Venice

Italy

"A Floating City of Canals, Palaces & Quiet Morning Light"

Venice is a city built on water, and the best of it happens on foot and by boat. Cross the Rialto Bridge, get lost in the calli around Campo Santa Margherita, and step into St. Mark's Basilica when the square is still quiet. A vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal shows the palaces the way they were meant to be seen, and a short hop to Murano or Burano adds glass workshops and brightly painted houses. Go for the art and the food, and stay on the islands long enough to see them after the day-trippers leave.

St. Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace, Rialto Bridge, Grand Canal, Murano & Burano, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Bridge of Sighs

April–June & September–October

Validate vaporetto tickets; skip the hard gondola sell near San Marco and compare prices on side canals

Large ships no longer sail past St. Mark's. Book a canal-side hotel early in peak season.