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.

By Ben Groundwater | There's a distant clop of feet on stone, a beat that's growing more insistent, a sound that's bouncing off brightly-coloured walls and soaring over tiled rooftops as it gets louder, as its source nears. Here in Burano the streets are ghost-town empty this morning, it's an island at peace but for the urgent thud of those approaching steps...

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...

Purchase the Venice Museum Pass online from our website. This Pass saves you time and money during your city trip to Venice. The Museum Pass allows one single entrance for each museum on the list. Visit the museums in Venice at your own pace because the Venice Museum Pass is valid for 6 months. With the Museum Pass in your pocket you enjoy a hassle-fee city trip to Venice. What’s more, you save money at the same time because buying separate tickets for each museum is much more expensive. This Museum Pass is your ticket to hassle-free museum visits!

So you’re off to Italy as any good Italy Foodie would be, and it’s time to think about the little things — like hailing a cab, changing money, and ordering food in Italian. If you’re on a group tour, chances are most of these details will be taken care of for you...

By Anthony Dennis | It's likely the almost four-kilometre Grand Canal, Venice's monumental palazzo-lined watery main street, will be a prominent feature of your visit...

By Shaney Hudson | During the Middle Ages, Venice was extremely wealthy and controlled most of the trade in the Adriatic. You get a sense of the power and wealth they had by visiting the Doge's palace, but to get an idea of what this meant in terms of maritime strength and ship building, visit the Venice Naval Historical Museum or the Arsenale...

Fly fishing in Northern Italy is simply spectacular. The Italian Alps offer fly fishermen the chance to catch marble trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, Arctic char and grayling, all the while, exploring one of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes.

Italy is one of the most beautiful countries you can visit in Europe and the world, providing you with memories to last a lifetime. There are many famous landmarks in Italy that first-time tourists to the country can see. Several of Italy's cities and regions are also top tourist destinations, including well-known locations like Venice, Florence, and Milan.

The Imolese-Faentine region, intersected by Via Emilia, grew out of the border between Emilia and Romagna. Land of motors, arts, nature, relaxation and great food. A touristic area in the backcountry between the Adriatic Riviera and Bologna, divided by the Parco della Vena del Gesso Romagnola and valleys of four rivers (the Sillaro, Santerno, Senio and Lamone). In the middle of it all is Faenza, City of Ceramics and Imola with the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari...

More than 500 DOCG, DOC and IGT wines characterize every single region of Italy, enriching the tourist experience in their terroirs: here are 3 examples of excellence...

So you’re off to Italy as any good Italy Foodie would be, and it’s time to think about the little things — like hailing a cab, changing money, and ordering food in Italian. If you’re on a group tour, chances are most of these details will be taken care of for you...

Food is an important part of travel, but things get complicated when you have to eat 100% gluten free. What is a trip to Paris without a buttery, flaky croissant? Or a trip to Rome without devouring a whole pizza? Lucky for you, you can travel pretty much anywhere in Europe gluten free with a little bit of planning...

Please check for travel restrictions before booking and travelling to an accommodation. Travel may be permitted only for certain purposes and in particular, touristic travel may not be allowed...

The Euro is the official currency of the European Union in circulation since 1998, about 23 years. In addition, 38 other countries use this money, see the FAQ for more details. The euro is abbreviated by the currency code EUR by ISO:4217 standard, and sign € it's a symbol.

The time at the airport: For many, a necessary evil... For others, a haven of relaxation. But no matter which side you see things from, the following tips will help you to make your time at the airport a little more relaxed. Whether you're a frequent traveler, flight attendant or pilot—these are the tips and tricks from the experts...