THE 15 BEST Things to Do in Venice - 2024 (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

Province of Venice

Things to Do in Venice

Things to Do in Venice, Italy - Venice Attractions

Things to Do in Venice

Gondola rides on the Canal Grande are a must. On land, there’s no shortage of history and museums—starting with the Basilica de San Marco at the heart of it all.

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Ways to tour Venice

Book these experiences for a close-up look at Venice.

Venice In a Day: Basilica San Marco, Doges Palace & Gondola ride
624
Historical Tours
from
$151
per adult
Reserve
Eat Like a Local: 3-hour Venice Small-Group Food Tasting Walking Tour
723
Food & Drink
from
$96
per adult
Reserve
Murano & Burano Islands Guided Small-Group Tour by Private Boat
1,681
Historical Tours
from
$31
per adult
Reserve
Venice: Grand Canal by Gondola with Commentary
1,318
Audio Guides
from
$34
per adult (price varies by group size)
Reserve
Venice: Four Seasons Concert in the Vivaldi Church
231
Skip the line Tickets
from
$33
per adult
Reserve
Legendary Venice St. Mark's Basilica with Terrace Access & Doge's Palace
1,680
Historical Tours
from
$114
per adult
Reserve
Tour of The Real Hidden Venice
543
Historical Tours
from
$42
per adult (price varies by group size)
Reserve
A day among the most beautiful mountains in the world, the Dolomites and Lake Braies
58
Full-day Tours
from
$217
per adult
Reserve
Venice Food Tour - Eat like a Venetian
190
Food & Drink
from
$100
per adult
Reserve
Venice: St.Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace Tour with Tickets
73
Historical Tours
from
$97
per adult
Reserve

Gondola Cruises

Top Attractions in Venice

These rankings are informed by traveler reviews—we consider the quality, quantity, recency, consistency of reviews, and the number of page views over time.

1. Canal Grande

Bodies of Water

Venice's main water thoroughfare, lined with great Renaissance palaces, is a colorful and busy spectacle of gondolas and vaporetti.

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2. Doge's Palace

Speciality Museums

Admission tickets from $48

A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the building and its sculptural decoration date from various periods. The interior, with works by artists such as Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, A.Vittoria and Tiepolo, includes vast council chambers, superbly decorated residential apartments, and austere prison cells. Along the facades of the Palace run loggias that overlook St. Mark’s Square and the lagoon. The combined entrance ticket to the St. Mark’s Square Museums grants access to the Doge’s Palace, Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale and Monumental Rooms of Biblioteca Marciana.

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3. Basilica di San Marco

Points of Interest & Landmarks

Admission tickets from $23

Blending the architectural styles of East and West, Venice's magnificent basilica was consecrated in 832 AD as an ecclesiastical building to house the remains of St. Mark.

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4. Piazza San Marco

Points of Interest & Landmarks

Admission tickets from $48

It is said that Napoleon called San Marco "the drawing room of Europe." And it is a breathtakingly beautiful place. But the square has long been a lure for massive numbers of pigeons, drawn by the massive numbers of tourists who readily feed them. While the tourists happily post for photos amid the flock, there are concerns that the birds' presence--and what they leave behind--will damage the centuries old architecture and art work.

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5. Campanile di San Marco

Historic Sites

Originally built as a lighthouse to assist navigation in the lagoon, visitors can be whisked by elevator to the top of St. Mark's Campanile or bell tower to savor incredible views of Venice, the lagoon and the Alps in the distance.

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6. Ponte di Rialto

Bridges

Considered the true heart of Venice, this landmark bridge, characterized by its 24-foot arch, is built on approximately 12,000 wooden pilings that still support the bridge more than 400 years after it was built.

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7. Teatro La Fenice

Theaters

This world famous opera house, burned to the ground in 1996, has been rebuilt amongst much scandal and drama: its modern beauty and complex history ensure its place among the most celebrated monuments in Italian history.

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Neighborhoods

The northernmost of Venice's six sestieri (districts) is where the former Jewish ghetto was located. The main street, Strada Nuova, is often bursting with activity.

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9. Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari

Points of Interest & Landmarks

Originally built in the mid-13th century, Santa Maria Glorisoa dei Frari (St. Mary of the Friars) houses many masterpieces of Venetian Renaissance art, notably Giovanni Bellini's triptych "Madonna and Child with Saints," the "Assumption" and the "Pesaro Madonna" by Titian, Saint John the Baptist by Donatello.

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10. Scuola Grande di San Rocco

Historic Sites

The Scuola Grande di San Rocco is a lay confraternity founded in 1478. The popularity of the cult of St. Roch, whose remains had been in the possession of the brotherhood since 1485, contributed to the latter’s rapid expansion to the extent of it becoming the richest Scuola of the city. At that point it was decided to build a new monumental headquarters and engage Tintoretto to decorate it with his most celebrated pictorial cycle, illustrating episodes from the New and Old Testaments. It is the only one of the historic Scuole Grandi to have survived the fall of the republic. It is a unique site, where over 60 paintings are preserved in their original setting in a building that has hardly undergone any alteration since its construction. The confraternity is still active today, carrying out its traditional charitable duties as well as looking after its extraordinary artistic patrimony.

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11. Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Historic Sites

This satellite gallery of the famous Guggenheim in New York occupies the 17th-century Customs House in Venice, featuring modern and contemporary works of art.

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12. San Giorgio Maggiore

Churches & Cathedrals

Iconic to Venice's waterfront skyline, this basilica sits on an island and boasts panoramic views from Campanile. Also not to be missed: the collection of Tintoretto paintings.

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Other Top Attractions around Venice

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Walking Tours

Skip-the-line tickets

Water Tours

Street Food Tours

Half-day Tours

Day Trips

From quick jaunts to full-day outings.

Private and Luxury