15 of the best things to do in Venice in 2024

29.02.2024 - 11:25 / lonelyplanet.com / Art

Visitors flock to Venice year-round, and who can blame them?

Some 118 islands float on this fairy-tale lagoon, linked by 400 bridges. Each is crammed with dazzling palazzos and heart-stopping art – Venice really is a place like no other. 

All the famous stereotypes are true, to an extent. It’s spectacular and it’s just like the photos but, thanks to mass tourism, Venice’s world-famous sights are overcrowded and in precarious health (even during the quieter months). 

It is worth remembering that even in the busiest areas, step just one or two blocks away from the fray and you’ll find empty streets and local voices in the neighborhoods beyond. Spend more time here – five days is a decent starter – and you’ll discover that the true beauty of Venice isn’t the wow factor of its blockbuster sights, as magnificent as they are, but within the quieter spaces, where life goes on as it has done for centuries. Once you glimpse that life, you’ll want to protect it.

To help counter the overtourism that is exploiting the city, stay overnight in a hotel or B&B (not vacation rentals, which hollow out housing stock), eat in family-owned restaurants, and buy souvenirs from Venice’s artisans who ply centuries-old trades. Then, not only are you helping the city stay alive, but you’re also ensuring a better trip – Venice done well is unforgettable.

Here are the best experiences in Venice.

For many people, this waterfront square is Venice: the rolling domes of the basilica, the centuries-old cafes beneath the stately porticoes, the vast Campanile (belltower) throwing its shadow around the square, high tide occasionally sloshing around your feet. There’s so much to see around Piazza San Marco (or St Mark’s Square) that you could easily spend a day here.

Start in the Basilica di San Marco, the Byzantine basilica that glitters with golden mosaics inside. Then move on to the Campanile, where elevators whisk you up 98.6m (323ft) for enticing views of Venice and the lagoon. Spare a few hours for the Museo Correr, at the opposite end of the square from the basilica, which tells the story of the city through its objects. Need a break at any point? Stop for a coffee or a spritz at Quadri, our favorite of the 18th-century cafes in the square.

Local tip: Keen to understand these icons better? Time for some reading. Family-run Libreria La Toletta in Dorsoduro is Venice’s best bookshop, with literally hundreds of volumes about the city. For kids, try Ponte dei Sogni in Castello, whose beautiful picture books tell the history of the city.

If you only visit one museum in Venice, you need to make it this: the vast Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), the Republic of Venice’s seat of power for around 900 years. With its pink and white facade squaring off