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Venice

Best Things To Do

A gondola ride would a very enjoyable experience for a child or adult. This might be a little expensive so one should consider the convenient and less expensive option which is a ride on the no. 1 vaporetto. Both rides offer entirely different experiences.  The gondola takes you on a journey where one gets to see some unique buildings like view Marco Polo's house. On the other hand, the vaporetto provides a practical yet beautiful ride down the Grand Canal. One can find here boats of various kinds and services like the ambulance boat, the garbage boat, the firefighters' boat, the funeral boat, and even a delivery boat of Coca-Cola. Sometimes, also visible are special gondolas filled with flowers carrying a blissful bride and groom. Feeding the pigeons in Piazza San Marco could be the highlight of a child’s visit to Venice. Be sure to buy a bag of corn and you'll be draped surrounded by pigeons within seconds. This is also a great photo opportunity. Warn your child of the all the fluttering and flapping. An excursion to the Murano Island could provide a lot of recreation along with education. Ask around for a furnace, or the glass factory. Free entertainment would be provided to children in the form of a glass-blowing performance of the island's thousand-year-old art. Another breathtaking sight is that from top of the Campanile di San Marco (the highest structure in the city).One can take the elevator there for a pigeon's-eye view of Venice's rooftops and church cupolas, or view the four bronze horses on the portico of the Basilica San Marco. This view from its outdoor terrace will be retained in one memory for years to come. For older children, the Museo Navale & Arsenale, (Museum of Venetian Navy) has on display ship models and old vessels. The Museo Civico Correr (Correr Civic Museum), also displays many historic artifacts which are substantial remnants of Venice’s glorious times. Children can also be kept away from mischief by involving them in a competition to count how many times they can spot the winged lion, which is a kind of symbol of Italy. It is also known to have been a lucky mascot for St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice, thus its popularity. You will see it on numerous things from T-shirts to napkins on buildings facades, on columns, doorways, as pavement mosaics, on the local flag and government stamps.

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City guide section

Top picks in Venice

Showing 1–17 of 17 places

Browse the highlights below, then open any place for maps, area notes, and practical details.

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What to do with children in tow

A gondola ride would a very enjoyable experience for a child or adult. This might be a little expensive so one should consider the convenient and less expensive option which is a ride on the no. 1 vaporetto.

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Arsenale

The Italian Navy is now running the yard and it occasionally opens to public like on the Biennale and for the festival of traditional Venetian boats, held in May each year.

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Biennale d'Arte

Biennale d'Arte is a large exhibition held from late May to October very odd numbered year, which presents the latest in contemporary painting and sculpture from several countries.

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Burano

A peaceful village which has brightly painted houses lining the canals. As this village’s fishing based economy dwindled, the residents took to lace making to earn a living.

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Ca' d'Oro

Located along the Grand Canal, this beautiful Gothic palace was constructed in 1434 by Marino Contarini for his wife.

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Ca' Pesaro

Located on the Grand Canal and housed in a late Renaissance palace, these two museums have an impressive collection of art. The first collection is the Museo d'Arte Moderna or the Museum of Modern Art.

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Campanile di San Marco (Bell Tower)

The 1000 years old brick bell tower is 325 feet tall, excluding the angel. It suddenly collapsed in 1902, crushing with it Jacopo Sansovino's 16th century marble loggia at the foundation.

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Campo San Polo

Many years ago, at the Campo San Polo bull races took place, fairs and military parades were held but now only the city’s outdoor cinema is set up here on summer nights.

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Campo Santo Stefano

Located in the city's most affluent residential areas, surprisingly, this square once hosted bullfights! There was only a stone avenue called a “liston” here, and was a very popular walking area.

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Gesuati

Giorgio Massari was commissioned to build this monument, in remembrance of the day when the Dominicans took hold of the church of Santa Maria della Visitazione from the suppressed order of Gesuati laymen in 166

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Museo Correr

The exhibits in this museum are as diverse as they are interesting. The Venetian art and historical objects vary from shoes with ludicrously high-soles worn by 16th-century Venetian ladies who had to maintain t

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San Giorgio Maggiore

Since the 8th century, this island has been home to San Giorgio Maggiore Church. The present day, pleasantly well-ventilated and simplistically decorated church constructed of white marble and bricks was initia

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Santi Giovanni e Paolo

Near the side entrance is a 15th-century stained-glass window in which brilliant colors have been used to give life to the beautiful drawings by Bartolomeo Vivarini and Gerolamo Mocetto.

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Torre dell'Orologio

This beautiful enameled clock was built five hundred years ago. When it was assembled, the hour would be struck by two Moor figures and three wise men along with an angel would walk out and bow to the Virgin Ma

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