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Italy

Venice Travel Guide

Weather, best time to visit, and the best food, culture, nature and activities.

Weather
Avg Temp21–28°C
RainfallModerate, ~55mm/month
Best TimeJune or September for warm weather with fewer crowds than peak July-August

Typical prices

  • Budget meal€18.00≈ $20.56
  • Mid-range meal€50.00≈ $57.11
  • Cappuccino€2.00≈ $2.28
  • Domestic beer€6.50≈ $7.42
  • Taxi (per km)€2.50≈ $2.86
  • Public transport ticket€9.50≈ $10.85
  • Museum entry€25.00≈ $28.56
  • Mid-range hotel (night)€200.00≈ $228.44

Food & Drink

  • Osteria alle TestiereVenetian seafood · $$$$

    A tiny osteria near Santa Maria Formosa with a short, seafood-driven menu that changes daily based on the Rialto fish market.

  • All'ArcoVenetian cicchetti · $

    A standing-room bacaro at the Rialto Market famous for its cicchetti (small plates) piled with seasonal toppings.

  • Trattoria da FioreVenetian · $$$

    A Dorsoduro trattoria specializing in fresh lagoon seafood like moeche (soft-shell crab) in season.

  • Antiche CarampaneVenetian seafood · $$$

    A San Polo restaurant tucked off the tourist path serving raw seafood and traditional Venetian pasta dishes like bigoli in salsa.

  • Gelateria NicoGelato · $

    A Zattere waterfront gelateria famous for its gianduiotto affogato al panna, a chocolate-hazelnut ice cream float.

  • Cantina Do MoriVenetian cicchetti · $

    One of Venice's oldest bacari, dating to 1462, serving wine by the glass with cicchetti at the counter.

  • Harry's Bar

    The birthplace of the Bellini cocktail near St Mark's Square, a Hemingway haunt since 1931.

  • Il Santo Bevitore

    A craft beer pub near Rialto with a large selection of Belgian and Italian microbrews and a young local crowd.

Culture & History

  • Gallerie dell'Accademia

    Venice's foremost collection of Venetian painting, including works by Titian, Tintoretto, and Bellini, in a former monastery on the Grand Canal.

  • Peggy Guggenheim Collection

    A modern art collection housed in Guggenheim's former Dorsoduro palazzo, featuring Picasso, Pollock, and Dalí.

  • Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace)

    The Gothic seat of Venetian power, connected to the former prisons by the Bridge of Sighs, with the Sala del Maggior Consiglio's giant Tintoretto.

  • Basilica di San Marco

    A Byzantine basilica covered in gold mosaics, housing the loot of the Fourth Crusade including the bronze horses.

  • Museo Correr

    A museum of Venetian history and art overlooking St Mark's Square, covering the Republic's civic and naval history.

  • Sala Perla (Palazzo del Cinema)

    Part of the Lido's historic cinema palace that hosts the Venice Film Festival each autumn.

  • Festa del Redentore

    A July festival marking the end of the 1577 plague, with a floating bridge to the Redentore church and a huge fireworks display over the lagoon.

  • Venice Biennale (Arte/Architettura)

    One of the world's most prestigious contemporary art and architecture exhibitions, spread across the Giardini and Arsenale.

Nature & Outdoors

  • Lido di Venezia

    A barrier island beach a short vaporetto ride from central Venice, known for its beach clubs and the Venice Film Festival.