Venice, Italy
Top places to visit in Venice
6 places worth your time in Venice, with what each is actually like and when to go.
Last updated 2026-08-08
1. St Mark's Basilica
Photo: William Henry Goodyear · No restrictions · source
Byzantine domes and 8,000 square metres of gold mosaic, with a loggia of bronze horses over the square.
- Map: Open in Maps
- Tip: Bags are not allowed inside and must be left at a nearby deposit. Book a slot to skip the standing queue.
2. Doge's Palace
Photo: Nino Barbieri · CC BY-SA 2.5 · source
The seat of the republic, with the Bridge of Sighs to the prisons and a Secret Itineraries tour of the interior workings.
3. Rialto Bridge and market
Photo: Giovanni Dall'Orto · Attribution · source
The oldest crossing of the Grand Canal, and a fish and produce market alongside it that has traded for 900 years.
- Map: Open in Maps
- Best time: Fish market mornings, Tuesday to Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday
4. Cannaregio and the Jewish Ghetto
Photo: אריה דרזי, ARIE DARZI · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
The world's first ghetto, established 1516, and the quietest quarter to walk in the evening.
5. Murano, Burano and Torcello
Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY 4.0 · source
Glassblowing, painted fishermen's houses and a near-empty island with a Byzantine cathedral, on the public vaporetto.
- Map: Open in Maps
- Tip: Use the scheduled vaporetto rather than a 'free' glass factory shuttle, which exists to sell you glass.
Watch outFree boat transfers to Murano end in a hard-sell glass demonstration with prices well above the island's own shops.
6. Gallerie dell'Accademia
Photo: Giulia.tamburini · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Venetian painting from Bellini to Tintoretto and Titian, in a former religious complex.
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