A city in the sea, of gondolas and ice cream? Or a film setting? Venice is all these and much, much more...

Now in the LuxairTours Metropolis brochure and served by three Luxair flights/week, Venice is now just a quick commute from the Grand Duchy. Instead of dreaming the impossible, it is now possible to book a quick flight direct to this Italian city that is unique the world over.

Apart from visiting Venice 20 years ago, the closest I have got to returning to this iconic city was a number of years ago when I toured the film set in Esch-Belval used for the Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Merchant of Venice, amongst others. Oh, and watching the Cornetto television advertisements... Venice has appeared in many films such as Casino Royale (with Daniel Craig), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Moonraker (Roger Moore); Lara Croft: Tomb Raider , and The Talented Mr Ripley.

Located in the deltas of the Po and Piave rivers, Venice has an intricate network of canals, footpaths and bridges, mostly rather narrow, which give the city its charm, as it actually consists of 100+ islands. Following its importance as a naval and trading port, its heights came in the 18th century when it became a centre for art, architecture and literature, but fell to Bonaparte in 1797, following which it had periods of Austrian rule. It is reportedly sinking, but at the very slow rate of 1-2mm annually. Currently tourism counts for the majority of Venice's economy, with upwards of 50,000 people from around the world thronging the footpaths, bridges and all varieties of transport daily, year-round. Geographically, it is accessed along a bridge that caters for trains, cars, buses, cyclists and pedestrians, with the train station, bus station, car park and sea port all grouped together centrally.

This offers a wide choice in how to experience the city. Yes, there are the gondolas and their gondoliers (many relate snippets of history and some even sing too!), but there are many options.

One of the most important destinations in Venice is St Mark's Basilica on the Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square), and the nearby Watchtower. To get there - it's located the other side of the city from the main bridge entrance so, to get there, one has a significant choice. There are the (public transport) water buses - which can traverse the main waterways including the Grand Canal which snakes like a serpent through the city - the water taxis (which each take up to circa 8 passengers), the gondolas (with a capacity of up to 4-5 people), or via shank's mare (walking). Note: there are even transport boats to ensure that private residences and commercial operations have deliveries of fresh supplies...

What we wanted to do is to experience the interior of the city, so we bought a reasonable city map for €3 and set off. Venice may be a city on water, but its sizeable number of bridges over the canals means that pedestrians are continually walking up and down steps. Not that they are tricky or difficult, they're not at all, it's just the number of people we came across who were trying to drag wheelie-suitcases up and down the steps... the porters from the train & bus stations had the right equipment to deal with the steps though - trolleys with two wheel axles which could be maneuvered easily up and down the steps - they had perfected it to an art form.

So, off we traipsed, map in hand, plotting a route to Rialto Bridge, then on to St Mark's Square. Many of the streets are so narrow that it's impossible to have a conversation with someone beside you, so sometimes it's progressing in single file, while other times there is ample space for two, or even three, abreast. The streets are lined withshops, many offering all types of masks, with others offering plates, tapestries, lace and all manner of souvenirs.

Upon reaching Rialto Bridge we were amazed by the number of hawkers and market stalls, but the actual bridge is currently undergoing renovations so no photographs would be possible, either from or of the bridge. But that's not to say there were few photo opportunities, not at all, it was difficult to not use a camera, such was the magnificence of the buildings, the churches, the towers, the squares, the canals, all manner of boats, and the people...

Choosing where to eat was itself a challenge, as there are so many restaurants, etc., from which to choose. Many Italians choose to buy snacks - and this extends from sandwiches and slices of pizza to ice cream - and eat them on the street or walking around a square. Others have tables and chairs both inside and outside, with prices quite reasonable altogether. And although there were many people around, we got a table easily and we weren't rushed at all.

We arrived in St Mark's Square and marvelled at the ornate buildings, particularly the Basilica and the Watchtower. Surprisingly, the square wasn't as densely populated with tourists as some of the paths and streets had been, but the pigeons were certainly out in numbers, akin to what Trafalgar Square certainly used to be like.

We arrived at high tide; this became evident during the afternoon as the water-level dropped and the stench in some of the canals with brackish water become more pungent. But this was a mere distraction and did not really impact on our enjoyment.

We looked out over the bay and took in the sea breeze, before crossing to Dorsoduro and the Accademia. This was also the university quarter, with a student campus to boot. Here too, construction was ongoing, and the architecture a joy to behold.

We were reminded there of the Opera, with the Teatro La Fenice putting on Puccini's Madame Butterfly that evening, there are also countless museums, art galleries and churches to visit, including the Church of San Maurizio which houses a Vivaldi collection of musical instruments.

One of the special events happening in Venice is the Celebration for the Festa del Redentore on 14 July with a parade of floating pontoons links Venice with Giudecca and involves boats, fireworks and much more... Before that, on 15 May, the city hosts the 42nd Vogalonga, a festival of boat races. Two very colourful festivals, but there is always something happening in Venice...

I'm not going to wait for another 20 years to pass by before I visit Venice again...

To get there, Luxair is operating three flights/week (on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays) from 29 March to 29 October - see www.luxair.lu. For hotels, check the LuxairTours' Metropolis brochure for a number of hotels well-located throughout the city. From Venice, it is also easy to get to nearby cities by train, within a two-hour radius - to the west Verona (for the Amphitheatre and Juliette's balcony), in the south Bologna (the university city and its famous two towns) and Trieste (beaches) to the north.

For the full photo album (on Facebook), see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.848310201946953.1073741904.238112732966706&type=3.

Photos by Geoff Thompson