Viewed nowadays as a quaint, touristy and somewhat practical way of transferring from Venice airport, water taxi vehicles may one day be attributed for their true importance as the future of transportation in Venice! And should you think we are exaggerating, just look at the facts below for irrefutable proof of these vehicles’ essential role in the city’s future!

A – Venice is sinking. Slowly, yes, but the proof is in the pudding. Sea levels have been rising, and pretty soon there will be more land than water. If you’re a resident of Venice, you will bewanting to leave your house by that point, and get somewhere safe, like Venice airport. Water taxi boats are much swifter than gondolas, and much sturdier. They will undoubtedly be the vehicle of choice on such an occasion.

B – Gondolas are made of wood. Think about it. Gondolas are made of wood. Wood rots when it gets wet. Gondolas are permanently in water, and some of them have been for decades. Five coats of lacquer can only take you so far. Venice airport water taxi vessels, as well as those of other water taxi services around town, are likely to take the place of the aging gondolas in upcoming years.

C – There aren’t that many bridges. Say, fancy walking half an hour to the next bridge over the Grand Canal, of which there are only three? What? You should already be checking in at Venice airport? Water taxi services can take you anywhere in Venice, at any time, without having puny things such as bridges to condition them.

D – They make for great getaway cars. Water taxis are a great way to escape unpleasant situations. Say, for example, you’re afraid of birds: when you’re in Piazza San Marco and the pigeons start flocking in droves, just board a Venice airport water taxi and you’ll be safe inside a plane (away from the birds!) in next to no time!

E – Cab drivers don’t get lost. While even the most accomplished of map-readers and trackers may not be able to find their way to Venice airport, water taxi drivers, like all cabbies, are paid NOT to get lost. So just get in one of those nifty vehicles, take your sightseeing tour or get where you want to go, and don’t worry about going around in circles for two hours!

So as you see, our theory about water taxis being the way of the future wasn’t all that farfetched, was it? Be it from the centre of town or from Venice airport, water taxi services are poised to become the kings of Venice transportation!

Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct. If you’re looking for a Venice airport water taxi, Shuttle Direct can help. We provide pre-booked shuttles to major destinations all over Europe. Wherever you travel, Shuttle Direct can make sure that you don’t miss your car on your holiday abroad.

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Located in northeastern Italy, Venice is the capital of the Veneto region and was ‘officially’ founded on March 25, 421 – which is the time associated with the dedication of the city’s first church. The city itself is renowned for its association with art, culture, and history, and is an ideal destination for student tours to Italy.

Venice encompasses 117 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon, and the main parts of the city do not accommodate cars. Instead, residents and visitors use only footpaths and waterways to get around. While in the city be sure to check out some of the art venues that flourish here by seeing the Doge’s Palace, the Ca’ Pesaro, and visit the islands of Murano.

The Doge’s Palace — Also known as the Palazzo Ducale, The Doge’s Palace is a gothic palace nestled into St. Mark’s Square facing out to the lagoon. Constructed between 1309 and 1424, the palace was originally designed by Filippo Calendario, with new portions added after fires and at various points throughout history. Student tours taking in the palace will enable exploration of the building that was once home to the Doge, as well as the seat of the Venetian government. Nowadays, it houses a collection of museums which guide visitors through the the Museo dell’Opera, the courtyard and the loggias, the Institutional Chambers where the governmental meetings and business were held, and into the Doge’s apartments – which house paintings by famous artists such as Veronese, Tintoretto, and Titian. After seeing inside the palace, head across the famous ‘Bridge of Sighs’ and see the prison, which was originally built to improve incarceration conditions.

The Ca’Rezzonico — Located about midway through the Grand Canal, the Ca’ Pesaro is a large, Baroque, marble palace that was designed by Baldassarre Longhena in the mid 17th century. Student tours to the palace will reveal that instead of being a palatial home it now houses the Museum of Modern Art on the bottom floors, exhibiting works by 19th and 20th century artists such as Kandinsky, Matisse, and Klee. The third floor is home to the Museum of Oriental Art and has a 30,000 strong collection of objects from Japan, China, and Indonesia.

The Islands of Murano — The Islands of Murano are a collection of islands in the Venetian Lagoon linked by a series of bridges, and are home to the famous Murano glassworks. Student tours to the islands can touch on the history of the area – learning, amongst other things, how the glassworkers and factories relocated to the islands to help protect Venice from the fires that plagued the city. While on the Murano islands, be sure to wander around the factories, and visit the many workshops and glass stores, as well as visit the Museo Vetrario – the Glass Museum. Inside the museum, you can learn about the history of glassmaking in Venice, see samples of works from famous glass artists, and discover why Venice has made Murano glass a protected commodity.

Robert Emdur works for Equity Student Travel, the UK’s leading specialist in group travel for students in higher and further education. We organise student tours to destinations around the world covering a wide range of subjects, as well as conference & event-focused trips.

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Prague is the largest city in the Czech Republic and sits on the Vltava River in the northwestern part of the country. Founded around 200 B.C.E., the city has grown over time to become a cultural beacon for Europe, with many music halls, architecturally important structures, universities, and theatres. It is no wonder that families and student tours come to the city in droves large enough to rank it as the sixth most visited city in all of Europe.

One of the most memorable aspects of Prague is its diverse art scene that can be taken in over a few days. While in the city be sure to visit The National Gallery, The House of the Black Madonna, and take a trip around the city to see the various sculptures of David Cerny dotting the cityscape.

