Sight Seeing in Venice

Sightseeing is the main pastime of visitors to Venice and with so many amazing sights to see it can be hard to cram them all in to one holiday. Stunning renaissance architecture is everywhere you look with some of the most popular sites to visit being the Basilica di San Marco and the Doge's Palace.

The Basilica di San Marco is truly breathtaking and famous for it's wealth of history, beauty of façade and the glorious art work and mosaics commemorating the life of St. Mark. The Doge's Palace is a gothic style palace constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries. The palace was home to the Doge of Venice and is lined on walls and ceilings with beautiful paintings and portraits.

The Ponte di Rialto Bridge is the oldest and probably the most famous in Venice and spans across the width of the Grand Canal. It is lined with tourist shops so is a great place to grab a memento or present to take back home and is a great place to watch the gondolas skim across the water.

There are dozens of churches to visit in Venice, each with its own history and charm, the Chiesa della Salute in particular is beautiful both inside and out. Outside the church is adorned with carvings and decoration around its large dome, inside you will find the famous Pentecostes by Tiziano among other dazzling paintings and decorations.

Across Venice the main core of activity can be found around its bustling market squares. The Rialto markets in Piazza Rialto are where you can find fresh fruit, vegetables and fish or else admire the colourful stalls. The Piazza San Marco is also a busy town square; it is famously a hub for pigeons which only add to the charm of the square which is lined with shops and cafes and comes alive at night when the columns and archways surrounding the square are lit up.

You are spoilt for choice for Museums and Art Galleries to visit including the Gallerie dell'Accademia, the Peggy Gugenheim Collection and the Museo Civico Correr. They all have both temporary and permanent exhibitions of Venetian history and art.