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21 Things to See in Venice

There are numerous tourist attractions, museums, monuments, and places to visit in Venice. To see them all, you will likely need several trips (which we wish you can take) or a longer period of time. However, if this is your first time in Venice, you will have to choose which of the many tourist attractions to visit. Make this choice based on the number of days you have available, but also according to your interests! And according to your budget, of course - the tourist attractions in Venice don't exactly have low prices.

Below you will find a top list of the most important sights in Venice to help you decide. Beyond that, though, it's said that the most important attraction in Venice is Venice itself - it's no coincidence that it, along with its lagoon, was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

To get a general first idea, you can start with a guided tour of the city's main points of interest.

1. Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square)

What image first comes to mind when you think of Venice? Most likely, it's St. Mark's Square, which Venetians simply call la piazza (it is the only place in Venice with this name - all other squares are known as campi or campielli). Elegant, yet noisy and bustling with tourists, it is the heart of the city - "the most beautiful drawing-room in the world", as Napoleon called it. Throughout the centuries, it was the political, cultural, and religious center of Venice, and it is one of the first places you should visit. The square's perimeter holds several monuments (the Clock Tower, St. Mark's Basilica and Campanile, the Doge's Palace, the two columns by the sea, the Procuratie, the Correr Museum, the Archaeological Museum, and the Marciana Library). Beneath the arcades that surround it on three sides are shops, expensive bars, and restaurants, as well as Caffè Florian, the oldest café in Italy.

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2. Canal Grande

Whether you arrive by train from Mestre at Stazione Santa Lucia or by bus from Treviso Airport or Marco Polo Airport, the Canal Grande will be one of the first sights you see in Venice.

Shaped like a reversed "S", Canal Grande ("the Grand Canal") crosses the city for almost 4 km, between Ponte della Libertà and Punta della Dogana (the San Marco Basin). Dividing the historic center in two and reaching about 5m in depth in some places, the Grand Canal (also called Canalozzo by Venetians) is the main navigation route in Venice. Over 200 palazzi line its banks - the most beautiful and lavish palaces, built between the 12th and 18th centuries by the city's wealthy families. Today, many of them are museums, hotels, office buildings, and only a few are still private residences.

You can walk along the banks, but the best way to see the Grand Canal is from the water itself, either by taking a gondola ride or by vaporetti (water buses) (see also the article on public transport in Venice).

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3. Ponte di Rialto

Connecting the San Polo district with the San Marco district, the Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) is the oldest bridge over the Grand Canal and also the most famous of Venice's bridges.

In its current form, the bridge was built at the end of the 16th century, replacing an older wooden bridge.

Even though it is constantly crowded, the Ponte di Rialto is an important tourist attraction in Venice and is worth seeing for the panorama it offers of the Grand Canal and the continuous coming and going of boats passing beneath it.

4. St. Mark's Basilica

Located in the square of the same name, St. Mark's Basilica is one of the most famous churches in the world. A blend of East and West, it is lavish and overwhelming, with its wealth of mosaics, statues, and marble decorations, and is definitely in the top 10 tourist attractions in Venice. The visit includes the Basilica, the Pala d'Oro altarpiece, and access to the museum and the exterior terrace, with a view of St. Mark's Square. If you don't want to spend several hours waiting in the ticket line, we advise you to buy well in advance skip-the-line tickets or a guided tour.

St Mark's Basilica Tours

5. St. Mark's Campanile

Located next to the Basilica, St. Mark's Campanile is another symbol of Venice. Being the tallest structure in the city (almost 99m high), it is also a must-visit attraction for the wonderful view it offers over the lagoon.

In the past, Venetians used to go to drink a glass of wine at the stalls located in the shade of the Campanile - this is why, even today in Venice, a glass of wine is called ombra ("shade") - you can find out more in the article about food in Venice.

If you want to find out more, you can book an experience that combines the ticket to St. Mark's Campanile with a VR experience.

