10 Best Things To Do In Venice

Last updated on April 7th, 2021 at 12:33 pm

The magical and romantic city of Venice is an insanely popular destination in Italy. The beautiful waterways and bridges, historical vibe make this dream city so magical!

Venice was our next destination after Rome – after a tryst with history, we wanted to experience the romantic part of Italy.

Here is a list of 10 Best Things to do in Venice to make it a memorable holiday.

And guess what! You can experience all these even if you have just 2 days in hand in Venice.

Also Read : Top 8 Things To Do In Florence

1) Enjoy the Venice vibe at St Mark’s Square

Piazza San Marco or St Mark’s Square is the largest square of Venice. It was constructed in the 9th century in front of Saint Mark’s Basilica. The square has been a meet and greets place for the Venetians and the perfect place to get oriented with the vibe of Venice.  

What all can you do here? A lot many!  

You can visit the interiors of St Mark’s Basilica and admire the stunning Byzantine architecture.

Feed the pigeons, grab a chair in one of the adjacent restaurants with a coffee, and believe that you are in Venice (yes!) or simply people-watch.  Most of the major sites of Venice are accessible from St Mark’s Square.

You can start your Venice exploration from here and then move on to the other parts of this magical city. 

2) Admire the beauty of Grand Canal

Rightly called the heart and soul of Venice, the Grand Canal is the main water channel and the longest among all the canals in Venice. It is famous for the stately Venetian palaces on its both sides.

Touring the Grand canal by a motorboat is one of the must-dos in Venice. 

Viator offers various packages that provide a panoramic tour of the Grand canal. These tours typically last for one hour. The accompanying live commentary depicting the history of the major landmarks make these tours worth a try. 

3) Cross the Rialto Bridge

Rialto Bridge is a stone arch bridge spanning across the Grand Canal. It was built during the Renaissance period and is visually stunning.

While you will surely walk across the bridge and take selfies here, one of the best things to do is to watch the Grand Canal from Rialto Bridge.

Grab a place in one of the restaurants next to the bridge and be ready for a memorable lunch or dinner experience.

We had dinner at a restaurant next to the Rialto bridge on the last evening in Venice before we left for Florence. It is by far the best food memory I have from Italy. The ambiance and the food were simply magical.

4) Take a Gondola Ride in Venetian canals

Riding a gondola through the Venetian canals with a cool breeze through your hair and the gondolier singing a song – isn’t that a dream of all? Gondola ride seems touristy and hyped, but you need to have the experience while in Venice. No trip to Venice is complete without this.

Yes, it is expensive especially if you are hiring a single gondola to yourself. The standard price for a private gondola ride for 25 to 30 minutes is 80 Euros and the price shoots up to 120 Euros at night. The prices will be lower if you share the gondola with others.

The gondolier will steer through the canals of Venice and briefly explain the history behind the major attractions as you cross them while on a gondola.  

You can board a gondola from just a few blocks away from Grand Canal and St Mark’s Square. A gondola ride is a must-have experience in Venice.

5) Visit Doge’s Palace and Bridge of Sighs

Doge’s Palace is a beautiful Gothic-style palace situated on Piazza San Marco. The palace was the residence of the Doge or the ruler of Venice. The palace looks magnificent from outside and a visit to the interiors is highly recommended. Just ensure to book a skip-the-line tour to avoid queues.

The Bridge of sighs is one of the most notable landmarks in Venice. This beautiful enclosed stone bridge arching high above the canal connects Doge’s Palace with the prison next door. 

English poet Lord Byron described this bridge as the last point where condemned prisoners could see the beautiful city of Venice before they were brought to their executioner.

Bridge of Sighs is visible from outside as part of a gondola ride. You can however cross the Bridge if you take a tour of Doge’s Palace.

6) Off the beaten path – Visit Scuola Grande of San Rocco museum

Not many people visit this place but if you are an art lover, Scuola Grande of San Rocco museum is a must-go. This small museum in central Venice hosts works of the Italian painter Tintoretto. He spent the last 20 years of his life creating the magnificent art here.

The interior consists of a large Ground Floor Hall with an impressive colonnade. A grand staircase leads to the Upper Great Hall and the adjacent smaller hall.

The walls of these rooms and the ceilings of the two upper floor rooms are covered with paintings by Tintoretto illustrating episodes from Old and New Testaments.

Fun fact: The ceiling of the main hall is so intricate, that the visitors tend to look up continuously to admire the beauty of the paintings and the opulence. To help the visitors, the authorities have kept hand mirrors in the hall, so that you can look at the reflection of the ceiling in the mirror and admire its beauty. So thoughtful!

The museum closes by 5:00 PM. You can get the tickets at the ticket office of the museum.

7) Take a day trip to Burano and Murano

Burano and Murano are islands in the Venetian lagoon. Burano is famous for its colorful fishermen’s houses and intricate lacework. Murano is well known for its glass items and glass-making factories. 

You can reach the islands on a vaporetto – a water bus that commutes between the islands and act as a ferry system.

Read about what all you can do on the colorful island of Burano on a day trip from Venice here.

8) Stay in an accommodation right on the Venetian canal

If you fancy staying next to the Grand Canal or St Mark’s square be ready to pay a hefty amount for the accommodation. Why don’t you go a few blocks interior? Not only will you get to experience the local Venice vibe, but accommodations are also less expensive here.

We narrowed down to an Airbnb accommodation right on one of the small meandering canals. How does it feel if you wake up in the morning and get to see a gondolier steering through the canal? It was a dream come true for us! Added advantage – since the location was a little interior, it was less touristy, and we got enough chances to shoot the small bridges spanning across the canals.

9) Collect your souvenir – the Venetian Mask

Do you love souvenirs? I surely do and collect souvenirs from all the places I visit.

Venice is not an exception either. The must-have souvenir to collect from Venice is the Venetian mask. 

Here’s a piece of trivia – The tradition of Venetian masks is century-old. It was typically worn by the privileged classes during party time (Venice was the party capital of Italy’s noblemen) in an effort not to disclose the identity. 

Today, they are worn during the Venice Carnival.

You will get these masks almost at all shops selling souvenir items. We got ours and a couple of smaller ones from a shop next to the Rialto Bridge.

10) Get lost in Venice while wandering

There is a saying that “if you have not lost your way in Venice, you have not been to Venice”. That is so true! While canals are the main mode of transportation, Venice has maze-like lanes all around and they all look similar. 

If you start exploring Venice on foot, chances are there you might lose your way even with a map in hand.

We lost our way twice while coming back to our accommodation.

Final Thought

And there you go! From romantic getaways to offbeat destinations, don’t miss these amazing experiences in Venice.

What’s your favorite Venice holiday memory?

Let me know in the comments below.