Italy

Venice

Floating city of canals and palazzi

118 islands stitched together by 400 bridges. A thousand years as a maritime republic produced palaces, paintings, and a language all its own.

When to go

April–May and October — fewer crowds, no acqua alta.

Getting around

Walk and vaporetto. There are no cars; gondolas are for tourists.

Venice highlights

The top places to start with if you only have a day or two — the essentials before you go deeper.

No. 01 · Landmark

St Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco)

Napoleon called it 'the drawing room of Europe'

Venice's only piazza, framed by the Byzantine Basilica, the Doge's Palace, and the soaring Campanile.

Read more →

No. 02 · Landmark

Grand Canal

The S-shaped main street of Venice

A 4-kilometre water boulevard lined with 170 Gothic, Byzantine, and Renaissance palaces.

Read more →

No. 03 · Where to stay

Rialto Market

Venice's 1000-year-old produce and fish market

Operating since the 11th century — lagoon fish at dawn, vegetables and stand-up cicchetti bars all morning.

Read more →

Things to do in Venice

A curated mix of landmarks, neighborhoods, and museums worth your time in Venice, Italy — grouped by type below.