- Places
- Plans
- Itineraries
- Experiences
Accademia Galleries ★★★ - If you only make time for one museum in Venice, make it the Accademia. The collections comprise the world's greatest treasure trove of Venetian art, covering the giants of Venetian painting from the 13th to the 18th centuries: Titian, Tintoretto, Paolo Veneziano, Giorgione, Giovanni Bellini, and Carpaccio... » more
Peggy Guggenheim ★★ - One of Europe's most complete surveys of avant garde art from the early and mid–20th century in the private 18th-century palazzo that belonged to the collector herself, Peggy Guggenheim. There are works by her short-time hubby Max Ernst, by her greatest discovery Jackson Pollock, and by such modern masters as Picasso, Miró, Mondrian, Brancusi, Duchamp, Kadinsky, Chagall, Dalí, Marini, and Giacometti... » more
Ca' Rezzonico ★ - This handsome 17th-century canalside palazzo by Baldassare Longhena was the final home of poet Robert Browning. It is now a museum of 18th century life and arts, offering an intriguing look into what living in a grand Venetian home was like in the last days of the grand Republic. It's also a splendid backdrop for a collection of period paintings (especially works by Tiepolo, Guardi, and Longhi), furniture, tapestries, and artifacts... » more
Santa Maria della Salute - This majestic and compact 17th-century baroque jewel decorated with works by Titian, Luca Giordano, and Tintoretto proudly reigns at the tip of Dorsoduro, almost directly across from Piazza San Marco where the Grand Canal empties into the wide Bacino San Marco basin. A grateful Venice commissioned La Salute in 1631 after surviving yet another plague thanks to the divine intervention of the Virgin Mary of Good Health (La Salute)... » more
Squero di San Trovaso ★ - See one of handful of remaining squeri, or gondola boatyards, where Venice's distinctive boats are still painstakingly hand-crafted by multi-generation master boat builders... » more
Il Redentore ★ - This geometrically precise church designed by Neoclassical master Andrea Palladio, and pretty much the only reason tourists ever trek out to the isolated island of Giudecca. The interior is done in grand, austere, painstakingly classical Palladian style in keeping with a church commissioned by the city in thanks for being delivered from the great plague of 1575–77, which claimed over a quarter of the population... » more
Hotels in Dorsoduro
RR Galleria [moderate]
RR Accademia [premier]
Locanda Ca' dei Brocchi [cheap]
Palazzo Stern [moderate]
Ca' Pisani [premier]
Ca' Maria Adele [splurge]
Where to eat in Dorsoduro
★ Enoteca Cantinone Già Schiavi [snack]
★★ Trattoria Ai Cugnai [meal]
I have rated every sight and experience in Venice from zero to three stars.
Three stars, two stars, etc. are fairly self-explanatory—but note that it's not that the "no-star sights" are not worth the bother.
In fact, in any other city they'd probably rank much higher. They're just cursed to be in Venice, competing for your precious vacation time alongside St. Mark's Basilica, the Accademia Gallery, and a gondola ride—all solid three-stars.
This is a purely subjective rating, but it will help you get a sense of which sights pack the highest wow factor—and where to spend your time. In fact, you could view the starts thusly:
There are several ways ReidsItaly.com helps you browse the sights of Venice, each neatly tucked into its own box below. You can get quick lists of all the top sights—the ones no one wants to miss when they visit Venice—or of all the attractions that are free of charge.
Or you can check out Reid's List, a thoroughly subjective compendium of some of my favorite, slightly less famous sights and experiences.
If you prefer thematic categories, you can see all the major museums or churches or palazzi at once, or if you're looking for something else to see or do nearby a major sight, you can peruse everything by neighborhood.
If you like to leave the planning of the daily itinerary to others, you can also sign up for a guided tour or two.
Or, if you want help cramming as much of it all as possible into your visit, you can peruse our perfect itineraries for one, two, or three days in Venice.
The top half-dozen or so sights listed under each category above are just a sampling. If you want to read short, one-line reviews of all sights within a category, click on the category title (or you can click on an individual sight for a quick link to its full description).
Planning your day: You could spend an afternoon in Venice, a day or two, or a week and never run out of things to do and new corners to discover.
I would try to give Venice at least a day and a half. Three days would be better, but most people don't have that kind of time, even for Venice.
I have suggestions for how to spend anywhere from half a day in Venice up to three full days on the Venice itineraries pages.
Venice is a city that, at first glance, seems excessively touristy and overrun. Some visitors can't wait to move on to someplace that feels a bit less like a canal-rodden Disneyland.
However, given time (and purposefully getting lost once or twice), Venice reveals its serenissima side and begins to seduce even the most jaded of travelers.
There are several cumulative ticket museum passes and discounts for pre-booking Venice:
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This article was written by Reid Bramblett and was last updated in July 2013
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All information was accurate at the time.
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