Venice travel blog — The fullest Venice city guide for a great trip to Venice on a budget for the first-timers

This museum exhibits artifacts that are a mixture of history and art. Admission fee for €20 includes tickets to visit other places such as Doge’s Palace, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, and Monumental Rooms.

Doge’s Palace

This can be considered a palace and was once the residence of Doge, the ruler of Venice after building an empire in this land.

Campanile Di San Marco

If you have a budget or a lot of time, you can line up to climb the Campanile steeple to see the whole of Venice, this is really worth it. This bell tower is very famous and replicated throughout the world.

Bridge Of Sighs

This is one of the most emotional corners in Venice and you have probably seen it somewhere on postcards about this romantic city. This white limestone Sighs Bridge is where the former prisoners in Venice were seen last before they were sent to the prison to execute their sentence, passing through the Rio di Palazzo and leading to the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove) to the interrogation room in Doge’s Palace. You can visit this bridge by buying a ticket to visit the Doge Palace, take a Gondola boat to admire it from the under of the canal between the two buildings, or simply walking along the canal adjacent to the St. Marks’s square, the left side of the first bridge connecting the two heads of the Riva degli Schiavoni streets.

Read more: Ponte dei Sospiri Venezia — The Bridge of Sighs and the escape of the ‘king of the girls’ in Venice.

Grand Canal

As soon as you step out of Santa Lucia Station you will immediately see the Grand Canal, which is known as the main waterway in central Venice with a charming S-shaped curve. The best way to sightseeing on the Grand Canal is to take the #1 Vaporetto waterbus in the direction of San Marco in the evening when the tourists are sparse. Alternatively, you can stand on bridges spanning the canal like Ponte di Scalzi, Ponte Rialto, watching the boats, water buses running endlessly under the bridges.

Rialto Bridge (Ponte Bridge)

The Rialto Bridge is the only bridge acrossing the Grand Canal before the Accademia bridge is built. Around the bridge are many restaurants, shops, cafes, there is also a local market meeting in the morning to sell all kinds of things such as vegetables, souvenirs, … The bridge has been got into a lot of literature and poetic works and is built with a roof and when standing at the middle of the bridge, you can see all the most typical activities of the city, which is romance, trading activities and street entertainment activities.

Teatro la Fenice Theatre

This is the famous Venetian opera house that recently renovated, stepping inside you will feel the old culture, art of Italy, the magnificence inside the theater like a giant box of gold plating. Tour to visit the theater is EUR10 and you can buy it at: www.teatrolafenice.it.

Jewish Ghetto (Ghetto Ebraico Di Venezia)

Jewish Ghetto, also known as the Jewish community, is a small area just located right to the left when you enter the city center from Santa Lucia station. Jews have migrated here since the 16th century, creating a small civilized and special community, let’s try a different feeling from what belongs to Venice by buying a tour to explore the different history, traditional dishes of this community.

Scuola Grande Di San Rocco

A place in Venice for you to admire the works recorded about Tintoretto’s work, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, built by a group of wealthy Venetian citizens to fight past plague in Venice , located next to the church of San Rocco.

The area opposite San Macro across the Grand Canal

This is a small branch with many churches, museums or palaces in Venice, from San Macro square you go to across the large Ponte Dell’Accademia bridge to get there, note that this area is very strong wind blowing, especially pay attension If you come here in winter, it will be very cold and freezing. The attractions here include:

Ca’ Rezzonico

This is a pristine palace (palazzo) with ancient features from the 18th century, located right on the Grand Canal. It is built with many materials that symbolize the luxury, noble with the murals in high values of art, marble and even gold. Admission is €10 and you can buy it online at: www.carezzonico.visitmuve.it.

Academy Gallery (Gallerie Dell’Accademia)

Gallerie Dell’Accademia Art Museum exhibits the most dramatic works of Venezia for centuries. The ticket price is €12 and an additional fee of €1.5 if purchase online at website: www.allerieaccademia.org.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Built as a complex displaying art works of 20th-century American and European modern artists. Admission fees are €15 and buy online at: www.guggenheim-venice.it.

Santa Maria della Salute

Free admission from 9 am to noon and from 3 pm to 5:30 pm, but there is a small fee to visit the sacred room. This church is considered as a basilica before the entrance of the Grand Canal, as a tribute to the Virgin Mary who saved Venice people from the plague.

Punta Della Dogana

A mansion designed with a mix of classic and modern, located at the tip of the triangle of the Grand Canal.

