Top attractions in Venice

Hi Pauliina,

As you have said, there are a number of things to do, especially in just two days.

One of the main highlights was watching the dueling orchestras in San Marco square after dark.

Something that is worth seeing is the island of Burano. Murano is, in my opinion, not really all that worth it as it is very industrial, whereas Burano is quite picturesque. That being said, if you are only spending two days there I am not sure this would be the best option for you as it takes a half-day to get there, explore the island and shop for lace, and then come back.

Sticking more with your time frame, I would suggest that you make an advanced (and free) online reservation for San Marco's basilica so you can avoid the lineup. The Doge's palace was also very interesting.

Finally, allow yourself plenty of time to get lost amongst the small streets and canals of Venice. There are some great shopping areas, plenty of interesting restaurants, and the atmosphere is great pretty well everywhere.

One book that you might invest in is the Top 10 Venice guide by DK Eywitness. It has the top 10 of most everything. It also has a great vaporetto fold out map as part of the back cover. Very useful. As for what to see, I would offer the following:

• Some travel down the Grand Canal on the vaporetto when you first arrive.
  
• Walking the Merceria Spadaria from the Rialto bridge to St. Mark's square. This is about a mile of nothing but shops. Some of the best-named on the planet are there.
  
• St. Mark's square after the cruise people have left. The orchestras in the evening are great.
  
• Walking around the backstreets and finding great squares and places to eat. Remember, the Venetians don't eat until at least 8:00pm.
  
• Basilica San Marco
• Doge's palace. The secrets tour is an option.
  
• Peggy Guggenheim museum on the other side of the Grand Canal.
  
• Visits to Murano/Burano. This takes a bit of transit time on the Vaporetto.
  

Eat lots of gelato.

Larry.....I too will be spending two days in Venice. Where did you purchase the DK Eywitness book?

BJ

BJ, I can't remember where we purchased this book but we have purchased other DK Eyewitness books from Borders or Amazon.com. I was looking at Amazon and I see a newer version that the one we have. CLICK HERE to see it. This book is thinner and more narrow than the RS book. We did have both in Venice and they both worked well.

check out a book called step by step its self walking tours and has a great map.

The "Top 10 Venice" book is pretty good, but I would definitely say that the Guggenheim Museum (their #10) is a Top 10 only for lovers of modern art. Also, they rank the island of Torcello as #8 and, although Torcello was reasonably interesting to visit, it takes a LOONG time to get there. If you want a quiet escape, go to the public gardens in the SE tip of Venice or just avoid St. Mark's and the Rialto during peak times.

I found Burano to be fairly charming, but I'm glad we saved it for our second trip to Venice. It's also a bit of a haul from Venice, though not as far as Torcello.

On a side note, I also quibble with that book's statement that Venice was built "entirely on water." It was actually built on lots of small islands that were expanded and linked together. (Some people think that Venice actually floats or that it sits above the water only on pilings.)

Pauliina: See the guy in the upper left hand corner of this webpage? He's from your hometown and publishes a book called Rick Steves' Venice. For $12.21 on Amazon.com (also from your hometown), you can have this little gem. It will do a most excellent job of telling you about the top attractions and favorite sites; plus you can bring it to Venice with you.

Click here to see Rick's opinion of the top sights in Venice, and much much more from Rick on Venice

I was in Italy and December and one of my biggest regrets was only scheduling 2 days for Venice! If possible, I would allow more time there.

If that's not an option, my suggestion as to the "top" thing to do in Venice is simply walking around the little streets away from the tourist center at Rialto and San Marco. It's fun to take time to wander and discover the Venice of the locals.

I agree with the last post. We spent four nights in Venice and my personal #1 thing was to just wander around. Get into the little ally ways where the locals live. Find the small squares where the families hang out. As you walk you will run into beautiful gems. We also loved Burano, but it will take time to get there. We "did" the tourist stuff, but if I went back I'd just wander!

Top moments in Venice for me: Grand Canal cruise by vaporetta; Frari Church; dancing in St Mark's square by moonlight; the Basilica; Rialto bridge; gondola ride; wandering aimlessly. See Rick's Venice book for details and info. ENJOY!

I would add the Secret Itinerary Tour at Doge's Palace. Awesome, and well worth the time and additional expense - just 10 Euros on top of San Marco Plus pass.