Because beneath all that’s known of Venice, there is a whole world to discover. Venice is the city of art, of craftsmanship, of culture and of traditions. To live Venice like the locals takes your perspective of the city onto a whole new level. It’s about living the lagoon, exploring the neighbouring islets, tasting cicchetti whilst sipping on a spritz at sundown. It’s about viewing the city from above as much as viewing it from afar. It’s about living the streets, diving into the traditions and meeting the locals. Here, a world of things to do, see, where to eat and where to sleep during your trip to the city.
What to see
Museo Palazzo Grimani
Palazzo Grimani is the only Renaissance Roman mannerist-inspired house in Venice, it is the former residence of Antonio Grimani who became a dodge in 1521 who later donated the palace to his grandsons. It remained in the hands of the Grimani family until 1865, becoming a state property in 1981 and later opening up as a museum in 2008. The palazzo is a representation of a Roman residence, in fact, it was decorated with frescos and stucco work by artists from Rome and Central Italy such as Giovanni da Udine, Francesco Salviati, Camillo Mantovano, Francesco Menzocchi and Federico Zuccari. Hence, the palazzo combines Tuscan and Roman elements. It was the first time white stucco work and mannerist frescoes were used in Venice. The Palazzo is a collection of magnificent works, each with their own meaning: you will find stuccos based on ancient cameos and gems owned by the family, sculptures including Greek and Roman works and pieces of contemporary art. WEBSITE
Scala Contarini del Bovolo
A miniature tower of Pisa hidden among the Venetian calli? No, it is a bizarre spiral staircase (bovolo in Venetian) which was added to Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo towards the end of the 15th century. It looks like a gothic loggia that wraps around itself, and turns, similar to that of a surreal drawing by Escher, from where you can see the whole city. WEBSITE
Museo Fortuny
The Palazzo Pesaro degli Orfei was a magical setting for the creative genius of Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo and his wife and muse Henriette Nigrin has just reopened in Venice. Two years after the Acqua Granda, the home and studio of the artist, who at the beginning of the 20th century chose Venice for his eclectic experimentation, is being handed back as a permanent museum celebrating his memory. The fascinating museum layout re-evokes the atmosphere of one of the city’s most iconic palaces at the dawn of the 20th century. WEBSITE
CA’ PESARO
This majestic Baroque palace on the Grand Canal is home to Venice’s modern and contemporary art collections. Inside, you’ll find masterpieces by Klimt, Chagall, and Kandinsky, along with rotating contemporary exhibitions. Don’t miss the upper floor, where the Museum of Oriental Art showcases samurai armor, delicate ceramics, and treasures from the Far East. WEBSITE
Fondazione Querini Stampalia
Tucked behind Campo Santa Maria Formosa, a short and rewarding detour from the tourist orbit of St Mark’s Square, there’s Fondazione Querini Stampalia. Established in 1869, it has embodied for over 150 years the vision of its founder, Count Giovanni, who left his palace, his collections and his beloved library to the city, free for all to enjoy. The result is one of Europe’s most seductive house museums: paintings by Giovanni Bellini, Pietro Longhi and Giambattista Tiepolo hang alongside works by Canaletto and Tintoretto, while the ground floor was famously reimagined by Carlo Scarpa, whose choreography of water, stone and light remains an architectural pilgrimage in its own right. This spring, the Fondazione opens its landmark season with The Dreamer, conceived as a series of cinematic sets or stages, moving through family obsessions, the library pulsing with late-night wisdom, and a finale that unpacks the 1869 will’s eternal gift — running until November 2026. Alongside it, the Cinema Querini Stampalia presents an ambitious multi-screen programme featuring Ding Yi, Nigel Cooke and an exhibition dedicated to Hans Hartung and Music, taking visitors on what the foundation calls an astro-terrestrial journey through this most unexpected of cinematic architectures. WEBSITE
FRANÇOIS PINAULT FOUNDATION
François Pinault’s presence in Venice is, by any measure, one of the great acts of cultural patronage of the past two decades. Since opening their doors in 2006 and 2009 respectively, Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana have become two of the most compelling contemporary art venues in Europe; the former a magnificent 18th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal, the latter a former maritime customs complex at the tip of Dorsoduro, both transformed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando with a rigour and restraint that makes the art the undisputed point. Between them, the collection spans some ten thousand works gathered over more than fifty years, presented through a constantly evolving programme of exhibitions that has given Venice its first solo Italian shows of artists from Marlene Dumas to Luc Tuymans. WEBSITE
THE PEGGY GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION
Housed in Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, the low, unfinished 18th-century palazzo that Peggy Guggenheim made her home from 1949 until her death in 1979, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is one of the most important museums of modern art in Europe, and one of the most singular places to spend an afternoon in Venice. The permanent collection spans Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and beyond, with works by Picasso, Pollock, Kandinsky, Dalí and Magritte. This year’s exhibition season opened with Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector, the first major museum exhibition dedicated to Guggenheim’s formative years running her London gallery. It brings together around one hundred works by artists including Kandinsky, Dalí, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, running until 19 October 2026. WEBSITE
