There are 3 basic activities in Venice: Going for a walk, visiting monuments and have a drink in a bar or terrace.
Going for a walk:
The streets in Venice are a tourist atraction on themselves. There aren't cars, motorbikes, bicycles. That's why going for a walk across the streets of the city, visiting monuments, expensive shops and boutiques, the people sailing with gondolas and the air in general, is very very amusing.
Every street is good for going for a walk, however, the most amusing ones are Il Gran Canale near Rialto Bridge (the eldest and most famous bridge in the city), the streets going from Rialto Bridge to Piazza San Marco (the tourist centre of the city) and the sea promenade..
If you want to visit the most exclusive boutiques in town, leave Piazza San Marco taling the left street on the opposite side of San Marco Basilica.
Visiting monuments:
There is an infinite number of monuments to visit in Venice, you could spend full days to visit them, but these are the monuments and buildings you must visit:
Piazza San Marco (San Marco Square):
It's the heart and the tourist centre of the city, that's why it's always crowded of people, specially in high season. There are monuments and important places to visit all around the square.
Exterior sight of Palazzo Ducale. Palazzo Ducale (Duke Palace):
It's enormous and amusing! It's a mix of a palace and a museum. The visit to the palace lasts around 2 hours - 2 hours and a half, and you will find lots of different museums and exhibitions, the rooms where the Duke lived, the Government areas, the prison, etc.
The entrance costs 7 €, but we recommend you to buy a ticket that includes the visit to the palace, the Correr museum and the library (all of them are located in Piazza San Marco), which costs 16 € (12 € with discount).
Basilica di San Marco (San Marco Basilica):
The Basilica is located in the same Piazza San Marco. The entrance is free, but if you wish to visit the treasure, the altarpiece and going up the cupola, you must pay. These entrances cost 2,50 €, 1,50 € and 3,50 € respectively.
The visit to the treasure, although being a small room, it's worthy, because it's full of relics with an enormous historic and economic value. Moreover, the entrance includes a pair of headphones which explain you the history of every piece perfectly (the explanation is very amusing and curious).
The visit to the golden altarpiece is good, but it's not a must. You'll see a golden altarpiece, but on our opinion, it doesn't have anything special.
We let the visit to the cupola at your choice. We suggest you that you visit first the Basilica and the treasure, and if you wish, go up the cupola.
Il Campanile. In Piazza San Marco. Il Campanile (the Bell Tower):
It's a 99 metres high tower located next to San Marco Basilica. It offers excellent views of Venice, because it's the highest point in town.
Ponte dei Sospire (The Bridge of Sighs):
It's the bridge where the prisoners passed before being executed. It's one of those monuments or requiered visit, but it's more important for its historic value than for its architectural value.
When you perform your walk on gondola, you'll probably pass under it.
Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge):
It's the eldest and most famous bridge in town, built between 1588 and 1591. It's the main bridge of the town, and one of the three that crosses Il Gran Canale.
The bar terraces around Rialto Bridge are the best places to have a drink, while enjoying excellent views over the Canal (il Gran Canale, the gondolas, the boats, the bridge and the people walking are an excellent combination).
Some Museums:
Venice is full of museums and palaces with exhibitions. However, the most interesting are: The Archaelogical Museum and the Correr Museum (both show the history of the city).
If you have time left, it's worth visiting the Accademia Museum, full of venecian paintings dating from XIV and XVIII century.
If you want to visit more places, we recommend you to go to the tourism office and ask for a guide. Take into account that there are around 200 churches and an incredible amount of palaces. However, in order to see the rest of the churches, palaces and other monuments, the best option is to take a walk across the streets. You are going to discover precious spots continuously (but not of required visit).
Have a drink in a bar :
After a nice walk, having a drink in the terrace of a bar near Rialto Bridge, or in a terrace you find while walking across the town, is fantastic.
If the weather is good, we suggest you to have a drink outside the bar (in the terrace). The streets in Venice are very lively and it's amusing to see the people passing continuously.
In Rialto Bridge area a drink in a terrace can cost around 5,00 €. In the rest of the terraces the price goes from 3,00 € to 6,00 € depending on its situation.
Interior of Florian Café The Florian Café:
It's one of the cafés located in Piazza San Marco. A normal coffe costs 5,00 €, a capuccino 7,50 € and a hot chocolate with cream 9,50 €. Ok, it's very expensive and with no terrace! But it's worthy. Naturally, the quality of the products is excellent.
The Florian Café opened on 1720 and it's one of the most famous coffee shop in the world. And also the decoration is great.
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