Venice Things To Do

Although Venice is busy and crowded with tourists year-round, and the city’s high season stretches far beyond the typical borders of summer, the summer months are still when most people visit Venice. It tends to be the time when most people can travel – especially because the kids are out of school – and, of course, the weather is reliably good. But going to Venice in the summer means dealing with some of the difficulties of high season travel.

Around every corner in Venice you’ll find another wonderful church. They’ve managed to build some pretty huge and magnificent edifices given the small amount of land their city is perched on.

Venice is such a famous city, you probably know everything there is to know about it – right? Wrong. It’s a city of seemingly endless mysteries, many of which are just waiting to be discovered by new visitors. Here are some of the things you probably didn’t know about Venice.

Venice is practically a year-round tourist destination – even in the cold and damp winter the city can seem overrun with day trippers. But at no time does Venice seem more lively than when the city is in the midst of celebrating something. There are holidays and festivals throughout the year, some of which can dramatically impact your ability to get a hotel room at a decent price, so be sure to consult a calendar of Venice events during your trip planning process. On the other hand, each of these festivals is the kind of spectacle you’ll never forget.

Jews have lived in the city of Venice since medieval times, but in 1516 the Venetian Ghetto was established in the Cannaregio district and all Venetian Jews were forced to live there. The word “gheto” is a Venetian word referring to the iron stored near the foundry in the Cannaregio, so it’s from this Venetian Ghetto that the word “ghetto” is derived. The Venetian Ghetto was abolished in 1797 by Napoleon.

Most tourist destinations have what are thought of as high and low tourist seasons, but Venice seems to be popular pretty much year-round. Still, there are a few benefits to visiting in the slower seasons – which, in Venice, includes part of the spring. The calendar generally says spring runs from March-May, but those few months vary widely in Venice. If you’re headed to Venice in Spring, here’s what you can expect.

For many travelers, Venice itself is a day trip from elsewhere – but if you’re spending several days in Venice itself, you may be looking for day trip options in the area. Here are some of the best day trip options from Venice.

Many visitors to Italy are understandably eager to try Italian wine right where it comes from. You may be familiar with Italian wines that come from the Chianti area of Tuscany or the area around Barolo, but did you know that every single region of Italy produces wine? That’s right – you can even go wine tasting near Venice. In fact, some of Italy’s best-loved wines come from the Veneto region.

This is the city of Casanova and while I am not suggesting anyone follows his model of multiple seductions, Venice is clearly a place that turns the mind to romance.

The sheer beauty of the place brings the senses alive: the churches and palazzos rising out of the mists or glowing in the sunsets, the sounds of water lapping as gondolas float past and hidden voices and laughter echoing around the narrow canals, and the tiptap of footsteps on stone, the tastes of delicious foods.

It’s no myth – Venice is notoriously expensive to visit. You’ll get more out of your stay if you can spend at least one night on the islands, but that may mean watching your euros more closely in other areas. The good news is that seeking out the cheap eats in Venice can often help you eat better – and more like the locals do. Here are some budget dining tips for Venice.