Venice is one of those magical cities that makes you fall in love with it. While it has been known to become overrun with tourists and a prevalence of cruise ships in recent years which has lead to some visitors to be initially disappointed, don’t discount how truly unique and incredible the city of Venice truly is. Most people will tell you to make Venice a one day trip. Personally, we find this to be a huge mistake. You absolutely can see everything you need to see in Venice in only 1 day, however you will miss out on the truly special charm that its winding, narrow alleyways and water filled streets provide when you allow yourself to get lost in its maze for a couple days and truly enjoy the city and all its hidden nooks and crannies rather than treating it like a sightseeing expedition to take in its most famous sites.
Getting to Venice
Venice is a small cluster of islands located just off the mainland of Italy’s northeastern coastline. The nearest airport is Marco Polo Airport. From here there are bis and water taxi options for getting to Venice. Alternatively you can arrive via Venezia-Mestre train station from which you can similarly take either the bus or water taxi into Venice. If you have a car you can drive right up to the edge of Venice and park in one of the many garages near Piazzale Roma. You can even book your spot in the garages in advance to make sure they are not full when you arrive.
Once you get to Venice though, there are no cars, only water taxis. You will have to either take a water taxi, walk or use the public water bus, known as the Vaporetto. If you take a private water taxi be prepared to pay close to 50EUR.
Once in Venice, one of the best ways to get around, besides just wondering around and getting lost, is using the public water bus taxi service called The Vaporetto. A single ticket is 7.50EUR. They also sell 24 hour, 48 hours and 72 hour passes. But, you shouldn’t need to be using the Vaporetto on your trip enough to need any of those. You can look up the schedule and dock locations HERE.
If you plan on going to a bunch of museums and galleries you can purchase a Venice City Pass HERE where you will receive 20-30% off at most attractions.
If you want to help yourself avoid the crowds from the cruise ships check out this cruise ship calendar which will let you know when the least amount of cruise ships are docking in Venice.
Where to Stay in Venice
Ca’ Bonvicini
This is the most lovely bed and breakfast hotel in the entire city. This is the absolute perfect spot for a romantic getaway. You and your significant other will enjoy lounging around your room and enjoying the balcony windows just as much as you enjoy exploring the city.
Excess Venice Boutique Hotel & Spa
A fantastic, standard hotel in a great location, just a short walk from the crowded city center. They have an excellent private garden where you can enjoy a lovely aperitif.
Hotel Heureka
Eclectic, contemporary designed rooms in a centuries-old palazzo. Vibrant artwork covers the walls and makes a stunning contrast to the marbled floors, and exposed, original wooden beams inside the palace.
The Gritti Palace
If money is absolutely no object whatsoever…
Things to do in Venice
It is almost impossible to not fall in love with Venice after a 3-4 day trip where you spend your days with no itinerary whatsoever, but rather embrace just getting lost through the cities infinite winding maze of alleyways and canals, eating, drinking and shopping your way through your day. Below I’ll list some of the main attractions simply so you know what they are, but they are mostly things you will naturally stumble upon as you wonder around the city aimlessly. Make sure to check out the less touristy areas of the city like Cannaregio and Castello as well.
San Marco’s Basilica
Palazzo San Marco is the central square of Venice and holds most of its must see tourist attractions. At the far end of the Palazzo is San Marco’s Basilica which is one of Italy’s most stunning churches. Book an after hours private tour: HERE
San Marco’s Square
As stated above, Palazzo San Marco is Venice’s premier square and host to most of its tourist attractions. You’ll find high end cafes with live music surrounding the square and a couple decent restaurants along with the attractions. Just beware, the prices for even a coffee in this square are astronomically elevated for tourists. Just a block away you can get similar food and coffee for a tenth of the price.
San Marco Campanile
St Mark’s Campanile is the bell tower of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy. It is the tallest structure in Venice. Galileo used the campanile as an observatory as early as 1609. You can climb the tower for the small price of 8EUR if you want to grab a stellar view of the city below.
