Venice has a huge amount to offer holidaymakers, but if you’re finding your Venice guide books a little too overwhelming and almost don’t know where to start, then why not use our own bucket list of things to do in Venice when you visit?
1. Relax in St Mark’s Square
2. Take a gondola ride
3. Cross the Rialto Bridge
4. Enjoy a spot of people watching in the Campo Santa MargheritaĀ
5. Visit the Jewish Quarter – the Ghetto Ebraico
6. Climb the Campanile of San Marco
7. Munch on frittelle at Venice’s most famouns pastry shop – Pasticceria Tonolo
8. Enjoy the views from the walkway at the Venetian Arsenale
9. Admire the elaborate facade of the Ca’ d’Oro Palace (Palazzo Santa Sofi) and explore the elaborate carved ceilings and flooring inside
10. Visit one of the world’s most unique book shops – the Acqua Alta book store
11. Marvel at the artworks in the Doge’s Palace
12. Buy some glass in Murano
13. Enjoy a bellini at the home of this famous cocktail – Harry’s Bar
14. Shop like a local at the Rialto market
15. Drink coffee in the world’s oldest cafe – Caffe Florian – established in 1720.
16. Admire Leonardo’s ‘Vitruvian Man’ and the other works of art in the Gallerie dell’ Accademia
17. Party behind your mask at the Venice carnivale
18. Eat cicchetti (small snacks similar to tapas) in a traditional bacari
19. Cross the Bridge of Sighs
20. Sunbathe on the beaches of the Venice lido
21. Admire the surrealist modern art at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection
22. Dive into colour at the Orsoni Color Library
23. Take a traghetto (the transport locals use to cross the Grand Canal)
24. Marvel at the Basilica di San Marco
25. Enjoy one of the best views over Venice from the top of the San Zaccaria bell tower on San Giorgio Maggiore island.
26. Watch a performance at the Teatro La Fenice
27. Buy tickets to the Venice Biennale
28. Explore the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
29. Take the lift to the top of the campanile at the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore
30. Find the plaque on the ancient Corte del Milion, believed to be the house of world famous explorer, Marco Polo.
31. Take a boat trip to the colourful houses and lace museum of Burano
32. Climb the snail staircase – Scala Contarini del Bovolo – in the Palazzo Contarini del BovoloĀ
33. Relax in the green space of Venice’s public gardens – Giardini Pubblici
34. Visit Il Redentore, the church built by survivors of the plague
35. Visit the 15th century former monastic Church of San Zaccaria
36. Learn about the myths, legends and spooky stories that surround Poveglia on a boat tour around the haunted island
37. Catch a vaporetto
38. Head out to Torcello island to glimpse the Byzantine mosaics in the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
39. Marvel at the Antonio Vivaldi collection in the Music Museum
40. Get lost! There is no better city to get lost in than Venice!
And don’t forget to check out our top tours and experiences in Venice here.