Hotel Enthusiast » Winter Breaks » Venice City Guide Introduction

VENICE CITY GUIDE: RESTAURANTS, BARS, SHOPPING, GALLERIES, MUSEUMS...

Founded fifteen hundred years ago on a cluster of mudflats in the centre of the lagoon, Venice rose to become Europe's main trading post between the West and the East, and at its height controlled an empire that spread north to the Dolomites and over the sea as far as Cyprus. The monuments which draw the largest crowds are the Basilica di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale. The first a mosaic-clad emblem of Venice's Byzantine origins, the second perhaps the finest of all secular Gothic buildings. Then, of course, there is the Ponte di Rialto [Rialto Bridge]. The current structure was built in just three years, between 1588 and 1591, as a permanent replacement for the boat bridge and three wooden bridges that had spanned the Grand Canal at various times since the 12th Century.

There are countless museums and galleries to keep you busy with many great restaurants to rest your weary feet and sample some of the best food Italy has to offer. If this isn't enough, visit the ubiquitous glass shops on Murano or in Venice, and you'll find countless paperweights, glass beads and necklaces, knickknacks, and items of glass jewelry. 

This " Venice city guide" will help you discover Venice for the first time and hopefully for many more. Make sure you print before you leave and enjoy your break!

INSIDE OUR VENICE CITY GUIDE

Venice General Information

» Find out about the pracitcal side to preparing for your trip to Venice. From opening times, banks, communication and visas...
» Venice General Information

Venice Restaurants

» The restaurants in Venice are some of the best in Italy, which many offer traditional rustic home cooking to some of the best seafood in Italy...
» Venice Restaurant Guide

Venice Shopping

» From Murano glass to the best in Italian design, Venice has ot all. Pretty much anything goes in Venice with an emphasis on luxury goods and eccentricity...
» Shopping in Venice Guide

Venice Bars

» Venice after dark can be a night to remember. Drink where many of the greatest writers have got drunk in a plethora of small bars...
» Venice Bars Guide

Venice Museums and Galleries

» Discover the museums and galleries of Venice and experience some the most special art in the world including contemporary to 14 – 18th painters...
» Venice Museums and Galleries

Venice Carnival

» The Venice Carnival is a fantastic celebration and one of the oldest carnivals in the world. This congregation of masked people dates back to the 14th Century....
» Venice Carnival

Getting around Venice

» For Venice, the canals have always been the natural means of getting around. Over the past few centuries more and more canals have been filled in...
» Getting around Venice