🇮🇹Italy · Places to discover
What to see in Venice?
24 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Venice operates according to its own logic: no cars, neighbourhoods that turn their backs to one another with the tides, an economy built on water since the ninth century. The Cannaregio sestiere or the fondamenta of the Giudecca reveal a city that continues to exist outside the tourist circuit, even if that circuit now occupies considerable space.
September and October offer reasonable light and visitor numbers-July turns St Mark's Square into permanent gridlock. Two nights minimum are needed to get below the surface; three allow you to breathe. Arrive by vaporetto from Santa Lucia station, never by private taxi from the Tronchetto. Avoid eating within a hundred metres of the Rialto Bridge: prices double and quality plummets.
Landmarks & heritage
3 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Arsenal of Venice
The former industrial heart of Venetian naval power, now partially open during the Biennale. The marble lions at the entrance and decommissioned shipyards exude a unique atmosphere.
2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0Landmark
Rialto Bridge
The oldest stone bridge across the Grand Canal, still animated by merchants as in the 16th century. Cross it early morning to see it without crowds and admire the canal from its arcades.
3Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Landmark
Scuola Grande di San Rocco
A hidden treasure containing Tintoretto's cycle of paintings, often overshadowed by major museums. A local will tell you it's the Venetian Sistine Chapel – essential viewing.
Museums
2 places
4Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Museum
Gallerie dell'Accademia
The museum that traces eight centuries of Venetian painting, from Bellini to Tiepolo via Tintoretto and Veronese. Less daunting than the Louvre but equally rich artistically.
5Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Museum
Murano Glass Museum
Located in a 17th-century palazzo on the island of Murano, this museum traces the thousand-year history of Venetian glass. Attend a glass-blowing demonstration at a neighbouring foundry to complete your visit.
Religious sites
4 places
6Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Religious site
Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli
A small Renaissance church entirely clad in coloured marble, tucked into a canal in the Cannaregio district. Nicknamed the 'jewel box' by Venetians themselves.
7Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Religious site
Basilica Santa Maria della Salute
A Baroque church built as an ex-voto after the plague of 1630, dominating the entrance to the Grand Canal. Its silhouette is the very image of Venice seen from the Piazzetta.
8Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Religious site
San Zaccaria Church
A magnificent Renaissance façade concealing a masterpiece by Giovanni Bellini in the left apse. Less visited than Saint Mark's despite its exceptional artistic quality.
9Wikimedia CommonsReligious site
Basilica di San Marco
Masterpiece of Byzantine architecture with its gilded mosaics and bronze horses. Arrive early in the morning to avoid queues and watch the light play across the domes.
Castles & fortresses
1 place
10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Castle
Doge's Palace
Former seat of power of the Venetian Republic, connected to the prisons by the Bridge of Sighs. The chambers of the Council of Ten and the Great Council Hall are among Europe's most impressive.
Nature
3 places
11Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5Nature
Burano Island
A fishing village with brightly painted houses, 40 minutes from Venice by vaporetto. Intricate lacework has been handcrafted here for centuries and the canals remain alive with activity.
12Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Nature
Island of Sant'Erasmo
Venice's 'vegetable garden', an agricultural island inhabited by market gardeners who supply Venetian markets. Hire a bike on the island and explore the vineyards and purple artichokes, a local speciality.
13Wikimedia CommonsNature
Island of Torcello
Nearly deserted island in the northern lagoon, the birthplace of Venice, with its 7th-century Byzantine cathedral. Hemingway stayed here and the surrounding lagoon is wild and silent.
Viewpoints
5 places
14Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0Viewpoint
Punta della Dogana
Former maritime customs house converted into a contemporary art museum by François Pinault, at the tip of Dorsoduro. The sunset from this point over the Grand Canal is one of the most beautiful in the city.
15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Viewpoint
Campanile of San Giorgio Maggiore
The campanile on the island of San Giorgio offers the best panoramic view of Venice, less crowded than St Mark's. The vaporetto crossing from Riva degli Schiavoni takes two minutes.
16Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Viewpoint
Molino Stucky Hilton Rooftop Terrace
The rooftop terrace of the former neo-Gothic mill converted into a hotel offers the most hidden 360° panorama over Venice and the lagoon. Accessible at the rooftop bar without the need to stay at the hotel.
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Viewpoint
Viewpoint
Island of Giudecca – South Fondamenta
The south bank of Giudecca offers an unobstructed view of the lagoon and Venice from the other side, free from tourists. Venetians live here, private gardens descend to the water.
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Viewpoint
Viewpoint
Fondamenta delle Zattere
Long, sunny promenade along the Giudecca Canal, on the south side of Dorsoduro. Venetians come here to sunbathe and eat ice cream facing the island of Giudecca.
Activities
2 places
19Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Activity
Rialto Market
Venice's oldest food market, where restaurateurs have sourced supplies every morning since the 11th century. Arrive before 9am to see the fishmongers selling fish caught from the lagoon overnight.
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Activity
Activity
Santa Sofia Traghetto Gondola
Traghetto gondola crossing in Cannaregio, used by Venetians to cross the Grand Canal for a few cents. An authentic experience, standing in the boat like a local resident.
More to discover
4 places
21Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Place
Campo Santa Margherita
The most lively square in Venice outside Piazza San Marco, the heart of Dorsoduro's student quarter. Bars, local groceries, children playing – this is where the pulse of real Venice beats.
22Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Place
Venice Ghetto
The world's first Jewish ghetto, created in 1516, with tall, narrow buildings built out of necessity due to space constraints. The Jewish museum and 16th-century synagogues bear witness to a millennia-old history often overlooked.
23Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Place
Squero di San Trovaso
One of the two last active gondola shipyards in Venice, visible from the opposite fondamenta. Gondolas are built and repaired here using techniques passed down since the Middle Ages.
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Place
Place
Libreria Acqua Alta
Iconic bookshop in the Castello where books are stored in gondolas, bathtubs and small boats to protect them from acqua alta. A cat sleeps on a staircase made of bound books.
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