Thursday, March 31, 2011

Top 5 Places to Visit in Venice

There is no doubt that Venice is one of the most beautiful places in the world and one of the top ten vacation spots in Europe.

Whether you’re visiting Venice on a day trip, a week-long vacation with the family, or a romantic weekend break abroad, one thing is for sure, you’ll fall in love with this unique and romantic place.

There is truly no other place like Venice. From a gondola ride along the Grand Canal to marveling at the beautiful mosaics of St. Mark’s Basilica, there are a ton of attractions and things to do in Venice to keep you occupied. Here it is my list of top 5 places to visit in Venice and I hope you have a great time there!

1. San Marco District
San Marco district is certainly one of the top 5 places to visit in Venice, and also one of the most popular tourist destinations in Venice because it’s one of the easiest districts in Venice to navigate. If you’re visiting Venice on a short day trip, San Marco district is the first place to head, not only because of the stunning St. Mark’s Basilica (pictured), but also because of the many attractions surrounding the area such as Palazzo Ducale . St. Mark’s Square, along with the Clocktower, is the focal point of Venice and a also home to many historic buildings and museums such as the Correr Museum where you’ll find interesting paintings of Venetian life. For great views, don't miss the beautiful St. Mark’s Clocktower which offers great vistas of Venice and the Grand Canal..


2. Islands of Venice
Exploring the islands of Venice is without a doubt one of the most popular things to do and places to visit in Venice, especially if you’re interested in purchasing genuine Venetian goods. There are around ten Venetian islands, though the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello are three of the most popular ones, and worth devoting 2-3 days of your vacation. The islands of Murano (pictured) and Burano are two of my top places to visit in Venice to purchase the fabulous Murano glassware and lace. If you’re interested on how glass is made, you can visit Murano’s glass museum and tour one of the Murano glass factories to learn about the glass process and glass making techniques. In Burano, you'll also find a couple of lovely lace museums where you can find great home ware pieces such as Venetian table cloth laces and Burano dress laces.


3. Cannaregio District
Cannaregio is located on the northern shore of Venice and it’s one of the top historic districts in Venice to visit during your Venice vacation. Two of the top attractions in Cannaregio are the:
- Ca’ d’Oro Palace, which houses a small art museum.
- Oratorio Crociferi, which houses beautiful 16th century paintings and interesting artifacts such as the clothing worn by notables of the day.
For me, the Cannaregio district is one of the top 5 places to visit in Venice because of the charming and beautiful streets and the great views you can get walking by Cannaregio Canal (pictured). Cannaregio is also one of the most pleasant places in Venice to enjoy an unspoiled Venetian atmosphere with fewer tourist crowds.


4. Castello District
Castello district is the largest district in Venice and it’s another great place to visit to explore beautiful churches and fine art such as the fine paintings by Vittore Carpaccio at San Giorgio degli Schiavoni. One of the top things to do in Castello has to be visiting the interior of Venetian Arsenale (pictured), which is definitely one of the top 5 places to visit in Venice.

The Arsenale used to be an old shipyard in the 1600’s, and today, you can marvel at interesting art exhibitions and old military machinery and machinery used for building ships. Not far from the Arsenale, you’ll also find the Historic Maritime Museum which is a great place to learn about Venice’s maritime past and check out interesting artifacts like boat cannons, gondolas and a vast collection of model ships.


5. Santa Croce and San Polo
Both Santa Croce and San Polo districts are located in the heart of Venice and are my other two top 5 places to visit in Venice because of their easy location. Santa Croce and San Polo are two of the most enjoyable districts in Venice to explore on a walking tour because of the large open spaces, beautiful small squares and charming narrow streets. There are plenty of outdoor markets on Santa Croce and San Polo where you can admire food stalls, as well as many tourist sights such as the oldest bridge and church in Venice - Rialto Bridge (pictured) and San Giacomo church.

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