Venice
Discover Venice
Venice (Italian: Venezia; Venetian: Venexia) is a sanctuary on a lagoon that is virtually the same as it was 600 years ago, which adds to the fascinating character. Venice has decayed since its heyday and suffers from overtourism, but the romantic charm remains. It is also known as the birthplace of composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi, and of the poets and opera librettists Apostolo Zeno and Carlo Goldoni. Venice and its lagoon are a UNESCO World Heritage site. It used to be an independent republic, and remains one of Italy's most important cities, with a quarter million inhabitants. Venice is also known as the home of the world's first international film festival, founded in 1932. Many visitors also pay a visit to Mestre (mainland Venice) and some of the neighboring islands in Metropolitan Venice during their stay.
What to Experience in Venice
Taste of Venice...
Venice is home to a rich and distinct regional cuisine and there are numerous wonderful restaurants, including a few Michelin starred ones. However, the city is also home to many more mediocre eateries that will not shy away from serving you undercooked pasta for overinflated prices. This has led to it becoming widely regarded that the restaurants in Venice serve food of a quality and in quantities much lower than anywhere else in Italy. However, with a bit of caution and planning ahead you'll have many excellent experiences eating in Venice. Rule of thumb is that if there's a waiter outside pimping for business, it's probably best avoided! One of Venice's trademark foods is Sepe al nero, cuttlefish and its ink. This intense black ink serves as a sauce and ingredient for polenta (corn meal), risotto (rice), and pasta. These dishes are normally indicated by the Italian words "nella seppia" (in cuttlefish), "alla seppia" (in the style of cuttlefish), or "nero di seppia," (black of the cuttlefish). For example, Polenta Nella Seppia is fried corn meal with the black ink of a cuttlefish. Despite the intensity in color, the ink has a surprisingly mild taste. Other Veneitian dishes include Fegato alla veneziana, chopped liver, cooked with chopped onions and Sarde in saor: fried sardines, dipped in fried onion, raisins and pine nuts, spices and vinegar. For snacks, Venice has its own version of tapas, the cicchetti.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Venice into what it is today.
The Most Serene Republic of Venice dates back to 827, when a Byzantine Duke moved its seat to what is now known as the Rialto, and for the following 970 years, it prospered on trade (especially from the Silk Road) and under the rule of a Roman-style Senate headed by the Doge. Eventually, the Republic of Venice grew into a powerful city-state, and the cradle of Italian Renaissance. In the late 15th century, the Ottoman Empire's expansion around the Mediterranean, new routes on the high seas shifted commerce to the Atlantic, demoting Venice's political status. The city remains a centre for the arts. One of the significant events in the history of Venice was the opening of the first public opera house in 1637, which allowed members of the general public (those who could afford to pay for the tickets) to enjoy what was once court entertainment reserved for the aristocracy, thus allowing the genre of opera to flourish. Venice was an important destination of the Grand Tour from the 17th century. In 1797, the city was conquered by Napoleon, a blow from which it never recovered. The city was soon absorbed into Austria-Hungary, then ping-ponged back and forth between Austria and a nascent Italy, but Venice is still a monument to the glory days of the Renaissance, and historical culture still throbs powerfully in the old Italians' veins. Venice has a humid-subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters....
Festivals & Events
Experience the vibrant festivals and cultural celebrations of Venice.
La Fenice Theatre in San Marco is one of the best opera houses in the world. Together with its second house, Teatro Malibran in Canareggio, it stages seasons of opera, ballet, and symphony. Frequent Classical or opera performances are staged in churches and schools around the city at reasonable prices. In San Marco, look for the Scuola Grande di S.Teodoro, Ateneo San Basso, or Chiesa San Vidal. In Castello, you can hear Vivaldi's Four Seasons at the Chiesa della Pietà, where he taught and composed for 33 years. Riding a gondola along the canals with your own gondoliere, the oarsmen who symbolizes the city, is one of the major joys of being in Venice. It's also one of the most expensive, as gondolier-for-hire business licences are limited to just 430 to 455 oarsmen in Venice, making the market artificially scarce and inflating prices.
