Travel writer Nick Dalton sampled a five-night CroisiEurope cruise in Venice on MS Michelangelo.
It’s the most beautiful view in Venice. The waterfront with the tower of the Palazzo Ducale peeping up from St Mark’s Square in one direction, the domed grandeur of Basilica Santa Maria della Salute at the entrance to the Grand Canal and the island setting of San Giorgio Maggiore church across the lapping waves. Oh, and the most beautiful sunsets.
You couldn’t get this panorama from even the city’s finest hotels, yet from Ms Michelangelo you’re surrounded by sights that other visitors see before passing on.
But the small, contemporary ship – only 154 passengers – is at the very heart of things for a four-night Venetian Treasures cruise. This adventure from CroisiEurope sweeps across the lagoon, like an inland sea, but returns from daily sailings for evenings in Venice.
It all has the feel of a glamorous 60s movie, polished wooden speedboats zipping around, gondolas bobbing and beautiful people walking the waterfront, gazing enviously at your floating boutique residence.
This is a trip for someone who likes the ease of an escorted tour and the relaxation of a small-ship cruise mixed with a city break on a different level – few hotels would have the same feel of being at one with the waterfront.
The ship
Ms Michelangelo is low and airy, cool and white, offering a near 360-degree panorama from the stylishly subtle lounge with bar – and an even more breathtaking view from the sundeck. And drinks are included, so the tinkle of ice is heard in many a G&T, whether up above or in the cocktail party-like atmosphere of the lounge with its dancefloor that fills up as the evening moves on. There’s a sophisticated pianist and other musicians come on board.
There are two decks of cabins, decorated in soothing cream and brown with evocative Italian artwork. Not huge, but you want to be either exploring or on deck.
Food is excellent with continental breakfasts – coffee, croissants, cheese and more. Menus are Italian or more widely Mediterranean… sorpresa cured sausage, baccala (dried cod) in a rich sauce, Andalusian gazpacho and so much more, whether in the three-course lunches or splendid dinners. High point is the gala dinner, where foie gras adds to the high life.
The experience
Boarding takes place at San Basilio, near the bridge to the mainland, before a divine sunset cruise to the main mooring point on the Seven Martyrs waterfront. We pass the entrance to the Grand Canal, get up-close to St Mark’s and grand Palazzo Ducale (also called the Doge’s Palace) and have a great view of a handful of footbridges across tiny canals. We’re at the start of Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, a long street of restaurants and bars and shops but we’re in the best place of all in the evening warmth as the sun disappears behind the city.
On our first full day, there’s a morning to wander the streets of Venice then we set sail for Mazzorbo, an island at the far north-east of the lagoon before heading back. It’s a quiet place but across the footbridge is Burano, a livelier island with a small cathedral. Next day is free to fully explore Venice. The last full day is a very early start towards Chioggia, the city called ‘Little Venice’, at the lagoon’s far south-western point, a 90-minute cruise. It has its own canals and, a good stroll across town from the ship, is a big, big beach. The relaxed afternoon cruise back gives us time to appreciate long, slim islands that protect the lagoon from the ocean, millionaires’ retreats sitting amid beaches, marinas and lush greenery.
Excursions
The cruise fare doesn’t include these but there are plenty of small group tours on offer for a close and personal look at culture and cuisine.
In Venice, our food tour of little-known neighbourhoods was a delightful wander along canals, over bridges, down alleyways, around corners and in and out of shops. Then a wander, alongside peckish seagulls, through the foodie wonders of the Rialto fish market, before coffee and snacks at a café on the banks of the Grand Canal.
We also took a tour of the Doge’s Palace (above), the grandiose 11th century residence of the head of the Republic of Venice, a magical mix of art (paintings by the likes of Tintoretto) and real life (crossing the Bridge of Sighs to the prison). That afternoon, our excursion involved a private boat from Burano to the isle of Murano, famed for its glasswork, and a glassblowing demonstration.
If there was a disappointment, it was that one couldn’t explore Chioggia and take a fabulous excursion. I still want to see the city, although I did love the coach trip to the medieval city of Padua, an hour inland, visiting the Basilica of St Anthony, an enormous melting pot of Gothic and Byzantine architecture.
My view?
A casual yet classy getaway that combines cruising and touring without any fuss. There’s plenty of time to explore Venice in a relaxed way that visitors to a hotel would never quite get the chance to achieve, plus exploring the lagoon from end to end. On-board life is like a genial house party. There’s nothing to organise from start to finish, other than deciding on when to have a G&T.
Nick was a guest of CroisiEurope
https://www.croisieurope.co.uk/cruise/short-break-venice-classic