Dorsoduro Museum Mile
Launched in 2015, the Dorsoduro Museum Mile connects four museums along a mile long path in the Dorsoduro district, between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal. On an itinerary of eight centuries of world art history, visitors can admire masterpieces of Venetian painting from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in the Gallerie dell’Accademia and the latest contemporary production on display at the Punta della Dogana. On the way, visitors can also explore the former homes of great collectors such Vittorio Cini and Peggy Guggenheim and view their respective collections. The first benefit for visitors is the possibility of a special discount on admission to each of the museums on the mile. WEBSITE
Negozio Olivetti
It goes almost unnoticed in front of the magnificence of Piazza San Marco and its arcades. Yet this shop, owned by Adriano Olivetti, once served as a showroom for his typewriters and calculators, is a hidden jewel of 1950s Italian architecture and design. Ahead of decades, the Ivrea-based entrepreneur had commissioned this exhibition space, more like a modern Apple Store than a shop, from Carlo Scarpa, one of the greatest architects of the twentieth century. There were no budget limits, only time limits: the project had to be completed in one year, and inaugurated in 1957. Today the space, intact and perfectly restored, is open as a museum. In 30 minutes you can visit a masterpiece of modern architecture with all its original pieces. WEBSITE
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
Constructions for the Basilica began in 1631 and it was designed by the same architect of Ca Rezzonico: Baldassare Longhena. It’s one of the most majestic buildings in the city, situated along the Grand Canal. It symbolises the Venetians’ gratitude to the Virgin Mary for having freed the city from the terrible plague of 1630 and still today, on 21st November each year, Venice pays homage to the Virgin Mary by performing the rite of pilgrimage to the Church. It is one of the most beautiful works of Venetian and Italian Baroque and inside it houses important works of Tiziano and Tintoretto.
La scuola grande di san rocco
It was built as the seat of a powerful confraternity, which called Tintoretto to fresco the walls and ceilings with episodes from the Old and New Testament. To finish the cycle of frescoes, comparable to a Sistine Chapel in Venice, the painter took 24 years, from 1564 to 1588. In addition to Tintoretto, one can admire the works of Tiziano, Tiepolo, Giorgione and the engravings by Marchiori, who sculpted the twenty-four wooden doors of the Chapter Hall. WEBSITE
What to do
Bacaro Tour
It is not a tourist package, but a ritual that Venetians have always practiced. At aperitif time, before lunch or dinner, you’ll find them in the wine bars (here they are called bacari) for a glass of wine (even spritz is always welcome from 10.30 am onwards) and some snacks (a local version of tapas). First stop, head to the Erbaria area at the foot of the Rialto Bridge. Other recommended addresses are the recent Bakarò, in Campo Santa Margherita (Spritz Campari from the textbook) and the ancient Cantina Do Mori (San Polo 429, Calle Do Mori), with the wooden demijohns in sight. It seems that here Casanova gave the first date to his lovers. For other addresses, visit Bacaro Tour Venezia (you can also download a pdf with the most authentic addresses for € 1.39).
Visit Palazzo Fortuny
Once the home and studio of Mariano Fortuny, the Spanish-born polymath who fell under the city’s spell at the turn of the 20th century, it remains steeped in his creative spirit. Trained as a painter at the Accademia and captivated by photography, sculpture and stage design, Fortuny’s fascination with light and fabric led him to revolutionise textile art. In 1906, a French countess commissioned him to design a hand-printed velvet and silk curtain for her private theatre — a masterpiece that defined his distinctive aesthetic. When silk and velvet became too costly after 1914, Fortuny turned to cotton, transforming it into luminous fabrics of extraordinary depth and texture. By 1921 he had installed his printing machines inside the factory on La Giudecca island, where production continues to this day — the last Venetian workshop of its kind, creating over a hundred patterns in a spectrum of hues. You can visit the showroom, where his prints are beautifully collected as well as his former home, which today doubles up as a gallery with works from French sculptor Pierre Sabatier (which are also for sale).
Day trip to Burano
The picturesque island of Burano is renowned for its bright coloured fishermen’s houses and little restaurants that serve fresh fish from the lagoon. The island is also famed for it’s lace, in fact, if you have time, stop at the Lace Museum which illustrates the development of lace making in the area, and perhaps pop into local shops to buy typical lace items such as bed sheets, table cloths and dresses, as well as the “bussolai buranei”, typical butter biscuits. Also a ‘must’ is the Martina Vidal shop: every day there is an over 80-year-old lady who embroiders the famous Burano lace, a precious art that is being lost. The island is only one hour away from Venice and it can be reached by taking the vaporetto: number 14 from S. Marco / S. Zaccaria or number 12 from Fondamente Nove.
