The Ultimate Travel Guide to Venice, Italy

Venice, La Serenissima, is a luminous city built on 118 small islands scattered across the shallow Venetian Lagoon, between the rivers Po and Piave as they flow into the Adriatic Sea. This dreamlike setting has long made it one of the world’s most coveted travel destinations.

More than 400 bridges—some simple stone arches, others ornate and lined with shops—connect the islands, weaving them into a labyrinth of canals, narrow alleys, and open squares. The city’s earliest buildings were ingeniously raised on thousands of wooden piles driven deep into the lagoon’s mud and silt, then topped with limestone platforms that formed the solid bases for Venice’s houses, churches, and palaces.

Because these wooden piles remain completely underwater, deprived of oxygen and protected from decay, they do not rot. This remarkable engineering feat is why so many of Venice’s centuries-old buildings, with their weathered facades and intricate balconies, still stand firmly above the water today.

Another nickname is ‘the sinking city,’ although there is no indication that Venice will disappear into the water any time soon.

You have sufficient time to visit and be enchanted by the art, the stunning Renaissance architecture of the churches and palaces, the glassblowers of Murano, and the mysterious, tiny alleys, lively markets, and, for music lovers, a performance in the La Fenice Opera House.

In this Venice Travel Guide blog, we list helpful DIY Venice travel tips and advice on how to get around, recommended activities, places to eat, accommodation, tour packages, and more.

Best time to Visit

The ideal time to visit Venice depends on your priorities, but here are the key considerations:

Best Overall: April-May & September-October

These shoulder seasons offer the perfect balance:

• Pleasant weather (60-75°F / 15-24°C)
• Fewer crowds than in the summer
• Lower hotel prices
• Most attractions open
• Comfortable for walking and exploring

Season Breakdown:

Spring (April-May)

• Beautiful weather, warming up
• Blooming gardens
• Easter celebrations can be lovely but crowded

Summer (June-August)

• Pros: Longest days, warmest weather, vibrant atmosphere
• Cons: Peak crowds, highest prices, heat/humidity can be oppressive, occasional flooding

Fall (September-October)

• Many consider this the absolute best time
• Warm but not hot
• Summer crowds dissipate
• Beautiful light for photography

Winter (November-March)

• Pros: Fewest tourists, lowest prices, atmospheric fog, Carnevale (February)
• Cons: Cold, rainy, frequent “acqua alta” (high water/flooding), some restaurants close

Avoid if Possible:

• July-August: Extreme heat, humidity, and massive crowds
• November: Highest risk of flooding

Pro tip: Book accommodations well in advance for shoulder seasons, as they’re increasingly popular!

How to get there

Places to stay

Venice offers plenty of accommodation for every taste and budget, from super luxury to reasonable.

Hotel Serenissima

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I stayed at the aptly named Hotel Serenissima in the equally aptly named Calle Goldoni.

I loved the hotel for several reasons: it’s only steps from St. Mark Square and easily reached from the Rialto Bridge Vaporetto stop. Porters are available to assist with your luggage to the hotel. It’s family-run with ‘mama’ in her white apron preparing your breakfast of piles of hot brioches, homemade jams, and plenty of coffee and butter.

And, for Venice, it’s relatively cheap at an average of $80 per night for a single room. The hotel is housed in a historic townhouse, with relatively small but comfortable rooms, a small balcony, and an adequate bathroom. WiFi is available, and the cozy bar downstairs has beautiful murals.

Danieli Hotel in Riva degli Schiavoni

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If you want to pull out all the stops. Venice’s emblematic Danieli Hotel in Riva Degli Schiavoni could be your choice. Made up of three combined Renaissance palaces, the hotel looks out over the lagoon and the islands.

It’s the super-luxury abode of movie stars and celebrities, and ordinary folks with very deep pockets.

Hotel Diana in Calle Specchieri 

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This centrally located 3-star hotel is highly recommended for flashpackers. Recently refurbished rooms are decorated in a modern Venetian style, are ample and comfortable, and include a continental breakfast and Wi-Fi in the price.

Best places to eat

Pasta, pasta, and more pasta with an incredible variety of sauces are what you will find in kid-friendly Bigoi in Calle Crosera. 

I pick up the Venetian-style pasta you love from Dal Moro’s Fresh Pasta on Calle Casseleria. You get boxes of hot, fresh pasta along with a separate sauce container for mixing.

