15 Best Things to Do in Venice

Venice is the capital of the Veneto region in the northeast of the country and one of its most beautiful and visited cities, with 50,000 inhabitants and a whopping 25 million tourists a year.

If you want to enjoy the city without falling into the typical tourist traps or getting lost in the crowds, here is a list of essentials for a unique trip that will be useful whether you are visiting Venice for a day or spending a week in the City of Canals.

The impressive St. Mark's Basilica is another must-see if you're visiting Venice for a day. Also located in St. Mark's Square, this Byzantine temple, unique in Italy, was built in 828 to house the relics of this saint.

If the outside is impressive, wait until you see the inside and, above all, the views of the square from its viewpoint. I recommend taking a guided tour of St. Mark's Basilica, but if you're short on time, booking tickets to St. Mark's Basilica will suffice. Without a doubt, it's one of the best attractions in Venice. Want to know some options?

• Tickets for St. Mark's Basilica, from $56
• Tour of St. Mark's Square with a guided tour of the Basilica, from $82
• Guided tour of St. Mark's Basilica, from $54
• Guided tour of St. Mark's Basilica after closing time, from $150
• Guided tour of St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, from $114

And if you're looking for somewhere to eat after your visit, here are some restaurants near St. Mark's Basilica where you can enjoy Italian food as it should be enjoyed.

Located in the great St. Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace is one of the most important monuments in Venice, a symbol of its greatest era of power and splendor and the residence of the powerful doges for almost a century.

More than 120 doges decided the fate of the city inside the Doge's Palace, in its majestic halls and chambers decorated with works of art and paintings by Renaissance artists such as Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto, which you can admire today.

There are many ways to visit the Doge's Palace, but I recommend buying tickets for the Doge's Palace in advance to avoid the long queues at the entrance. Here is a post about the prices of the Doge's Palace in Venice that will answer any questions you may have, and below are several options:

• Tickets for the Doge's Palace in Venice, from $35
• Tickets for the Doge's Palace in Venice with a paper guide, from $53
• Tickets for the Doge's Palace in Venice with audio guide, from $51
• Guided tour of the Doge's Palace, from $71
• Guided tour of St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, from 114
• Guided tour of the Doge's Palace and its prisons in Venice, from $111
• Skip-the-line guided tour of the Doge's Palace in Venice, from $74

In addition to the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica, the imposing 9th-century St. Mark's Square is home to other important buildings and museums in Venice, such as the Clock Tower, the Campanile, the Correr Museum, and the monumental rooms of the Sansovino Library.

You will see many of them when you book a tour of St. Mark's Square, which will help you learn all about its history.

Nicknamed "The Most Beautiful Salon in Europe" by Napoleon himself when he stormed the city and was entranced by its beauty, St. Mark's Square is a must-see for its lively day and nightlife, and you can even pop into one of its historic cafés, such as Café Florian or Café Quadri.

Acqua alta in St. Mark's Square

If you travel to Venice in winter, you may be surprised by the rain and the resulting rise in the water level of the canals. This phenomenon is known as Acqua alta and lasts only a few hours, but if you witness it, don't hesitate to take out your camera.

You are very likely to see it if you visit the city in November or December, but it is practically impossible if you do so in August or September and unlikely but not impossible if you travel to Venice in October, January, or February.

Personally, I think it's quite an experience, but if you want to avoid it, here is a post about the best time to travel to Venice.

Taking a gondola ride through the canals of Venice is a romantic, super enjoyable, and now iconic activity in Venice. I recommend that you don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime experience, but above all, I advise you to book your gondola ride in Venice in advance and online so as not to waste time there, given the high demand and the difficulty of distinguishing between 'official' gondoliers and 'pirates', who are very common in the city. Here are several options:

• Gondola ride in Venice, from $46
• 30-minute gondola ride in Venice, from $46
• Guided tour of Venice with gondola ride, from $68
• Guided tour of hidden Venice with gondola ride, from $109

Given the demand for this activity, there are different combinations available where you can book your gondola ride together with a guided tour of the city or its most important buildings, which will save you money on your trip, especially during special times of the year such as Christmas in Venice, when gondola rides tend to be more expensive.

With more than 400 bridges, it is impossible to walk around Venice without crossing many of them or even passing under most of them when booking a trip on the Grand Canal.

