Places to see in Venice

While other cities have ‘quarters’, Venetians talk of ‘sixths’ – sestieri – as the historical core of town is divided into six parts. Each has its own subtly different mood and individual attractions. Beyond the six sestieri lie smaller islands, again with atmospheres of their own. A visit to the sestiere of San Marco is a must. After that, it’s up to what you want to get out of Venice – superb museums in Dorsoduro perhaps; a taste of ordinary Venetian life in Cannaregio, or (further afield) glass-blowing on the northern island of Murano, or a dip in the sea at the Lido.

San Marco has the real heavyweights, and is the heart of the city. Here are the unmissables – St Mark’s Square and St Mark’s Basilica itself, the Doge’s Palace and Campanile, the best views of the Canal Grande, and the Rialto and Accademia bridges.

Castello offers some fine churches, such as the magnificent Santi Giovanni e Paolo, and a number of attractive squares, including the bustling Campo Santa Maria Formosa, a busy, irregularly shaped piazza where tourists and workaday Venice meet.

Cannaregio is the sestiere that contains the famed Jewish Ghetto, and one of the most splendid stretches of the Canal Grande, with many a fine palace – some of which, such as Ca’d’Oro are open to the public.

The highlights of the dual sestieri of San Polo & Santa Croce are the Rialto Market – still a hub of Venice shopping life after over 1,000 years, and two of the city’s art blockbusters in the church of I Frari and the Scuola di San Rocco nearby, with superb Titians in the one and Tintoretto’s life masterpiece in the other.

Dorsoduro is the focus of Venice nightlife, on Campo Santa Margherita, and one of the most famous art museums in the world, the Gallerie dell’Accademia – and, should you want a break with antiquity and a taste of modern art, the equally renowned Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Further afield, La Giudecca & San Giorgio are the places to experience a taste of everyday Venice, and to visit boatyards and see gondolas being made.