The Rialto Market

Rialto Market is a market visited regularly by indigenous people to choose food for the family, divided into 2 main areas:

The Erberia area sells fruits and vegetables in the stalls in the middle of the morning. You need to come here early to participate and take photos because the marketplace activities here will end at noon.

Pescheria Seafood Market is located right in the domed building overlooking the Grand Canal, which sells fresh seafood such as squid, fish, octopus, etc.

Walk around the streets and alleys in Venice

Walking through alleys and streets without any purpose, staying away from the large squares to experience a true Venice, you will find this place special. These small streets and alleys can be referred to as Canali, Campi, and Calli in Italian (means Canals, Squares, and Streets).

Visiting churches in the city

If you like to visit churches, chapels or simply want to experience, sit back and relax after a tiring walk, the churches in Venice are a remarkable place. In addition to the Basilica di San Marco church you can visit some of the smaller churches, such as the Carmini church – also known as Santa Maria del Carmelo – also free admission. On Murano island, you can also free entry to the church of San Pietro Martire.

In addition, the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari church, with the entry ticket price for only EUR3 is also a good place to visit. This church is like a jewel hidden in the heart of Venice, the exhibition space is full of history and art.

Venice travel blog: Shopping in Venice

Shopping in Venice is definitely not free, but no one prevents you from looking at it, or funny call “window-shopping”.

High-end goods and fashion areas you can find right near San Macro square, mostly in the streets at the end of the square, you’ll find luxury brands like Missoni, Prada, Bottega Veneta and Bulgaria and Gucci or more affordable stores like Libreria Mondadori and Libreria Studium.

Heading to Mercerie shopping streets in the direction of the Rialto bridge, or Campo San Stefano you’ll meet hundreds of other shops selling everything from clothes to handmade office items. On the way to the west train station in Cannaregio is a mixture of souvenir and convenience stores belongs to Billa supermarkets.

Alternatively, you can visit the Murano Island specializing in fine art glassware, Burano – the center of shops selling lace and linen.

Nearby islands

Venice is a city with more than 100 large and small islands, located quite close together and you can travel by bridges between islands or waterbus. Waterbus travel takes 5-40 minutes depending on the distance. If you stay in Venice for a long time (about 1 week or more), you might consider visiting some tourist islands such as:

Burano, Murano Island: Burano is famous for its colorful painted houses, you can visit Mazzorbo Island connected to Burano with a pedestrian bridge, suitable for those who love architecture and design. On Murano Island you can visit fine glassware factories, visit some of the glass churches and museums such as Barvovier & Toso.

Read more: 11+ stunning photos show the beauti of Burano Island — The cheeriest little island in Italy.

San Giorgio Maggiore Island: This island is home to the San Giorgio Maggiore church with a soaring bell tower that you can easily see from the San Macro.

Some other islands like San Michele Island – the graveyard of Venice, Torcello, where a large number of indigenous people live and only a few minutes from Burano Island by boat. In addition, Lido Island is also a good place because the island has a bustling shopping area, cars and vehicles on land are pretty much here. You can also take a walk on the beach opposite the pier area, not many islands in Venice have a pier!

Day trip from Venice

If you intend to stay in Venice for a long time, in addition to visiting tourist spots in Venice, you may consider making day trips to the surrounding areas from the city. Some suggestions below:

• Padua: About 30 minutes by train from Venice, Padua is the oldest city in northern Italy. It is famous for the Scrovegni Chapel and paintings painted from the 14th century by Giotto.
• Verona: Not only famous for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet play, Verona is also famous for its Roman amphitheater from first-century, San Zeno Maggiore church and San Zeno Maggiore bridge. It takes about an hour to Verona by train from Venice.
• Vicenza: A beautiful city about 30 miles from Venice, surrounded by hills and peaceful rural areas. The city is also known for the architectural works of Andrea Palladio, the highlight of the cultural heritage recognized by Unesco.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from Venice you can refer to

• Private Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) Transfers for Downtown Venice
• Shared Marco Polo Airport (VCE) Transport for Venice by Alilaguna Waterbus
• Shared Marco Polo Airport (VCE) Transfers for Venice by ACTV Aerobus
• Venice Gondola Ride
• Venice Guided Day Trip from Milan
• Venice Excursion Day Trip
• Venice Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Boat Tour
• Gondola Ride and Discover Venice Tour
• Murano, Burano, and Torcello Day Trip
• The Doge’s Palace Tour in Venice
• St. Mark’s Basilica Tour in Venice
• Best Of Venice Walking Tour
• Tasting Venice: Food and Wine Walking Tour

Are you looking for more top things to do in Venice: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Let’s check it out here: My trip to Venice blog — How to spend one perfect day in Venice?