Why you should visit Venice now + useful tips for sightseeing

Venice, the city that we know as the city with no cars, but just canals and boats, small squares and most of all, as the floating city, is disappearing. Due to the climate change, Venice’s vulnerability to sea and groundwater level change is extremely serious and in 2100, Venice is expected to be completely disappeared. For example, 100 years ago St. Mark’s Square flooded around nine time per year and now it is inundated with water 100 times per year. If you’re planning to visit Venice, do it now, when you still have the chance.

In this article, I collected some highlights of Venice and you can find some useful tips for sightseeing.

General tips for visiting Venice

– Getting lost in Venice is not very hard to do, because it is like a giant maze. Always bring a map with you.
– The gondolas of Venice are a onetime bucket list activity.
– You can pay with Euros in Venice.
– In most of the touristic areas, it is very busy. Please be aware of pick pockets.
– It is very easy to reach Venice by train. Venice has regional and national trains, including trains to Rome (3.5 hours) and Milan (2.5 hours).

See the three major sights in one square: Piazza San Marco

Located right in the heart of Venice and one of the most famous squares of the world, Piazza San Marco is definitely worth the visit. At this square, you can find three touristic buildings:

Saint Mark’s Basilica (church of gold)

It is definitely worth to visit this church, whatever faith you are. It is a stunning building from the inside and out. This is the most famous of the city’s churches. The marble floor is covered with geometric patterns and animal designs. It looks beautiful! The other parts of the church are covered with mosaics containing gold, bronze, and the greatest variety of stones.

Tips for visiting the Saint Mark’s Basilica

– You are not allowed to take bags inside.
– The entry is free.
– You have to pay € 2,00 in order to see the alter and treasury.
– Photography is not allowed.
– It can be very crowded.

Doge’s Palace

This palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the Republic of Venice. The palace has a beautiful Venetian gothic style architecture. Nowadays, it is a museum and you can visit the inside when you buy a ticket. The rooms contain of statues, important architectural works and lots of amazing paintings. Next to this, you can visit the dungeons where prisoners were kept. During high tide, the prisoners cells would be completely flooded. Drawings and inscriptions of prisoners can still be seen carved in the prisons walls.

Tips for visiting the Doge’s Palace

– You can rent an audio tour for only € 5,00.
– It takes around 2-3 hours to see the entire palace.
– It is a must-visit location of Venice.
– It can be very crowded.

Torre Dell’Orologio

This is a clock tower built between 1496 and 1506. You are able to go up the clock tower and see a beautiful view over the city. If you are at the Piazza San Marco, this tower is worth a visit. It is located next to Saint Mark’s Basilica.

Tips for visiting Torre Dell’Orologio

– Be there on the hour to listen to the chimes and watch the statues on the top.
– You can go up to the clock tower.
– The entrance is around € 8,00.
– You can experience another view from behind. Just wander through the archway and look up.

Visit the Grand Canal of Venice and get around in a gondola

The ‘Grand Canal’ is a very important water way connecting the whole of Venice. This canal is well known for the tours on the water. This can be done with a gondola, small boat, waterbus or water taxi. The scenery of the canal is amazing. It is nice to be on the water, but also to overlook the canal with a cup of coffee from a terrace.

Tips for visiting the Grand Canal of Venice and get around in a gondola:

– Do a gondola tour by night. It is more quiet and the scenery is also very beautiful during the night.
– The cheapest way is to take the Vaporetto (boat-bus). It stops at all the interesting sites, left and right of the canal. A ticket costs € 7,50 and a 24 hours day pass costs € 20,00.
– The gondolas are a onetime bucket list activity.

See the Rialto Bridge in Venice

The Rialto bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. It is the oldest bridge of Venice. The bridge looks amazing.

Tips for seeing the Rialto Bridge in Venice:

– Go with a gondola under the bridge. The different perspective of the bridge is amazing.
– The view from the bridge over the canal looks amazing.

Visit one of the most beautiful Venice’s districts: Cannaregio

Cannaregio is one of the largest district of Venice. It is a less touristic part of Venice, but still a bit busy. There are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. You can venture into the Jewish Ghetto and from there you will find may peaceful canals to explore. It is, like the rest of Venice: magical.

Tips for visiting Cannaregio

– Most of the locals live in Cannaregio. Therefore, everything in this district is cheaper than in the main areas.
– Visit the Jewish Ghetto. The canals looks amazing in this part of Venice.

Be amazed by the beauty of the Dorsoduro district

Dorsoduro is one of the six districts of Venice. It is like Cannaregio, a more quiet district of Venice. It is known for the shops that reconstruct and repair gondolas. It is worth to have a look how the local people are creating these small boats. Moreover, it is amazing to just walk around this part of Venice. There are many small streets, colorful buildings at the canals, restaurants, bars and small shops.

In this district you can also find the Guggenheim museum and a square called: ‘Santa Margarita’. This more quiet part of Venice, is also definitely worth a visit.

Tips for visiting the Dorsoduro district in Venice

– Visit the Guggenheim museum.
– It is a very nice place for photographers.
– It is less expensive than the other parts of Venice.

Cool down with a delicious gelato

Most tourists agree that some of the world’s best gelato is served in Venice. There are plenty of places selling gelato. Good places to try gelato are: Creamy Gelato, Gelato fantasy, Alaska, Ca d’Ore, Majer, Grom and Gelateria il Doge.

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What is your favorite place in Venice?

Author: Daphne

This article is part of the GPSmyCity iOS app. You can download it, read this article offline and obtain travel directions (by foot, car or bicycle) to the places mentioned in this article. Click here to download it.

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