Visit the most unforgettable and popular sights in Venice

Solo travel is fun especially when revisiting old destinations like Venice and on my recent trip, I chose to visit the most unforgettable and popular sights in Venice making my trip even more memorable than the last. I have been to Venice a few times before and none of them had been quite as exciting as this trip and I am so glad I made the decision to travel even in the midst of a pandemic. Venice is such a popular city, it is hard to enjoy the trip without being squished into other people so this was perfect timing.

Venice is a city in the Northeast region of Italy and is the capital of the Veneto region, one of the 20 regions of Italy. Everyone knows the floating city is both a romantic city and one of the most expensive cities in Italy. The city of Venice has no roads instead has canals and is made up of over 100 small islands and is considered the Queen of the Adriatic and the lagoon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On my recent visit, I managed to visit the most unforgettable and popular sights in Venice which I highly recommend it.

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Visit the most unforgettable and popular sights in Venice

When you visit Venice, you have two options, visit the popular tourist locations or be brave and get lost in the city and discover some hidden gems. I am someone who loves nothing more than seeing a couple of the popular sights that about the city then immerse myself into it without a plan and just wander until I find something either not so well known or something I consider worth a visit. For this trip, I made sure to visit the most unforgettable and popular sights in Venice which was the perfect combination to an extended weekend to Venice.

Popular Sights: St. Mark’s Square

San Marco or St. Mark’s square is the tourist heart of Venice and home to the Doge Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica as well as the Bridge of Sighs. The square gets pretty busy as the tourists try to see all the popular sights including grabbing a water taxi and/or a gondola ride. If you want to get a good picture of the square, I would highly recommend visiting before 8 am. The square has a multitude of restaurants and cafes but I wouldn’t recommend eating there if your budget is on the low side, they can be expensive.

Unforgettable: Doge Palace

Founded in 1340, the Doge Palace is Venice’s landmark located in San Marco and was built in Venetian Gothic style. There is always a long queue to enter the palace and it is a must-visit but I, unfortunately, decided on this occasion visiting the Doge Palace wasn’t part of the plan. Everyone recommended visiting it and I intend to visit upon my return to Venice. The Doge Palace sits next to both the St. Marks Basilica and the bridge of sighs.

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Popular Sights: St. Mark’s Basilica

St. Mark’s Basilica is the seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Venice and is the best known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture. This iconic symbol of Venice is a must visit, unfortunately during my visit the basement was not operational due to the recent floods. I would still recommend climbing to the top for a birds eye-view of the city.

Unforgettable: Bridge of Sighs

Built-in 1600s, the bridge of sighs connects the old prison to the interrogation rooms and its believed way back when prisoners would sigh before being taken down to their cells. The bridge is enclosed and is made of white marble with stone bars, its beautiful bridge that I recommend visiting when in Venice. Built-in baroque style, the bridge is connected to the Doge Palace and is one of the most photographed bridges in Venice.

Popular Sights: St. Mark’s Campanile

Campanile di San Marco or St. Mark’s Campanile is the bell tower initial built as a watchtower to guide sailors/fishermen is located in San Marco square opposite the Basilica. The bell tower is the tallest building in Venice and offers the best bird’s eye view of the city from miles on end. I, unfortunately, did not get a chance to enter the building as the queues were ridiculously long but I am told its worth it plus there is a lift to take you to the top.

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Unforgettable: Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge or Ponte di Rialto is one the oldest bridges in Venice and connect San Marco and San Polo crossing over the grand canal. The Rialto bridge is a city icon and the most famous tourist location and a photo here is a must. It doesn’t truly matter the time when you visit as its always busy and you might need to queue for your pictures.

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Popular Sights: Basilica of Santa Maria Della Salute

Basilica of Santa Maria Della Salute or as its locally known Salute is an emblem of the city, it was built to the saint of health after the city was plagued. The minor basilica is situated on Punta della Dogona and is a Roman Catholic Church that is a must visit when it Venice. It was founded in 1631 and it took 57 years to be built and it completed in 1687.

Unforgettable Sights: Grand Canal

The city of Venice is known as the floating city and the grand canal is a channel that forms one of the major water traffic in the city. One part leads to the lagoon whilst the other leads to san Marco and its shore are lined with the most magnificent buildings. Venetians spent way too much time trying to outshine each other and showing off their wealth.

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Popular Sights: Day Trips to Murano, Burano and Torcello

On my first visit to Venice, we made sure to visit the islands but didn’t really feel like we explored them especially with many people about. On this occasion, I not only added it to the itinerary but made a point of exploring each island individually and as extensively as I possibly could. I took a boat tour and it started with Murano (glass making island) this is where I spent the most money with the glass sculptures and drinking glasses for my kitchen.

After Murano, we were taken to Burano where all the beautiful and buildings can be found and always wish I have more time whenever I visit. I plan to just visit this island on my next visit. Finally, after enjoying our lunch in Burano admiring the multicoloured buildings, we went to Torcello were I fear did not compare to the beauty of Burano but it was still a nice place to explore before ending back to san Marco.

Unforgettable Sights: Ponte de Chiodo

The Ponte Chiodo bridge or the nail bridge is the last of its kind in Venice, this was a bridge I stumbled upon by mistake whilst exploring the Cannaregio area and glad I did. It is the only bridge in Venice that has no sides, its unique and typical of stone bridges that existed in the 1700s. The bridge is actually quite hard to locate but follow along Canale Della Misericordia and you will be able to find it.

Popular Sights: Cafe Florian

Located in San Marco square, Cafe Florian is the oldest cafes in the world and whilst their coffee is expensive, it is worth the experience even just for pictures. Even though its expensive, it’s one of the most popular cafes and being next to the basilica is not a bad idea. Located under the arcades of the Procuratie Nuove in St. Mark’s Square, the cafe was born in 1720 and is an important city landmark.

Unforgettable Sights: Galetoteca Suso

Thanks to Charlie of Charlie Wanderings, I read her post of things to do in Venice and where to get the best gelato and she recommended Suso. The minute I arrived near the place I knew Charlie did not exaggerate just how delicious their gelato really is.

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Popular Sights: Gondola Ride

A visit to Venice is not complete without the obligatory gondola ride, you don’t have to folk out the £80+ fee for it but can do a shared ride as I did. I must confess that during our first visit the weather was too cold for one so I made sure to add it to the itinerary for when I visited Venice again.

Howto Reach Venice!

I have visited Venice thrice now and I have used all the available modes of transport to get you into the city and if you have the budget for it I recommend the speedboat. But if that’s not on your plans then here is how to reach the city of Venice.

Where To Stay in Venice

Venice is an expensive city but that doesn’t mean you can not find affordable accommodation right in the heart of the city. If you don’t have a large budget then I would recommend checking hostels as well and B&Bs are they are most often better priced than hotels. For even more affordable accommodation types, I would recommend searching for places near Piazza Roma than in the centre of Venice.

Travelling during a pandemic, I had a lot of questions come at me one of which was when is the right time to travel? This is a question I think can only be answered by you but if you need help then allow me to answer for you. Now is the right time to travel, the travel industry is slowly starting to recover and borders are slowly opening up. Many flights are not that expensive neither are the hotels or Airbnb.

Obviously, there is more to consider than just cheap flights and accommodation but for cities like Venice that are always tipped with people, now is a perfect time because there are few crowds and safety precautions have been put in place, most places are socially distanced especially in restaurants and city attractions. But I still recommend doing your research before travelling and with the new rules that came into effect recently, right now might not be the time.

I hope you enjoyed this post and will visit the most unforgettable and popular sights in Venice on your next to the city.