Ponte di Rialto
The most famous and most photographed bridge in Venice and quite possibly Italy as well. This bridge provides a stunning backdrop for photos and is lined with tourist shops that you can check out as you walk over it.
Ponte dell’Accademia
This is the largest bridge in Venice and provides the best views of the Grand Canal. If you’re looking for the perfect spot to set up a tripod and take photos of the canal, this is the spot.
Gallerie dell’Accademia
Doges Palace
Bridge of Sighs
This unique bridge between two buildings near Venice’s San Marco Square has a rather morbid history. It once led to a notorious Venetian prison. Across this bridge convicted prisoners would walk either to their own execution or to a lengthy dungeon prison sentence. From the windows of this covered bridge the convict would get their last view of the city of Venice before their sentence was executed. This is where the bridge’s name come from as the sighs of moribund prisoners could often be heard below as they lamented the impending loss of their freedom and often times even their life. Today you can walk through the bridge on a tour of Doges’ Palace. Buy your tickets for a tour HERE.
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
This unique circular church is not much to look at from the inside, but the exterior is simply stunning. If you have time, make sure to walk past it and admire the fantastic Baroque style architecture.
Visit Burano
One of the smaller islands of the Venetian Lagoon, only a short boat ride (~40min) from the city of Venice, is Burano. To get here take the water taxi from San Marco Square. Burano is known for its brightly painted homes built along its wondering canals as well as being the center of lace-making in Italy. Visiting this quaint fishing village, buying some lace and then sitting in its main square enjoying a fresh fish risotto is the perfect half-day trip from Venice.
If you are staying in Burano long enough to eat, there is really only one place you should try to make a reservation and that is Trattoria Al Gatto Nero. This old inn is the perfect spot if you want to taste a real home-cooked Venetian meal.
If you have ample time to visit Venice, Murano and Burano and still have time left over. Torcello, a small island in the North Lagoon of Venice, just beyond Murano and Burano is believed to be where the city of Venice first began more than 1,500 years ago. You can reach Torcello from Venice on the #12 vaporetto which also serves nearby Murano and Burano. Entry to their famous Byzantine era cathedral and the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta is only 5EUR.
Murano
Another of the smaller islands located just outside Venice and reachable only by water taxi, Murano is best known as the glass blowing capital of Italy. You can stop into the Museo del Vetro to learn all about the history of Murano glass, how its made, and even sign up for a glass blowing class and make some yourself.
Check out these hands-on Murano Glass experience if you decide to take a trip to Murano while in Venice
Workshop Murano Glass Experience
Ride in a Gondola
Or better yet, learn to paddle your own gondola. Check out Row Venice for their excellent tours where you learn the ancient methods of how to row a traditional Venetian boat the Belle Batele.
Scala Contarini Del Bovolo
This hidden treasure near San Marco is a stunning spiral staircase from the Renaissance period. On the top floor you can walk out onto the “Belvedere” and get one of the most fantastic views of Venice, including the domes and Campanile de San Marco. Entry is only 7EUR.
Liberia Acqua Alta
As flooding is a frequent problem in this floating city, many of Venice’s institutions have come up with unique ways of dealing with this perpetual issue. One of the coolest book stores on earth, Liberia Acqua Alta has spent decades protecting its books and magazines by placing them in bath tubs, waterproof containers and even a full-sized gondola. This intriguing setting has become one of the most instagrammed places in Venice.
Crypt of San Zaccaria
The flooded crypt of San Zaccaria is a stunning example of Gothic and Renaissance style crypts. The still water flooding the floor provides an eery scene around the final resting places of Venice’s earliest religious and political leaders, known as Doges.
Museo Leonardo da Vinci
Stop in at the Leonardo DaVinci Museum in Venice. It’s got a small collection of his works, paintings, inventions and recreations of some of his machines. It’s a fun 20 min walk through.
Take a Tour of Local Wineries
Visit a winery estate located in the Valpolicella area where you’ll learn the secrets of Amazon wine making while enjoying a fantastic wine tasting. Then visit a second winery and enjoy another wine tasting before having lunch at a local osteria famous for its menu of fresh local food. On the way back to Venice you’ll stop at a local cheese producer to enjoy same fabulous local cheese and other treats.
