[EDITOR’S NOTE: Portions of this travelogue were previously published in 2009.]
USAG BAVARIA-GARMISCH, Germany – For those who live in Garmisch, the winter season might seem to last forever; for a taste of spring, many head to Venice, Italy for Carnival (including the author of this story)!
Carnival in Venice takes place Feb. 14 through March 4 in 2025.
For our own trip, we started out on a Friday morning driving over to Austria and got on the autobahn near Innsbruck.
By the time you get to Italy on the Brenner pass, about 100 km’s from Garmisch, you will have already spent money on an Autobahn sticker (vignette) and toll for a privately owned bridge.
From Garmisch, it takes about five hours drive to Venice, a total of 490 km and more euros in autobahn toll. As we went further south the thermometer went up to 12 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit), which put a big smile on our faces.
We stopped at a big shopping center in Affi, just off the autobahn at the south end of Lake Garda, three hours into the trip. A large mall with a huge supermarket offers all the Italian goods like pastas and Italian wines. Since the mall is open Sundays, visitors can also stop on the way back home if on a short weekend trip. Enjoy a fresh cup of cappuccino and a piece of Italian pastry before you return to the autostrada. After two hours of shopping, we finished the break with the season’s first Italian ice cream on a bench outside in the sun! Remember, now 12 degrees just a few hours after we left at -6 degrees in Garmisch.
Back on the autostrada and about 1.5 hours later we entered the city limits of Venice, and our navigation system took us to the ferry terminal. The signage is not exactly tourist friendly, so you must pay attention.
Our hotel was located at Venice-Lido, a 25-minute ferry trip away from the boat landing and parking area of Venice. The cost of parking almost equals the cost for the ferry so for us it made more sense to take the car along than leaving it in a park house. On the way to Lido, you have a wonderful first view of the Campanile (tower) and the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) with the Cathedral.
To get back to St. Mark’s Square and the tourist area of Venice, we bought a 24-hour transportation ticket valid for both bus and boats. The boat ride takes less than 15 minutes from the Lido to St. Mark’s Square. We got off a couple stops earlier and walked along the canal towards the square.
Along the way we spotted a few figures in beautiful Venetian outfits. They wore scarves around their heads, hats and masks, and all of them wear gloves to stay mysterious. Typically, they do not show any skin.
They do not speak to you either but invite you to have your picture taken with them. The masks and costumes of Carnival, which traditionally began to disguise one’s social status, brings visitors from around the world.
The 10-day pre-Lent celebration is marked with masquerade balls, music, and theater. We took beautiful pictures all day long. The weather was gorgeous and by the time we reached the famous Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) shortly after noon, we sat down on the steps by a gondola station, had more ice cream and watched people from all countries passing by and having a good time. The sun just felt so nice after all the cold back home, we didn’t want to leave. By now the alleyways were very crowded and in St. Mark’s Square you could have not fallen over even if you tried. We took the boat back along the Canale Grande (Grand Canal), the main waterway through Venice.
VIEW ORIGINAL
When we finally returned to the Lido late afternoon Saturday, we rested for a while and then went out for dinner to a pizza place – of course, what else?! Dinner was good and very reasonable.
After a couple of glasses Italian red wine, a good night of sleep and an extended breakfast we left the Lido on the ferry boat back to the autostrada.
On the way back home, we stopped in Verona. The famous Roman arena is easy to find, just follow signs to the “zona fiera” and the arena. We visited the inside where you can see beautiful performances of operas in the summer, and then we went for more ice cream in the gorgeous old town.
Once back on the street towards Garmisch it took us four hours to get back home. Now we watched the temperature drop again. On top of the Brenner Pass entering Austria it hit 0 Celsius. Brrr…
We arrived back in Garmisch just in time for dinner at our favorite pizza place.
Even with tolls, ferry fees, fuel, hotel costs, the trip was ultimately priceless.
- To learn more about Venice, visit the tourism site here.
- To learn more about Verona, visit the tourism site here.
- To learn more about Lago di Garda, visit the tourism website here.
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