Venice
Somebody once told me you never truly know Venice until you’ve lost a shoe in a canal. Gondolas glide past, sometimes with music. Backstreets are a spiderweb, leading you either to the world’s tiniest espresso or to a bridge you swear you’ve seen before. Locals say you should try the cicchetti, but nobody explains how to pronounce it, so you just point and hope for the best. The travel destination popular things to do include chasing pigeons in San Marco square, which is not as easy as it sounds, and riding a vaporetto while pretending you’re not lost. If you’re on the hunt for the best hotel in Venice, pack patience and a good map, and maybe a rubber duck for good luck.
Local weather in Italy
SPRING
mild & temperate
SUMMER
warm & sunny
AUTUMN
mild & temperate
WINTER
cool
Accommodations in Venice
Discover the best accommodations for Venice and start planning your holiday.
Long-term Venice travel: popular things to do, best hotel in Venice, and the oddest bridges
Venice puts up with more footsteps than a floor at a dancing bear contest. Travelers come for the canals, but stay for the oddities—like the shop selling nothing but glass animals, and the bakery that closes for lunch. The travel destination popular things to do list is longer than a gondolier’s paddle. You can watch the sunset over the lagoon, and if you squint, you might catch a couple arguing about gelato flavors. The best hotel in Venice might be the one where your window opens onto a laundry line, and the bells ring at 6am, or was it 7am? It’s hard to tell because time keeps flowing like the water under the Rialto.
Some folks say the bridges in Venice outnumber the tourists, but that’s probably just wishful thinking. Crossing the Rialto is like swimming upstream during salmon season, except the salmon have cameras. If you visit in November, bring boots, because acqua alta has a way of making you rethink your packing skills. The best hotel in Venice changes with the tide and your mood, but any room above water level is already a winner. And never, ever challenge a Venetian to a spritz-drinking contest—unless you enjoy waking up on a gondola with a new hat and no recollection of how you got there.
Other cities around Italy
These popular destinations have a lot to offer for you next holiday or city break.
