Venice is a traveler’s dream – the colorful streets, the beautiful architecture, and the fact that they serve wine all.day.long are only a few reasons to love Venice.
But if you’re going to be in Venice, you need to have a plan. Because wandering around the super crowded streets of Venice without one can be chaotic.
Along the way, you’ll find beautiful Venice photo spots, but you need to know where to look! So here are our top picks for some amazing things to do in Venice!
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1. Skip the gondola ride - take the Vapporetto!
When we arrived at the train station we immediately headed for the Vapporetto – basically a water taxi for locals.
Most tourists will pay outrageous prices for a short gondola ride through the Venice canals, only to find 100 other gondolas all crowding the waterways.
Not romantic all all.
Since Venice is pretty big, it can take a while to get from one side to the other. That’s when the Vapporetto came in handy.
We got to see most of Venice and even got a few awesome photos. All for a small fraction of the price!
Let the gondolas sleep!
2. Hang out in St.Mark's Square
St.Mark’s Square is mostly known for being the home to St.Mark’s Basilica, a Roman Catholic Church that was originally constructed in the early 800’s AD. You can take a tour to see the inside or marvel at the gorgeous architecture from the square.
We decided to skip the long lines and grab an early morning coffee instead.
The square is full of little cafes and shops that will give you a great view of St.Marks!
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3. Gelato!
One of the most romantic things we’ve ever done is wander around Venice at night with a cup of gelato.
Imagine this….you get your favorite flavor of gelato and head to the Rialto Bridge.
Less tourists, moonlit view, and gelato. What could be better?
4. Doge's Palace
If you’re at the Basilica, Doge’s Palace is right next door.
The palace is amazing to stare at and such a unique sight to see.
Get there early in the morning for the best photos and feed the seagulls on the dock.
5. The Rialto Bridge
If you’re wandering around, chances are that you’ll be crossing the bridge more than once. But on one of those times stop at the very center and look out onto the water. The view is absolutely amazing and such a great place to get some photos.
If you’re there in the middle of the day though, be prepared to wait a bit, many other people will want to do the same thing.
6. Wander Around Venice
With all the other tourists around it felt a bit crowded.
So we decided to just take some time to wander around the city without any particular direction – not rushed or hurried through the crowds.
Stop for some lunch in the little back-alley cafes, or people watch on the water. Just remember to turn off your phone’s GPS while you do this.
If you run out of battery you won’t know how to get back. We learned this the hard way!
Hanging out on the docks
7. Enjoy the Venice Canals
Venice is the city of canals and you will inevitably come across some picture perfect canals while you’re exploring.
Take a few minutes to just sit. And maybe get some awesome photos.
Even better if you bring some snacks along and make a mini picnic – away from all the crowds!
Picture-perfect Venice canals
8. Eat at the counter
Since you’re up early and wandering around the square, it’s time for some espresso.
And when in Venice the best way to do it is to stand at the counter like the locals. They will charge you more for sitting down and the service won’t be as good. You’ll only see locals sitting down in the tiny cafes outside of the city center, but near the tourist areas only the tourists sit.
9. Cross the Bridge of Sighs
They say that the bridge is called the “Bridge of Sighs” in reference to the prisoners who would cross the bridge and would sigh upon seeing the city.
The bridge actually connects Doge’s Palace to the prison across the canal and many prisoners would come to realize that the view from the bridge was their final view of the outside world.
Nonetheless, the view is one of the most beautiful in all the city. We’ll bet it will make you sigh too!
10. Snap the perfect shot of Church of San Giorgio Maggiore
We actually discovered this on accident after having gotten lost and needing to take a break.
The little area we stopped on was super crowded so we went as far away from the crowds as possible. This just happened to be nearest to the water (away from the little tents and shops). And when we looked up we had this perfect view of the church across the water.
You can get to this exact spot by finding the Ferry Terminal S. Marco (Giardinetti) and looking across the water. AND this is a perfect sunset spot since the Vaporetto is right there waiting to take you back!
This wraps up our list of the 10 best things to do in Venice! For more inspiration check out our Italy Road Trip Guide and get access to our free travel resource library to plan the perfect Italy adventure!
Happy travels!
– Veronica
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