6. Doge's Palace

Another important tourist attraction in Venice is the famous Doge's Palace, which was for centuries the center of the political power of the Serenissima and the site of many events that marked the city's history.

With its white and pink marble, graceful arcades, and columns, the Doge's Palace seems straight out of a fairy tale and is one of the most beautiful examples of Venetian Gothic. The interior will not disappoint either - the palace halls are painted by famous artists, and the details you'll learn during the visit will help you better understand this wonderful city that is Venice.

Buy Tickets for Doge's Palace

7. Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), which links the Doge's Palace to the city's prisons, is another famous bridge. It is said to have gotten its name from the sighs of the condemned who, through the small window of the covered bridge, saw the sky for the last time.

Even if you see the bridge from the inside during the visit to the Doge's Palace, go see it from the outside as well, to admire the classic view of the gondolas passing underneath. The best place to see it is the Ponte della Paglia, located near the Grand Canal (you will surely recognize it by the crowd of tourists jostling to take photos).

8. Islands of Venice

It would be a shame to go to Venice and not see at least one nearby island. The islands of Venice are tourist attractions in themselves. Each has its own personality, and some of them are very easily accessible by vaporetto (if you want to see several islands, it's best to buy a pass rather than individual tickets) or with organized excursions. From the tiny San Giorgio Maggiore island to Murano and its glass workshops, the colorful Burano island, the much quieter Torcello island, and the less touristy islands, you will surely have something to choose from.

9. Accademia Galleries

The Accademia Galleries (Gallerie dell'Accademia) should not be missing from your list of tourist sights to visit in Venice, especially if you are an art lover.

The Academy of Fine Arts in Venice was founded in 1750, and in 1807 moved its headquarters to the current complex, formed by the Church of Santa Maria della Carità, the Convento (monastery) dei Canonici Lateranensi, and the Scuola Grande della Carità.

The museum houses the most important collection of Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance art from the Veneto region, with famous works by Venetian painters such as Paolo Veneziano, Giovanni Bellini, Vittore Carpaccio, Giorgione, Veronese, Tintoretto, Tizian, and Canaletto.

The Accademia Galleries also hold Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man", a work that is very rarely exhibited so as not to be damaged by the presence of light. The are also two small museums dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci in Venice.

10. Scuola Grande di San Rocco

In the past, there were over 300 Scuole ("Schools") in Venice, which were organizations with charitable, professional, or religious purposes. Six of these - the largest and wealthiest - received the title of Scuola Grande ("Great School"). The most important among them is the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, founded in the 15th century in honor of Saint Rocco, considered a healer during the plague epidemics and whose relics had been brought to Venice from Germany.

In the 16th century, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco commissioned the construction of an elegant headquarters, for the decoration of which it organized a competition. The winner was the Venetian painter Tintoretto, who offered the School not just a drawing, but the actual finished work, San Rocco in gloria ("St. Rocco in Glory"), which he had secretly managed to place directly on the ceiling of the hall. Furthermore, he offered it for free. From that moment on, Tintoretto worked for 25 years decorating the three rooms, creating a cycle of over 50 paintings inspired by the Old and New Testaments.

Tintoretto's paintings at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco represent one of the most important attractions in Venice, being compared by many, for their force and unitary character, to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

11. Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice is the most important Italian museum dedicated to European and American modern art from the first half of the 20th century.

The museum is located on the Grand Canal, in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni - a building that, although seemingly modern, was built towards the end of the 18th century but was never finished. The palace was purchased in 1949 by art collector Peggy Guggenheim to serve as her home. Three years later, the collections were opened to the public, with free access. After Peggy's death (her tomb is located in the palace garden), the Peggy Guggenheim Collection was established in 1980, comprising works by important artists such as Picasso, Kandinsky, Pollock, de Chirico, Duchamp, Max Ernst (to whom Peggy was also married for a period), Salvador Dali, Magritte, and many others.

