There are plenty of interesting buildings in Venice and I’m sure visiting them would be interesting. But for me, Venice is all about the canals. From the moment we touched down at the airport and took a water taxi (Vaporetto) to the hotel, I was smitten. We did actually visit St Mark’s and take a glimpse of some of Venice’s other key buildings. But most of our time in Venice was spent cruising the canals. That, in my opinion, is how to have a city break in Venice.
Venice is very crowded and expensive and gets extremely hot in the summer. I know that some people believe the city doesn’t live up its the hype, but we really enjoyed our trip. In fact, there are so many interesting things to see and do in Venice, that narrowing down a top 10 was a struggle. So I may have cheated a little…
How to get to Venice
We have all seen iconic pictures of the floating city of Venice, but if you’re unsure of the exact geography, Venice is the capital of the Veneto region which consists of 118 islands in the Venetian Lagoon, just off mainland Italy. Marco Polo Airport is on the mainland overlooking the lagoon. You can, theoretically, get to Venice by bus from here. Buy why would you?
Usually, getting from the airport to your destination is a necessary drag before your holiday can get properly started. Not so in Venice, where I think it’s all part of the experience.
From the airport, follow the signs for Vaporetti (water taxis), which take you along a covered walkway to the dock. The 70 minute trip across the Lagoon costs €15 and was one of the highlights of our trip. There are also private water taxis which are faster but far more expensive (over €100).
Our first glimpse of Venice was as the Doge’s Palace and the Bell Tower of St Mark’s came into view. What a sight!
Getting Around Venice
The unique thing about Venice, obviously, is that the main form of transport is by boat. There are several Vaporetti routes, running around and between the various islands. A single trip costs €7.50. Alternatively, passes are available for 24, 48 or 72 hours and cost between €30 and €65. We purchased a 24 hour pass and attempted to follow every route on the the network, some more than once. Note: The pass doesn’t include travel to and from the airport, which has to be purchased separately.
Where to stay in Venice
We stayed at the spectacular Hotel American Dinesen, situated in a 17th century town house on a canal just off the Grand Canal. Hotels on Venice aren’t cheap. If you want to save money, you can stay on the mainland and take a bus, train or water taxi to the islands. Personally, I thought the extra expense was well worth it. Particularly in summer when it’s hot. We didn’t waste any time commuting back and forth. And it was convenient to break the day in two and return to our room for a blast of air conditioning and a cooling Bellini on the roof garden mid afternoon.
Upon arrival at Hotel American Dinesen, we were told there had been a booking mix up. Pros and cons; we had to split our three night stay across two different rooms. The con; the first night would be in a suite. As I already mentioned, we’re cheapskates, we would never book a suite, especially somewhere as expensive as Venice, so this was an added bonus. I was so excited about our suite with its living area and mezzanine level bedroom that I forget to take a photo. For the second part of our stay, we were moved to a fabulously ornate room complete with a huge Murano glass mirror.
Venice: Top 10 Things to do
| 1 | Admire the Grand Canal |
| 2 | Visit the iconic St Mark’s |
| 3 | See the Doge’s Palace |
| 4 | Glimpse at the Bridge of Sighs |
| 5 | Visit the quirky Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo |
| 6 | Ride the Vaporetti |
| 7 | Visit the island of Lido |
| 8 | Take a tour of the Grand Canal Bridges |
| 9 | Take a walk along the edge of the Arsenale |
| 10 | Visit the island of Murano |
No 1 – Admire the Grand Canal
The Vaporetto ride across the Venetian Lagoon brings you to the mouth of the Grand Canal, which was every bit as spectacular as I’d imagined.
What better way to admire the canal than to buy pizza and beer at one of the many restaurants along its banks and watch the world float by?
No 2 – Visit the Iconic St Mark’s
On our first full day, we decided to start with the iconic St Mark’s. There’s quite a lot to do here; there’s St Mark’s Square, St Mark’s Basilica and St Marks Campanile. First, the walk from the hotel to St Mark’s Square, which involved walking across 7 of Venice’s 391 bridges, all chock-a-block with gondolas.
We decided gondola riding wasn’t for us. But if you want the experience, prices start at €90 for 30 minutes, rising to €110 after 7 pm.
St Mark’s Square
After a sweltering walk in the July sunshine, we reached the enormous St Mark’s Square, surrounded by ornate buildings and lined with cafes.
St Mark’s Campanile
We started by ascending St Mark’s Campanile for a view across Venice and beyond. At 98 metres tall, the bell tower is Venice’s highest structure. Not surprisingly, the view is spectacular. Don’t worry, there’s a lift!
From the top, you also get an impressive bird’s eye view of the domed Basilica roof.
The Bell Tower is open daily from 9.30 am until 9.15 pm. Tickets cost €10.
St Mark’s Basilica
The queue to enter Saint Mark’s Basilica was very long and not particularly enjoyable in the searing July heat. But we made it to the front eventually.
My sleeveless top was deemed as exposing too much flesh and I had to purchase a blanket to cover it up. And that’s no fun in July! Wrapped in my blanket and cooking nicely, we entered the enormous basilica. It was built in the 9th century to house the remains of St Mark, which Venetian merchants allegedly got their hands on. For 1000 years it was the Doge’s private chapel. The interior is very grand with copious amounts of gold.
An unusual aspect of St Mark’s is that you can exit onto a roof area for more great views of Venice, plus the opportunity to see some of the Basilica’s mosaics and stone work up-close. More Venetian plundering can be seen here with the Loggia dei Cavalli; four brass horses originally from Constantinople. Actually, they’re replicas, the originals are inside in the museum.
