Venice is a city that makes you feel like you’re in a dream, even if it’s not real. Venice is a city built on water. Canals replace the streets, and boats pass by windows in place of cars. The sound of water on stone is never forgotten. Gondoliers shout to each other. Above the narrow streets, laundry is hung in the air. From towers, bells ring.
Venice is not the city to rush. Venice is a city that demands slow, deliberate steps. You get lost, you make wrong turns, and end up in an unexpected place. This is the way a city operates. The obvious, well-known landmarks are beautiful. You can also find beauty in corners, quiet moments, and when you stop moving.
Venetians have fifteen different things to do. The fifteen things to do in Venice are all different, and each is a part of what makes it so special.
1. Piazza San Marco
After a tangle of streets, the square suddenly opens. The square is wide, light-filled, and framed by long rows of buildings. The Basilica is at one end of the city, with the Campanile, which rises like a tower, and the Doge’s Palace, which stretches beside it. Cafés line the edge. Violinists play music. The bill makes them nervously laugh when they see the price. Children chase pigeons in the air. The sound of footsteps and wings mix together. The square is lit up at night. Lights shimmer under arches. The music continues. The air is quieter and cooler but still alive. Turn slowly in the middle. Venice is here and will stay with you.
2. Basilica di San Marco
Gold covers the ceilings of the Basilica. Artists arranged the tiny tiles into patterns and stories. Saints, angels, and saints. The light bounces off the marble floor, catching the mosaics. Even when the crowd is moving, there’s a heavy silence in the air. Some people stand with their heads cocked. Some people stare, while others whisper. Every detail demands time. Every corner is filled with design. The facade is adorned with sculptures. Above the entrance, there are horses. Domes above the arches. The Basilica is more than just a church. The Basilica is a reminder of Venice’s past as the center of the globe.
3. Doge’s Palace
The palace is proudly situated beside the lagoon. The sun reflects the white and pink stones. In perfect harmony, the archways rise one after the other, bearing centuries’ worth of weight. Inside, halls stretch endlessly. Ceilings and walls are covered with paintings. Gold frames sparkle. The rooms are large and designed to intimidate. You can still feel the power of the Doge who once ruled in these rooms. The Bridge of Sighs is a bridge that connects the palace to the old prisons. The bridge connects the palace with the old prisons. The passageway is narrow and has windows with views of the water below. Here, prisoners sighed as they saw Venice for the final time before their cells. You can almost sense it.
4. Rialto Bridge
Rialto arches strong across the Grand Canal. Steps are constantly rising and falling, shops line both sides of the canal, and voices resound. Tourists crowd along the path, taking photos and buying masks or glasses. Look out from the middle. The Grand Canal is curved and lined with palaces. Below, boats, gondolas, vaporettos and taxis glide. It is a scene of pure Venice. The crowds are crowded, but the atmosphere is timeless. Come early before the shops open. The bridge is yours for a brief moment. This stillness lasts longer than the sound.
5. Grand Canal
The Grand Canal curves like a spine through the city. Some faded, others glowed, but all tell their stories in stone. Boats are constantly moving. Taxis race through the canals, vaporettos carry crowds of people, and delivery boats transport boxes and crates. Water is never still. Air is constantly moving. You can ride the vaporetto from beginning to end. You see the Rialto and Ca’ d’Oro as well as bridges, churches. The ripples are lit up at night, and the reflections increase. Venice is alive on the Grand Canal.
6. Gondola Ride
Yes, it is a cliche. It is Venice, yes. A gondola glides through narrow canals. The gondolier steers with precision with just one oar while singing or shouting at another boat passing by.
The city is different from the water. Lower and Closer. The surface is covered in shadows. The cost is high. It is not cheap, but the sound of the gondolier and the view of the bridges above you make it worthwhile. It is one of the best things to do in Venice, Italy.
7. Murano
Glass makes up Murano, and workshops line the canals. Furnaces are glowing hot. Glassblowers transform molten liquid into chandeliers, horses, and bowls. The speed and heat of their hands are impossible to keep up with. Every kind of creation is available in shops. Some delicate, some heavy, some beautiful, some overdone. The skill is unquestionable. If you can, step into a shop. Watch the glass twisting and hardening. It’s like magic. Murano, Venice’s Art is still alive.
