Venice is a wonderland on the water’s surface and a top tourist attraction globally. With so much to see and discover in Venice, it becomes hard to decide where to begin from. To get out of the confusion, you need to reach the town and immerse yourself at any spot to start a fantastic exploration of the historic city. Narrow passages, small bridges, enchanting small shops in the middle of streets, and boat travel within the streets are all things you may not see anywhere else in the world.
There is no denying the beauty of Venice, but most of the attractive and important sites are located close to Piazza San Marco and the Grand Canal. However, to enjoy Venice’s bounties, we recommend that you visit our top attractions of the city.
St. Mark’s Basilica
Once Doge’s private chapel, St. Mark’s Basilica is one of Venice’s most known and iconic churches. The basilica is adorned by Byzantine art collected after the fall of Constantinople. Besides the outer decoration, the inside is even more attractive, with 4,240 square meters of gold mosaic covering domes and roofs. Golden altarpieces, gems and precious stones, mosaic crowns, and marble inlay are all masterpieces.
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Piazza San Marco
Piazza San Marco is the largest square in Venice, where every visitor stops to stroll, drink coffee, chat, and make new friends. Elegance and uniformity of architectural sense can be seen while standing in the middle of the open space. Saint Mark’s Basilica covers one side while the other is elegantly wrapped with graceful buildings housing cafés and shops.
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Torre dell’Orologio (The Clock Tower)
Facing Piazza San Marco on one side of the basilica is the most iconic and familiar clock tower surmounted by a pair of bronze Moors striking the bell every hour. The face of the watch artistically displays different phases of the moon and the zodiac gilt on a blue background. The Statue of the Virgin is at the top of the clock. The Venetian Renaissance-style tower dates back to the 15th century, and the winged lion and mosaic of stars were added in 1755.
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Grand Canal
The Grand Canal of Venice is the principal boulevard connecting Piazza San Marco and Rialto Bridge. The four bridges crossing this canal’s 3.8-kilometer length add to the beauty and the scenery. All the palaces of influential families led into the channel with the typical Venetian Gothic facades opening towards the water to receive the guests. You can always enjoy a ride in the canal via Vaporetto, Venice’s public transport system.
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Ponte di Rialto and San Polo
The symbol of the island’s first-ever settlement, and once the only bridge in the city, Ponte di Rialto was built in 1588 after the collapse of a wooden bridge at the same spot. The bridge covers the busiest area of the canal, where people mostly pose for picturesque photoshoots with colorful boats passing beneath.
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St. Marks’s Campanile
Standing like a giant in the corner of Piazza San Marco is a beautiful brick tower erected in 1902 after the original lighthouse structure of the 12th century fell.
You can take the lift to the top, where views extend across the city and lagoon to the Adriatic.
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Santa Maria della Salute
This is the most pictured basilica in Venice for having a postcard setting. At the end of the plague in 1630, the church was built over millions of supporting timbers as thanks. Paintings inside the church, like Marriage at Cana, symbolize sacristy.
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Scuola Grande di San Rocco
This building was constructed using white marble to house a charitable society dedicated to San Rocco. Later, the interior, including the ceiling and the walls, included masterpieces such as The Glorification of St. Roch, Christ Before Pilate, and The Crucifixion.
Teatro La Fenice
The building has proven to be one of the world’s most fabulous opera houses. The theatre has hosted several famous Italian operas like Donizetti, Verdi, and Rossini. You must plan to take the 45 minutes guided audio tour to immerse in the history of the building.
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