The Guggenheim Museum in Venice also holds two sculptures by Constantin Brâncuși: "Măiastra III" and a "Bird in Space" (often loaned for international art exhibitions). In fact, Peggy Guggenheim and Brâncuși were friends, and Brâncuși affectionately called her "Peghiță".

12. Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is one of the most well-known churches in Venice. Venetians simply call it La Salute. The church was built in the 17th century by the architect Baldassare Longhena, in honor of the Virgin Mary, who had saved Venice from a plague epidemic that had killed over a third of the city's population.

Works by Tintoretto and Titian are found in the sacristy, and the church's dome offers a superb view directly towards the Grand Canal and the San Marco Basin.

Every year, on November 21, the church is the protagonist of a great local celebration - the Festa della Salute, which commemorates the end of the plague epidemic in 1630.

13. La Fenice Theatre

The La Fenice Theatre (Il Gran Teatro La Fenice) is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. Built at the end of the 18th century, it was named Fenice (Phoenix), like the mythological bird that rises from its own ashes. In the 19th century, world premieres of operas by famous composers such as Giuseppe Verdi, Vincenzo Bellini, Gioachino Rossini, and Gaetano Donizetti were held at the La Fenice Theatre.

Every year, since 2004, the New Year's Concert takes place at the Teatro Fenice on January 1st.

The La Fenice Theatre in Venice can be visited, and the entrance ticket includes an audioguide.

Visit Teatro La Fenice

14. Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari

The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is another important church in Venice. Its construction was started in the 13th century, in Gothic style, by Franciscan friars (from whom it takes its name, frari meaning "friars").

Although the exterior is austere, the Basilica dei Frari houses three of the most important works of the Renaissance inside.

Above the main altar is Titian"s "Assumption of the Virgin", which was initially not accepted by the church due to its bright colors, especially the intense red so characteristic of the artist.

Titian is also responsible for the work Madonna di Ca' Pesaro, whose model was the painter's own wife. Here, too, the artist ignores the conventions of the time, placing the Virgin to one side of the painting and not in the center, as was traditionally customary.

In the sacristy is the beautiful triptych by Giovanni Bellini, "Madonna with Child and Saints".

Famous personalities were buried in the Basilica dei Frari, including Doges, condottieri, the sculptor Antonio Canova (whose pyramid-shaped tomb is said to be of Masonic inspiration), and Titian himself.

15. Scala Contarini del Bovolo

Scala Contarini del Bovolo is one of the lesser known, but no less interesting, attractions in Venice. It is the external, spiral staircase of the Contarini del Bovolo palace. Legend says the staircase was added to the building by order of Pietro Contarini, who wanted to be able to reach the bedroom on the top floor directly on horseback.

It is worth seeking out the palace even just to admire its architecture from the outside. If you climb the 80 steps, you will be treated to a different perspective of the rooftops of Venice.

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16. The Arsenale and the Naval Museum of Venice

Located towards the eastern end, far from the frenzy and agitation of the historic center, the Arsenal (l'Arsenale) is a complex of shipyards and offices that constituted the core of the Venetian Republic's naval industry. The ships with which the Venetians fought their battles across different parts of the world were built here. Those who worked at the Arsenal were among the most respected shipbuilders in the world, and during the glory period of Venice, their number reached up to 16,000.

The Arsenal covers an area of about 48 hectares and is surrounded by 3 km of brick walls. Normally, only the Arsenale Nord can be visited, open Monday to Friday, from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. During the Venice Biennale, the Arsenale Sud is open, where exhibitions are hosted.

The Naval Museum of Venice (Museo Storico Navale di Venezia), newly renovated and reopened in the spring of 2024, is part of the Arsenal and is considered one of the most interesting naval museums in the world. It exhibits a rich collection of vessels, from those of the Republic of Venice to more modern ships of the Italian Navy, as well as rare vessels from China or the Far East.

