Venice
Italy
Backpacking Venice
Information on Venice, sights to see, nightlife, activities and more.
Unique and beautiful, pieced together by winding streets and iconic canals, Venice is a city that looks like no other. Formerly a powerful city-state, the Venice of today is packed with tourists all year round and good reason, this city is saturated with art, culture, and history. The classic way to explore Venice is by a romantic Gondola ride through the city’s canals. On land, Venice boasts sites like Doge’s Palace, St Mark’s Basilica, and the Campanile di San Marco. The 700-year-old Rialto Market affords visitors the chance to get lost in a seemingly endless market of food stands. Take a stroll across the Ponte di Rialto, the bridge that arches across the Grand Canal to connect the districts of San Polo and San Marco. One of four old bridges in Venice, it was built more than four hundred years ago and looks just as elegant and imposing today. Eating and drinking in Venice is in a world of its own. Venice has its own style of restaurant known as 'bacari' which serve tasty plates of Cicheti, also known as Venetian Tapas. As you eat, its easy to see that although centuries of history have passed, the face of Venice remains the same. The amenities of modern life exist here, but they seem to take a backseat to the architecture, the art, and the ambiance.
Must See
Doge’s Palace - Doge’s Palace was the home of the Doge otherwise known as the duke who ruled Venice. It’s located on St. Mark’s Square and features beautiful arches with marble. The interior is filled with artwork.
Basilica di San Marco - St Mark’s was built around the year 1060 on the Piazza San Marco. The church is filled with hundreds of years of Italian art and sculpture while the ceiling is adorned with wonderful and strange golden mosaics.
Grand Canal - Is the central waterway running through the heart of Venice. A boat trip through the Grand Canal is, for many, the highlight of an entire trip to Italy. Here you can see buildings spanning over a thousand years of Italian history, from Byzantine to the Renaissance.
Must Do
Gondola to the Rialto Bridge - Built in 1591, the Rialto is the oldest of the four bridges to span the Grand Canal. Carvings and reliefs of Venice’s patron Saint Mark are said to bless anyone who travels under them. The Rialto must be seen twice. The first time, by gondola during the day, and the second at night. Rialto has become a cultural symbol of Venice, and it isn’t hard to see why.
Hang in Saint Mark’s Square - Known as the Piazza San Marco in Italian, La Piazza is the principal public square of Venice. The Piazzetta, in extension of Saint Mark’s square, form the social, religious, and political center of the city. Piazza San Marco is dominated by Saint Mark’s Basilica, Torre dell’Orologio (the Clock Tower), and the Campanile (bell tower).
Nightlife
Campo Santa Margherita in the Dorsoduro district, near the University in Venice and Ca’ Foscari University, is where you’ll find the best bars, clubs, and places to drink. Venice doesn’t have crazy nightlife like other cities in Italy — it’s a much quieter town and things calm down after dinner. Erbaria, on the West side of the Rialto Bridge, is another area worth checking out for nightlife. Most late night bars close at 2am.
Get started now on planning your backpacking trip with personalized recommendations from our advisors. Your plan will include: accommodation options, food/nightlife recommendations, tours or attractions to see with recommendations for best operators, 24/7 assistance with bookings, answers to any questions and more.