Venice Travel Guide: Discovering the City’s Timeless Wonders

Salutations from Venice

I’m in Venice, Italy, and I’ll take you through the main sights you should see while here. This Venice travel guide will help you explore this floating metropolis. Known for its unique ambiance, countless bridges, and famous architecture. Though occasionally it’s advised to just get lost in Venice, it’s also good to have a plan.

Start at Ponte dell’Accademia

My first stop, the Ponte dell’Accademia, offers one of the most picturesque vantage points in Venice. Known informally as the Accademia Bridge, it may not be the grandest or oldest bridge on the Grand Canal, but its location offers unbeatable views. Here, you’ll find one of Venice’s most picturesque vistas.

Because it’s somewhat farther from the major tourist destinations, this bridge sees fewer crowds compared to other Venetian perspectives. As I stand on the Accademia Bridge, I enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the city. The area around the Basilica di Santa Maria bustles with all the incoming boats. Interestingly, this exact vista once served as my desktop picture. Seeing it in person is surreal. This is a perfect spot to start your Venice travel guide.

Essential Venice: St. Mark’s Square

Next in this Venice travel guide, you must visit Piazza San Marco, informally known as St. Mark’s Square. Situated at the heart of Venice, St. Mark’s Square is crucial for orienting yourself in this busy metropolis. It stands as one of Italy’s most culturally significant plazas, with a history that dates back to the ninth century.

Cafe Florian: A Historical Gem

Napoleon once called this stunning square the drawing room of Europe. This was a fitting tribute to its elegance, even though it is prone to flooding during Venice’s high tide. Busy cafés encircle the square, with Cafe Florian standing out as the second-oldest coffee house in the world and the oldest in Italy. For generations, people have admired its exquisite façade and complex interior. Historical figures like Charles Dickens and Lord Byron have been drawn to it. When it first opened, it catered exclusively to women. You can still enjoy live classical music performed by the band outside, creating a comfortable setting for sipping an expensive beverage.

Legendary Clock Tower

Directly past Cafe Florian, the well-known Clock Tower, or the Campanile di San Marco, rises. Constructed in the ninth century, the first Clock Tower served as both a lighthouse and a clock tower. It fell dramatically in 1902, but amazingly, no one was hurt.

Today, you can pay eight euros to ride the elevator to the top and enjoy one of the best vistas of the Venetian cityscape. Right next to the Campanile, St. Mark’s Clock Tower features two enormous Moors who swing their hammers to strike the bell every hour. This clock tower also boasts one of the earliest digital clock displays in history. It shows time in both Arabic and Roman numerals. Sailors could see the time even from their distant ships.

Exploring St. Mark’s Cathedral

Right now, I’m in the bustling center of Venice, St. Mark’s Square. It is really beautiful here, but you need to be careful with your belongings and watch out for pickpockets, as this area tends to have the most crowds. Despite its size, there isn’t much seating available.

It’s actually forbidden to sit on any of the steps here, so don’t plan to have a lovely picnic lunch as there really isn’t anywhere to sit. When visiting Piazza San Marco, you must see St. Mark’s Cathedral, one of the most unusual and enigmatic churches in Europe. The enormous domes seen from the exterior are only made of thin wood and lead. This design choice gives the church a more opulent appearance and—above all—lighter weight because heavier materials would sink the building. Make sure to pack a shawl to cover your shoulders when it’s time to enter.

Inside, you will find the church covered in elaborate gold mosaics instead of the painted murals typical of Italian basilicas. St. Mark’s has so many mosaics that if you spread them out, they would span about two American football fields. What’s more, the tiles are actually made of genuine gold. While many of these mosaics feature traditional Catholic imagery, others narrate the most well-known story of this particular cathedral. In the year 828, two Venetian traders took St. Mark’s body from Egypt and brought it back to Venice. They housed it in this basilica, making him instantly Venice’s patron saint. This visit is essential for any Venice travel guide.

Discovering the Bridge of Sighs

You must also see the Bridge of Sighs, the next item on my Venice travel guide, while you’re close to St. Mark’s Cathedral. I’m standing right behind the Bridge of Sighs. Though it has somewhat of a macabre past, this bridge is really lovely. The legend surrounding this bridge, which links the Doge’s Palace to the prisons connected to it, is that convicts crossing it on their way from the Doge’s Palace to their prison cells would see their final look of Venice.

Before I arrived, I was actually wondering what they would be seeing. I am astounded by how beautiful the scenery is on the other side of this bridge. Though it’s a really depressing history, it’s kind of amazing to see what the inmates were seeing. It’s now also said that a couple that kisses beneath the Bridge of Sighs and goes beneath it in a gondola will share eternal love forever. If superstitions are your thing, then while you’re here, certainly check that off your list.

Giving Pittsburgh a Nod

It’s kind of fascinating to see that this Bridge of Sighs influenced the Pittsburgh Bridge of Sighs, for those of you who are Pittsburgh lovers out there. Speaking of well-known bridges in Venice, the Rialto Bridge, the most well-known structure crossing the Grand Canal, is just a 15-minute walk away. Just follow the “per Rialto” signs to the Rialto Bridge, where one of Venice’s most famous symbols will meet you.

