venice sights, attractions and itinerary

Welcome to the Drink in the Sights Venice itinerary. Here you'll find loads of information on the best Venice sights and attractions in Venice along with a bit of history, lots of photos and a bit about flooding. I hope you find this guide useful.

Canals, Romance, an Excited Naked Guy on a Donkey and the Living Dead

Venice is the original romantic destination of Europe. A place to be serenaded while sitting back in an over priced gondola with your loved one. A place to lose yourself in the moment, and in the small picturesque streets. Venice truly is one of the most unique and scenic cities in the world. As someone who is anything but romantic I visited with my usual friends, it turns out you don't have to be in love to fall in love with Venice. This truly is a picture book city, a place where the churches, palaces and museums pale in comparison to the beauty of the city itself. That's not to say there isn't plenty of things to put in a Venice itinerary, just that it's best to take your time. This is a genuinely unique place, unlike any other, and I urge you to go see it before it becomes a real life Atlantis and the only way to see the great Venice attractions is in a submarine. 

Bring Some Wellies

​The first thing I'm going to tell you about travelling to Venice is take some wellies, or exceptionally water proof boots. I didn't, and on the last night ended up wading through the flooded streets to get back to the hotel. My trainers haven't been the same since, and sitting on a flight home in damp shoes for three hours isn't an experience I'd care to repeat. What I would say though is that it was certainly a unique experience, and a real insight into the plight of the city. If I remember nothing else about Venice in my old age I'll remember this.

I doubt there's anywhere else in Europe, or maybe the world where you can pop into a pub for an hour or two and be faced by half a foot of water when you leave. The locals definitely knew it was coming though and were out in force selling cheap plastic wellies, which felt a little pointless. Once you've walked down one flooded street the horse has pretty much bolted on the idea of staying dry. Seeing one of Europe's major squares under water is a sight I wont soon forget, I just wish I'd been prepared, hopefully you will be. Every Venice travel guide should tell you to expect flooding.

Before we talk about the Venice sights we need to get you there. Venice is one of the easiest and cheapest cities to fly to from the UK. There's regular flight from Edinburgh, London, Bristol, Manchester, Belfast, Liverpool, Glasgow and Nottingham. Venice has two airports Marco Polo, the official one, and Treviso, the cheap one. We went to Treviso. From Marco Polo you can jump straight on a boat and into the Venetian way of life. From Treviso you need to pay 3 euros 55 to get a 20 minute train, and then either jump on a water bus or walk to your hotel. As Venice is pretty small we chose to walk, and got lost quickly. ​

Venice is not an easy place to navigate, with loads of tiny streets and lots of very damp dead ends, or rather passages that just lead to the edge of a canal, with no bridge in sight. Don't let that bother you though, it's a great city to get a little lost in, and you'll just keep discovering beautiful little alleyways and quirky shops. Once you're in and settled it's time to start drinking in the sights. While I'd argue that the most impressive sight in Venice is the city itself, there's also plenty to do. So take your time have fun and drink in the Venice sights.

Venice Sights

The Doge's Palace

Pre book, save money and skip the queue here.

This huge Gothic palace which once housed the Doge's (chief magistrates of Venice) became a museum in 1923, and is now the premier among Venice attractions. There's an entrance fee of 20 euros, but if you pre-book here the price is 16 euros and you skip the line. There will be a long queue t get in so I really do suggest booking this one in advance if at all possible. The ticket also includes the Museo Correr which sits just the other side of St Marks square, but we'll get to that bit later.

When the Venetian prison was moved to the other side of the canal, next to the palace, a bridge had to be built between the two buildings. This is the Bridge of Sighs, and as part of the ticket you can cross the bridge as the prisoners did, sighing as they got their last glimpse of the outside world.
It's worth spending a few minutes looking around the prison, but really you want to get back to the palace, and I'm sure the inmates felt the same way. It must have been a shock to the system to move from freedom, to been tried in the lavish courtrooms of the palace, and ultimately end up in prison.

A suitable distance from the prison is the armoury room, which contains all manner of swords, spears, crossbows, and other implements humans have created for the sole purpose of disposing of other humans. It's quite a collection, and one of the largest I've seen outside of military history museums. The weapons on display cover the 16th and 17th century and are well worth a look.

The real glory of the Doge's Palace are the hugely ornate Sala Del Collegio, where the cabinet met and foreign dignitaries were received, no doubt leaving in awe of their surroundings. And the Sala Del Maggior Consiglio or Chamber of the Great Council, which includes portraits of all the Doges. ​The artwork and scale of these rooms are mind blowing and intimidating. In any palace these rooms would be exceptional, and they really do have to be lavish to stand out amongst all the other spectacular rooms and corridors the Doge's Palace has to offer. You can book skip the line access here. This just has to be top of your Venice itinerary.

