Venice Grand Canal Mall Taguig City

Background

Venice Grand Canal Mall is an Italian-inspired mall located at Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Hill in Taguig City. It features a Grand Canal which has a size of 656 feet long and 49 feet wide along the three-story mall where tourists can fully experience a Venetian way of life. Also, visitors can experience a ride on the gondola. A gondola is a wooden boat that has a size of 36 feet and is hand-built using exceptional workshops. It is said to be that gondoliers maintain their own boats, and professions are frequently passed down from father to son for generations to come. The gondola can be found below the Rialto Bridge replica inside the mall.

According to its past history, BAUER Foundations Philippines, Inc. was assigned with the construction of the digging pit for the mall. The construction site is positioned adjacent to the main Venetian tower and is near a fifteen-story building with two basement levels. The foremost scope of works consisted of a diaphragm wall with ground anchors. In spite of that, the secant pile wall was planned and designed by BAUER Foundations Philippines, Inc. to be able to accomplish the shoring from a few different elevations and to account for a number of corners and curved alignments of the wall, contemplating that it is placed near the mall boundary line.

As a result, four hundred fifty-two secant piles with 880-millimeter diameter were built using different kinds of drilling rigs, to serve as a pile wall for maintaining structure. Furthermore, BAUER Foundations Philippines, Inc. was in charge of installing 550 ground anchors as well as the construction of various beams. The construction floor area is 77,355 square meters and it has three floors. The type of construction service was civil, architectural, structural, waterproofing, and painting job.

Venice Grand Canal Mall was opened to the public in the year 2015 and it is owned by Megaworld Corporation. The mall is situated at the fifty hectares of McKinley Hill township of Megaworld Corporation in the city of Taguig. In the year 2017, Venice Grand Canal Mall was granted the best retail architectural design at the Philippines Property Awards. It is considered by many the most romantic mall in the Philippines because of its elegant design and structure.

At the entrance of the mall, the Lion of Saint Mark symbol can be found. The Venetian tradition states that when Saint Mark was traveling across Europe, he arrived at a lagoon in Venice, Italy where an angel appeared to him and said “Pax tibi Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum.” The meaning of that in the English language is “May Peace be with you, Mark, my evangelist. Here your body will rest.”

Aside from the iconic symbol, the Piazza is also adorned with Venice iconic monuments such as the Piazza Grande where a group of pigeons can be seen late in the afternoon. Moreover, this mall has an exceptionally Italian spectacle and dining experience. It also boasts entertainment from diverse bands and singers across the world. There is also a bazaar inside the mall where shoppers can buy different kinds of products and items. Presently, Venice Grand Canal Mall attracts thousands of visitors every day. A trip to Taguig City will not be complete without visiting this amazing mall.

Name: Venice Grand Canal Mall
Address: Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Hill, Taguig City, Philippines
Features: unique shopping mall, Italian-inspired architectural design, and gondola ride

My trip to Venice Grand Canal Mall

I was watching an Intramuros travel vlog on YouTube when suddenly a travel vlog video about Venice Grand Canal Mall suddenly appear. At first, I didn’t know about the mall so I was intrigued to watch the whole video for fifteen minutes. After finishing watching the travel vlog video, I told myself that I will go to this mall someday in the near future when I’m available. Days have passed by and my rest day from my work has come. So I immediately prepared myself and do my planned trip. It was Wednesday afternoon when I have a road trip going to the mall.

The road trip and commuting last for one hour. At 3 pm, I arrived at McKinley Hill and I asked the guard where is the Venice Grand Canal Mall. He pointed me in the right direction and told me that I need to walk for several minutes to go to the mall. Around 3:20 pm when I finally see with my own two eyes the beautiful Grand Canal. Even though it’s a weekday I noticed that the mall is crowded. I love the waterways and I even see a European tourist exploring the mall. I take pictures at the bridge with beautiful background and I fully enjoyed a variety of scenes.

In my opinion, the mall looks like a place in Las Vegas Nevada, a place in Macao China, and of course a place that is very similar to Venice Italy. As I continue my walking tour, my eyes were satisfied by the relaxing view of the complex and wonderful scenery. I feel like I’m in other parts of the world. It’s truly amazing and really a sight to see because I really feel I’m in Venice already even though I haven’t set my foot in Italy.

