Overview
Venice was a maritime republic and trading power for a thousand years, and the wealth of that age built the palaces, churches and squares that crowd its islands today. The Grand Canal winds through the centre as its main thoroughfare, crossed by bridges and worked by vaporetti and gondolas, and beyond the famous core lie quieter islands and back canals. It is a fragile, crowded and unforgettable city, best felt early and late when the day-trippers thin out.
Highlights
St Mark’s Square opens onto the golden Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, with the Campanile rising above the lagoon. The Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge trace the city’s spine, best seen from the deck of a vaporetto, and the back lanes reward simply getting lost. The outer islands of Murano, famed for glass, and colourful Burano make an easy escape across the lagoon.