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VENICE

Floating city of canals, gondolas, masked carnivals, and Bellini cocktails at sunset. 33 curated spots.

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Landmarks & Bridges

St. Mark's Basilica, Rialto Bridge, and the most photographed skyline on water.

St. Mark's Basilica
Doge's Palace
Rialto Bridge
Landmarks

Rialto Bridge

Iconic stone arch over the Grand Canal (1591). Shops built into the bridge. Best photos from the water or San Polo side. Free. The fish market below (Tue-Sat mornings) is the real Venice.

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St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco)
Landmarks

St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco)

Napoleon's 'finest drawing room in Europe'. Basilica, Campanile tower (€10, views), Doge's Palace, and Caffè Florian (oldest café in the world, 1720). Floods in autumn (acqua alta). Free square.

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Bridge of Sighs
Landmarks

Bridge of Sighs

Enclosed bridge from the Doge's Palace to the prison. Legend says prisoners sighed at their last view of Venice. Best viewed from Ponte della Paglia. Free to view from outside. Inside via Doge's Palace.

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Campanile di San Marco
Landmarks

Campanile di San Marco

99m bell tower with elevator to the top. 360° views of Venice, lagoon, and on clear days, the Dolomites. €10. No stairs, there's a lift. Rebuilt in 1912 after collapse. Allow 30 min.

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Culture

Museums & Art

Tintoretto, Titian, and Bellini in palaces that float above the Grand Canal.

Gallerie dell'Accademia
Culture & History

Gallerie dell'Accademia

Venice's greatest art museum. Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, and Canaletto. €12. The Vitruvian Man (da Vinci) is occasionally displayed. Allow 2 hours. Book online.

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Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Culture & History

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Modern art in Peggy's Grand Canal palazzo. Pollock, Dalí, Picasso, and Magritte. €16. The sculpture garden and canal terrace are beautiful. Allow 1.5 hours. The best modern art in Venice.

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Scuola Grande di San Rocco
Culture & History

Scuola Grande di San Rocco

Tintoretto's 'Sistine Chapel'. 60+ paintings covering walls and ceiling. €10. Take the mirror they provide to view ceiling paintings without neck strain. Allow 1 hour. Art lovers' essential.

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Ca' Rezzonico
Culture & History

Ca' Rezzonico

18th-century Venice museum in a Grand Canal palazzo. Tiepolo frescoes, period furniture, and canal views. €10. Less crowded than the big museums. The ballroom is stunning. 1.5 hours.

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Ca' d'Oro
Culture & History

Ca' d'Oro

Gothic palazzo on the Grand Canal. Franchetti Gallery with Renaissance art. €6. The ornate waterfront facade is Venice's most beautiful. Allow 1 hour. Less crowded than Accademia.

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Taste

Food & Drink

Cicchetti bars, fresh seafood, spritz on the canal, and bàcari crawls.

Cicchetti at Cantina Do Mori
Food & Drink

Cicchetti at Cantina Do Mori

Venice's oldest bàcaro (1462). Stand at the bar for cicchetti (Venetian tapas), baccalà mantecato, sarde in saor, and tiny sandwiches. €1-3 each. Prosecco to wash down. Budget €10-20. Near Rialto.

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Trattoria alla Madonna
Food & Drink

Trattoria alla Madonna

Classic Venetian seafood since 1954. Spaghetti alle vongole, fritto misto, and grilled branzino. Near Rialto. No reservations, queue. Budget €25-40. The quintessential Venice trattoria.

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Dal Moro's Fresh Pasta To Go
Food & Drink

Dal Moro's Fresh Pasta To Go

Fresh pasta in a box, choose your pasta, sauce, and eat walking along the canals. Budget €6-9. Near St. Mark's. The most satisfying quick meal in Venice. Always busy.

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Pasticceria Tonolo
Food & Drink

Pasticceria Tonolo

Best pastries in Venice. Krapfen (doughnuts), croissants, and frittelle during Carnival. Dorsoduro. No seating, stand at the bar. Budget €2-5. Morning is best. Locals' favourite.

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Osteria alle Testiere
Food & Drink

Osteria alle Testiere

Tiny (10 tables) seafood restaurant. Reservation-only. The freshest fish in Venice, simply prepared. Castello. Budget €40-60. Book days ahead. The intimate Venice dining experience.

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Rialto Fish Market
Shopping

Rialto Fish Market

Pescaria, fresh lagoon and Adriatic seafood since 1097. Tue-Sat mornings only. Soft-shell crabs (moeche), cuttlefish, and razor clams. Free to browse. Adjacent to the Rialto produce market.

