Venice, Italy has earned the nickname of “La Serenissima”, which translates to “The Most Serene Republic”, which fits the description perfectly.

How long to stay?

Venice is a unique city to visit, with winding footpaths and water-based transportation a big part of city life. Despite its uniqueness, some might say there isn’t that much to do while you’re here. However, that misses the point–which is to enjoy life as though you’re living in a different era and get lost. Yes, you heard that right: part of the enjoyment is to wander around the city aimlessly and explore.

With that said, we’d recommend a minimum of three nights in the city. That gives plenty of time to explore the major sites and get lost. Take your time and Venice will show more of its beauty to you. When we visited, we stayed two nights in advance of a Mediterranean cruise that departed from Venice. Two nights honestly felt too rushed, which is why we’re pegging the minimum as three.

What we did in Venice, Italy

St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco)

The famous St. Mark’s Square is the gateway to many of Venice’s major sites. You’ll know your here when you find a large clearing surrounded by St. Mark’s Basilica, the Campanile, and galleries. The square is also easily accessible by water as it’s off the Grand Canal.

There will be some vendors here selling their wares, but for the most part, you’ll find people just relaxing around here. There certainly are worse places to spend some time. One thing to note is if you come during the wetter season (especially November or December). The city does flood occasionally, and the St. Mark’s Square is one place where a lot of that flooding happens. You’ll see temporary raised walkways laid out to help with movement. Bring some rubber boots and you’ll be fine–the flooding typically isn’t that bad.

St. Mark’s Basilica

Who doesn’t like admiring a basilica to really let you know you’re in Italy? Basilicas can represent both the large, rectangular halls used for public services, or the impressively large churches that have special recognition from the Pope. The history of this basilica dates all the way back to the year 829, when Saint Mark’s body was transported from Egypt to Venice, and the consecration of the church three years later.

At St. Mark’s Basilica, you can enter for free without timed entry, but the lines can be overwhelmingly long. Instead, we’d recommend purchasing your tickets directly from the official website. There are multiple levels to explore inside, and you’ll want to be on the top floor if you want to see beautiful stained glass. If you’re interested in visiting the crypt, you’ll want to come for an evening tour of the facility when they open up some areas not normally available to the public.

Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale)

The Doge’s Palace was once used as the seat of power for the Venetian Republic, holding political influence back in the 9th century when Venice was attempting to be an autonomous center. Over the centuries, many additions and modifications to the palace expanded its influence . Nowadays, it serves as a museum and a monument to its lengthy history.

While you’re here, you’ll see plenty of works of art, like the Giants’ Staircase, depicting Mars, god of war, on the left and Neptune, god of the sea, on the right. It’s a tribute to Roman military power on both land and sea. Meanwhile, above the central archway is the symbol of Venice: the winged Lion of Saint Mark.

On top of that, check out the prison cells within the palace. You’ll need a special ticket to come down here, but it’s worth it. While it can feel a little haunting to walk through a place where you’d imagine a lot of pain and suffering once was, it’s also impressive just to see the history. Among the many imprisoned here, one of the more famous was Giacomo Casanova, from whom we get the term “Casanova”.

Visit Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto)

The oldest bridge spanning the Grand Canal, it’s a large tourist attraction. Why is it so popular? Aside from being over 400 years old, it offers great views, it’s an iconic bridge featured in paintings, and has shops inside. We didn’t intentionally run into it, inside taking our own advice of just wandering around and getting lost in the city.

On the way into the city from the airport, we took a water taxi that passed underneath the structure. So we certainly knew about it on the way in. The water taxi is a nice way to get a sense of where things are, but sadly none of our pictures turned out great (the glass interfered with our pictures).

Taking a gondola ride

Want to take a ride through the canals of Venice in a modestly romantic setting? Then perhaps you’ll have interest in riding a gondola. You’ll find them all over the city, with most of them clustering around St. Mark’s Square or Rialto Bridge. It can get crowded, especially around the popular sites. Some might instead opt for a ride through smaller canals.

This is a touristy thing to do. Would it rise to the level of “tourist trap”? We’re not so sure to call it that, but it certainly is expensive (roughly €100 for 30 minutes). Prices can be negotiated if paying in person. You might also be interested in pairing up with another couple to cut the price in half as the rate is per boat.

Oh, and though the version in Las Vegas includes singing, don’t expect it here.

Where we ate in Venice, Italy

Sadly, we don’t have good notes on where we ate in Venice since we ended up just wandering around and eating wherever we could find. The wandering around part works as a way to feel like a local, but it doesn’t do well when trying to precisely recall what and where we ate. Go figure.

What we will say is you’ll want to avoid restaurants that are essentially “tourist traps”. That means not going to places with multi-language menus, huge selections, or fusion foods. These places tend to be closer to the more popular sites (like St. Mark’s Square or the Rialto Bridge). Naturally, that means the strategy of getting lost might also help you avoid the places with inauthentic food.

Go explore, and you should be pretty satisfied with what you get.

Where we stayed in Venice, Italy

Unfortunately, where we stayed in Venice (Ca’ Fortuny) doesn’t exist anymore. In its place is Palazzina Fortuny, which opened in April 2024. We won’t be able to speak much to the amenities or room features of Palazzina Fortuny. However, since at the same location, we can at least say that it’s a short seven-minute walk over to St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco).

What would you like to do in Venice, Italy?

Suggested reading:

• Other destinations we’ve visited
• Destination Spotlight: Florence, Italy
• Destination Spotlight: Pisa, Italy