8. Burano
Burano is awash in color. People paint the houses in vibrant colors, including pink, blue, and yellow. The reflections ripple and double the effect. The laundry stretches across buildings, adding color. Once, fishermen painted their homes in this manner to be able to see them through fog. It now attracts photographers from all over the world. Burano is also called the lace. Women of old age sit at doors with their hands moving rapidly, creating delicate patterns. Shops display lace, some traditional and some modern. The island is small, lively and alive.
9. Torcello
Torcello is quiet. The island used to be more populated than Venice. Now, only a handful of people remain. Canals cut across grass and silence. Birds circle overhead. Simple yet powerful is the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. Mosaics dating back to Venice are found inside. Ancient patterns and gold spread across the walls. Slowly walk the island. Torcello is a place that feels abandoned but not forgotten. Histories wait here in silence.
10. Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Peggy Guggenheim’s former home, now a museum, is located on the Grand Canal. In the rooms, you’ll find works by modern masters. Picasso, Pollock, Dali, Magritte. Art that challenges and surprises. Small, intimate. Small, intimate. It’s more like stepping into an intimate home with treasures than a large museum. In the garden, sculptures are arranged among the trees. The terrace overlooks the canal with its ever-moving water. Modern Art in an ancient city.
11. Teatro La Fenice
The Phoenix. The Phoenix.La Fenice, Venice’s opera house, takes its name from its history. Above, gold-colored balconies line the walls, and below, red velvet seats stretch out. The chandelier fills the room with light. The theatre comes alive when performances start. Music swells and voices rise. If you can’t see a performance, take a tour. La Fenice is alive with memories, even when it’s empty.
12. Gallerie dell’Accademia
Venice’s Art is held at the Accademia. The Accademia has rooms filled with paintings dating back centuries. Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto. Work that is ablaze with color and detail. Slowly walk. Each canvas contains a different world. Saints, ships, faces, gestures. The space is calm, and the light is soft. Even after standing in front of a painting for a long time, you can still discover new things. The images in the gallery show how the city has been preserved for all time.
13. Santa Maria della Salute
Santa Maria della Salute is located at the end of the Grand Canal. The white dome, rising in the sky as a thank you for surviving the plague. From across the water, the church dominates the scene. The dome is very high inside. Candles flicker softly in chapels that glow with artwork. The air is steady and cool. The steps outside lead directly into the lagoon. At sunset, people sit and watch boats slowly pass by. The feeling is like gratitude made of stone.
14. Venetian Ghetto
The first Venetian Ghetto in Europe is located in Cannaregio. Streets narrower, buildings taller, synagogues hidden behind plain doors. Here, the weight of history is hanging. These walls isolated the Jewish community for centuries.. The area is still a vibrant community today. The area is home to kosher restaurants, bakeries that sell pastries and tours explaining the history. San Marco is quieter, but it has a deep memory.
15. Libreria Acqua Alta
The bookshop is unlike any other. Books are stacked in bathtubs, stairways, and gondolas. Stacks of books reach the ceiling, and cats sleep on top. The books float when the acqua alta, or high water, is rising. This is why the books are stored this way. The back door leads to a canal. The stairs are made from old books. The smell of damp paper and ink is strong. Chaos, but beautiful chaos.
Useful Tips for Venice
- Bring good shoes. Streets twist and cobblestones never forgive thin soles.
- You will get lost. Do not fight it. That is part of Venice.
- Take a vaporetto once at night. The lights on the Grand Canal are worth it.
- Coffee at Piazza San Marco costs too much. Still, sit once. The view is the price.
- Carry coins. Small cafés and shops sometimes prefer cash.
- Visit early morning. The city is quiet, mist still rising, bridges empty.
- Eat cicchetti. Venetian tapas in small bars, eaten with wine while standing.
- Buy a day pass for vaporettos if you plan to ride often. Single rides add up fast.
- High water comes suddenly. Waterproof shoes save you trouble.
- Step into side streets. Away from San Marco, Venice breathes slower, truer.
Conclusion
Venice is silence, water, stone, and echoes. Music fills the squares, and shadows fill the alleyways. Gondolas glide low and bridges arch high. Bright colors paint the islands, and golden churches glow. The fifteen things to do in Venice tell its story. The quiet, the sacred, and the chaotic. Slowly walk. Let yourself get lost. Listen and stand still near a canal. Venice is not the place to hurry. This is a place for drifting.