The National Gallery — Student tours to Prague will be sure to include the Charles Bridge on a wander around the city, with its thirty statues that line the 14th century structure. Then it’s just a short walk to the venues of the National Gallery – which is actually situated in several locations due to its sizeable collection. The largest of the buildings is found at Veletrzni Palac. The vast collection contains works by several prominent Czech and Slovak artists and an international collection that includes notable names such as Rodin, Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, and Renoir, among many others. Due to the size and locations of the collections of the National Gallery, be sure to allow adequate time for your visit.

The House of the Black Madonna — The House of the Black Madonna is a cubist structure that was designed by Josef Gocar and sits at Ovocny trh 19, 110 00 Praha 1, within easy walking distance for those on student tours. Built in 1911-12 to house a department store in the heart of the city, and later divided up into offices, the building became home to the Centre for Czech Art and Culture in 1994, and then made home to the Museum of Czech Cubism in 2003. The museum itself features works of Czech cubism that date from its zenith in the years between 1910 and 1919. The collection was chosen from holdings in the National Gallery and is supplemented by other various collections. It has a changing exhibition space in the top floor.

David Cerny — While not held within a museum, the works of David Cerny which dot Prague are of no less importance to student tours that come to the city to focus on art. David Cerny is a Jewish/Czech sculptor born in 1967 who gained fame by painting the Slovak tank in the city’s war memorial pink. Begin at the FUTURA Gallery where you will get the chance to climb ladders and stick your head in the rear of a humanesque sculpture and watch a video of politicians. Then head over to the National Theatre, where across the street you can see the (now altered version) of the ‘Nation Itself Forever’ golden sculpture. Next, find the sculpture of the two men peeing on a fountain in the shape the Czech Republic before moving to Namesti U Sv. Anny, to see the ‘Embryo’ blending into the drainage pipe on a building near a sunny square. Next stop is Wenceslas Square, where you can look up to see the hanging statue of Wenceslas riding a dead horse upside down, before walking to Prague’s Lesser Town to see the sculpture of Freud hanging by a hand from a pole! Finally, head out to the Zizkov TV tower and find that it is crawling with metallic babies, literally.

Robert Emdur works for Equity Student Travel, the UK’s leading specialist in group travel for students in higher and further education. We organise student tours to destinations around the world covering a wide range of subjects, as well as conference & event-focused trips.

This article was provided by LeadGenerators, the smartest online marketing agency in London, and the proud host a series of internet marketing training seminars.

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As the largest city (and the capital of France), with an intricate tie to Europe’s culture, art, history and economy, Paris is the perfect location for the 2012 European Independent Film Festival (ÉCU). Since its beginnings in 2006, the ÉCU has been a bright star on the film festival scene, both in Europe and further afield.

The ÉCU is an annual film festival dedicated to the ‘indie’ cinema and is quickly being considered as the ‘European version of Sundance’. Student tours to Paris that include the three-day event at the end of March and the beginning of April in 2012 will be an extraordinary insight into the world of modern European, independent cinema. The ÉCU itself hosts 12 different categories of films, which work to bring together some of the best independent filmmakers in the world. The categories at the 2012 ÉCU include: European submissions – Dramatic Feature, Dramatic Short, Documentary, Animation, Experimental, Music Video, European Youth Film – and non-European submissions – Dramatic Feature, Dramatic Short, Documentary. As well, there are worldwide (European and Non-European) submissions: Student Film, and ÉCU Firsts.

The festival itself will be held at Les 7 Parnassiens and Cinema Action Christine. Les 7 Parnassiens was the first film house in the Montparnasse area to show films in their original language, and it has seven auditoriums ranging from the intimately sized to the larger, more commercial screening rooms. Student tours should spend some time in Les 7 Parnassiens, but also visit the Cinema Action Christine – a twin art movie theatre that opened in 1972 in the Latin Quarter of the city.

Not only will student tours to the ÉCU enable students to experience some of the best of the independent films being made in Europe, but they will also have the opportunity to be exposed to the various categories of ‘foreign’ films that allows for entries by non-European filmmakers. There is also a category of ‘student films’ and participants will be able to receive feedback on some of their works while learning to workshop others’.

One of the most interesting aspects of the ÉCU is the ‘Speak to the Directors’ panels that are ongoing throughout the event. Here, those on student tours will be able to ask various directors questions regarding their current films, their outlook on independent cinema and where it may be headed in the future. They may even be able to get a bit of information from the director about their upcoming projects.

In addition to this, the ÉCU brings together a host of agents, talent scouts, actors and actresses, directors, production companies and their representatives, distributors, and a variety of the film-loving public. It makes for an interesting atmosphere that is less about the glitz and glamour and more about the quality of the films being made. Student tours to the ÉCU will allow you to be a part of the independent film culture that the festival works to present.

Robert Emdur works for Equity Student Travel, the UK’s leading specialist in group travel for students in higher and further education. We organise student tours to destinations around the world covering a wide range of subjects, as well as conference & event-focused trips.

This article was provided by LeadGenerators, the smartest online marketing agency in London, and the proud host a series of internet marketing training seminars.

Thank you for visiting our article directory! Feel free to use any of our travel writing articles for your own website, on the condition that you also take the link we have included in the text. Check back for more travel writing soon; we’re uploading more original travel articles all the time!