Venice CHEAT SHEET
You could spend weeks in Venice without exhausting your options for museums to explore, churches to visit, and places for a delicious meal. But since your time visiting will likely be much more limited, here’s the Travel Savvy Gal “cheat sheet” for the essentials:
Things to Do
Rialto Bridge
It’s iconic. It is quite tall, so offers a great view of the Grand Canal. You’re decently likely to pass it anyway as you wander Venice, but in case not, seek it out at least once.
St. Mark’s Square
This is the piazza you see in many of the typical photographs of Venice. With several tourist attractions right on the square you’ll likely be here already. When you are, take some time in the square itself to appreciate its grandeur.
Exploring here will give you a solid insight into Venetian history and life.
TRAVEL SAVVY TIP! It’s worth reserving a ticket for the Doge’s Palace in advance, as you’ll have a much shorter queue to enter.
I of course recommend visiting for longer if you can, but if you only have one day in Venice, read more about how to spend One Day in Venice for tips about making the most of your limited time.
Churches of Note
If you’re going to see one sight in Venice, this should be it. The decoration is a little over-the-top for my personal preference, but the church is just incredible.
TRAVEL SAVVY TIP! Lines to enter the Basilica can be long, so reserve a time slot in advance on the “Reservations” section on the website linked above.
TRAVEL SAVVY TIP! Be sure to go to the outdoor terraces for a lovely view of St. Mark’s Square.
There are more sections to this basilica than meets the eye, so it was a wonderful place to explore and see a variety of artwork and carved altars in different mediums.
Off the Beaten Path
Islands
As you know from my 10 Commandments for Visiting Venice, it’s definitely worth it to set aside the time to explore some of Venice’s islands beyond the main sections. If you do take a day to island-hop, the best meal I’ve had outside of Venice’s main areas was on the island of Murano – see the Best Bites section below.
While 2016 marked 500 years since the establishment of the Jewish Ghetto in Venice, Jewish life has existed in the city for even longer. The museum gives a good overview, and the tour of the ghetto is engaging and excellent.
TRAVEL SAVVY TIP! Typical tour times may be altered for the Sabbath (from late Friday through Saturday) and on Jewish holidays, so verify availability in advance.
The tower requires advance booking, which you can do not far in advance at the ticket office on the other side of St. Mark’s Square. It’s a different perspective on the area, and has some great views of St. Mark’s (the Square and the Basilica) from the upper levels.
There is a massive art exhibition in odd-numbered years, with pavilions by country that contain some fairly progressive art. Most are located in the Giardini area, although there are pavilions all around the city. Even-numbered years have been focusing on architecture.
The art collection here is truly outstanding, and is situated with some lovely sculpture gardens and terraces on the Grand Canal. Worth a visit, although not typical to Venice per se.
Best Bites (favorite restaurants)
A well-known fish restaurant, you can get a tasting menu of small plates to sample the variety of Venetian seafood, for a minimum of two people. It also has popular pasta and gnocchi specials daily that I’ve found to be quite delicious – be sure to ask your server about these as they’re not printed in the menu.
Some of the portion sizes are quite sizeable, so order accordingly or ask your server for recommendations. While large, the polenta with baccalà (salt cod) appetizer was exceptional.
Located on the island of Murano, there are a variety of typical Italian pastas, meat dishes, and pizzas on offer. I had a seafood carbonara here that I still dream about.
An institution for Venetian cuisine with a lot of local customers, a meal here can be a good value or extravagant, depending on what you order. Although known for its fish options, the standout dish on my recent visit was the fried liver and polenta.
Best Bites (for cicchetti, Venetian tapas)
My three favorite spots are listed below. Check out my cicchetti post for a thorough run-down of different spots for Venetian tapas, organized by neighborhood.
This spot is off-the-beaten path, but thankfully close to two main art attractions in Venice, so if you’re seeing art in the afternoon, you can pop in here afterward before heading back to other parts of the city. I like it for the old Venice feel coupled with interesting combinations of flavors on their cicchetti, like primosale cheese and radicchio, or less-seen but delicious ingredients for cicchetti, like truffle spread.
This long-time Venetian spot has solid cicchetti choices and a traditional atmosphere. There is a warmth and a buzz about the place that make it clear how cicchetti became a Venetian tradition.
Don’t let the location close to the train station fool you, this is a spot where locals congregate as well as some tourists. This osteria is down a very narrow alleyway so you may walk past the turn off the main street the first time like I did, but it is worth seeking out for the friendly staff and high-quality cicchetti ingredients.
READ MORE: How to Eat Like a Local in Venice – Best Spots to Sample Cicchetti
Best Bites (gelato)
I haven’t loved any of the gelato I’ve had in Venice, although I’ve tried many places. I’d recommend waiting to be in other parts of Italy to savor some frozen goodness, but if the craving hits in Venice, these are the best places I’ve tried:
A bit hard to find, but many agree that this is Venice’s top gelato spot.
Their signature green apple flavor (mela verde in Italian) is my favorite of what I’ve sampled.
READ MORE: Where to Stay in Venice
What’s your favorite part about Venice? Share in the Comments below.