Campo Santo Stefano
It is amazing to sit and enjoy breakfast outdoors at the Paolin Café, under the sunshine in the morning. A coffee, newspaper and the comings and goings of the Venetians. The homemade ice creams are also to die for. Campo Santo Stefano is also the place to be for your daily spritz: at Terrazza Aperol with their creative cichèti, or at Le Cafè, another historic place where they serve coffee with clotted cream. Do not miss the windows of Piedaterre, the most glamorous Friulian shop, also with the brocades of Tessitura Bevilacqua.
Edipo re
If you want to discover Venice from a different perspective, book the Edipo Re boat, upon which Pier Paolo Pasolini and Maria Callas spent beautiful days on the lagoon. Today it has been lovingly restored and offered as a gourmet experience: book and sail around the islands tasting delicious menus cooked on board. Chefs and itineraries change, so be sure to get on board when there is Donato Ascani, two Michelin starred chef. WEBSITE
Discover the art of masks at Ca’ Macana
Founded in 1984, Ca’ Macana has become the city’s most respected address for the art of the Venetian mask. The skilled mascherai here work by hand, drawing on techniques that predate the workshop by centuries: papier-mâché moulding, intricate hand-painting, gilding applied with the kind of patience that cannot be hurried. The shop itself is worth an hour of anyone’s time, but for those who want to understand the craft rather than simply admire it, Ca’ Macana offers workshops in which you design and decorate your own mask from scratch.
Tessitura Bevilacqua
Venice’s last velvet maker occupies a particular place in the city’s cultural landscape; a working workshop that has been producing hand-woven velvets, brocades and damasks on original eighteenth-century looms since 1875. The fabrics have found their way into royal palaces and haute couture collections; the techniques behind them have very nearly disappeared everywhere else on earth. Walking into Bevilacqua is to understand that some things genuinely cannot be replicated by machine – the weight of the cloth, the depth of the colour, the particular quality of something made thread by thread at a loom that has been turning since before most nations had their current borders.
SQUERO DI SAN TROVASO
The Squero di San Trovaso is one of the last working gondola workshops in Venice, a seventeenth-century boatyard where the boats that define the city’s image are still shaped, assembled and repaired entirely by hand. A visit here, arranged through Francesca, a Venetian local whose family has been building gondolas for generations, offers something that most of Venice’s more celebrated attractions cannot: the sight of a living craft, mid-process, in the hands of people who have inherited it rather than learned it from a book. Her father may be shaping the elegant asymmetrical curve of a hull as you arrive; by the time you leave, the logic of the gondola’s design, its lean, its resistance to the water, its relationship to a single oar, will make a different kind of sense. Afterwards, the Osteria al Squero sits directly across the canal, with cicchetti, a spritz and a front-row view of the artisans still at work.
Punta Contarie
A new multitasking space: gallery, bar, restaurant, florist, design shop, haute cuisine and Filipino chef. The sandwiches on the panoramic terrace on the top floor are also delicious.
Where to Eat
Fine Dining
VENISSA
The estate is an escape from the city center and transports you to the countryside in Torcello, a tiny islet connected via a bridge to Burano. It’s home to a unique vineyard of the Dorona grape, a native vine that was in danger of being lost after the great flood of 1966. It was recovered and transferred here by the Bisol family, who made Venissa a truly enchanting combination of a Wine Resort, a Michelin starred restaurant, an osteria and guest rooms. Ideal for a weekend escape or, a simple day-trip for an exceptional enogastronomic experience. The Michelin Starred restaurant led by Chiara Pavan and Francesco Brutto is tightly bound to the terroir of Native Venice and features unique, seasonal dishes closely connected to the surrounding environment: vegetables and herbs from the estate and fresh fish caught by the fishermen of Burano. There is also an Osteria that has recently inaugurated a new Chef whose menu is a reinterpretation of the traditional regional cuisine. But, before dinner, make sure you head to the outside bar on the canal for an aperitivo under the sunshine. WEBSITE
RISTORANTE GLAM
Tucked inside Palazzo Venart, one of Venice’s most serene retreats, set back from the Grand Canal in a secluded courtyard shaded by a century-old magnolia, Glam is the only restaurant in the city to hold two Michelin stars. It is the work of multi-starred chef Enrico Bartolini and resident chef Donato Ascani — a Fiuggi native who has made Venice entirely his own — revisiting the traditional flavours of the lagoon in a contemporary key, with an emphasis on the quality of seasonal ingredients sourced daily from the Rialto Market. Two tasting menus are on offer: “Arte, orti e laguna”, which honours Venice and its rich gastronomy, and “I Classici del Glam”, showcasing Ascani’s signature dishes.