I have a taste of what it feels like to be in Italy. Also, it’s an alfresco-type mall that includes upscale retail shops, cinemas, restaurants, and walkable open spaces from the ground floor up to the third floor of the building. The centerpiece of the mall is the bluish Grand Canal which is very comforting to the eyes. For this reason, it became one of my favorite malls in Metro Manila.

As I continue to explore the romantic mall I was so impressed by the singer singing Italian songs to their customer. I also want to experience the gondola ride but unfortunately, there was a long waiting line at that time. Nevertheless, I think the mall was really a good place for family bonding and having a date with your loved one because of the different cuisines and classical vibes it offers. I have my early dinner at Burger King. Afterward, I buy one bag at the bazaar because at that time there are many sales promos.

I stayed at Venice Grand Canal Mall for nearly four hours. I noticed that the Grand Canal was much better at night because of the decorative various lights. Also, the mall is so clean, neat, and Instagrammable everywhere I look. The mall was clearly organized and well designed. In my head, it’s indeed more fun in the Philippines. I enjoy exploring the place with no talking.

After my walking tour at Venice Grand Canal Mall, I ride a jeep going to Market Market and have a night walk at the amazing Bonifacio Global City before I go back to my home. On the whole, my trip to Venice Grand Canal Mall sums up this tremendous quote “the best dreams happen when you’re awake.”

Things to bring:

Facemask
Wallet
Cash and ATM Card
Mobile phone
Outfit of the day (OOTD)
One bottled water
Hand sanitizer
Umbrella
Small handkerchief

Sample itinerary to Venice Grand Canal Mall

3PM – Ride a jeep going to the Venice Grand Canal Mall
4:15PM – Arrive at the mall, explore the mall, snap photos and dine in at the restaurant
7:30PM – Going to Market! Market! Mall
8PM – Walk towards Bonifacio High Street, explore BGC and take a rest
11PM – Going back to your house
12PM – Arrive at the house

How to Go to Venice Grand Canal Mall

By commute

Option 1:

From the MRT Guadalupe station, walk for a few minutes towards the jeepney terminal in front of Guadalupe Mall.
Then ride a jeep with signage of Gate 3 Market Market and tell the jeepney driver to alight you at the bus stop on Lawton Avenue near Telus International Philippines in Park Mckinley West or McKinley Hill.
From Park Mckinley West or McKinley Hill, walk for thirteen minutes to get to Venice Grand Canal Mall.

Option 2:

From Ayala, ride a taxi or motorcycle going to Venice Grand Canal Mall. The taxi fare is around 130 pesos.

By private car

Open your Waze app on your cellphone and pin the Venice Grand Canal Mall.
From Buendia, take the Kalayaan Flyover and proceed to BGC (Bonifacio Global City).
Pass through 32nd Street, McKinley Parkway, and Upper McKinley Road.

Reminders and Tips:

The best time to visit Venice Grand Canal Mall is from 5 pm up to 7 pm to witness the night view of the Grand Canal. Please take note that during the weekend it’s very crowded there so I highly advise you to visit on weekdays. The mall hours are from 11 am up to 9 pm.

There’s no need to bring a vaccine card but always follow proper health protocols. Please sanitize your hands before riding the gondola and observe social distancing.

Since it’s a mall there’s no entrance fee at Venice Grand Canal Mall. Your only expense will be the transportation fee for going to the mall and going back to your house. If you ever get hungry, there are numerous restaurants where you can choose from inside the mall. Cinema, art museum and food hall can also be found.

Fully charge your mobile phone and camera because your mobile phone memory will surely be filled with the beauty of the Grand Canal and the impressive structures of the building around.

The mall is pet friendly but you need to get a pet pass at the concierge and provide pictures of your pet and valid rabies vaccination.

The gondola ride in Venice Grand Canal Mall range from 400 to 500 pesos per head during the weekend. Only two people can ride the boat. You may call this number (02) 7624 1971 to get the latest rate on gondola rides. Note: gondola fee may change without prior notice.

You know the beauty of life and the preciousness of each day, so celebrate achievements in your favorite place. In general, I expect this Venice Grand Canal Mall travel guide has been pleasant to you. Until next time.