Venice’s heady mix of moonlit canals, magnificent churches, sublime restaurants, and excellent shopping has never failed to romance visitors. Now, smart new hotels and a buzzy contemporary art scene are making it more enticing than ever. Here’s exactly where to go and what to see—without contending with the crowds.
Venice
Hotels
Dorsoduro
Il Palazzo Experimental
Venice has no shortage of luxury hotels, but few attract a young crowd. Palazzo Experimental bridges the gap. Its rooms begin at around $400 a night, pleasing music reverberates through the lobby, and Dorothée Meilichzon’s interior design is steeped in Italian modernism. Ask for Room 102, with a postcard-perfect view of the canal. And don’t miss lunch in the courtyard—chef Denis Begiqi makes a perfect linguine alle vongole.
San Marco
The Gritti Palace
The grande dame of Venice’s hospitality scene was constructed in 1475 as a residence for Doge Andrea Gritti. After it was converted into a hotel, in 1895, stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and John Ruskin flocked to its heady mix of opulence and service. In 2013, the building underwent a $55 million renovation by designer Chuck Chewning, who went maximalist with the Murano-glass chandeliers and Rubelli fabrics. But the most enticing draw is its terrace on the Grand Canal, which overlooks the Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore.
Castello
Nolinski Venezia
The Bauer’s long-running renovation has left a void in Venice. The new Nolinski is especially welcome. It has all the trappings of a stylish hotel—marble floors, a cocktail bar dressed in red velvet, and sprawling rooms with both city and water views—and it’s just a five-minute walk from Piazza San Marco and Teatro la Fenice. Its restaurant Palais Royal, from the two-Michelin-star chef Philip Chronopoulos, has generated plenty of buzz.
San Polo
Aman Venice
Before it was converted into a hotel, in 2013, Palazzo Papadopoli was exclusively home to the aristocratic Arrivabene family, who now occupy the building’s top floor. You will still spot some of them slipping up and down the stairs in their Vibi Venezia slippers from time to time. The Aman retains the feel of a cozy, stately home. The 24 rooms have a view of either the Grand Canal or the palazzo’s gardens. Arva, a wonderful restaurant on the piano nobile, makes a flawless saffron risotto. And no visit to an Aman is complete without visiting the spa, hidden on the third-floor mezzanine.
Torcello
Country House Le Garzette
A farmhouse on the Lido? Hear us out. Its no-frills rooms, surrounded by lush gardens, have austere wooden headboards and bare walls, but what else to expect from a cottage on the beach? Those who prefer more cosseting accommodations should still pop by for a meal—vegetables from the garden are served alongside local fish, which is caught daily, at arguably the best restaurant in town.
Restaurants
San Marco
Harry’s Bar
Yes, it’s occasionally overrun with tourists, but if the locals didn’t have something to grumble about, would it really be Venice? Opened by Giuseppe Cipriani in 1931, Harry’s Bar is now run by his 92-year-old son, Arrigo. The spirits of Peggy Guggenheim and Ernest Hemingway still live in its walls. Arrive by boat, tie it to a nearby balaustre, step through the small wooden doorway, and time-travel to the 20th century. For lunch, take a vaporetto to Harry’s Dolci, where you can dine outside right on the water. (Don’t miss the chocolate ice cream.)
San Marco
Vini da Arturo
This traditional trattoria has a no-frills menu full of dishes like fried vinegar pork, beef filet, plain eggplant, and pappardelle con radicchio—absolutely no fish, ever. Ernesto Ballarin, the chef and founder, opened the place 50 years ago and hasn’t altered its offerings in more than three decades. There are only nine tables, so be sure to book ahead.
Burano
Trattoria al Gatto Nero
Take a day trip to the colorful isle of Burano, where a cacophony of yellow, blue, and pink houses line the meandering streets, and make sure to have lunch at Trattoria al Gatto Nero. This classic restaurant has been around since 1965. Chef Ruggero Bovo and his son, Massimiliano, specialize in fish dishes such as cuttlefish, fried calamari, and tagliolini with crab.
Torcello
Locanda Cipriani
Three years after opening Harry’s Bar, Giuseppe Cipriani opened Locanda Cipriani on Torcello. Until recently, it was run by the Cipriani family’s estranged cousin, Domenico Brass, who also laid claim to the invention of the Bellini. As a result, it doesn’t resemble typical Cipriani locations—the food is served on plain white porcelain, in a quaint garden. After lengthy negotiations, the larger Cipriani group purchased Locanda last year. It underwent renovations this summer, and as far as we can report, the green tagliolini are better than ever.
San Polo
Trattoria Antiche Carampane
There are many reasons to dine here, but our top three: you can almost always walk in without a reservation, most fellow diners will likely be locals, and the food is consistently good. The menu is old-school Venetian—fried calamari, baked catches of the day, and fresh vegetables. Mirrors in different shapes and sizes are tacked onto the walls in the white-tablecloth-clad main dining room. There’s a sign outside that announces: TOURISTS WILL BE CHARGED IF THEY COME IN REQUESTING INFORMATION, so consider yourselves warned.
Sights
San Polo
Basilica de Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
Although it’s often overlooked by the crowds, this church in Campo dei Frari is one of the largest in the city. One of three Venetian Gothic-style relics, its interiors are as impressive as its architecture, with an abundance of tombs and works of art filling the space. Highlights include two altarpieces by Titian and sculptures by Donatello.