Have a Gourmet Meal on an Ancient Venetian Boat
Jump aboard the Eolo, an ancient relic and one of Venice’s last remaining flat bottomed boats and cruise around Venice’s gorgeous lagoons while chef and captain Mauro Stoppa prepares stunning seafood dishes excellently paired with local wines. Completely customizable, you can design your bespoke experience however you like, anything from a half-day experience to a week long excursion. A full day cruise runs about $3-400 per person.
Market, Gondola and Private Dining with Wine Pairing
Join local Venetian and chef Luca as he takes you through the historic Rialto Market telling you tales of Venetian history and purchasing food for your meal later on. After the market you’ll take a 3-4 min gondola ride across the Grand Canal, you’ll then pass through the narrow streets of Cannaregio and the historic Jewish Ghetto on your way to Luca’s restaurant, where you will enjoy a 4-course lunch or dinner paired with local Venetian wine.
Best Restaurants in Venice
Bar alla Toletta
The best place to grab a Tramezzino is Bar alla Toletta (Bar at the Toilet). This tiny local cafe & Tramezzini shop in the Dorsoduro district is always packed, but the food is excellent and a perfect example of this traditional Venetian snack.
Antiche Carampane
A classic Venetian menu where all the dishes are prepared from scratch. You can taste the freshness. They are known for their shellfish and pasta dishes like crabs and spaghettini and pasta alla cassopipa. Their fried soft shell clams are supposedly legendary amongst locals.
Osteria Campo Santa Marina
Osteria Campo Santa Marina specializes in raw fish, like scallops carpaccio with shavings of smoked goose foie gras and sweet white wine jelly and house made pastas like black tagliolini with cuttlefish ink sauce and citrus-flavoured bread. You can try everything from one of their tasting menus.
Al Covo
An Italian chef and his Texan wife run this farm to table eatery out of a simple osteria featuring great tasting menus for lunch and dinner.
Birraria La Corte
The best pizza restaurant in Venice. They also serve giant craft beers as well in a relaxed yet stylish atmosphere.
Il Paradiso Perduto
Featuring a lively cicchetti bar and a bustling dining room full of shared tables, the experience here is both rustic and genuinely local. The menu is distinctly pescatarian as most of the menu features seafood, but they do have plenty of pasta dishes as well.
Arva at The Aman Canal Grande
The most stunning and opulent location that you’ll ever eat in Venice.
Osteria alle Testiere
A small, local-favorite restaurant with only 10 tables and 22 seats. The menu consists of standard Italian fare as well as interesting and unique takes on classic Italian dishes that nod to to Venice’s history as a world trading center. Oriental and Indian spices are often added to give dishes a unique flavor profile for Italian fare. Their potato gnocchi with calamari and a touch of cinnamon is a fantastic dish. If you prefer something more simple and classic though you won’t be disappointed. They serve simple homemade spaghetti with Bevarasse vongole clams, sun-dried tomatoes and locally sourced olive oil that is surprisingly fantastic. Serves only seafood dishes, but they are all extremely well prepared and incredibly imaginative. Book extremely early as their limited number of tables fill up fast.
Fiola at Dopolavoro Venezia
This is an incredibly unique dining experience. Fiola is located on a small island off of Venice that is only accessible by boat. To get there you’ll have to take the free ferry from the JW Marriott at Piazza San Marco which leaves several times every hour throughout the day. Once you disembark at the island, you’ll walk through flowering gardens and an olive orchard to reach a 1920s style building where Chef Fabio Trabocchi will regale you with classic Venetian far like lagoon soft shell crabs and homemade pasta. Especially nice is their collection of rare regional wines from small local producers. They have one of the largest wine collections in the area.
GLAM
Chef Enrico Bartolini has 6 Michelin stars to his name, spread across his 6 restaurants. GLAM, his Venice flagship, is one of the best restaurants in all of Italy.