Climate
Venice has a humid-subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters. For those who don't enjoy the heat, July and August may be the worst time to visit: it's sometimes very hot and often humid, there are mosquitoes and occasional infestations of flies, and there are a lot of tourists and large crowds. Mid to late spring and early to mid autumn are probably best, a compromise between temperature (expect 10-25°C) and the tourist load. Between November and January, you may manage to feel you have Venice all to yourself, an interesting experience. Beware of the weather during the winter months: it can be quite chilly, windy, and damp. Fog is an additional hazard if you are driving in or out, doubly so in the unlikely chance that you will pilot a boat. But if you've never been to Venice, it's better to go in summer than not to go. You won't regret it. Many cities are far worse in summer.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsWater plays a crucial role in transportation, as Venice is on a lagoon. Whichever way you arrive, the last part of your journey will be on foot from the nearest waterbus/watertaxi jetty. Bear this in mind when choosing your hotel location and route to it, especially if you need to carry bags along the narrow streets. (The sound of hard suitcase wheels on cobblestones is annoying, and they can damage marble steps.) A lot of the higher priced hotels will offer complementary water boat transfers from the airport. Day-trippers visiting the city on peak days must pay an Access Fee (€5) online in advance. Overnight guests are exempt but must register. Marco Polo Airport and Treviso Airport serve the city. If no flight suits you, check flying to nearby Bologna or Verona. From both cities trains and buses depart to Venice. 45.5052812.351941 Marco Polo Airport (VCE) (on the mainland near Mestre, a more typical Italian city without Venice's unique structure)....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Venice, the world's only pedestrian city, is easily walkable, and the absence of cars makes this a particularly pleasant experience. However, walking and standing all day can also be exhausting, so it is best to pace yourself. The Rialtine islands – the 'main' part of Venice – are small enough to walk from one end to the other in about an hour, provided you don't get lost (a common occurrence). If you want to get around a bit more quickly, there are numerous vaporetti (water buses) and water taxis. The vaporetti are generally the best way to get around, even if the service route map changes frequently. If you are going to be in Venice for a few days visiting, it is a lot cheaper to use vaporetti than private water taxis. If you want to have a romantic ride along the canals, take a gondola ride, although they tend to exist for more scenic purposes, rather than getting people from point A to point B. GPS navigation services such as Google Maps are notoriously unreliable in Venice.
Where to Stay
Due to the historic city's constrained area and international popularity hotels are expensive. Bed and Breakfasts and guesthouses offer better rates. Real budget solutions (like camping and hostels) can be found in Mestre (mainland Venice) and on the island of Lido. Alternative accommodation can also be found on the island of Murano. These are worth considering since the historic centre is quite well-connected with buses and ferries, so staying further from the centre is not such a big problem, as for example it takes only 11 minutes to travel from Mestre to islands of Venice by train. In the last few years, holiday or short rentals apartments have increased in number and quality, now you can rent (minimum stay is usually 3 nights) a Palazzo on the Grand Canal as a little flat near Rialto. As of Sep 2021, Venice has 4G from Iliad and TIM, and 5G from Vodafone and Wind Tre.
Money & Budget
Venice has always been a city of merchants. Consequently, most of the Venetians working in Venice still own or work at a shop. The pride of the Republic of Venice was the extreme diversity and quality of goods and services which could be found in Venice. These days, however, mass tourism led Venice to be populated with many shops selling low-quality souvenirs. The local shops are suffering a lot from this situation and it is not easy to identify them within the crowd of shops selling harmful imported goods. Buying from the authentic local businesses has never been more important, as it is essential to the future of the Venetians and guarantees you to get the real thing and to have a much better experience of Venice. It is not easy, though.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Venice is considered a safe city. You have to take the habitual travellers' precautions however. Keep your valuable items (like wallet and passport) close to you because there are pickpockets, especially in more crowded parts of the city. In case of need, you can dial free of charge on any phone 112 (no area code needed) to contact Carabinieri or 113 (no area code needed) to contact the Police. Sometimes, in the evening and night hours, Campo Bella Vienna and Campo Santa Margherita are places for violence, so be careful if you stay here. Since 2024-2025 there are a lot of pickpockets, so you should avoid highly crowded areas. Do not touch or swim in the extremely polluted water in the canals. Some of that water comes from the surrounding Venetian Lagoon, but the rest comes straight from toilets and kitchen sinks. Venice has begun to install septic tanks in buildings, but much of the city has not yet been upgraded and releases untreated sewage directly into the canals.
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Venice
View from Academia Bridge
landscape photo of a Venice canal
Venecia 678
white and brown dome building near body of water during daytime
Summer in Venice
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Venice Grand Canal
Grand Canal, Italy
photography of of people near boat during daytime
Sunset in Venice
View from Academia Bridge
landscape photo of a Venice canal
Venecia 678