The Basilica is open daily from 9.30 am (2 pm on Sunday) until 5.15 pm. Tickets cost €3. Online tickets cost €6 Euros and enable you to skip the line. Extra entry fees are required for the Treasury (€5) and the Museum/Loggia dei Cavalli (€7).
No 3- See the Doge’s Palace
The Doge’s Palace, the residence of the Doge (similar to a prince) of Venice, was built 700 years ago. The queue to get in was almost as long as at the Basilica. And it costs €30. We decided we weren’t up to another queue in the sweltering heat (or parting with €60) to visit a palace. So, we made do with taking some photos of the exterior of the colonnaded 14th century pink and white palace, which looks like it ought to be plonked on the top of a wedding cake.
The Doge’s Palace is open daily from 9 am until 7 pm (6 pm between November and March). Tickets cost €30 (reduced to €25 if you book online at least 30 days in advance).
No 4 – Glimpse at the Bridge of Sighs
On the side of the Palace is the iconic Bridge of Sighs. This white limestone bridge got its name because it connects the prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace.
No 5 – Visit the quirky Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo
The Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is not one of Venice’s most popular attractions (maybe because it’s quite fiddly to find). But I had seen photos of it and was intrigued by its ornate spiral staircase – like something Rapunzel might have tossed her hair down from?
The staircase is open daily from 10 am until 6 pm in summer (from 9.30 am until 5.30 pm in winter). Entry costs €8.
No 7- Visit the island of Lido
Ironically, for an island, in Venice there’s no actual water where you can take a dip. A great way to cool down on a hot day is to take a Vaporetto across the lagoon to the island of Lido. This 7 mile long sliver of island faces the lagoon to the west, where the water taxi drops you. You can then walk across the island to the east coast which faces the Adriatic Sea.
Disembark the Vaporetto and walk along the Granville Santa Maria Elisabetta to reach the other coast. The road is lined with bars, stores and, most importantly, ice cream vendors. Suitably cooled, continue to the beautifully manicured beach.
The catch in this cunning plan to keep cool, is that you then have to travel back to Venice and will probably get extremely hot and sweaty all over again. I dealt with this issue with a cooling Bellini on the hotel roof terrace.
No 6 – Ride the Vaporetti
We purchased a 24 hour Vaporetti pass and set forth to explore the canals of Venice and its neighbouring islands. Note: Most of the seats on the Vaporetti are covered. In my opinion, the best views are from the uncovered seats at the back, but this entails embarking quickly and fighting small children for the coveted seats. And breathing in a lot of diesel fumes from the engines.
We decided to start with a trip along the Grand Canal, then a circumnavigation of the island, and finally a trip to the neighbouring islands of Burano and Murano. First up, a trip along the Grand Canal. Lines 1 and 2 pass through the canal, with Line 1 terminating near the station and Line 2 carrying on round the island.
No 8 – Take a tour of the Grand Canal Bridges
Accademia Bridge
There are four bridges across the Grand Canal. We were already familiar with the Accademia Bridge, because it was close to our hotel.
Now it was time to sail underneath this wooden bridge dating from the 1930s. It was supposed to be a temporary structure, while a competition was held to design a more permanent bridge, but almost a century later, it is still there…
Rialto Bridge
The next bridge is Rialto Bridge, by far the oldest of the four bridges. Apparently, the 16th Century stone bridge is adorned with stone reliefs depicting St Mark and St Theodore on the north side and the Annunciation on the other. When we visited, most of it was covered due to construction work.
We passed underneath, then hopped off in order to explore further.
The bridge was well packed with souvenir sellers and tourists. To be honest, it’s best viewed from the water.
Scalzi Bridge
We picked up another Vaporetto and worked our way the length of the island, under the Scalzi Bridge; a stone arch bridge dating from the 1930s.
Constitution Bridge
Alighting again at the end of the canal, close to the railway station and Venice’s fourth and final bridge; Constitution Bridge. Venice’s most modern bridge opened in 2008, with its modern design a cause for controversy.
Having completer our trip along the Grand Canal, take a circumnavigation of the island. Line No 4 goes all the way round, giving you the chance to view Venice and its environs in all their splendour.
If you time this right, you may be rewarded with a spectacular sunset cruise.
No 9 – Take a walk along the edge of the Arsenale
Arsenale is a complex of former shipyards and armouries which date back as far as the 12th Century. I really wanted to take a photo of the gap in the fortified walls giving you a glimpse into Arsenale, but I was too slow. So, we decided to go round the island again. Luckily, I caught it second time, as I’m not sure the old man would have agreed to a round three!
You can’t usually visit the interior of this huge medieval shipyard, but have to make do with the glimpse through the bridge at the grandeur beyond. You can disembark and take a walk along the path which runs along the exterior of the crenelated walls.
No 10 – Visit the island of Murano
Back onto another Vaporetto for a ride to the neighbouring island of Murano. First, past the tiny island of Cimitero, where the dead of Venice are buried, then the little island of Burano, which is famous for its colourful houses and its lace making.
Murano is renowned for its glass, which is in evidence everywhere. From glass sculptures in the square to glass shops lining the canal and glass blowing demonstrations in nearby workshops. It’s all about the glass.
We took a wander round the island, admiring all the glass.
After stopping to watch a glass blowing demonstration (quite a feat in the sweltering heat), I went in search of a piece of Murano glass as a souvenir of our trip. There’s some really fancy work on display with some really large price tags, but I settled on a small seagull.
I hope you found the above information useful. For more guides from other destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full Travel Guides list here.
- Trip taken: July 2015
- Updated: June 2024
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