Venice

Venice is a beautiful Italian gem to explore. It’s the kind of city that’s totally unique, with miles of canals, tiny alleys and a whole heap of history, you’ll be totally spoilt for choice when deciding on all the best things to do in Venice whilst you’re there.

Baldassare Longhena's magnificent basilica is prominently positioned near the entrance to the Grand Canal, its white stones, exuberant statuary and high domes gleaming spectacularly under the sun. The church makes good on an official appeal by the Venetian Senate directly to the Madonna in 1630, after 80,000 Venetians had been killed by plague. The Senate promised the Madonna a church in exchange for her intervention on behalf of Venice – no expense or effort spared.

Holding pride of place on the waterfront, this pretty Gothic confection may be an unlikely setting for the political and administrative seat of a great republic, but it's an exquisitely Venetian one. Beyond its dainty colonnades and geometrically patterned facade of white Istrian stone and pale pink Veronese marble lie grand rooms of state, the doge's private apartments and a large complex of council chambers, courts and prisons.

Venice is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. Each year, millions flock into the city to witness the Canal City's grandeur. Seeing canals instead of lanes is probably the most bizarre, yet beautiful thing you are likely to witness. The gondola rides are most likely the first image that comes to one’s mind when thinking of Venice, but the city has a lot more to offer.

Be ready for anything in Venice. This floating city consists of a group of 117 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It can be the most romantic place on earth, but it can also be terribly expensive and feel like a tourist trap if you don’t do your research.

Venice is one of the most beautiful and unique cities anywhere in the whole world. This city made up 118 islands and 400 bridges is a fairytale world like nowhere else on earth and somewhere you have to visit at least once in your lifetime. However Venice has become a victim of its own popularity and in recent years has suffered from massive overtourism. Visiting Venice when busy and crowded is not fun and you could very easily leave hating the city that you wanted to visit so much.

By Rossi Thomson | This is a comprehensive travel guide for first-time visitors to Venice, Italy. It includes lots of simple insider tips to make your Venice trip as easy and enjoyable as possible. Scroll down for many first-hand recommendations for things to do and not to do in the beautiful city of water.

The first and perhaps best budget travel tip for visiting Venice involves selection of dates for your trip. Be warned: if you visit Venice in summer, the experience will be far different than an off-season stopover. Plan to be patient and wait in line for major attractions. Look for higher peak-season prices, too. If this is your only season of opportunity, by all means go. But plan ahead and know that you will be sharing this beautiful place with thousands of others.

In the 20+ years since we launched our first Venice travel-planning site, we've seen visitors make the same mistakes over and over--often at considerable cost in time, money, or vacation enjoyment. This article is designed to prevent such glitches, and we hope you'll find it useful.

How many times did you find yourself in difficult situations while on holiday, just because you couldn’t speak a word of the local language? How many embarrassing scenarios could have been avoided if only you had had a small, yet practical list of useful sentences?

The Venice City Pass is the all-inclusive sightseeing pass to experience the best of Venice: see more and spend less at top attractions and skip the lines. What’s included in the Venice City Pass...