UCityGuides.com Travel News Blog » Venice

TOP 10 MOST ROMANTIC CITIES IN THE WORLD

UCityGuides.com Editor — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 11:18:11 +0000

The most romantic month of the year is here, the time when everyone starts thinking about Valentine’s Day or a romantic getaway.
Whether for Valentine’s or for a honeymoon at any other time, we have created the list of the world’s 10 most romantic cities in the world.
Of course there are the predictable destinations always associated with love and romance, but also others you may have overlooked.
Think of strolls down tree-lined boulevards, picturesque neighborhoods, fairytale architecture, magical views, horse-drawn carriages or trips down a canal, passionate dancing, and sensory pleasures. Think any of these seductive cities: THE 10 MOST ROMANTIC CITIES IN THE WORLD

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THE TOP 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL CAFÉS IN THE WORLD

UCityGuides.com Editor — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:58:10 +0000

When European cafés became the preferred hangouts of their city’s intellectuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they turned into cultural institutions with ornate, palatial interiors. Many if not most of them remain open today, although the main visitors are now tourists guided by their guidebooks. Those cafés are now essentially museums where coffee and pastries are served at high prices, while others have been turned into full-blown restaurants, and a few still attempt to keep their cultural heritage alive by hosting literary and other cultural events.
The biggest café cities are Paris, Vienna, Venice, and Budapest, where café interiors are at their most sumptuous, but you’ll find some extraordinarily beautiful cafés throughout Europe and even in the big cities of the Americas that emulated the grandiosity of the Old World.
At UCityGuides we’re always looking for what’s new and extraordinary, but also love to spend some time in what the past has done best. So after countless coffees, pastries, calories, and overpriced drinks, we bring you the list of the ten most beautiful cafés in the world: THE WORLD’S 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL CAFÉS

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THE WORLD’S 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL CITIES

UCityGuides.com Editor — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:02:47 +0000

Whether stunningly sited or blending extraordinary architecture with magnificent scenery, the world’s most beautiful cities are captivating. While globalization has stripped many great metropolises of their aesthetic authenticity and bought much of their soul, there are still many cities that remain true to themselves, clinging to their cultural, architectural, and natural heritage.
UCityGuides.com has made a list of the 10 cities that have best managed to survive through time as exceptional places filled with remarkable beauty, soul, and distinctive natural scenery, and while beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, you’ll agree that these are indeed the most beautiful cities on the planet:

TOP 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL CITIES IN THE WORLD

THE PINAULT FOUNDATION’S ART IN VENICE’S PUNTA DELLA DOGANA BUILDING

UCityGuides.com Editor — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:41:25 +0000

When Venice’s Palazzo Grassi was beautifully renovated in 2006, it became a space for temporary art exhibitions and the home of François Pinault’s personal art collection. But the French entrepreneur now has a second home in the most romantic of all Italian cities, found right at the entrance to the Grand Canal. The Punta della Dogana building has been renovated by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and is now a center for contemporary art, with the first exhibition called “Mapping the Studio: Artists from the François Pinault Collection.” It presents a selection of Pinault’s treasures and can be seen until November of this year.
On the ground floor of the building is a café and a bookshop specializing in art and architecture publications. It’s at this shop that you’ll be able to acquire the catalogues illustrating the exhibitions seen in Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana, as well as get limited edition products relating to them. To celebrate the inaugural exhibition, British fashion designer Stella McCartney has created a bag made from organic cotton and featuring an exclusive print inspired by her Winter 2009 collection. It is only available at the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana shops, and not at her flagship London, Los Angeles, New York, and Hong Kong stores.

-See the complete Venice city guide.
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HEARD ABOUT THE NEW, COOL, HIP VENICE?

UCityGuides.com Editor — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:58:11 +0000

How about a trip to an Italian city where you’ll find stylish and hip hotels, restaurants, and bars? If you’re thinking Milan, think again and head to Venice. Yes, this is a city known for its overpriced touristy restaurants, hotels overdosing on antiques, and lifeless streets at night, but a new hip side of Venice has emerged recently. In the 18th century it became the first city in the world to live off tourism and has since then relied on its timeless charms to attract visitors, but the 21st century traveler is much more demanding and wants to experience the present as much as the past. Venice’s contemporary attractions are found in beautifully restored buildings such as the Palazzo Grassi (restored by Tadao Ando in 2006 and now housing temporary art exhibitions), while the Peggy Guggenheim Museum is a mandatory stop for its modern art collection.
Modern architecture has also been finally unveiled in 2008 with the controversial opening of Santiago Calatrava’s bridge over the Grand Canal. The controversy surrounding it illustrated how much the city has resisted change and contemporary styles, but its younger population has now opened hipper restaurants and bars around the city. Go for drinks at Bacaro Lounge or Centrale, two hotspots that could also be found in a major metropolis like New York or London, and dine at Avogaria with its stylish minimalist design and delicious cuisine erasing the idea of dining at mediocre tourist trap restaurants in the city.
Before going to bed at the Ca Pisani or Palazzo Barbarigo design hotels, head in the direction of the Rialto bridge, with Campo Dell’Erbaria and Campo Cesare Battisti behind it being the hottest hangouts at night, as that’s where Muro, Naranzaria, and other hip bars are found. Just steps away is the Grand Canal and the city’s stunning old architecture proving that 21st century Venice is now a city where ancient marvels and modern tastes can finally be experienced side by side.

For all of Venice’s timeless and more recent attractions, see UCityGuide’s complete Venice City Guide, which covers all of the places mentioned above.