Visit Venice

Things to Do

From Byzantine mosaics to blown glass, Venice layers a thousand years of art, craft, and spectacle across 118 islands. These are the experiences worth your time.

All Attractions

39 listed
Arsenale di VeneziaDawid Tkocz / Unsplash
landmark

Arsenale di Venezia

The Arsenale di Venezia is Venice's medieval shipyard, once Europe's largest industrial complex, now the Biennale's main venue.

Bridge of SighsAlessio Furlan / Unsplash
bridge

Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs in Venice is an enclosed Baroque bridge connecting the Doge's Palace to the New Prisons, built in 1614.

Visiting Burano IslandYoonsuh Park / Unsplash
island

Visiting Burano Island

How to get to Burano island from Venice: vaporetto routes, best times for photos, where to eat, and what to buy.

Burano IslandDaniela Becerra / Unsplash
island

Burano Island

Burano island near Venice is famous for its rainbow-coloured houses and centuries-old lace, 40 minutes across the lagoon.

Ca' d'OroNastya Dulhiier / Unsplash
palace

Ca' d'Oro

Ca' d'Oro is Venice's finest Gothic palace, housing the Franchetti Gallery with Mantegna and Bellini on the Grand Canal.

Ca' RezzonicoTom Keighley / Unsplash
museum

Ca' Rezzonico

Ca' Rezzonico is Venice's museum of 18th-century art in a Grand Canal palazzo, with Tiepolo frescoes and a period pharmacy.

Clock Tower VeniceBrandon Style / Unsplash
landmark

Clock Tower Venice

The Clock Tower Venice (Torre dell'Orologio) features an astronomical clock, mechanical Magi, and rooftop bronze Moors on Piazza San Marco.

Doge's PalaceIsmael Lima / Unsplash
palace

Doge's Palace

Doge's Palace in Venice: Gothic masterpiece housing Tintoretto's Paradise, the Bridge of Sighs, and the Secret Itineraries tour.

Gallerie dell'AccademiaDenis Denis / Unsplash
museum

Gallerie dell'Accademia

The Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice holds the world's finest collection of Venetian painting, from Bellini and Titian to Tintoretto and Veronese.

Gondola RidesVladan Raznatovic / Unsplash
experience

Gondola Rides

Iconic Venetian canal experience by traditional gondola, with official rates from 80 EUR per boat.

Jewish Ghetto VeniceMattia Agustoni / Unsplash
landmark

Jewish Ghetto Venice

The Jewish Ghetto in Venice is Europe's original ghetto (est. 1516), with five historic synagogues, a museum, and guided tours.

Libreria Acqua AltaOscar Chevillard / Unsplash
landmark

Libreria Acqua Alta

Libreria Acqua Alta is Venice's famous bookshop where books fill gondolas and bathtubs, with cats and a book staircase.

Murano Glass TechniquesMorteza Mohammadi / Unsplash
cultural-heritage

Murano Glass Techniques

A guide to Murano glass techniques: millefiori, filigrana, lattimo, aventurine, and sommerso. How master glassblowers work at 1,100C with centuries-old tools. How to spot authentic pieces.

Murano Glass MuseumDeirdre Boys / Unsplash
museum

Murano Glass Museum

The Murano Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro) holds the world's largest Venetian glass collection, from Roman antiquity to modern design.

Murano IslandMatej Pribanic / Unsplash
island

Murano Island

Murano island near Venice is the lagoon's glassmaking hub, with centuries-old furnaces, artisan showrooms, and a Byzantine basilica.

Palazzo Contarini del BovoloLex Brogan / Unsplash
palace

Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo

Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is a Gothic palazzo famed for its spiral staircase, hidden in a quiet Venice courtyard.

Palazzo GrassiTimothy Abraham / Unsplash
museum

Palazzo Grassi

Palazzo Grassi in Venice hosts Pinault Collection exhibitions in a Tadao Ando-renovated Grand Canal palazzo. Tickets, hours, and current shows.

Peggy Guggenheim CollectionTimo Mäkeläinen / Unsplash
museum

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice features Picasso, Pollock, and Ernst in a Grand Canal palazzo. Tickets, hours, and visitor tips.

Punta della DoganaMicky White / Unsplash
museum

Punta della Dogana

Punta della Dogana is Venice's former customs house, now a Tadao Ando-renovated contemporary art museum for the Pinault Collection.

Rialto BridgeSeongil Park / Unsplash
bridge

Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge is Venice's oldest Grand Canal crossing, a 1591 stone arch lined with shops at the heart of the historic market district.

San Giorgio MaggioreJonathan Vinial / Unsplash
church

San Giorgio Maggiore

San Giorgio Maggiore is a Palladio-designed church on its own Venice island, with Tintoretto masterpieces and the city's best bell tower views.

St. Mark's CampanileAnton Volnuhin / Unsplash
landmark

St. Mark's Campanile

The Campanile di San Marco is Venice's tallest bell tower at 98.6 meters, with a panoramic observation deck over the lagoon.

