Hi guys.
As a tour guide I want to show you how to see the best of Venice in one, or two days.
In the next 6 minutes I will share with you the best Itinerary of Venice, Italy.
A good itinerary like this one can save you a lot of time and money in Venice as getting
around can be very time consuming and expensive.
As walking and boat rides are your only options, start your first day by hopping on a Vaporetto,
public water bus.
From the entrance of the city, Vaporetto line number 2 takes you to an iconic island of
San Giorgio Maggiore in about 40 minutes.
The island is occupied by the 16th-century Benedictine church and monastery.
Thanks to its location this is the best place to start exploring Venice.
From the bell tower you can see the entire Venice as this is one of the most beautiful
and complete views of Venice.
Short Vaporetto ride across the lagoon takes you to the very heart of Venice.
Right after landing you will see an impressive Doge’s palace.
For more than 450 years this was the seat of power of Venetian Republic.
Rooms are filled with amazing artwork, but the most impressive is the giant Chamber of
the Great Council that includes the longest canvas painting in the world.
You can see private chambers of the Doge, the supreme ruler of Venice, the armoury,
secret rooms, and much more.
The palace is linked to prisons on the other side of the canal with the famous Bridge of
Sighs.
This small enclosed bridge was used to move the prisoners from the palace courtroom to
the prison cell.
From the two small bridge windows the prisoners took one last look at freedom.
The palace opens up towards the main square named after the patron saint of Venice, St.
Mark.
This is the heart of Venice and famous filming location surrounded by the most important
buildings.
Square is dominated by the tallest structure in Venice, the bell tower known as Campanile.
The original tower was used as a lighthouse and a watch tower to sight approaching ships.
You can take an elevator to the top and enjoy a spectacular 360 view of Venice.
But the most important building on the square is Saint Mark’s Basilica.This Roman catholic
cathedral from the 11th century is the most important church in Venice.
A symbol of Venetian wealth and power also served as a treasury of the Republic and houses
many precious artefacts.
The most important ones are the remains of Mark the Evangelist as his symbol, the winged
lion, also became the symbol of Venetian Republic.
The four mosaics on the façade of the basilica tell the story of how St. Mark’s body had
been smuggled out of Alexandria of Egypt and brought to Venice.
The Basilica’s interior is covered in golden mosaics from the 11 hundreds, hence its nickname
Golden Church.
You should also visit St. Mark’s museum on the first floor as it gives you access
to the church’s terrace.
The amazing view terrace is decorated with four ancient bronze horses taken from Constantinople,
modern day Istanbul, after Venice conquered the city during the Fourth Crusade in the
1200s.
The most unique feature of Venice are its canals and the biggest one is the Grand Canal.
A giant reverse S shape canal connects a maze of smaller canals and serves as the main avenue.
It’s full of traditional gondolas, motorized public water buses, private water taxis and
siren-equipped boats of emergency services.
There are also barges responsible for the delivery of goods throughout the city.
The banks are lined with 13th to 18th century palaces and the best ways to see the Grand
Canal are by traditional gondola ride or by much more affordable Vaporetto.The Grand Canal
has only four bridges and the most famous one is called Rialto.
The name comes from the Rialto food market on its eastern bank that was the main reason
for its construction.
Massive stone arch bridge was built on wooden pilings that still support it more than 400
years later.
At the time this was the only bridge across the Grand Canal.
It was considered a renowned architectural and engineering achievement of the Renaissance
with two inclined covered ramps and three walkways.
Two rows of small shops lead to a central porch from where you can see the Grand Canal
and the sunset in all its glory.
If you have one more day, the best way to start it is by visiting famous glassmaking
islands of Murano just outside of Venice.
In the middle ages famous Venetian glass makers were forced to leave Venice.
Due to the fear of fire and the city's mostly wooden buildings, glassmakers were ordered
to move their furnaces to Murano.
Soon Murano became Europe's major glassmaking center and a centre of innovations where Europe's
finest mirrors, glass beads and chandeliers were made.
Glassmaking remains the island's main industry as artisans still employ centuries-old glassmaking
techniques.
Most Murano tours also go to Burano Island, famous for its colorful houses.
Visiting colorful Burano and glassmaking Murano with a glass factory tour will take about
half a day.
After returning from Murano, stop at the basilica known as La Salute.
It stands in a prominent position near the entrance to the Grand Canal and thanks to
its impressive dome is an important part of Venetian skyline.
Massive eight-sided church with impressive artwork was built for Saint Mary in the 1600s
in exchange for her to stop a wave of the plague that killed nearly a third of Venetian
population.
Not far from La Salute is another bridge across the Grand canal, Ponte dell’Accademia.
It is made of wood and metal and is the most popular among photographers as it offers the
most beautiful view of the Grand Canal and La Salute basilica.
Once across the bridge you can start discovering Venice hidden gems.
Here starts one of the best areas for wandering romantic streets and numerous bridges with
no agenda.
If you want to do some shopping the area between San Marco Square and Rialto bridge is the
best.
You can find an impressive multi-arch spiral staircase, visit the most beautiful palace
on the Grand Canal, Ca d’Oro or pop into a unique Acqua Alta Library.
Its books are inside gondolas and bathtubs in order to protect them in the time of high
tide, when water floods the city.
To make things easier I made a list of my favorite tours and experiences listed in the
description below.
To find out where to book a room, when to visit Venice and other practical tips and
tricks check out this video.
Thanks for watching and see you next time.