Once you're done taking in the beauty of the palace it's time to head out to the courtyard, which backs onto one of the other great Venice attractions St Marks Cathedral. It's a great view, and the perfect way to finish your walk around the palace. The exit takes you back to the waterfront, and that's not a bad view either so take a minute to drink in the Venice sights.

St Marks Square and Basilica

For years I've had a picture in my living room looking out over the Grand Canal of Venice, with a giant domed church dominating the skyline. And for years I assumed that was St Marks Basilica. So when I started planning this trip, and realised St Marks has four small domes I was more than a little surprised. It turns out that for about five years I've had a picture of Santa Maria Della Salute hanging up. It doesn't change anything, it's still a great picture, and a great view, but that church isn't nearly as beautiful as St Marks up close. Especially when the sun comes out and makes the whole facade appear golden. The 11th century basilica is truly a sight to behold dominating one of the most famous squares in Europe.

It's not just the outside of the cathedral that has a golden tinge to it either. Nearly the whole interior is a glistening gold, caused by the Murano gold glass backgrounds of the mosaics that line the walls. The effect is one that just screams opulence.
The Basilica was both built and rebuilt in the late tenth century, and the building hasn't changed much since, although no doubt the decorations have. Entrance is free although at peak times you may have to wait a while to get in. The Basilica is certainly unique, and one of the top Venice attractions.

St Marks Square is definitely one of Europe's most iconic spaces with the Basilica dominating the view. It's also one of the most expensive places to get a drink, but regardless on a sunny day who could resist pulling up a seat, ordering a spritz, and just relaxing for a few minutes drinking in the Venice sights?

The wonderful building next to the basilica is the Venice clock tower. Sadly when I visited tours weren't running, but I'm reliably informed they can be done if booked in advance. On the opposite side of St Marks you'll find the Museo Correr.

The Museo Correr

As you've already purchased the tickets as part of the Doge's Palace entrance fee it'd be rude not to go visit the Museo Correr. Originally built to house Napoleon in the 19th century, this became the official residence of the Hapsburg court. Later the king of Italy made it his Venice residence, so as you can imagine it's more than just a museum. This is a palace, quite literally fit for a king. While there's no doubt this is very much the Doge's Palaces little brother it's still an auspicious building. With marble floors, chandelier lit rooms, statues, works of art and some of the most lavish ceilings you'll see outside of the Sistine Chapel. This often overlooked museum is one of the must see Venice sights.

Venice Attractions

Take a tour on the Water Bus

Yes a gondola sounds lovely, romantic, and all the rest, and it certainly is one of the things to do in Venice, but at 80 euros in the day, and 120 euros at night for a half an hour ride they are frankly extortionate. By all means if you've got money to spare, and you want to impress a special someone go for it, but it's certainly not a must do for most people so it doesn't belong in my Venice itinerary. A 24 hour ticket costs 20 euros on the water bus, and boy do you get your moneys worth. I can't help but think if they marketed the water bus as an independent hop on hop off tour of the Grand Canal they could actually charge a lot more.

The bus passes under some of the most iconic bridges in the world, including The Rialto Bridge, which is the oldest crossing of the Grand Canal. It's an excellent way to see all the main Venice attractions, the way sights are meant to be seen in Venice. On top of this if you plan things right, and do this on the last day before you leave, you can also use the same ticket to get back to the train station. The best way to do the bus tour is to get your ticket and jump on line one at station 16, which is right next to St Marks Square. Try to get a nice outdoor seat, sit back and relax while you complete the full hour long circuit, jumping off just once at San Giorgio Maggiore.

San Giorgio Maggiore

Venice is far from a standard city, and might be better described as over 100 islands under a single banner. One of the smallest pretty much just houses San Giorgio Maggiore. This is the first stop on Water Bus Line one, assuming you get on at St Marks Square as advised above. San Giorgio Maggiore is a nice little church, which on the face of it is no different to many others in Italy. But you're not really visiting the church, you're visiting the bell tower. It costs 6 euros to get the lift to the top, but for the view you're going to get it's a bargain. There's simply no better place to view Venice than up here, so take your time and make the most of it drinking in the Venice sights.