I went again and again to the legendary Caffe Florian in St Mark’s Square.

Supposedly the oldest café in the world and located under the arcades of St Mark’s Square, the Florian not only has a fabulous flair and beautiful decoration but also serves the best hot chocolate.

They offer a varying daily menu of hot food. Listen to a piano player in the afternoon and watch the world go by. A magical experience is to have breakfast there if you happen to visit during the carnival and rub shoulders with the tired masks in their sumptuous costumes, sipping said hot chocolate.

Money and other matters

The currency is the EURO. WiFi is excellent throughout the city. Credit cards are accepted everywhere, but in Italy, cash is highly appreciated and often leads to significant discounts. Cash only in the Rialto market, cafes, and smaller shops.

Be prepared that nothing in Venice is really cheap.

Venice Travel Guide: Things to do and see in Venice

There is so much to do and see in Venice that you should plan for at least two full days. You want to visit the spectacular St Mark’s Cathedral, the Palace of the Doge, the Santa Maria Della Salute church, and the arcades around the massive marble-floored St. Mark’s Square. Walk over Venice’s two most famous bridges, Rialto and the Bridge of Sighs.

Art and history enthusiasts will want to explore the Museum of Naval History and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The greatest pleasure is exploring Venice, map in hand, on your own feet. Or to join a mystery tour.

Several of those are available and depart from St. Mark’s Square. Your guide is an actor in period costume who tells you stories of murder, mayhem, and  Casanova, leading you into dark alleys and over narrow bridges.

Carnival, masks, and Venice are inseparable, and you have an opportunity to learn about mask-making and create one of your own by participating in a two-hour mask-making class at the workshop of Ca’Macana.

Find out about one of the greatest bookshops globally by going to Libreria Acqua Alta.

Due to its location, the bookshop is prone to flooding, so the books are stored in gondolas and boats. Plenty of cats are around, too, and a pretty eccentric owner.

By all means, go on a gondola ride and glide under bridges and past one majestic Renaissance place after another.

You should visit at least one of the islands, and Murano will enchant you with extraordinary masterpieces made of glass.

Massive glass sculptures also grace public spaces in Murano. If you plan to make a purchase, it will be shipped anywhere.

Enjoy lace? Then head for Burano and watch old and young ladies with nifty fingers produce the finest lace.

Even in winter, the Venice Lido warrants a visit as the seat of the world’s oldest film festival: the Biennale and Film Festival of Venice, and a crucial scene in Thomas Mann’s famous novel ‘Death in Venice.’

And that’s just scratching the surface. You’ll quickly see why you need ample time in Venice.

Best places to shop

It’s not so much a question of where to shop in Venice but what to shop. My favorites are lace, glass, and pearls. Venetian artificial pearls have even more luster than the real thing, and there are plenty of jewelry shops around that sell them…at a price.

Glass in Murano and lace everywhere. For ladies: get a velvet handbag by iconic designer Roberta di Camerino. Nobody else will have it.

If you can’t live without a visit to a shopping mall, you have to head to the mainland and see Galleria Barcella in Mestre.

Otherwise, there are so many boutiques and shops on the streets of Venice that you’ll be able to find anything you fancy. Don’t miss out on the Rialto Market either, but be prepared; it’s huge, and haggling is a sport.

The insider trick is to avoid the crowds. Your visit to Venice will be a dream experience if you plan accordingly.

Venice Travel and Tour Packages

To help you plan your vacation to Venice, we have listed places to visit and other activities to do in Venice, Italy. We also included links to the best travel deals, tour packages, flight deals, and accommodation options.

Venice Gondola Ride

There is only one way to see Venice, famously known as the city of water – and it is aboard a gondola on the beautiful Grand Canal.

Book this Tour

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Searching for the best hotels, resorts, and affordable flights in the nearby Cities? Check out our list of cheap Venice hotels and resorts via Agoda, Booking, or you may also see available Airbnb properties in the city.

Want more updates about new package tours and tourist attractions in Venice, Italy? Follow #TeamOutofTown on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for more travel ideas.

Also read:

• Food Trip: Eat Like A Local In Venice, Italy
• Gondola Ride At The Love River In Kaohsiung, Taiwan
• The Ultimate Walking Tour of Venice