Trattoria Ca d’Oro alla Vedova
Do not come here without trying their renowned Polpetta, a fried crisp meatball dish in tomato source over a silky polenta.
Quadri
One of Venice’s most famous restaurants, dating back to 1830, Quadri earns its Michelin star not only for its opulently decorated dining room that overlooks Piazza San Marco, which is a stunning enough view to draw you in alone, but also for it’s seasonally inspired tasting menus and generous amuse-bouches.
Osteria Alla Frasca
La Frasca has been serving typical Venetian cuisine since 1903. This is by far the best place to get traditional Venetian fare, always served fresh and presented with flair.
Il Ridotto
A fine dining, tasting menu experience in a relaxed setting amid exposed bricks that provide a rustic charm. The food is stellar and the presentations are great. While the menu doesn’t typically have those classic, authentic Venetian dishes that you often crave while visiting a place like Venice, this is a great change up if you’re tired of eating standard Venetian fare.
Osteria La Zucca
A casual Venetian Eatery serving the only pumpkin flan in Venice complete with sage butter and smoked ricotta. Specializing in seasonal dishes that are particularly good in the fall, Osteria la Zucca is the perfect place to enjoy lunch, a pumpkin flan and a carafe of wine for relatively cheap.
Local
Chef Matteo Tagliapietra has a culinary resume that would make almost any chef on earth jealous. Having worked at Nobu, Noma and a host of other gastronomic temples, Tagliapietra has returned to Venice brining with him culinary experience that is hard to find anywhere else on earth. He mixes Far Eastern influence creatively with classic Italian dishes to make some truly fascinating dishes. The best part is that the location is decidedly paired down, simple and unpretentious. Here you will sit in a wide open courtyard on mismatched wooden chairs in front of what looks like a mom and pop style kitchen.
Al Conte Pescaor
The epitome of homestyle Venetian cuisine, Al Conte Pescaor serves some of the better home cooked Venetian meals in the city.
Chat Qui Rit
A great place to enjoy gourmet tapas for lunch or a fantastic tasting menu experience for dinner. Each coursed expertly paired with wine, Chat Qui Rit serves some of the best small plates in town.
Riviera
Featuring tasting menus with fish, meat or a mix of both, Riviera serves up some of the best raw seafood antipasti and squid risotto in Venice.
Best Chicchetti in Venice
All’Arco
Great small plates to eat, in a wonderful location, with fantastic prices…what’s not to like?
Chicchetteria Veneziana Da Luca e Fred
Local food bar with small tables to eat your chicchetti. Great food and decent prices as well.
Bacaro Risorto
Yet another top chicchetti place in Venice.
Best Bars in Venice
Bar Dandolo at Hotel Danieli
The lobby bar off this opulent 5-star hotel, covered in gold plating and Murano glass chandeliers has been featured in no fewer than 3 different James Bond films (From Russia with Love, Moonraker and Casino Royale).
Harry’s Bar
One of the most expensive places in Venice to eat and drink, this iconic Venetian staple is an institution in Venice. Celebrities have been frequenting this establishment regularly since it opened in 1931. They are known particularly for inventing the Bellini made with Prosecco and white peach puree as well as beef carpaccio.
Cafe Florian
One of the most iconic bars in Venice, Cafe Florian also serves up one of the best breakfasts anywhere in the city. Since it sits right at the heart of Palazzo San Marco expect to pay a premium for the location.
Enoteca Al Volto
Venice’s oldest wine bar serves some of its best food in the form of small plates that can be enjoyed with their stellar wine selection.
Venice Jazz Club
This low cost jazz club has some of the best live music around.
Enoteca Mascareta
One of Venice’s most lively and engaging wine bars and restaurants. They have great food, friendly staff and a great selection of wines.
Bar Longhi
This bar that sits on the Gran Canal in the Gritti Palace, Venice’s premier hotel, is one of the nicest bar you’ll enjoy anywhere in Italy. The decor here is second to none.
Please Enjoy These Other Photos From Our Trip To Venice
