Piazza San Marco and other Venice, Italy Things to Do Tips

Piazza San Marco is the heart of Venice.

It is a large piazza surrounded by magnificent buildings, home to two very expensive cafes, a magnet for tourists and the place you may see more pigeons than you have ever seen in your life!!

Alternatively, come here late at night or early in the morning - before all the tourists arrive - and you can almost have the place to yourself.

I love San Marco. It is the ultimate place for people watching in Venice - see the silly tourists feed the pigeons...letting them climb and poo all over them.

Take a seat at one of the fabulous old (and very expensive) cafes. Sit back with a coffee or a Chianti and enjoy the band and soak up Venice - doesn't get much better than this!!

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Address: San Marco region
Directions: Just back from the Grand Canal. Nearest Vaporetto stop is San Marco
Website: http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/piazza_san_marco.htm

The Campanile or Bell Tower is located in Piazza San Marco. It is part of the Basilica di San Marco (St Marks Basilica), but stands apart, tall and proud in the Piazza.

It is 99 metres tall and was originally built back in the 10th Century...then suddenly fell down in 1902, and was re-built over the next 10 years.

The best thing about the tower - beside it looking magnificent, it that you can catch a lift to the top. From here there are amazing views across the city.

My last visit was in May 2005 and it cost 6 euro to catch the lift to the top - I think it is well worth it!

Spectacular!

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Address: Piazza San Marco
Directions: Nearest Vaporetto stop: San Marco
Website: http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/campanile_di_san_marco.htm

The Basilica di San Marco is a stunning Byzantine-style basilica in the heart of the Piazza San Marco. It is an intriguing blend of architectures and just adds to the beauty of fabulous Venice.

You can enter the main part of the Basilica for free and it is well worth it - the interior is very impressive - lots of gold mosaics. They look particularly spectacular when the sun shines thorough onto them.

Another way to admire the Basilica is to take a seat in the Piazza, and toast to its beauty with a glass of vino or two!

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Address: Piazza San Marco
Directions: Nearest Vaporetto stop: San Marco
Website: http://www.basilicasanmarco.it/eng/index.bsm

Palazzo Ducale, or the Doges' Palace is an amazing gothic palace located just behind the Basilica di San Marco, nest to the Grand Canal.

It was the residence of numerous Doges, and also was home to all the arms of government and prisons.

I would recommend a visit to the Palace. We did a self guided audio tour here and found it really informative and very adequate for our needs. You can also do a guided tour if you prefer.

Highlights of the tour included the Scala D'oro (Golden Staircase), the huge paintings adorning the large rooms of the Palace, and of course, the Bridge of Sighs.

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Phone: 041 2715911
Address: Piazzetta San Marco
Directions: Nearest Vaporetto: San Marco or Vallaresso
Website: http://www.venetia.it/m_ducale_eng.htm

The Ponte del Sospiri or Bridge of Sighs is one of those attractions in Venice that visitors flock to see. Although I had seen it numerous times from the outside, it wasn't until my most recent trip to Venice, I got to actually walk across.

As part of our visit to the Palazzo Ducale, we were able to get a close up look at the Bridge of Sighs. The bridge was originally used by prisoners, to cross over high above the canal into the dungeons. It is said that their sighs could be heard as they crossed, hence the name of the bridge.

There are two levels to this enclosed bridge, so prisoners walking in either direction would not see each other.

I must say I was quite excited to be able to walk across the bridge, and I took lots of photos looking through the holes in the bridge wall.

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Phone: 041 2715911
Address: In the Palazzo Ducale, Piazzetta San Marco
Directions: Nearest Vaporetto: San Marco or Vallaresso
Website: http://www.venetia.it/m_ducale_eng.htm

The Grand Canal winds its way through the heart of Venice for 3.5km. It has been described as the "finest street in the world" - it is spectacular to travel down, and is lined by fabulous old buildings (some a little worse for wear these days!).

One of the great things to do when you visit Venice is to jump onto the No. 1 vaporetto and take a cruise along the Grand Canal. It gives you a taste of what it is like to live in this amazing city, and is the perfect place to start taking your soon to be hundreds of photos!!

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Directions: Winds it's way through the heart of Venice. Catch vaporetto No. 1 from numerous stops along the canal.
Website: http://www.bellereti.com/jzimm/Venice/Gcanal.html

There are only 3 bridges across the Grand Canal, the most famous of these being the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge).

The Rialto was the first bridge to span the canal, built back in 1592. It is a pretty garish looking white stone bridge, that heaves with tourists and vendors during the day.

At night it is a quieter and you can take a photo without too many people in it....

The best way to see the Rialto Bridge is to take a cruise down the Grand Canal - very relaxing and not so crowded!

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Directions: Nearest Vaporetto: Rialto
Website: http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/rialto_bridge.htm

The second of the 3 bridges that cross the Grand Canal is the Ponte dell'Accademia (Accademia Bridge).

The bridge that you see today is made from wood, and was built in 1930 to replace a previously built metal structure. The bridge was only supposed to be there temporarily until a design for a more permanent bridge was completed...but that seems to have been forgotten about!!

The bridge joins the area of San Marco, to that of Dorsoduro, and is commonly crossed by tourists on their way to the Gallerie dell'Accademia or to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum.

The views up and down the canal from the centre of the bridge are spectacular - so make sure you stop for a photo or ten!

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Directions: Nearest Vaporetto: Accademia
Website: http://www.vacationidea.com/venice/accademia_bridge.html

The 3rd and most would say least interesting of the bridges that cross over the Grand Canal is the Ponte degli Scalzi (Scalzi Bridge).

Made from white marble, it is the bridge that most tourists will see first when they arrive in Venice, as it is located just near the train station.

I highly recommend taking a walk over this bridge - stopping to take numerous photos (in my case anyway!) and get lost amongst the streets of the Santa Croce and Dorsoduro regions.

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Directions: Nearest Vaporetto: Ferrovia
Website: http://www.veniceclick.net/Guide/Grand-Canal2.htm

One of my favourite squares in Venice is Campo Santa Margherita, located in the Dorsoduro district. This large square seems to be filled more with locals than tourists.

Most mornings it is home to a produce market, selling the best looking tomatoes in Venice. Lunch time sees it filled with happy diners at the numerous outdoor cafes/restaurants. By night it is a buzz with locals and plenty of students enjoying a drink and some music.

I have stopped by here a few times and have had some fabulous coffee. It is also a great place to relax for a while and do some people watching....perhaps while eating your gelato from the best icecream shop in Venice, Il Doge (see my tip under Restaurants).

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Directions: In the Dorsoduro district