Venice

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Venice doesn’t feel the lack of tourist attention and for centuries its attractions seduce people from all over the world. More than most cities Venice repays those who make a lingering acquaintance and who show a willingness to leave the main sights in favor of the evocative quite squares and small churches.

The city is situated in the heart of a lagoon, separated from the open sea by a line of defensive sand bars. Its 118 islands, 400-plus bridges, and 170 canals are divided into six districts or sistieri. Half of these lie west of the Grand Canal and half to the east. The city may seem labyrinthine, but in practice the web of streets is easier to navigate than it first appears. Using a smart selection of GPS-coordinates on this site you can easily pass from one Venice place of interest to another and use no transport.

Once you have grasped the city’s layout, the best way to see individual attractions is to stay independent and relay on spots that you have chosen on iTourstMaps.com. Study the map to locate the top 25 sights and ascertain which other more minor sights lie close by. Bear in mind that only four bridges cross the Grand Canal, so plan your routs to avoid unnecessary walking. Also learn to use the traghetti (ferries) that cross the canal at strategic points and do not overlook the vaporetti (water bus) as a means of sightseeing, particularly the ¹1, which lumbers along the Grand Canal.

Venice Attractions

The list of tourist attractions of Venice is quite long and some points of this list are must see. However it is the best to see anything on your first morning apart from Piazza San Marco, the Doge’s Palace or the Basilica di San Marco. Start instead with something more modest so that the crowds do not turn you against the city on your first acquaintance. Venice’s best moments often occur away from the main sights. Thus you should take a boat along the Grand Canal just for the ride. Grand Canal is truly the most beautiful street in whole Italy. At most hours of day and night it is alive with boats and bustle of all description, providing an almost hypnotic spectacle when admired from one of its four bridges (the Scalzi, Rialto, Accademia and Constitution) or from the heavily laden vaporetti that play up and down its 4-km length.

There is little that can beat an aerial view of the city than, preferably from the top of the San Giorgio Maggiore. The view from the bell-tower of Palladio’s Church is perhaps the best in the city, its panorama includes the Campanile and offers the best overview of the Lagoon and the Giudecca.

Alternately, an ice-cream or cappuccino in a square is ideal if you wish to experience the city’s quitter side. There are such nice and cozy spots of Venice like: Campo dei Mori, Campo S.S. Giovanni e Paolo, Campo Santa Margherita, Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Campo San Polo, Campo Santo Stefano (Campo Francesco Morosini). As you have already guessed – “campo” means square in Italian.

Once you have a feel for the city’s intimate side you can move to the bigger draws: two key galleries, the Academia and Collezione Peggy Guggenheim; two major churches, SS Giovannie Paolo and Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari; two best museums, the Correr and Ca’ d’Oro; and finest scuole, the Scuoladi San Giorgio degli Schiavoni. Thereafter, you can decide between more museums or smaller churches. It would be easy to check them in the list of Venice sights of interest on our site. Finally you can brace yourself for the “Big two”: Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) and Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark’s).

Holidays with Kids

Traveling with kids one can find many nice children attractions and interesting things to do in Venice. Italian ice-cream would satisfy most demanding of youngsters, so don’t lose this chance to give them such a good experience. Children should be captivated by the things to see from Venice vaporetti and motoscafi. The best would be to take a short trip along the Grand Canal. Children might enjoy wearing Venice’s famous masks, or simply window-shopping among some of the city’s numerous shops. Interesting and riveting experience can bring visiting workshops on Murano. Many of them offer a chance to watch glass-blowers in action, a novelty that should appeal to children.

Coffee and Ice-cream

Venice doesn’t have much of a night-life to match other major cities. For many Venetians an evening out consists of a meal or drink with friends rounded off with a stroll to a bar for a coffee or ice-cream. One of the best places to join them is Campo Santa Margherita, a square full of easy-going bars and cafes in the student district of Dorsoduro. Other similar squares include Campo San Polo, Campo San Barnabo and Campo Santa Maria Formosa.

If all you want to do is walk, few cities can compare with Venice when it comes to atmospheric pleasant strolls, and none can offer an experience of a gondola ride on the Grand Canal.

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