Santa Maria della SaluteSheila C / Unsplash
church

Santa Maria della Salute

Santa Maria della Salute is Venice's iconic Baroque basilica, built as a 1630 plague vow, with works by Titian and Tintoretto inside.

Scala Contarini del BovoloYiwen / Unsplash
landmark

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

The Scala Contarini del Bovolo is a hidden spiral staircase in Venice rising 26 meters to panoramic rooftop views.

Scuola Grande di San RoccoTom Keighley / Unsplash
museum

Scuola Grande di San Rocco

The Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice holds over sixty Tintoretto masterpieces spanning two decades. Tickets, hours, and visiting tips.

St Mark's Basilica Mosaics: 8,000 Square Metres of GoldSuraj Tomer / Unsplash
art

St Mark's Basilica Mosaics: 8,000 Square Metres of Gold

St Mark's Basilica contains 8,000 square metres of gold-ground mosaics spanning 800 years. The Genesis cycle (110 panels, c.1275) may preserve illustrations from a lost 5th-century manuscript.

St. Mark's BasilicaNathalie Lays / Unsplash
church

St. Mark's Basilica

St. Mark's Basilica in Venice features 8,000 sqm of golden mosaics, the Pala d'Oro altarpiece, and the original bronze horses from Constantinople.

Teatro La FeniceValeriia Ruban / Unsplash
theater

Teatro La Fenice

Venice's legendary opera house, rebuilt twice from fire, hosting world premieres by Verdi and Rossini in a gilded five-tier auditorium dating to 1792.

Torcello IslandMarialaura Gionfriddo / Unsplash
island

Torcello Island

Torcello island is the lagoon's oldest settlement, with a 7th-century basilica, Byzantine mosaics, and an atmosphere of deep antiquity.

Venice Biennale: History and Visitor GuideHasmik Ghazaryan Olson / Unsplash
cultural-event

Venice Biennale: History and Visitor Guide

The Venice Biennale, founded in 1895, is the world's oldest international art exhibition. National pavilions in the Giardini since 1907, with the Arsenale as second venue. Art Biennale in odd years, Architecture in even years, April to November.

Venice Carnival: A Thousand Years of MasqueradeStephen McFadden / Unsplash
festival

Venice Carnival: A Thousand Years of Masquerade

Venice Carnival dates to 1094 and reached its peak in the 18th century, when the masked season lasted nearly half the year. Banned by Napoleon in 1797, it was revived in 1979 and now draws 3 million visitors.

The Venetian Doge Election SystemSahana Kulur / Unsplash
historical-heritage

The Venetian Doge Election System

The Venetian Republic elected its Doge through 10 alternating rounds of lot and vote for over 500 years (1268-1797), the most complex election system in history, designed to prevent any single family from controlling the outcome.

Venetian Forcola and Voga alla Veneta RowingJoshua Hummell / Unsplash
craft

Venetian Forcola and Voga alla Veneta Rowing

The Venetian forcola is a hand-carved walnut oarlock with 8 positions for the oar. Voga alla veneta rowing is done standing, facing forward, enabling navigation in water as shallow as 30cm.

Giardini della Biennale: Venice's Pavilion GardensSasha Matveeva / Unsplash
park

Giardini della Biennale: Venice's Pavilion Gardens

The Giardini della Biennale, created by Napoleon in 1807, house 30 national pavilions built between 1907 and 2018. Free to walk through between Biennale seasons; full ticket required during exhibitions.

History of the Venetian GondolaAlessio Bachetti / Unsplash
history

History of the Venetian Gondola

The Venetian gondola traces its origins to 6th-century marsh boats. First documented in 1094, it evolved through four design phases. At its peak, Venice had 10,000 gondolas for 100,000 citizens.

The Great Council ChamberSOHAM BANERJEE / Unsplash
historical-heritage

The Great Council Chamber

The Sala del Maggior Consiglio in the Doge's Palace: one of Europe's largest rooms (54m x 25m), home to Tintoretto's Paradise (the world's largest canvas oil painting), and the chamber where over 2,000 nobles governed the Venetian Republic.

Lesser-Known Islands of the Venice Lagoonantonio molinari / Unsplash
island

Lesser-Known Islands of the Venice Lagoon

Beyond Murano, Burano, and Torcello: the Venice Lagoon's 118 islands include the cemetery island of San Michele, the Armenian monastery of San Lazzaro, the garden island of Sant'Erasmo, and the quarantine island of Lazzaretto Nuovo.

Venetian Mask Types: Bauta, Moretta, Plague Doctor, and MoreSarim K / Unsplash
craft

Venetian Mask Types: Bauta, Moretta, Plague Doctor, and More

Venice's mask-makers (mascherari) held their own guild. Key types include the bauta (worn at government meetings), the silent moretta, the plague doctor, the colombina half-mask, and the volto.

History of Murano GlassNick Fewings / Unsplash
cultural-heritage

History of Murano Glass

Venetian glassmaking traced to the 8th century through archaeological evidence. Masters relocated to Murano in 1291. Techniques like millefiori, filigrana, and lattimo passed master-to-apprentice for centuries. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.