Venice's must-see list holds few surprises and a great deal of stone, which is no criticism. The oldest entries reach back a very long way: St Mark's Basilica dates from AD 828, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari from 1250, and the Rialto Bridge from 1588, with several of them forming part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We put this list together for the visitor who wants the famous buildings that have earned their crowds, plus a few that should get more of them: a palazzo that doubles as an art museum, an opera house dating from 1792, and a church on Fondamenta San Giacomo. Our advice is blunt: go to the big names when they open, walk instead of queueing wherever you can, and keep the afternoon free for the quieter rooms that fall outside the hours everyone else keeps. Venice punishes the visitor who rushes and rewards the one who plans.
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1 St Mark's Basilica
A church dating from AD 828, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
St Mark's Basilica is open Monday to Saturday from 09:30 to 17:00, and we'd be there in the first minutes. On Sundays it keeps a shorter afternoon window: 14:00 to 16:30 from late October to mid-April, and 14:00 to 17:00 from mid-April to late October. The midday shuffle behind tour flags is worth avoiding; this is a church dating from AD 828 and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the interior deserves an early, unhurried look. Check basilicasanmarco.it before you go, because the timetable changes with the season and the Sunday window is narrow.
Dates from AD 828 · Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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2 Doge's Palace
Piazza San Marco, 1 - VeneziaA palace dating from 1340 with Italian national heritage designation
Dating from 1340, the Doge's Palace in Venice is somewhere too many visitors photograph from outside and never enter. It opens at 08:30 all year, closing at 19:00 from April through October and at 17:30 from November through March. Take the 08:30 slot and skip the late-morning crush, when the rooms are at their calmest. The palace holds Italian national heritage designation, and it earns it. In winter the earlier closing means an afternoon arrival leaves you rushing, so see it before lunch and keep the afternoon for wandering.
Dates from 1340 · Italian national heritage
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3 Teatro La Fenice
1965 Campo San Fantin, Venezia, 30124An opera house in Venice dating from 1792
At 1965 Campo San Fantin, in the 30124 postcode, Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice that dates from 1792, and it rewards a ticket far more than a tour. Don't bother with the daytime walk-through if you can get an evening seat; a house built to be heard loses something when you're there to inspect it. We'd start at the official site, teatrolafenice.it, plan well ahead, dress a step above your sightseeing clothes, and arrive early enough to enjoy the campo before the curtain goes up.
Dates from 1792
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4 Rialto Bridge
One of 4 bridges spanning the Grand Canal, dating from 1588
Dated to 1588, the Rialto Bridge is one of 4 bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, and the one with the most people standing still on it. Skip the selfie scrum at the top of the span at midday. Cross early, while the canal below is still working and not yet performing, then come back at dusk for the view the other way. The bridge is a crossing first and a monument second; treat it that way and it repays you. Lingering at noon gets you elbows.
Dates from 1588
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5 Bridge of Sighs
A bridge over a canal in Venice dating from 1614
Canal water drifts beneath the Bridge of Sighs, a bridge over a canal in Venice that dates from 1614. The standard photograph from the most crowded spot isn't worth the jostle to get it; walk a little, find a quieter angle along the water, and wait for the crowd to thin. The bridge asks for a few minutes, not an hour, and we'd give it those minutes early in the morning or late in the evening, when the stone looks softer and the city around it goes quiet.
Dates from 1614
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6 Santa Maria della Salute
A church that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Few churches hold the eye like Santa Maria della Salute, a church in Venice that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we'd not settle for the view from a passing boat. The locals know it is worth far more than a backdrop. Go inside, lower your voice, and give the interior the unhurried time the big-ticket queues never allow. It is the kind of visit that resets a crowded day, and all it asks of you is attention.
Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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7 St Mark's Campanile
San Marco, Venezia, 30124The bell tower of St Mark's Basilica
Listed at San Marco, Venezia, 30124, St Mark's Campanile is the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica, and it reads best as half of a pair. Resist the reflex of treating tower and church as two separate items to tick off between shopping stops; seen together, the whole ensemble makes sense. Come at the start or end of the day, when the bells and the stone share the space with fewer people, and give the tower a long look from the ground before you move on.
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8 Ca' d'Oro
[[Cannaregio]] 3932 (Calle Ca' d'Oro)A palace and art gallery in one
On Mondays Ca' d'Oro keeps short hours, 09:00 to 14:00, and from Tuesday to Sunday it is open 09:00 to 19:00. It closes on 1 January and 25 December. This is a palace and an art gallery in one, which means the building is half the exhibit. Avoid the Monday-morning rush of visitors who arrive having discovered the short hours at breakfast. Come midweek in the afternoon instead, when the rooms empty out and you can move through the galleries at your own pace.
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9 Ca' Rezzonico
Rio Terà Canal, 30123A palazzo and art museum dating from 1667
A palazzo and an art museum under one roof, Ca' Rezzonico is worth choosing if Venice's interiors interest you more than its façades. It dates from 1667, holds Italian national heritage designation, and is listed on Rio Terà Canal, 30123. From April to October it opens 10:00 to 18:00 and closes on Tuesdays; from November to March the hours are Wednesday to Monday, 10:00 to 17:00. We'd take this over the queue-and-shuffle of the headline museums. Check carezzonico.visitmuve.it before you set out.
Dates from 1667 · Italian national heritage
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10 Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
A church dating from 1250, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is open Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 18:00, and on Sundays the doors open at 13:00. It dates from 1250 and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and among Venice's churches it's one of the few that reward a slow visit rather than a quick circuit. Sit for a few minutes and let the scale of the place register. Details and any timetable changes are at basilicadeifrari.it.
Dates from 1250 · Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-18:00; Su 13:00-18:00
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11 Il Redentore
Fondamenta San GiacomoA Roman Catholic church dating from 1577
Il Redentore, the Roman Catholic church on Fondamenta San Giacomo, is worth the effort of getting there rather than settling for the rushed glance from a passing boat. Built in 1577, it rewards anyone who steps off, walks the fondamenta, and looks up close, because its proportions do the talking in a way a boat window never allows. We'd point you here if you've already ticked off the obvious names and want Venice with a little more room to breathe.
Dates from 1577
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12 Ca' Foscari
Calle Larga Ca’ Foscari, Venezia, 30123A palace in Venice
Most visitors pass Ca' Foscari without looking up, which is their loss: it is a palace on Calle Larga Ca' Foscari, 30123, and all it asks is that you stop, stand on the calle, and take in the façade without hurrying on to the next headline stop. A palace that sees fewer cameras has a way of reminding you that Venice is more than its famous names. The stop is short, but it shows you the city as the people who live in it see it every day, not as a postcard.
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