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kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0

Venice

Venice is the lagoon city of canals: St Mark's Square and Basilica, the Rialto, and the islands of Murano and Burano.

Best things to do in Venice

The one thing not to miss

Start at St Mark's Square with the Basilica and its Campanile, then the Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs next door.

St Mark's Basilica, Square and Campanile
  1. Venezia Basilica di San Marco Fassade 2
    Zairon, Public domain

    St Mark's Basilica, Square and Campanile

    • 2 to 3 hours
    • Check entry rules before you go
    • Couples
    • Families

    The cathedral church of Venice, on Piazza San Marco with its bell tower.

    24,958 readers a month

    Sources
  2. (Venice) Doge's Palace and campanile of St. Mark's Basilica facing the sea
    Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs

    • 2 hours
    • Tickets needed
    • Couples
    • Rainy day

    The Venetian Gothic palace that held the government offices, the jail and the Doge's residence. The Bridge of Sighs links it to the New Prison.

    16,979 readers a month

    Sources
  3. Venice Carnival - Masked Lovers (2010)
    Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, CC BY 2.0

    Carnival of Venice

    • A day or two
    • No booking needed
    • Before Lent (February or March)
    • Couples
    • Adults
    • Families

    The annual festival of elaborate costumes and masks, ending on Shrove Tuesday.

    9,569 readers a month

    Sources
  4. La Biennale di Venezia 2019
    Naturpuur, CC BY 4.0

    Venice Biennale

    • A day
    • Tickets needed
    • Exhibition season only
    • Couples
    • Adults

    An international exhibition held every two years, alternating between art and architecture.

    9,063 readers a month

    Sources
  5. Rialto 2025 4
    kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Rialto Bridge

    • Under an hour
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • Families
    • No car needed

    The oldest of the four bridges over the Grand Canal, linking San Marco and San Polo.

    6,831 readers a month

    Sources
  6. View of the Grand Canal from Rialto to Ca'Foscari
    Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0

    The Grand Canal

    • 1 hour
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • Families
    • No car needed

    Venice's largest channel and one of its main water-traffic routes.

    4,283 readers a month

    Sources
  7. Santa Maria della Salute from Hotel Monaco
    This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author and send me a message. This image is not in the public domain. Please respect the copyright protection. It may only be used according to the rules mentioned here. This specifically excludes use in social media, if applicable terms of the licenses listed here not appropriate. Please do not upload an updated image here without consultation with the Author. The author would like to make corrections only at his own source. This ensures that the changes are preserved.Please if you think that any changes should be required, please inform the author.Otherwise you can upload a new image with a new name. Please use one of the templates derivative or extract., CC BY-SA 3.0

    Santa Maria della Salute

    • Under an hour
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • No car needed

    The basilica at the Punta della Dogana in Dorsoduro.

    4,185 readers a month

    Sources
  8. Murano sunset
    Wittylama, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Murano

    • Half a day
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • Families

    Islands about 1.5 km north of Venice, famous for glass making.

    4,124 readers a month

    Sources
  9. Burano Venice 17
    kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Burano

    • Half a day
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • Families

    An island in the northern lagoon known for lace and brightly coloured houses.

    3,906 readers a month

    Sources
  10. Gran Teatro La Fenice, Venice (30906998336)
    Dimitris Kamaras from Athens, Greece, CC BY 2.0

    Teatro La Fenice

    • 1 hour, or an evening
    • Tickets needed
    • Couples
    • Rainy day

    Venice's historic opera house, one of the most famous in the history of opera.

    2,898 readers a month

    Sources

Just missed the list: Peggy Guggenheim Collection (11th by readers); Venice Lido (12th by readers)

How we ranked these

By how many people read about each place on English Wikipedia in a typical month, measured October 2026. It is a popularity measure, not our opinion. St Mark's Basilica, Square and Campanile leads with about 24,958 readers a month. Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are on each photo.

Affiliate disclosure: We earn a commission if you book through links on this site. It costs you nothing extra and does not change what we recommend. How this works.