Destination guide: Venice

The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The sights of Venice are so unique and so famous that it's a city people feel they know without ever having been there.

St Mark's Square, the Bridge of Sighs, the masked Carnival, the maze of canals and bridges, and, of course, the gondolas.

We've all seen them a thousand times in brochures and books, in paintings, in films and on television.

Venice's fame is justly deserved. It boasts an extraordinary setting - built on 118 tiny islets in a lagoon in the northern Adriatic - a dazzling architectural heritage, some of the world's finest art museums and churches, and an indefinable sense of romance and mystery that endures despite the crowds of visitors.

In some ways, Venice has become a city frozen in time, a place that people visit purely to gawp and take pictures of the sights.

But there is so much more to it than just a "vast museum you march through with a herd of fellow-grazers," as the novelist Henry James observed.

This is a real, living city - all you have to do is keep your eyes open, now and again step off the beaten track, and you will find it.

Venice is divided into six districts or sestieri, each with their own distinctive character, though they can be confusing for visitors trying to find their way around.

Tucked into the lower bend of the Grand Canal is the district of San Marco, home to most of the popular sights, and therefore the focus of the city's tourism.

To the east is Castello, the residential heart of the city, while to the west and the north is Cannaregio, a quiet sanctuary away from the bustling crowds.

On the south side of the Grand Canal are San Polo and Santa Croce, where serene churches and wide-open squares nestle alongside the busy alleyways and market stalls of the Rialto Bridge.

Further south still is Dorsoduro, one of the city's most arty districts (boasting both the Peggy Guggenheim collection and the world famous Accademia) with its wide Zattere promenade looking across to the island of Giudecca.

If you have more time, there's life outside central Venice, too, on the islands of the lagoon.

Relax and star-spot on the glamorous beachfronts of Lido, pick up some exquisite hand-blown glass on Murano or antique lace on brightly painted Burano before unwinding in the medieval Santa Maria dell'Assunta cathedral on Torcello.

Or follow the example of the Venetians and escape to some of the 30 or so smaller islets dotted around the lagoon.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in