Venice is a city where you should have been once in your life. The city is mostly built on stilts and is known for the many canals that run through it – yes, of course we know that. In total there are about 150 canals and hundreds of bridges to cross them. All this makes the city very romantic. They even say that it is the most romantic city in Europe and perhaps of the world! If you ever want to visit it, then you should of course know what are the best things to see. Well, today we show you 5x what to see in Venice!

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Best places to see in Venice

Grand Canal

If we talk about the largest, busiest, most famous and most important canal in Venice, where do you think of? Grand Canal! – of course it is called like that, we should’ve known. Many of the sights in Venice are located along this canal. It has a length of 4 kilometres and divides the city into two parts. In addition, it is an important waterway for the famous water busses, the so-called Vaporetti. The width of the canals varies from 30 to 70 metres. Due to this, many boats can sail through the canal at the same time. It is remarkable that only four of the hundreds of bridges across the busiest canal. One of them is the most famous bridge of all, the Rialto Bridge. We will tell you more about this bridge later on. This is also one of the best things to see in Venice and you certainly cannot miss.

Piazza San Marco

From the most famous and most important canal in Venice, we switch to the most popular and important square in the city: San Marco Square. It is that important that Napoleon even called it “the salon of Europe”. The square is the lowest point of the city and when water is high, the square is the first thing that will be under water – keep this in mind when travelling to Venice. On the square you will find, among other things, the San Marco Basilica and the Campanile. The city has more than 30 churches, but the San Marco Basilica is probably the most impressive one. To see the interior, there is frequently a queue of approx 15 to 20 minutes – this can be longer but it will be definitely worth the visit! The Campanile is a bell tower with a height of 98 metres. Fortunately, there is a lift in order to not having to climb hundreds of steps to enjoy the view.

Doge’s Palace

The Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) is one of the other unique places of interest you’ll find on San Marco Square. This used to be the palace of the doge (leader) of the Republic of Venice. Important decisions had to be made at the time, including verdicts and that is why a torture chamber and prison are located here – you can visit them if you want, how awesome! In many cells you can even see the old graffiti of the corridors.

It is also possible to take a walk on the Bridge of Sighs. This is the connection between the Doge’s Palace and the prison. The convicts were formerly brought to prison via this bridge and here they saw daylight for the last time. Another fact about this bridge: if you give each other a kiss under the Bridge of Sighs, your love will last forever.

Rialto Bridge

Before, we already mentioned the Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) – the oldest and at the same time, the best well-known bridge of Venice. It is the connection between the popular neighbourhoods San Polo and San Marco and crosses the famous Grand Canal. Once it was a wooden bridge, but it could not handle all the people and goods and was replaced by stone. However, up to this day, it remained the centre of trade. From here you have a beautiful view over the canal, a short stop is really worth it. During sunrise and sunset the view is even more beautiful, do not miss it! – keep in mind that it can be very crowded…

Murano

Murano is an island located 1.5 kilometres from Venice. It is known for the famous glassware and mirrors that are made here. In the old days (1291) all glassblowers were forced to move from Venice to Murano. The story goes that glassblowing should be kept a secret as good as possible and because the glassblowers were all in one place, the Venetians had complete control over them. It wasn’t all fun for the glassblowers and they lived like prisoners. However, they got some privileges. Nowadays, on Murano island we’ll find workshops and stores of the glassblowers, they are still working here. What is also highly recommended is the Glass Museum. Discover the unique character of the island!

Last but not least – A gondola ride through the canals of Venice can not be missed during a visit to this romantic city. This way you will discover many more sights in Venice. Enjoy all the beauty and Ciao Venezia!