Exploring the Rialto Bridge

Being the oldest bridge in Venice and having existed since the twelfth century, it is a part of Venetian culture more than just a bridge. One of the greatest views of Venice and the Grand Canal can be had from the edge of the bridge, which also has stores offering genuine Venetian mementos of blown glass art and linens. Arriving early will allow you to capture images of the bridge away from the throng.

Also close to the Rialto Bridge is the Rialto Market, a terrific place to have lunch. Be sure to check out my Venice food tour, which stopped here, to see some of the most famous and delectable dishes to sample on your visit.

A Venetian Jewel, Libreria Acqua Alta

If you want to get some intriguing photos or a memento in Venice, wander down to the Libreria Acqua Alta. Antique books and prints are for sale on every square inch of this famous Venetian jewel of a bookstore. The storekeeper needed a means to elevate his enormous collection off the ground to avoid flooding, so many of the objects are preserved in ancient boats or wooden tubs.

Apart from the books and the renowned book staircase of the establishment, this store is well-known for one additional secret. This bookshop is really on the canal, and one of its great features is that a gondola is moored outside. This is therefore a free method to take a photo inside a gondola without having to pay for a ride. If you’re wondering why I’m looking like an idiot like this with my backpacks on the front of the store, it’s because of the store’s policy.

I am leaving that book shop now, and it was far more delightful than I had anticipated. They had prints and a ton of other stuff. Even if you’re not into books, this was a really cool Venice store.

Waterside Venice Exploration

If you want to spend more time on the lake than the bookstore photo opportunity, you’ll adore these next two things on my Venice travel guide. Not surprisingly, the first method is to take a gondola tour of the city. An amazing experience in Venice can be had exploring the city’s quaint waterways from an elaborately adorned gondola.

Tips for a Great Gondola Ride

You ought to be aware of a few things first, though. Gondoliers provide rides all across the city. Just look for rowers wearing their distinctive striped clothing or one of the many posters advertising their services. Think about what you want to see on your ride before you board the first gondola you come upon. If you want to see more of the Grand Canal, hire a gondolier who lives nearby. If you would rather ride on peaceful side canals, locate a gondolier away from the major attractions. You will pay the same fee wherever in the city, regardless of where you book. You will usually spend thirty to forty minutes on the water.

If you would rather take a cheap gondola ride, find one of the seven “traghetti” crossings in the city. A gondolier will swiftly take you across the Grand Canal here for just €2.

Line 1 Vaporetto: An Affordably Priced Venice Experience

If you’d like to save money, see Venice from the sea, and discover some fascinating history, this next thing is for you: ride Venice Vaporetto Line 1. The term “vaporetto” literally means “water bus,” and these are an incredible, reasonably priced method to view Venice from the water.

I suggest going to the first stop on Venice’s Vaporetto Line 1, Piazzale Roma. Here, you may buy a ticket for a boat that will take you to Piazza San Marco so you may view the most beautiful section of the Grand Canal from the sea. I advise bringing your own headphones and downloading the free Rick Steves audio tour app. This app highlights all the main sites along this water bus route and is precisely timed to coincide with the trip.

I go into details on this. All the same, while on the water, you enjoy traveling around the Grand Canal and have some of the best views of Venice’s buildings.

Venice’s Narrowest Street, Calle Varisco

If you want to see an unusual alley in Venice, wander to Calle Varisco. This street is so tiny—under 2 feet wide—that it isn’t even listed on some Venice maps. Thus, I am entering the tiniest street in all of Venice.

It’s quite tight to slip through here even if I had broad shoulders or my elbows out. You nearly have to hold your breath in here; this is really narrow. It’s a little confined if you’re claustrophobic, but it’s such a wonderful place and ends at a really cool view at one of the canals. The farther you walk in, the more residential it feels. I believe this is a real street that people use to get to their homes.

Really absurd to consider. And all it took us to do was type “Calle Varisco” into Google Maps on my phone to go to this little street. Which one it is, is really clear.

Venice Art and Culture

If you enjoy art, make sure to visit one of Venice’s most well-known modern pieces by strolling down to this next section of town. Amazing pieces of art can be appreciated in Venice’s many art museums. Right in front of me is an original Banksy piece in Venice, if you don’t feel like shelling out the cash to see it. You can walk straight up to this bridge to see it.

A Refreshing Getaway in the Royal Gardens

Walk over to the Royal Gardens (Giardini Reali), which are close to Piazza San Marco, if you want to escape the heat in Venice. Napoleon himself actually ordered the Royal Gardens be built to provide an outdoor green space for the Royal Palace.

Though it’s a tiny park, this is a fun place to unwind in Venice away from the heat and the throng. That puts us in the Royal Gardens at this moment. Three factors, I believe, are the main reasons I adore this location: it’s free, it’s shaded, and there are benches all over.

Though there appear to be many restrictions against sitting in Venice—for example, you are not allowed to sit in lower sections of St. Mark’s bridges—this park looks like the ideal place to unwind, escape the sun, and take in the city.

Conclusion

That concludes my Venice travel guide of the must-dos in Venice, Italy.