The sights of Venice

The quickest ways to find out what sorts of things there are to see and do in Venice, from major museums and churches to fun experiences and offbeat sights

Useful Venice info:
www.turismovenezia.it [tourist office]
www.veneziadavivere.com [events blog]
www.hellovenezia.com [transport/events]
www.veneziasi.it [good tourist info from local Venice hotels association; last updated Feb 2012]
www.meetingvenice.it [general info; sadly, last updated 2010]

Activities & tours of Venice
• ContextTravel.com
• City-Discovery.com
• SelectItaly.com
• Viator.com
• Italy.artviva.com
• MyCreativeTours.com

ReidsItaly.com Venice Map

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Guides/Tours

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Piazza San Marco
St. Mark's square with the Basilica San Marco.Venice offers everything from the glittering mosaics of St. Mark's Basilica on Piazza San Marco to the Old Master paintings in the Accademia Gallery.

There's the romance of a ride in a gondola and the chilling tales of political intrigue, brutal justice, and Casanova's escape from prison you get to hear in the secret backrooms of the Doge's Palace on the "Secret Itineraries" tour.

Then there is the festival of Tintorettos in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, the world-renowned glass factories and medieval churches of Murano, the views from the Campanile, the sumptuous decor of the Ca' d'Oro, the fascinating tours of the Jewish Ghetto, the modern art masterpieces in the Peggy Guggenheim, and, of course, the Grand Canal, perhaps the most glorious—and oddest—main boulevard of any city in the world.

Top Sights 1) St. Mark's Cathedral 2) Accademia Gallery 3) Doge's Palace 4) A gondola ride 5) The Grand Canal 6) Shopping for Venetian glass 7) The Ca d'Oro 8) The Peggy Guggenheim museum 9) Climbing the Campanile of St. Mark's 10) Carnival in Venice » more	Reid's List: Venice 1) Tour the outlying islands 2) Attend mass at St. Mark's 3) Hear a concert at Scuola Grande di S. Rocco 4) Get lost 5) Take the "Secret Itineraries" tour 6) Indulge in a cicchetti crawl 7) See the Squero di San Trovaso gondola yard 8) Climb the San Giorgio bell tower 9) Take a gondola lesson 10) Take a walking tour » more
By Neighborhood • In San Marco • In Dorsoduro • In San Polo • In Santa Croce • In Cannaregio • In Castello • On the outlying islands	By Category • Museums • Churches • Palaces • Parks • Markets • Tours • Sidetrips
By time available » Note: If you are arriving in Venice on that first day you will waste some time getting into town, settled, etc.—rather than being able to start sightseeing first thing—so there are two versions of each itienrary. • If you have 1 full day in Venice • If you are arriving in Venice on this 1 day • If you have 2 full days in Venice • If you arrive in Venice on day 1 (plus 1 more) • If you have 3 full days in Venice • If you arrive in Venice on day 1 (lus 2 more) » more	Free Sights 1) Basilica di San Marco 2) Browsing glass workshops 3) Piazza San Marco 4) San Giorgio 5) The San Trovaso gondola workshop 6) The Grand Canal 7) Rialto Bridge 8) Santa Maria della Salute 9) Strolling the island of Burano 10) The Rialto Market » more

How to find the Venice sights that will interest you

There are several ways ReidsItaly.com helps you browse the sights of Venice, each neatly tucked into its own box below. You can get quick lists of all the top sights—the ones no one wants to miss when they visit Venice—or of all the attractions that are free of charge.

Or you can check out Reid's List, a thoroughly subjective compendium of some of my favorite, slightly less famous sights and experiences.

If you prefer thematic categories, you can see all the major museums or churches or palazzi at once, or if you're looking for something else to see or do nearby a major sight, you can peruse everything by neighborhood.

If you like to leave the planning of the daily itinerary to others, you can also sign up for a guided tour or two.

Or, if you want help cramming as much of it all as possible into your visit, you can peruse our perfect itineraries for one, two, or three days in Venice.

The top half-dozen or so sights listed under each category above are just a sampling. If you want to read short, one-line reviews of all sights within a category, click on the category title (or you can click on an individual sight for a quick link to its full description).

About the star ratings

I have rated every sight and experience in Venice from zero to three stars.

Three stars, two stars, etc. are fairly self-explanatory—but note that it's not that the "no-star sights" are not worth the bother.

In fact, in any other city they'd probably rank much higher. They're just cursed to be in Venice, competing for your precious vacation time alongside St. Mark's Basilica, the Accademia Gallery, and a gondola ride—all solid three-stars.

This is a purely subjective rating, but it will help you get a sense of which sights pack the highest wow factor—and where to spend your time. In fact, you could view the starts thusly:

Anything rated three stars you should try to see even if you only have one day in Venice.
With two days, you can try to pack in as many two-starred sights as well.
With three or four days, you'll have time to fit in some one-star sights around the edges of your sightseeing schedule.
If you're lucky enough to be in town for more than four days, you might take the time to visit some of the no-starred sights.

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This material was last updated April 2013. All information was accurate at the time.

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