Here are some valuable tips for experiencing Venice and its islands at their best!
Getting lost in Venice:
there is no better thing than getting lost in Venice, wandering aimlessly through its calli and campi. If you only have a few hours to visit the city, try to get lost before visiting any museums or other attractions. Wandering randomly around the city (the advice is to go in the opposite direction to the one chosen by the masses) you will come across numerous fascinating Venetian campi, palaces and churches, which will reveal to you the lesser-known side of the city. Let yourself be lulled by the magical imperfection of Venice’s calli and the magic of its atmospheric atmosphere.
Visit St Mark’s Basilica:
recognised as one of the most beautiful churches in Italy. Besides being splendid on the outside, its interior is embellished with famous mosaics, which tell the story of St Mark along with episodes from the Old and New Testaments. Entrance to the Basilica is free, so you often have to queue to get in. The advice is to book your visit online (always free of charge): this way you will have preferential entry. Inside the Basilica, there are also three small museums for a fee. Whether you visit them or not depends on your interests and also on your budget! My advice is to visit the St Mark’s Museum, where the original copies of the horses on the façade of the Basilica are kept. This way you can also climb up to the balcony overlooking the square and enjoy the wonderful view from above.
See St Mark’s Square when it is empty:
the best way to appreciate it in all its splendour is in the evening, after the tourists have left, or early in the morning, before they arrive. In any case, you will be captivated by its embrace, the perfection of its harmonious forms, all immersed in an unreal silence that will make your experience particularly magical.
Vaporetto tours along the Grand Canal:
the easiest and most effective way to visit Venice is on foot, but to admire the long sequence of marvellous palaces overlooking the Grand Canal, a tour on the boat lines (called “vaporetti” by the Venetians) can be a good idea. The lines that run along the Grand Canal are Line 1 and Line 2. The former is slower as it makes all the stops, while the latter travels along the canal faster, making only a few stops.
Visit a glass workshop in Murano:
watching glass being made is a must for anyone visiting Venice for the first time. Murano is among the many islands in the Venetian Lagoon one of the closest and therefore most easily accessible. If small children are travelling with you, a visit to a glass workshop will be an educational as well as entertaining stop.
Visit the Doge’s Palace:
right next to St Mark’s Basilica is the famous Doge’s Palace, undoubtedly the most beautiful palace in Venice. It is a perfect example of civil architecture in flamboyant Gothic style. A visit to the Doge’s Palace has to be paid for, but it is well worth it. Inside, in fact, all the power and wealth of the Serenissima Republic unfolds in a blaze of masterpieces that leaves you breathless. Included in the ticket is a visit to the famous prisons, which can be reached via the Bridge of Sighs.
