City of canals: Visit Venice, Italy | Private jet charter
Venice has a unique beauty that is unsurpassed with its labyrinthine canals, stunning palazzo and piazzas, cobblestone streets, iconic hotels and world-class restaurants. Here are six top attractions to see while visiting Venice.
Grand Canal
Connecting Piazza San Marco to the mainland, Venice’s 3.8km Grand Canal is its main thoroughfare with just four bridges across it, plied by gondolas. The Grand Canal was the address of choice for wealthy families and royalty and their Venetian Gothic grand palaces are evidence of the wealth brought to the city. No visit to Venice is complete without a gondola ride along the fabulous Grand Canal.
Piazza San Marco
St Mark’s Square is the heart of Venice, located at the end of the Grand Canal. A majestic open-air theatre where locals and tourists gather to admire the Venetian architecture, sip coffee in the arcades and look out over to St Mark’s Basilica. Head to the top of Torre dell’Orologio for panoramic views across the Piazza or take a gondola ride. North of the square, the narrow streets lead to the Rialto Bridge. Head west for a cocktail at Harry’s Bar.
Ponte di Realto (Rialto Bridge)
The Rialto Bridge is the original Venice bridge, and the site of the city’s first town. Constructed in 1588, the Rialto may be a tourist magnet, but its charms are undeniable. At the San Marco end, visit the church of San Bartolomeo, while the opposite side leads to the superb fresh produce and seafood market and artisan shops – perfect for souvenirs.
Murano Glass Museum
Hop on a vaporetto water taxi to Murano, the famous lagoon island that’s home to Venice’s celebrated glass industry. Since the 13th-century glassblowers have been crafting some of the most exquisite glassware in the world. The canals here are bordered with studios and showrooms. Take time to visit the 17th-century Palazzo Giustinian – Venice’s Glass Museum – which houses a superb collection of Venetian glass dating from Roman times to the present day.
St Mark’s Basilica
The most-visited church in Venice, St Mark’s Basilica is an architectural masterpiece filled with Byzantine treasures, priceless gold mosaics, marble-inlaid flooring and a spectacular golden altarpiece, the Pala d’Oro, decorated with 2,00 precious gems and stones. Each of the Basilica’s five massive domes are 13m in diameter. End your tour with a visit to the Basilica museum by the main entrance which houses the four gilded copper horses that once stood on the gallery.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Don’t leave Venice without visiting this outstanding collection of European and American art. Located directly on the Grand Canal in Peggy Guggenheim’s former home – the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni – it houses Cubist and Futurist masterpieces, Surrealism, and abstract paintings as well as a sculpture garden. To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, there is a special exhibition in the Greek Pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale which runs until November 25th.
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