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The museum also houses the Enrico Dandolo submarine, one of the first four submarines designed during the Cold War. The submarine can be visited with a supplementary ticket, and the visit includes access to the control room and the torpedo launching chamber.

Book Ticket for the Muzeul Naval + Submarine

17. Ca' d'Oro

Built on the Grand Canal, the Ca' d'Oro is one of the most beautiful palaces in Venice. Its name, not by chance, translates to "House of Gold" - its decorations were once covered with gold. The palace was erected in the first half of the 15th century, in the Venetian Gothic style, for the patrician Marino Contarini. Since then, it has passed through the hands of various owners and has unfortunately suffered all sorts of unhappy interventions and restorations. Finally, at the end of the 19th century, the Ca' d'Oro palace was meticulously restored by Baron Giorgio Franchetti, who bequeathed it, along with his collections, to the Italian state.

In 1927, the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti was opened in Ca' d'Oro, a collection of medieval painting and sculpture, furniture, medals, tapestries, and ceramics. The main attraction is Andrea Mantegna's painting San Sebastiano, for which Baron Franchetti specially built a chapel decorated with marble.

18. Ca' Rezzonico

Also on the Grand Canal, but a few centuries later, the Ca' Rezzonico palace was built, begun in 1667 by the architect Baldassare Longhena and only finished in 1758 by Giorgio Massari. The Venetian palace was also the residence of the son of the English poet Robert Browning, who died in 1889 in the apartment on the mezzanine floor.

Since 1936, Ca' Rezzonico has been the headquarters for the Museo del Settecento Veneziano. In addition to the furniture and tapestries from that era, you can also admire paintings by Tintoretto, Canaletto, Pietro Longhi, and Tiepolo. In the beautiful ballroom, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton danced during a masked ball in 1967.

Book Ticket for Ca' Rezzonico

Use the CIAO5 code before completing your booking on Tiqets and you will have a 5% discount.

19. Ca' Pesaro

Another important palace located on the Grand Canal is Ca' Pesaro, designed in the 17th century by Baldassare Longhena, the most important architect of the Venetian Baroque.

Today, Ca' Pesaro houses two of Venice's museums: the International Gallery of Modern Art (Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderna) and the Oriental Art Museum (Museo d'Arte Orientale).

Book Ticket for Ca' Pesaro

20. Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo

The Chiesa Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo) is located in the square of the same name (Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo), and most Venetians call it San Zanipolo. It is a massive Dominican church, built in the 14th century, which houses works of art by Bellini, Vivarini, and Lorenzo Lotto, as well as the tombs of 25 Doges, which is why it is also called the "Pantheon of Venice". The Cappella del Rosario, with its vault painted by Veronese, was built to celebrate the victory against the Turks at Lepanto in 1571.

To the left of the church, in the beautiful building that now houses the Hospital of Santi Giovanni e Paolo (Ospedale S.S. Giovanni e Paolo), was once the Scuola Grande di San Marco, the wealthiest scuola in Venice.

The statue in the square depicts the condottiero Bartolomeo Colleoni and was created in the 15th century by the sculptor Andrea Verocchio from Florence. Colleoni had left most of his wealth to Venice in his will, on the condition that a statue be erected for him in St. Mark's Square, but the authorities fulfilled it only partially, erecting the statue in the Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo.

21. Church of San Zaccaria

The Church of San Zaccaria (Chiesa di San Zaccaria), located not far from St. Mark's Square, was originally built in the 9th century to house the relics of St. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, relics that had been donated by the Byzantine emperor Leo V the Armenian to strengthen the friendship with Venice. Destroyed by a fire, the church was rebuilt in the 15th century and, in addition to the tombs of some Doges, it also houses works by Giovanni Bellini, Andrea del Castagno, and Palma il Vecchio.

A curious feature of the Church of San Zaccaria is its crypt, built in the 10th-11th centuries, which is situated below sea level and, as such, is flooded for most of the year.