Dorsoduro
Gallerie Dell’Accademia
The Gallerie dell’Accademia dates back to 1750, when it opened as a school specializing in art restoration. Today, it’s a gallery showcasing a wide array of masterpieces from 13th-to-17th-century Venice. Study its masterpieces for a crash course in Venetian Renaissance history—works by Canaletto, Bellini, Bosch, Titian, Tiepolo, and many others are spread among its galleries.
San Marco
Museo Fortuny
Mariano Fortuny was many things: an inventor, a couturier, and the textile designer behind Fortuny fabrics. He settled into Palazzo Pesaro Orfei in 1902 with his wife, Henriette Negrin, and established his workshop on the top floor. Today, the palazzo remains virtually untouched—cupboards are ajar, paintings are unfinished, and rooms are draped with floor-to-ceiling textiles.
Dorsoduro
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Peggy Guggenheim settled in Venice after World War II, moving her art collection into the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal, in 1949. Living upstairs, she quickly became a seminal figure in the city’s art scene. Her collection, the first to promote American art in Europe, attracted significant attention. Although she died in 1979, her home remains intact. Two Picassos hang in the entryway, while other rooms house works by Brancusi, Pollock, and Dalí. There’s also a wing for seasonal exhibitions.
San Polo
Scuola Grande di San Rocco
Tintoretto fans should dedicate a few hours to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, a building on Campo San Rocco that holds some of his most impressive works. Originally the seat of a confraternity, construction began by Bartolomeo Bon in 1515 and was eventually completed by Giangiacomo dei Grigi in 1560. Tintoretto was commissioned to provide paintings four years later, which still loom large in the two ballrooms and many other salons.
Shops
San Marco
Giberto Venezia
The ranks of Murano glass–makers still working in Venice are slowly dwindling, which is why it’s so important to support these artisans, especially when their taste and technical skill are equally elevated. Giberto Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga, the local artist behind Giberto Venezia and its sublime homeware and glass sculptures, has recently opened a delightful boutique on the Rialto Bridge. It’s like walking into a perfectly curated glass box.
San Polo
Piedàterre Venezia
Venetian slippers are now ubiquitous, but they were invented during World War II when poverty was rampant. Scraps of velvet curtains were stitched to flattened bicycle tires. Their current popularity can be credited, in part, to film producer Stuart Parr, who bought this small, family-run brand in 2021 along with his friend Paul Deneve. Stop by their tiny boutique in San Polo to peruse hundreds of different colors.
San Marco
Antonia Miletto
Antonia Miletto fondly refers to her boutique, on Calle delle Botteghe, as the “jewel box,” and for good reason. The shop’s orange silk walls provide a striking backdrop for her exquisite creations in diamonds, coral, and amber. Miletto handcrafts each unique piece of jewelry, such as feather-shaped earrings in ebony and diamonds, by carving shapes from wood. Her titanium earrings, inspired by Venice’s signature iron grating, are especially tempting, but heads up—Antonia’s designs are not for the faint of pocketbook.
San Polo
Gilberto Penzo
Bringing home a small wooden steamer as a souvenir is quite wonderful—or, for something more Venetian-themed, consider a vaporetto. At his store, in San Polo, Gilberto Penzo crafts every kind of Venetian boat, complete with detailed features like miniature steering wheels and ropes. His selection is comprehensive, ranging from larger bragozzo sailboats to more modest sandolos.
Bars
San Marco
Bar Longhi
It’s a crime to visit Venice without a stop at Bar Longhi, the Gritti Palace’s cocktail bar overlooking the Grand Canal. This is where Ernest Hemingway wrote the final pages of Across the River and into the Trees, and where everyone from Mick Jagger to Winston Churchill has contemplated the lagoon. The barmen wear tuxedos, and two paintings by Pietro Longhi, the Venetian rococo artist after whom the bar is named, adorn the walls. Be sure to sit on the terrace, which offers views from Santa Maria della Salute to the Guggenheim. Best of all, there are 10 varieties of martinis to choose from, and the waiter will come to your table with a trolley.
San Polo
Pasticceria Rizzardini
Staying at Aman Venice and eager to venture out for breakfast? This patisserie around the corner is the city’s oldest and finest, dating back to 1742. With a central marble counter and a wraparound bar, it’s standing-room-only, which is one of the reasons why it’s still so popular with locals. The deep-fried, cream-filled brioche and espresso are exceptional, and the pre-dinner cocktails aren’t bad, either.
Santa Croce
Il Mercante
For a romantic nightcap after dinner at a dimly lit trattoria, head to the Ponte dei Frari bridge. Here is a two-story cocktail bar nestled in the former site of an 1850s cafe, and if you sit in the mezzanine, you’ll have views of the main room. The cocktails are excellent and served creatively, often in moss-filled boxes or unique pottery. If you’re hungry, you can ask for bruschetta, but the main event here is the drinks.
San Marco
Caffè Florian
This San Marco bar is inevitably crammed with tourists, and an espresso and water can add up to 25 euros, but it’s still worth stopping in—if not for a drink then simply for a look. It’s been serving coffee and Campari since 1720, when Marcel Proust, Charles Dickens, and Giacomo Casanova cavorted underneath the gilded ceilings.
Cannaregio
Al Timon Bragozzo
For a Campari spritz to go, there’s no better place than Al Timon Bragozzo. Situated on a nondescript canal, this spot has been serving delectable cicchetti (Venetian finger food) and very strong spritzes for several generations. There’s also an ample selection of local wines at good prices. Take it all away, find a ledge with a view, and contemplate the meaning of life, or perhaps just your next meal.
