Ten great things to do in Venice
Author: Eloise Barker
If you’ve got a curiosity for culture and a love for long leisurely meals, you’ll be right at home in Venice. There are plenty of things to do in the city after your cicchetti: skip busy St Mark’s Square and track down earthly delights in Italy’s uniquely waterlogged wonderland.
Discover Venice’s powerful past: Doge’s Palace
The main attraction: Don’t be fooled by its pleasing pink exterior: the Doge’s Palace was once the seat of the most powerful man in Venice. Look up at the ceiling above the Scala d’Oro (it’s beautifully gilded), then pass over the Bridge of Sighs to check out the lead-lined cells where Venice’s number one scoundrel, Casanova, was imprisoned (don’t worry – he ended up making a daring escape). From October 2018 the palace is celebrating 500 years since the birth of Tintoretto with a special exhibition of the Renaissance master’s paintings.
Top tip: Book ahead on a secret itinerary tour so you can skip the line at the door and cram into the secret chambers hidden behind the state rooms.
Check out T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS
The main attraction: In the 13th century, it was a marketplace – in 2016 it reopened as a luxury department store. In the incredible, crumbling edifice known as the Fondaco dei Tedeschi you can shop duty-free brands, but the real find is the view from the roof. Book your visit [https://www.dfs.com/en/venice/t-fondaco-rooftop-terrace] in advance to reach the rooftop viewing deck. Open until 8pm in the evening, it’s one of the best views over the gentle curve of the Grand Canal.
Top tip: Visiting the department store rooftop is totally free. The temptations on the lower floors of the store, however, come at a price – look out for continental brands from Fendi to Sisley.
Cuddle up on the canal on a gondola ride
The main attraction: First things first, there are definitely cheaper ways to travel. But if you’ve got someone to woo, then a forty-minute gondola ride through the quiet canals from Bacino Orseolo, just by St Mark’s Square, will seduce even the stoniest of hearts. You won’t find a gondola ride for less than 80 euros in Venice – it’s the official city rate. But when you find out that the average gondola costs nearly 40,000 euros to buy, this charge seems more reasonable. Each smart watercraft is painstakingly assembled from 280 hand-made pieces, using eight types of wood.
Top tip: Once you’ve finished admiring the boat, the view, the canal, and waving at passing tourists, don’t forget to tip your gondolier. And be aware that their heartfelt rendition of ‘Just One Cornetto’ might also come as extra, so agree a price before you paddle.
Admire Old Masters: Gallerie dell’Accademia
The main attraction: Venice’s contributions to the Renaissance are indisputable: the city gave us Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese. If you only do one art museum, visit Gallerie dell'Accademia [http://www.gallerieaccademia.it/en] – a collection of Venice’s most prized art – to spot them all. Look out for The Tempest, a painting by Giorgione. No one knows what the scene on this mysterious little canvas is meant to be about. There’s also some unmissable work by Hieronymus Bosch and the last canvas Titian ever painted. The museum is undergoing restoration, but most of the important paintings are still on display.
Top tip: Look out for 'St Mark's Body Brought to Venice' – a ghoulish scene of Venetians removing corpses from a crypt – by the famous Tintoretto.
A night at the opera: La Fenice
The main attraction: Rebuilt three times over after a series of devastating fires – most recently in 1996, it seems only fitting that the name of Venice’s gorgeous opera house, La Fenice, means ‘the phoenix’. This stunning venue has seen the world premieres of some of the most beautiful operas ever written – including Verdi’s La Traviata.
Top tip: There are daily tours, but the best way to experience all that velvet and gilding is to book a ticket to a performance These sell out months in advance, so be prepared if you fancy some Puccini.
Four seasons in one day: Vivaldi at San Vidal
The main attraction: The great composer Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice, and purists still insist that the best way to hear his Four Seasons violin concertos is as a live performance in a Venetian church. It’s easier to do than you’d think: Venice is overrun with wig-wearing and costumed violinists ready to reel in the tourists. Book tickets to the deconsecrated church of San Vidal for a regular performance by the authentic Interpreti Veneziani for one of the least gimmicky recitals. You can buy tickets online or purchase them in the Museo della Musica.
Top tip: The Museo della Musica is a free museum of period instruments, and it’s well worth a poke around whilst you’re here buying tickets for Vivaldi – look out for more unusual lyres and mandolins among the mass of 18th century violins.
Score an invite to a masked ball: Carnevale
The main attraction: It’s got to be one of Venice’s most unique sights: masked couples in full Venetian dress promenading along the canals, looking as if they’re just off to do the weekly shop. The best time to see these peculiar pedestrians is at Venice Carnevale. The re-established traditional festival breathes life into the city in low season. Starting in February, It’s essentially a two-week party that includes world’s largest masquerade ball and free revels in St Mark’s Square. If you miss Carnevale, get into the spirit and buy a Venetian mask. Transported back home with care, they make the perfect souvenir.
Top tip: Find the best Venetian masks Ca’ Del Sol where hand-made beauties have been crafted from paper since the 1980s. The shop also provides costume rental – in case you have a plague doctor fantasy to fulfil.
Chill on the city’s secret beach: The Lido
The main attraction: Venice Beach might conjure up thoughts of muscular Los Angelans, but the city of Venice, Italy, actually does have its own stretch of sand – on the Lido. In Venice’s stifling summer the canals start to show the effects of the heat, in which case a day on this long, skinny lagoon island might be just what you need. The Lido has a real resort feel, and it’s lovely and quiet – for the most part. In September, buy tickets for a screening at the busy Venice International Film Festival.
Top tip: Take a day to explore Venice lagoon, dropping in on the islands of Murano and Burano. One is famous for its colourful glass, the other for colourful houses.
Don’t miss the hottest event: Venice Biennale
The main attraction: The Venice Biennale occurs for over six months in summer time. It showd visionary contemporary art and the best new architecture on alternate years. Jump in a vaporetto to get there. You’ll find the main locations at the otherwise quiet and residential Venice Giardini and the old Venice Arsenale on the eastern side of the city. There’s an entrance fee, but you can also check out free installations around the city.
Top tip: With the help of a map, hunt down the installations of every participating country: some are in galleries, some are set up dilapidated palazzos. It’s a great way to nose about parts of Venice you’d never normally be able to see.
Search for sunken treasure: Libreria Acqua Alta
The main attraction: Surely one of the world’s most atmospheric bookshops, the ‘Book Shop of High Water’ was flooded, destroying many of its wares. But it turned the disaster into a quirky perk: the now-dry bookshop is still crammed with ruined books. Cats creep over the faded pages, and there’s even a staircase made from raggedy hardbacks. Most of the books are Italian – and some of them are far too waterlogged to read. But this little corner of Venice oozes charm – and has a Gondola parked right in the middle of the shop. Find it on Calle Lunga.
Top tip: You can buy notebooks, diaries and beautiful leather-bound keepsakes from Paolo Olbi, a famed gift and stationery shop in Dorsodoru.
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