I remember the first time I went to Venice, a friend told me “it’s so beautiful that when you arrive, your mouth just drops and you watch with a cheeky smile on your face, like a kid in Disneyland”. I thought she was a bit too much… Well, she wasn’t.
There is nothing like Venice. Literally. I mean, it is a floating city, on the Adriatic sea…
It’s one of the few places I could keep going to over and over again, and still get the same excitement. The vibe is unique, and makes my heart full. I hope it will be the case for you too.
Let’s start with a bit of geography.
There are 6 main neighborhoods in Venise. Santa Croce is mostly for the train station, San Polo and San Marco are the busiest ones, and if you want to get away from the crowd and enjoy a more authentic vibe, I recommend strolling around Castello, Dorsoduro and Cannaregio. It is also great to cross to Giudecca island to have a nice view of the city from another angle.
My favorite neighborhoods
Castello
Castello is the biggest district, it includes two smaller ones: Arsenale and Giardini.
Arsenale is my favorite area in Venice. It’s pretty tourtist-free, except for via garibaldi, with a genuine local vibe. It is way quieter and less expensive than San Marco, but still right next to it. Unfortunately you can’t enter and visit the Arsenale cause its a military area but it is very nice to walk around it. This neighborhood has way more locals inhabitants than others so you’ll see a lot of laundry drying from window to window. Don’t hesitate to stroll and loose yourselves in the streets further east, up to the little San Pietro di Castello island. There are some floating markets in the morning, including one next to the fish shop Delfino.
Giardini, is next to Arsenale, (still in the neighborhood of Castello). You can walk from one the other. Giardini essentially consists of a park, where you can walk under the giant umbrella pines, chill on the grass for a picnic or an aperitivo, and check out some of the Biennale pavilions.
San Marco
This one is very touristy but well, you have to see Piazza San Marco and its basilic. Though, do not go to Florian’s café on the square, unless you don’t know what to do with your money. Sure, the café is iconic and very old (from the 18th century) but it is an intense rip-off to have coffee there in my opinion.
Rialto: here too, be ready to get crowded, but it is worth braving the tourists’ walls as the view from that spot is one of the best. Don’t forget to also check out the view behind you.
Bridge of sighs: not as impressive as the previous one, especially from the outside but if you visit the Doges Palace, you’ll be able to walk inside the bridge and you’ll have a beautiful sight of San Giorgio Maggiore. A bit of story time here: this view, from the inside of the bridge, is the last thing the prisoners were seeing before being sentenced, as the bridge connects the cells to the court room. It is the last image of freedom they had, that’s why it is called the bridge of sighs, as the convicts were taking their last breathe before being locked up for life, or killed.
Cannaregio
This neighborhood hosts the former Jewish ghetto. As soon as you get away from la Strada Nuova, which is the busy street leading to San Marco/Rialto, you will find a real local authentic vibe.
Dorsoduro
Here too, don’t be shy, and really go away from the center. The southern docks facing Giudecca island are really quiet and beautiful. I recomment walking all the way to the west tip of the island, stoping by the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute that we can see from almost anywhere, especially form the Academia Bridge! Before crossing the bridge over, there is a nice street food market at Rio Terra dei Catecumeni where you can treat yourself to a nice sweet or savory local delicassy. Across the bridge, Academia, is less touristy than upper San Marco, and has a a cool artsy vibe with loads of art galleries, churches and beautiful piazzas. There are also classical music concerts in some churches, I remember one of The Four Seasons of Vivaldi at San Vidal Chiesa, which was beautiful.
The islands
Burano
In my opinion, if you have to go to only one island, I’d choose this one. I just prefer the colourful houses there and you have both lace and glass craftmen, 2 in 1, compare to Murano, which only has its glass.
Murano
Cute houses too, glass blowing ateliers and Carlos Scarpa’s work all over.
Lido
Venice’s beach ! To go there, stop at Santa Maria Elisabetta. The Lido is a narrow strip of land so if you’re visiting on a very warm day, it’s great to end up at one of the beaches, such as Nicolo and the Alberoni or the Bluemoon, and take a dip in the clear waters of the Adriatic Sea.
Where to eat and drink?
It’s hard to go wrong in Venice but remember that the general rule is : the further away from the Great canal and San Marco/Rialto, the more genuine, authentic and local. So for me, the better.
Here is a summary of my numero unos in each neighborhood.
- San Marco : Trattoria alla Madonna, an institution close to Rialto bridge. La Madonna is to Venice what Nenella is to Naples. Il Salato di San Marco is a super cool and friendly bar, often quite crowded though.
- Cannaregio : Sullaluna Libreria & Bistro, cute place next to a small canal, perfect for a nice coffee break or breakfast! For a nice wine bar : Vino Vero, also hidden behind San Marco, by a small canal. Further east, there is the cute and authentic Osteria da Alberto.
- Academia : on the square Campo Santo Stefano, you have the resto Beccafico Guna that is very good. The shrimp tartar pasta is the absolute best!! You also have a spritz bar on the same square next to the restaurant which makes it convenient.
- Dorsoduro : On a cute piazetta, you’ll find Trattoria San Toma. For an aperitivao with a genuine venitian vibe, go to Al Squero, and check out the gondola fixing garage in front. On Campo Santo Margherita, there is the best bakery Majer for a quick bite, savoury or sweet. Lots of treats at the streetfood market on Rio Terra dei Catecumeni.
- San Polo : Osteria Fanal del Codega, nice seafood!
- Burano : Osteria al Museo!!!
- Murano : La Furnace, lovely sea-view.
- Arsenale : Nevodi, a bit touristy but worth it. More hidden and local : Trattoria dai Tosi and Trattoria dai Fioi.
- Giardini : away from the crowd with a nice cosy quiet atmosphere in the nature, you can try Sierra dei Giardini, a cool cafe in a beautiful greenhouse. Close by, you’ll find Paradiso for an amazing see view. Further away in Giardini, there is Bar Vincent for a local coffee/bar.
General tip is to just avoid the Great Canal and pick your restos and bars on the smaller ones.
Where to stay?
Regarding accomodation, I personally like to stay in Castello, around Arsenale, it’s a great compromise in terms of money, being close to everything, avoiding crowds of tourists and having a local vibe. Dorsoduro can also be a good compromise for the same reasons. San Marco is of course very practical but can be very crowded during high season and very pricy.
Transportation
Regarding transportation, I highly recommend taking a 3 days pass of vaporetto, as you will use it to go to and from the airport, commute everywhere in the city, and also go to some of the islands, for example Murano or Burano. Also, it is an attraction in itself to just hop on and off along the Great Canal, let’s say from Rialto to Academia for example, and just enjoy the view… So really worth it ! When you arrive at the airport, follow the “Water Transportation” signs.
What to do in a nutshell
- Drink spritz and eat pasta
- Stroll in the different neighborhoods, away from the center
- Have the best aperitivos at Arsenale or Canareggio
- Go to at least one of the islands
- Step inside some of the churches, maybe do a tour of The Doges’ Palace or the Basilic San Marco
- Get artsy (there is always cool Biennale exhibitions) and tons of museums
- Go to a concert in one of the churches or to an opera or dance show at the famous Teatro La Fenice
- If it’s hot, take a beach break at the Lido
*****
Ça donne trop envie, d’y retourner ❤️