6 Things to Do in Venice You Should Not Miss — St Mark's Basilica, Grand Canal, Burano, and Doge's Palace

Venice is unlike anywhere else on earth — no streets, no cars, just canals and more than 400 bridges connecting 118 small islands to each other. Every step through Venice turns up a corner you have never seen before, from a golden basilica that has stood for a thousand years to the bright houses on a tiny island that fishermen painted to find their way home through the fog. To be straight about it: Venice gets very crowded from April through October, and flooding (acqua alta) can hit in winter. Plan carefully and the payoff is enormous.

#1

📍 Piazza San Marco, main island of Venice

St Mark's Basilica

One of the most beautifully decorated churches in the world, built in the 11th century in a Byzantine style that fuses Eastern and Western influence in a way found nowhere else in Europe. The interior is covered with over 8,000 square metres of gold mosaic — every vaulted ceiling section tells a story from the Bible in gold and coloured glass. The treasury holds valuables looted from Constantinople in 1204. Book a skip-the-line ticket in advance.

Best time Open Monday–Saturday 9:45–17:00, Sunday 14:00–17:00. Arrive right at opening for the fewest crowds.

How to get there Walk from the San Marco vaporetto stop, or take Vaporetto line 1 or 2 and get off at San Marco-Vallaresso.

Travel tips

• Book online in advance at basilicasanmarco.it for €3 — you walk straight in. The free queue can run over 2 hours in summer.
• Dress modestly — no shorts or sleeveless tops. Cover-ups are available to borrow at the door, but the line for those is long too.
• The upper loggia (Loggia dei Cavalli) costs €7 and gives you a view down over Piazza San Marco that is far less crowded than the square below.

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#2

📍 The central artery of Venice, 3.8 km long from the train station to the tip of the island

Grand Canal

The heart of Venice and one of the most beautiful waterways in the world. This canal — 30 to 90 metres wide — curves through the city in an S-shape, flanked by more than 170 ancient palaces from the 13th to 18th centuries. Riding Vaporetto line 1 end to end costs just €9.50 per trip and delivers a panorama that is well worth the price. A gondola runs €80–100 for 30 minutes (up to 6 people) and suits the narrow side canals more than the Grand Canal itself.

Best time Early morning, 6–8 am, when mist sits on the water, gondolas are just starting out, and the light is at its best for photographs.

How to get there The Grand Canal is accessible from everywhere in Venice. A 24-hour vaporetto pass (€25) gives better value than paying per trip.

Travel tips

• Vaporetto line 1 runs slowly, stopping at every dock — the full route takes 40–50 minutes. It is far better value than line 2, which skips most stops.
• If you want a gondola ride, choose the narrow canals in Dorsoduro or Cannaregio for a better experience with fewer boats around.
• The best spots to photograph the Grand Canal are from the Rialto Bridge and the Accademia Bridge — both give an open view in both directions.

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#3

📍 On the waterfront of Piazza San Marco, directly beside the basilica

Doge's Palace

The seat of power of the Venetian Republic for over a thousand years. Outside, the distinctive Venetian Gothic architecture uses two tiers of pale pink stone arches. Inside, vast halls are decorated with paintings by Tintoretto and Veronese. The highlight is the Bridge of Sighs — the covered crossing that prisoners walked to reach the cells below. The torture chamber and the Doge's prisons make for a genuinely gripping historical experience.

Best time Open daily 9:00–19:00 (closes earlier in winter). Arrive before 14:00 to get ahead of afternoon group tours.

How to get there On the waterfront of Piazza San Marco, a 2-minute walk from the Vaporetto stop San Marco-Vallaresso.

Travel tips

• The San Marco Museums Pass (€30) covers Doge's Palace, the Correr Museum, and 2 other museums — much better value than buying separately.
• The Secret Itineraries tour (€30, advance booking required) takes you into rooms not open on the standard visit, including the interrogation chamber of the Council of Ten.
• The Doge's rooms on the third floor are usually quieter than floors 1–2. Start at the top and work down to avoid the main crowds.

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#4

📍 The midpoint of the Grand Canal, between the San Polo and San Marco districts

Rialto Bridge

The most recognisable landmark in Venice and the oldest bridge across the Grand Canal, completed in 1591 in white stone, arched high enough to let sailing boats pass. Along the top of the bridge, two rows of shops sell souvenirs and crafts. Below, the Rialto Market has been selling fresh food for over 1,000 years. The fish market (<em>Mercato del Pesce</em>) is worth the early start — get there before 11 am or it is sold out. The district around it remains one of the few corners of Venice that still belongs to daily local life.

Best time Early morning before 8 am when the market is busy and tourists are few, or dusk around 19:00–20:00 when lights reflect beautifully off the water.

How to get there Vaporetto stops Rialto or Rialto Mercato — a 3–5 minute walk to the bridge from either.

Travel tips

• The Rialto Market opens at 6 am and closes at noon (closed Mondays). The best vegetables, fruit, and fish in Venice are sold here.
• The best angle for photographing the bridge is from the waterfront below or from a passing vaporetto — not from the bridge itself.
• Restaurants on Fondamenta del Vin on the west side of the bridge charge noticeably less than the places right at the San Marco end.

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#5

📍 An island in the northern lagoon of Venice, about 40 minutes from the city centre

Burano

The most vividly coloured fishing island in Italy, where each house is painted a different bold colour under a scheme controlled by the local government. Legend has it that fishermen painted their houses so they could spot the way home when fog rolled in. Burano is also the historic home of hand-made <em>merletto</em> lace — extraordinarily fine work, with only a handful of genuine craftspeople still practising. The pace here is far quieter than the main island; you can walk it comfortably in a full morning.

Best time Morning, 9 am–noon — the best light for photographing the coloured houses, and noticeably fewer people than the afternoon.

How to get there Vaporetto line 12 from Fondamente Nove, approximately 40–45 minutes, included with a standard vaporetto pass.

Travel tips

• Leave before 9 am from Fondamente Nove to reach Burano before the group tours arrive.
• The Lace Museum (<em>Museo del Merletto</em>) costs €5 and displays antique examples alongside live demonstrations — genuinely worth visiting.
• Try fresh fish at one of the waterfront restaurants. Prices are around 30% lower than equivalent places on the main island.

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#6

📍 The south-eastern tip of the main island of Venice

Piazza San Marco

The square Napoleon called the most beautiful in Europe, enclosed on three sides by historic buildings: the 98-metre Campanile bell tower (rebuilt in 1912), the Caffè Florian — the oldest coffee house in Europe, open since 1720 — and the Correr clock tower. One thing to know: this square sits at the lowest point of Venice and floods more often than anywhere else in the city. In winter, <em>acqua alta</em> can put 50 to 80 centimetres of water across the square.

Best time Before 7 am or after 9 pm once the group tours have gone — the lights reflected on wet stone are striking.

How to get there Vaporetto stops San Marco-Vallaresso or San Marco-Zaccaria — both are within a 3-minute walk of the square.

Travel tips

• Climb the Campanile (€8, elevator) for a 360-degree view over Venice and the lagoon — far easier than any other bell tower in the city.
• Cafes around the square add a live music surcharge of €6–8 per seat. If you want to sit inside Caffè Florian without paying for the music, take an indoor table rather than the terrace.
• During <em>acqua alta</em> season (October–March), raised walkways are laid across the square. Waterproof footwear helps considerably.

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