VENICE, Veneto

OVERVIEW OF VENICE The historical centre of Venice is made up of six districts (sestiere): Cannaregio, Dorsoduro, Castello, Santa Croce, San Polo and San Marco. Divided in two by the Grand Canal, the districts of Cannaregio, Castello and San Marco occupy the northern part of the historical centre of Venice, while to the south of the Grand Canal we find the Santa Croce, San Polo and Dorsoduro districts. The Dorsoduro district also incorporates the Island of Guidecca Each of the six sestiere has its own unique character and specific attractions. Venice itself was built upon a series of islands, sand-banks and land reclaimed from the lagoon. Any sign of those original islands has long since been lost as the city continued to grow and develop as a sea of stone swept over her origins. But, not far from the historical centre of Venice , a string of Islands are waiting to be discovered by the intrepid traveller. Each one has its own particular attraction: There are two main means of transportation in Venice, pedestrian and waterborne. Waterborne transport consists of water taxis and waterbuses, or "vaporetto". There is a British diplomatic presence in Venice, and should you need assistance while in Italy, consular staff are on hand there to help travellers if they have a problem in the country. Italian is the official language. Dialects are spoken in different regions. German and Latin are spoken in the South Tyrol region, and French is spoken in all the border areas. German is spoken around the Austrian border. English, German and French are also spoken in tourism and business circles around Venice. Locality: Venice is located in North-East Italy, Venice is built on 117 small islands and has some 150 canals and 409 bridges (only three of which cross the Grand Canal). THINGS TO DO IN VENICE Venice is home to a multitude of museums and art galleries with many that are open to the public. In addition to these permanent exhibitions, there are numerous special exhibitions taking place throughout Venice during the calendar year. Attractions include a visit to ''The Piazza San Marco', including the Basilica and Museo Correr, a cruise down the Grand Canal to spot the important landmark palaces on the way, including the Palazzo Ducale (Doges Palace), as well as the Bridge of Sighs, are definitely worth visiting. The Accademia Gallery with its extensive collection of Venetian paintings and the Rialto Bridge with its surrounding markets are all musts for the Venice visitor. Venice is famous for its glassware, both good and bad glass, and has a reputation for quality. Traditional festivals are celebrated in most towns and villages in commemoration of local historical or religious events. The year kicks off with the Regata delle Befana, the first of the lagoon city's 100-plus regattas, held on 6 January (Epiphany). The major event of the Venetian calendar is February's bewigged, bemasked and berobed Carnevale, the event that's spawned a million pastel postcards of pierrots and columbines looking unduly pensive. In May there's the Festa della Sensa (Feast of the Ascension), when Venice celebrates the Sposalizio del Mar (Wedding with the Sea). The Biennale arts fest is held every odd-numbered year in June in the pavilions of the Giardini Pubblici. July's Festa del Redentore is another highlight, with a regatta and fireworks festival. The Venice International Film Festival, Italy's version of Cannes, is held annually in August at the Palazzo della Mostra del Cinema on the Lido. The Regatta Storica in September is a historic gondola race along the Grand Canal that's well worth catching. November's Festa della Madonna della Salute procession crosses the Grand Canal via a bridge of boats.

Right Now · June 2026

Where to Eat

Al Covo — In Castello, tucked down a quiet side street near the Arsenale, this is among the most-recommended restaurants in Venice by people who actually live here. The kitchen changes its menu daily around whatever the lagoon and the Adriatic offered that morning; in June, order the tiny lagoon snails and whatever pasta is carrying the day's catch, then finish with the house chocolate cake studded with salted pistachios. Reservations are non-negotiable.

Gran Caffè Quadri — Upstairs from a café that has occupied Piazza San Marco since 1775, the Alajmo brothers' Michelin-starred dining room was redesigned by Philippe Starck and remains one of Venice's most coherent arguments for eating in a landmark rather than merely admiring one. The seasonal tasting menus draw on vegetables from the lagoon island of Sant'Erasmo and are presented under Murano glass chandeliers that do exactly what chandeliers in Venice should do.