But a cruise on Venice's Grand Canal is not the only way to discover the different essential bridges in Venice, whose history you can learn about thanks to some of the guided walking tours of the city. These are the most important bridges:

In addition to the majestic St. Mark's Basilica, Venice has other important churches that you can visit through some of the tickets that include guided tours of Venice and that stand out for their architecture and the artistic treasures they hide inside. Some of the most important are:

If you are spending at least two days in Venice, I recommend setting aside half a day for an excursion to the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello. You have several options:

• Excursion to Murano and Burano from Venice, from $30
• Excursion to Murano, Burano, and Torcello from Venice, from $30
• Full-day excursion to the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello from Venice, from $35
• Boat trip to the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello, from $45
• Glass tour to Murano from Venice, from $141

Visiting one of the many factories producing the famous Murano glass and learning how it is made by a master glassmaker (something particularly interesting if you are traveling to Venice with children), losing yourself among the colorful fishermen's houses and handmade lace stalls in Burano, and discovering the architectural and historical heritage of Torcello are all unforgettable experiences.

Getting to the islands of Murano and Burano from Venice is easy, but if you want to make the most of your time and see all the tourist attractions in Murano, as well as enjoy everything there is to do in Burano, I recommend an organized excursion.

Excursions from Venice

These islands are two of the must-see getaways from Venice whenever you have the opportunity.

If you're wondering how many days you should spend in Venice, I'd say that you can see the city in a couple of days, or at most three days if you want to see it in depth. If you're planning a four-day trip to Venice, don't hesitate to book an excursion to Murano and Burano, among other nearby cities.

Walking around Venice can be exhausting, but fortunately the Venetian Vaporetto is available to citizens and tourists alike, taking you from one side of the city to the other in comfort while you enjoy the views of the majestic palaces that line its canals.

A tip for visiting Venice? Take a trip along the entire length of the Grand Canal. It is undoubtedly the cheapest way to cross it by water, and although the experience is not as exclusive as a gondola ride, the views are the same and it is one of the main ways to get around Venice.

Often overlooked by visitors to the city, this Jewish quarter is one of the best-preserved ghettos in Europe today. Its streets are even more delicate and narrow than those of the rest of the city, and the history that permeates its walls is worth discovering.

To explore it, I recommend booking a tour of Venice's Jewish quarter—you won't regret it!

During your trip to the City of Canals, you can also consider enjoying one of the best opera or classical music concerts in Venice. During my visit, I had the opportunity to book tickets for the following two events, and I did not regret it:

• I Musici Veneziani concert in Venice, from $41: a 90-minute show where you can listen to Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
• Concert by Interpreti Veneziani, from $48: an unbeatable opportunity to listen to pieces by Bach, Mozart, and Vivaldi, held in the Church of San Vidal, located in the San Marco district.

One of the most rewarding experiences in Venice is climbing up to its spectacular viewpoints, located on terraces or ancient towers, to take wonderful photographs of the panoramic view of this beautiful city. I especially recommend:

Enjoying a gastronomic tour in Venice or having an aperitif are two essential activities for immersing yourself in Italian culinary culture. And Canareggio is one of the most authentic areas of Venice for this. As you stroll through its streets, you can see how Venetians really live, what their houses are like, and even the workshops where they take their boats to be repaired.

At night in Venice, the streets always have a festive atmosphere, with lots of outdoor cafés and groups of young people enjoying an aperitif or a good pizza.

Believe me when I say that you don't want to miss this part of the city. Here is a list of inexpensive restaurants to eat at in Venice.

Here comes the treat of the day: if after hours of intense walking you need a rest but don't want to go back to your hotel, I recommend treating yourself to a cocktail (or a coffee) on the terrace of one of the luxury hotels at the end of the Grand Canal, which offer wonderful views of Santa Maria della Salute.

The Palazzo Gritti (which, as a building in itself, is worth seeing) or the St. Regis are my favorites. But if you prefer to enjoy the views from the opposite side, you'll love the terrace of the Sina Centurion Palace. The terrace has incredible views and is right above the water.

The Bridge of Sighs deserves a special mention, not only for its beauty but also for its history, as it is the bridge that leads to the dungeons of the Doge's Palace.

You'll find it very close to St. Mark's Square itself, and I recommend seeing it both during the day and at night. You'll recognize it immediately as it's the target of flashes from tourists walking around the area.

The Lido of Venice is an area unknown to tourists and loved by the citizens of Venice as it is the beach where they escape to on weekends (especially when the weather is good) to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the city center.

If you're in Venice on one of those hot summer days and you feel like discovering a much more "local" spot, you can get there by vaporetto with your
transport pass (the trip is included in this card) and take a dip like a local. There you'll also find a residential area with bars and restaurants where you can spend a relaxing afternoon. A key destination if you are spending a week in Venice during the summer season.

The city of Venice will probably captivate you so much that you won't want to leave, but unfortunately all good things come to an end, and you have to go to the airport.

Transfers from Venice airport to the city center and vice versa can be just another formality or they can leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Venice is an expensive and very touristy city, so it's not unusual for people to try to rip you off when taking you to and from the airport. To avoid this and, of course, to make the most of your time in the city, my advice is to book your transfer from Venice airport in advance.