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All'Arco
Food & Drink

All'Arco

Cicchetti heaven near Rialto Market. Tiny bar with outstanding bruschetta, artichoke hearts, and baccalà. €1-3 per piece. Standing room only. Morning to early afternoon. Closed Sundays.

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After Dark

Nightlife & Bars

Spritz at sunset, jazz on the water, and late-night campo drinking.

Harry's Bar
Food & Drink

Harry's Bar

Where the Bellini cocktail was invented (1948). Hemingway's haunt. A Bellini here costs €22 but it's history in a glass. Near San Marco waterfront. Smart casual. The carpaccio was invented here too.

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Spritz at Campo Santa Margherita
Food & Drink

Spritz at Campo Santa Margherita

Student square in Dorsoduro. Multiple bars serving cheap spritz (Aperol or Select). Lively atmosphere, especially evenings. Budget €3-5 per spritz. The most local nightlife experience.

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Skyline Rooftop Bar
Food & Drink

Skyline Rooftop Bar

Hilton Molino hotel rooftop. Sunset views over Giudecca Canal. Cocktails €15-20. The most stunning sunset view in Venice, open to non-guests. Book for prime sunset time.

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Do

Experiences

Gondola rides, Murano glass-blowing, island hopping, and Carnival masks.

Gondola Ride
Experiences

Gondola Ride

€80 for 30 min (fixed price, up to 6 people). Twilight rides cost €100. Negotiate nothing, prices are set. Choose quieter back canals over Grand Canal. The ultimate Venice splurge.

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Murano Glass Factory Visit
Experiences

Murano Glass Factory Visit

Watch master glass-blowers shape molten glass. Free demonstrations at many factories. Murano island (vaporetto 4.1/4.2, 10 min). Buy directly from artisans. Budget €20-500 for pieces.

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Carnival Mask Workshop
Experiences

Carnival Mask Workshop

Make your own papier-mâché mask. 2-hour workshops from €50-80. Ca' Macana and others. Learn the traditional craft. The most unique Venice souvenir. Book ahead.

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Venetian Spritz Workshop
Experiences

Venetian Spritz Workshop

Learn to make the perfect spritz and other Venetian cocktails. 1-hour sessions from €40. Several operators. Light-hearted and fun. The recipe to take home.

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Explore

Neighbourhoods

Six sestieri each with their own character, from tourist San Marco to local Cannaregio.

San Marco
Districts

San Marco

Tourist centre but essential. Piazza, Basilica, Doge's Palace, and Bridge of Sighs. Most expensive coffee in Venice. Explore the back streets behind the square for quiet beauty.

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Dorsoduro
Districts

Dorsoduro

Art neighbourhood. Accademia, Guggenheim, Zattere waterfront promenade. Campo Santa Margherita for nightlife. Less crowded than San Marco. The most liveable sestiere.

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Cannaregio
Districts

Cannaregio

Local Venice. Jewish Ghetto (the world's first, 1516), quiet canals, Strada Nova shopping, and authentic bàcari. Madonna dell'Orto church has Tintorettos. The real Venice.

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San Polo & Rialto
Districts

San Polo & Rialto

Rialto Market, Campo San Polo (Venice's largest campo), and Frari church (Titian's Assumption). The commercial heart for 1,000 years. Cicchetti crawl territory.

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Escape

Islands & Day Trips

Murano glass, Burano colours, Lido beaches, and Torcello's ancient cathedral.

Murano
Nature & Outdoors

Murano

Glass island. Watch master blowers, visit the Glass Museum (€10), and buy directly from factories. Vaporetto 4.1/4.2 from Fondamente Nove. Allow 2-3 hours.

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Burano
Nature & Outdoors

Burano

Rainbow-coloured fishing village. The most photogenic island in the lagoon. Famous for lace-making and bussolà cookies. Vaporetto from Murano (30 min). Allow 2-3 hours. Instagram paradise.

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Lido di Venezia
Nature & Outdoors

Lido di Venezia

Venice's beach island. 12km of sand. Where the Venice Film Festival is held (Sep). Rent bikes, swim, and escape the crowds. Vaporetto from San Marco (15 min). Day trip.

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Torcello
Nature & Outdoors

Torcello

Venice's oldest settlement. Byzantine Santa Maria Assunta cathedral (stunning mosaics, €5). Peaceful, almost abandoned. Hemingway wrote here. Vaporetto from Burano (5 min). 1-2 hours.

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