Club del Doge — The Gritti Palace's canal-side restaurant is where land and sea converge in the capable hands of chef Alberto Fol, a Treviso native who sources vegetables from the hotel's own island garden patch in the north lagoon. One dish has never left the menu: the Hemingway-style risotto, doubling cooked and gloriously raw prawns — order it without deliberation.

Birraria La Corte — A reliable anchor in Campo San Polo, this is where Neapolitan-style pizza gets a Venetian edit. The Sospiri — spicy Calabrian 'nduja finished with lagoon honey — is the one to order, alongside the patate bravas striped with tomato sauce and aioli. The natural wine list and craft beer selection are treated as seriously as the food.

Trattoria Al Vecio Portal — The menu here navigates between modern bistro and classic trattoria without losing its bearing, with seafood dishes — garganelli with clams, tagliolini with shrimp and artichokes — rotating with what is fresh. Sit in the large garden at the back, order from the natural wine list, and leave room for what is reportedly the only cannoli in Venice worth finishing.

After Dark

Il Mercante — Near Campo de Frari in San Polo, this cocktail bar has been named among the best in Italy by Gambero Rosso, and it earns that distinction by structuring its menu around stories of world exploration — exotic spices, unfamiliar botanicals, a clever sweetness-and-intensity key to help you calibrate your order. The Captain's Death, a pepper-infused gin concoction, is a reasonable place to start.

Skyline Rooftop Bar, Hilton Molino Stucky — Reach it via water shuttle from the Zattere promenade, then ride to the eighth floor of this former flour mill on Giudecca for what is among the most commanding sunset perches in the city — the full arc of Venice laid out below. The Grain 24, a gin drink infused with pomegranate seeds, was made for this view. Drinks are priced accordingly, and that is entirely appropriate.

Bar Longhi, The Gritti Palace — The Grand Canal terrace here, watched over by Pietro Longhi's 18th-century paintings and Murano glass chandeliers, is the kind of place that reminds you why the Gritti has been the Gritti for three centuries. Come for the regal cocktails and the water traffic; stay because leaving requires a reason you are unlikely to manufacture.

Out of Town

The Lagoon Islands — Murano and Burano — A private boat from Venice makes the island circuit considerably more civilized than the vaporetto scrum. In Murano, a live glassblowing demonstration at one of the working fornaci remains genuinely arresting; in Burano, the fish is fresher and the geometry of the painted houses less Instagram-curated than you expect. Allow a full day, and eat in Burano rather than racing back.

The Dolomites Day Trip — A private transfer north deposits you in a different world within two hours: Cortina d'Ampezzo, Lake Misurina's cold mirror of jagged peaks, and mountain air that makes the Venetian summer heat feel like a memory. Operators run small-group and fully private options; the private route, with a stop for lunch overlooking the lake, justifies every euro of the premium.

Prosecco Hills Wine Tour — The Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of steep vineyard terraces an hour north of Venice, is best approached with a guide who can get you into family-run estates that do not appear on any retail shelf. Venice Day Trips and similar specialists take you to the most important production areas, pairing tastings with context about the Tri-Veneto region's broader wine culture — a useful corrective to everything the word Prosecco has come to mean internationally.

On the Calendar

Venice Art Biennale 2026 (Open through November 2026) — The 2026 edition runs across the Giardini pavilions and the Arsenale, with national pavilions spread through the city's sestieri and on neighboring islands as collateral events. A licensed guide makes the difference between accumulating impressions and understanding what the curators are actually arguing; tours run two to two-and-a-half hours and can be booked privately. Do not attempt both venues in a single day.

Veneto Jazz Summer Festival (June through August 2026) — The Veneto Jazz organization programs concerts across the region during its summer session, with a Venice-centric festival in July and performances staged in historic Venetian villas along the Brenta Riviera — including Villa Pisani in Stra. The roster regularly spans boundary-pushing international artists alongside traditional jazz, with Teatro La Fenice and the Chiesa della Pietà among the more extraordinary venues. Check the Veneto Jazz program and book early for the Fenice dates.