A beautiful city greets you when you arrive in Venice, Italy. The city known for its canals and Carnavale celebration opens its doors to thousands of visitors each year, and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to count yourself among them!
Compared to some of the other major cities in Italy (see our articles on Rome or Florence), Venice doesn’t boast as many grand museums or galleries. However, the entire city could easily be considered a slowly sinking museum itself and just walking the streets will provide you with the same artistic and cultural splendor as in several of the larger museums – but for free. If you’re thinking about traveling to Venice, there are several sites you simply can’t miss.
The Grand Canal. When you arrive in Venice, the first thing you do should be to hop on the local ferry boat known as a Vaporetto. This form of public transportation runs you a lot cheaper than a gondola and shows you the same sites. Take a full run around the city and you’ll see some of the best sites from the water. Once you’ve gone round once, step onto land and explore some of the inside of this great city.
Doge’s Palace. This building, right off of St. Mark’s Square (or Piazza di San Marco, in Italian) houses some pretty astounding works of art. By far, though, its greatest attraction lies away from the artwork – in the dungeon. This area of the palace houses no art but you will remember it just as much. The stark contrast between it, the Bridge of Sighs that leads you there, and the main gallery will be sure to keep you entertained for hours.
St. Mark’s Basilica. If you’re not arriving at the height of tourist season, make sure you see the Basilica in Venice. If you’re arriving during tourist season (whenever there’s warm weather, really), then be prepared to wait – a while – to get in. History tells us that many of the windows in the Basilica have been covered over by the sheer amount of artifacts and artwork the Venetians collected and conquered over the years.
Island of Murano. This island lies a little ways outside of Venice, available by Vaporetto. This island is home to craftsmen who, since the 1200s, have been crafting beautiful artwork made of glass by hand. Murano Glass, as it’s called, can be found all over the world in both it’s original and copied forms, but some of the best can only be found on Murano. Make sure you go!
As you explore Venice, make sure to notice all the little intricacies that make this city great. Many famous artists, writers, poets, and politicians have visited or lived in the city, and in many cases these cases have been marked on buildings with commemorative plaques. So don’t just look down at the water as you walk – also look up and around at this great world treasure!