see a different city. For a closer look at specific buildings, step off at the Ca' d'Oro, Rialto or Accademia stops and explore on foot. And if you want commentary, small-group guided Grand Canal boat tours explain the palaces and their owners as you pass. Two practical tips save time and money. First, the big stops such as San Zaccaria, Rialto and Ferrovia have several separate floating platforms, each lettered and serving different lines and directions, so read the signs on the pontoon before you board; boarding the right line in the wrong direction is the classic first-day mistake. Second, travellers aged up to 29 can buy the Rolling Venice card, which unlocks a discounted three-day transport pass, one of the best deals in the city for students and young couples.