Day 26
Leaving France today bound for Venice, Italy, on a mid afternoon flight. We organised a late checkout and set off on foot to explore some parts of Marseille we had not yet seen. We found a Starbucks with a Patisserie next door just up the road from the hotel so breakfast was easy. We then headed up Rue de la Republique, window shopping along the way, as we headed for the port. We made our way back to the hotel via the Cathedrale de la Major, the Local Arts and Modern Museums and the Fort Saint-Jean that sits on one side of the entrance to the main Harbour.
We then wandered the foreshore and made it back to the hotel about midday. We completed the checkout formalities, loaded the car and set off for Marseille Provence airport, about 25 Km NW of the city. Rental car return was easy to find and directly across from the main terminal so within no time we were checked in and having a bite of lunch at one of the terminal eateries.
We were originally booked on Air France’s LCC, HOP, to fly Marseille to Venice via Lyon. In true LCC style these flights were cancelled a few months earlier with no alternative given and money offered to be held in credit. We rang Air France office in Australia and they were quite ok with placing us onto an Air France flight to Venice via Paris CDG but arrived about 2 hours later than originally planned.
No big problem but we were now arriving after dark rather than the planned water taxi arrival at sunset but beggars can’t be choosers as they say. No additional costs either so it all worked out ok. So now we were on Air France flight AF 7667 MRS-CDG departing at 1520 and then AF 1526 CDG-VCE arriving at 1940. A319 aircraft and full service on both flights and both departed and arrived as scheduled.
On arrival at VCE we collected our bags and headed off on the 10 minute walk to the water taxi area down near the airport ferry terminal. We had a pre booked transfer for the four of us at a cost of Euro120 and it's a pretty cool way to arrive into Venice. Our hotel for the next three nights was the Ca dei Dogi, just adjacent to the Doges Palace and the Bridge of Sighs.
The water taxi dropped us at the pier nearest our hotel and we had a short 100m walk with our luggage to reception. Each couple had booked a self contained apartment and we were not disappointed. The rooms were basic but had everything we needed, including washing machines and dryers. Ours was a one bedroom apartment with ensuite and a full kitchen. Breakfast was provided each day. We didn’t use our kitchen at all to prepare a meal but very handy if you wanted an extended stay in this part of the world.
We set out for a brief walk, Piazza San Marco was a 2 minute stroll away, so we headed in that direction to stretch the legs, find a coffee and soak in some of Venice by night when it was a little quieter. Some of the cafes in the square had live music performing for their guests and it was a wonderful atmosphere. The forecast for the next few days was for fine weather, so after an hour or so we headed home to turn in for a good nights sleep to prepare us for a big day of exploring and sightseeing tomorrow.
Walking along Rue de la Republique, Marseille
Cathedrale de la Major, Marseille
Cathedrale de la Major, Marseille
Pharo Palace, Marseille
Modern Museum, Marseille
Fort Saint Jean and the stone tower, Marseille
Fort Saint Nicolas on the opposite side of the harbour entrance, Marseille
Our ride to the hotel in Venice
In the Water Taxi departing the airport, Venice
Approaching our stop adjacent to Piazza San Marco, Venice