Modern Art Galleries

Back on dry land there's a couple of modern art museums which you may want to check out. Firstly there's the Peggy Guggenheim collection which costs 15 euros to get in. It contains three works by Picasso and one by Dali, so no doubt if you're a big fan of either you'll be happy to pay the price. But for me the main reason to visit is to see the L'Angelo Della Citta (angel of the city) by Marino Marini. I'm not going to pretend that I understand the importance of the piece, but just look at it and tell me you don't want to see that. Even if you're not excited to see him, he's definitely excited to see you.
​If I'm honest most of the art here wasn't to my taste, although the garden was lovely, and it's interesting to note that Peggys ashes are here along with those of her many dogs.
I'd certainly still go to see the collection, even if it is only for the bizarre L'Angelo Della Citta in all his, for want of a better word, glory. But if it's not for you maybe Venice's other modern art offering will be. You can pre book skip the line access to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection here.

The Ca' Pesaro Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderna, which is a bit of a mouth full to say the least costs 8 euros to get in, and is probably a little more to my taste. There's hundreds of sculptures and paintings spanning ten rooms, which guide you from the mid 19th century up to the 21st. While Matisse and Kandinsky are probably the biggest names in the museum it's quite a collection, so everyone should be able to find something they enjoy. Taking in some modern art is certainly one of the key Venice attractions.

Santa Maria Glorisoa Dei Frari

This absolutely epic 14th century church, with an equally epic name, may not be as famous as St Marks, or look anything like as good from the outside, but once you walk through the doors, paying 3 euros for the privilege, the sheer scale of it alone is enough to win you over. The Gothic architecture, which is the best form of architecture, only serves to emphasis the scale of this beast.  The relative plainness of the exterior is in one sense echoed by the interior, with its plain walls and vaulted ceiling. But it's what's around the walls that's impressive.

Some of the true greats have worked on the artwork and sculptures inside this church come art gallery. You'll find the works of Titan, Bellini and Donatello, who was my favourite Ninja Turtle, decorating this magnificent space. I know I usually go on about how no-one should have to pay to go into a church, but in this case it's justified. For a start you can take photos, and on top of that you'd pay 3 euros to go to an art gallery and see the works in here without hesitating.

I may be going a little out on a limb with this, but for me Santa Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari is the premier church in Venice. Sure St Marks Basilica is beautiful, golden, and much better positioned, but this is just on another level. There's no queue to get in, and once you're inside it's not busy, so you can take your time looking at the tremendous alter and artwork, without feeling like you should be moving along to let someone else have a better view. But ultimately for me the deciding factor is St Marks doesn't have the undead peering at you from the walls, but Santa Maria Gloriosa Dei Frari does. This masterpiece belongs in any Venice itinerary.

Venice Itinerary Extras

You can book this tour here

In theory you could pay 20 euros and do this trip on the water bus yourself, but when an actual organised half day tour only costs less why would you? These are three of the main islands making up the Venetian Lagoon, and each is completely unique. Assuming you do the tour you'll be speeding along in a motorboat, seeing the highlights and moving on. Because you'll be moving between the islands fairly quickly, instead of waiting for the water bus to come get you, half a day gives you more than enough time to see what each island has to offer.  The first stop is Murano famous for its glass manufacturing. There's shop after shop selling the most exquisite glass work you can imagine, and you can watch the glass blowers at work. 

Don't forget Murano glass is the reason why St Marks glistens in the sun, so you've already seen some of its uses. But here everything is glass, even the tree outside the bell tower.  Between the shops you'll also find several galleries selling even more exquisite glass work. I might be doing them a disservice but it seemed that every piece was 50% off, offer ending soon. I have a feeling the offer never ends, and this is the glass equivalent of the DFS sale. I could be wrong though in which case I missed out on some absolute bargains.

The next stop is Burano. You've probably seen photos of this island before. It's very much the picture book island of Venice, and is reminiscent of an exceptional area of Copenhagen  called Nyhavn. Every house is painted ridiculously bright colours from every segment of the rainbow. It's an incredibly pretty little island, with much less tourist activity than the Center of Venice, so it's an excellent opportunity to stroll around enjoying the sights. Burano is certainly one of the top attractions in Venice.

Burano is also absolutely covered in lace shops, and even has a lace museum. While I can only imagine how much of an exciting place that must be, I decided against going in. This island is all about been outside, having a drink or a gelato, and just looking at the painted houses. There's also a small, fairly unremarkable church on the island, but it just looks quite dull next to the bright houses that surround it.

The final stop is Torcello, a pretty quiet island predominantly known for its 7th century Byzantine churches. Compared to anywhere else you'll have visited in Venice this is positively tranquil, so just try to enjoy the peace and quiet before heading back to the mainland. You can book this excellent value tour here. 

I hope you enjoyed my Venice itinerary and will get the chance to go see all the Venice sights and attractions for yourself soon. Just remember to take some waterproof shoes as while there's lots to do in Venice they are much more fun with dry feet!!

Please also check out my guide to the best pubs in Venice.

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