ZANZE XVI
Michelin-starred chef Nicola Dinato and his team propose fresh and seasonal cuisine in a thoughtful combination of land and sea, in a space that recalls the convivial atmosphere of a typical Venetian bàcaro, though the cooking is a different proposition entirely. The tasting menus: five, seven or eight courses are built around market ingredients and local producers, and the format is deliberately open: choose your direction, meat or fish, and let the kitchen do the rest. The few tables arranged outdoors, overlooking a tranquil canal, add considerably to the appeal.
RISTORANTE WISTÈRIA
Tucked away just a short walk from both Titian’s masterpiece at the Basilica dei Frari and Tintoretto’s work at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Wistèria is a secret garden restaurant in every sense, shaded in summer by the wisteria vine from which it takes its name, opening onto a quiet stretch of the Rio de la Frescada. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in November 2021, recognition of chef Valerio Dallamano’s tasting menus of six or eight courses, built around products from the Venice lagoon, the Upper Adriatic and local farms committed to environmental sustainability. The philosophy here is called Serendipity: the idea that seemingly distant flavours, brought together with enough care, create something entirely new.
RISTORANTE LOCAL
Created by brother and sister Luca and Benedetta Fullin, who come from a family of restaurateurs, Local has a pared-back, contemporary aesthetic and a kitchen that looks outward, much as the Venetian traders once did, incorporating international influences while reimagining traditional lagoon recipes. Nestled in the heart of Castello, between the Biennale and St Mark’s Square, the restaurant is bright and informal, with well-spaced tables, a beautiful open kitchen and a wine list of around 250 organic labels. The go fish risotto, a recipe from the island of Burano dating back to the sixteenth century, is as good a reason as any to book a table. Also, Trattoria del Local recently opened in the Castello district. This eatery channels the same culinary intelligence into a far more relaxed, deeply comforting format. At the helm is chef Salvatore Sodano, who leaves innovation at the door in favour of recipes that speak the language of memory. WEBSITE
Innovative/Contemporary
Estro
Located in the slightly more secret reaches of Dorsoduro, Estro has a relaxed and informal atmosphere reminiscent of a wine bar and the food is excellent, whether you choose meat or fish, backed by an extraordinary selection of around 700 ecologically sustainable wines. Owner Dario Spezzamonte is a committed champion of the natural wine movement, and the list reads as something of a manifesto: small producers, unfamiliar grapes, wines with something to say. The interior has a classic bistro palette of black and red, with contemporary Murano glass lamps hanging from dark exposed wooden beams.
Il Refettorio
Nestled just behind the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in the heart of San Polo, Il Refettorio (the name translates as “the refectory”) takes its cue from the historic idea of communal dining, whilst very much belonging to the present. The space is warm and minimal, the kitchen producing refined contemporary Italian dishes from its own bakery, alongside precisely executed fish and seafood.
Ai Mercanti
A family-run gastrosteria hidden in a small Venetian courtyard between the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco, Ai Mercanti has a modern and elegant decor dominated by beige and black tones with the bar, amusingly, decorated with dressmakers’ forms and corsets. Chef Nadia Locatello’s menu is classically inspired Venetian of a high order, changing every two months to honour the freshest seasonal ingredients; pasta and desserts are all made in house. In warmer months, the restaurant spills out onto the adjoining Corte Coppo for some of the most atmospheric al fresco dining in the city. The wine list focuses on small Italian producers — and the chocolate interpretations at dessert have achieved something close to cult status among regulars.
BACÁN
Venice is not especially known for Latin American food, which is exactly what makes Bacán worth knowing about. This is a lively, fun and genuinely different evening in a city that can sometimes feel as though it runs on the same seafood rotation. The mezcal list alone is worth the visit; the menu roams across Latin American cuisines with the kind of energy and confidence that tends to draw a young, local crowd.
Al Bomba
Upon entry, a fantastic cicchetteria welcomes you, with a counter filled with all of your traditional Venetian bits and pieces: polpette, saor, patè and more where you can stop simply for a light apericena or, a glass of wine and bites before sitting down for dinner. The dining room is composed of one, long social table – a contemporary concept that mirrors the menu. Here, expect exquisite, creative dishes, highly researched and curated with local ingredients.
ABC Zattere
At Palazzo alle Zattere, Venice’s quietly evolving cultural hub, ABC is the kind of restaurant designed to make time pleasantly irrelevant. Conceived as part of the broader Scuola Piccola Zattere project, founded by Victoria Mikhelson and guided by the forward-thinking direction of Irene Calderoni, ABC is more than a place to eat: it is a convivial extension of a multidisciplinary world of exhibitions, artist residencies and performance spaces. Designed by Fosbury Architecture, it’s deeply rooted in Venetian memory: boiserie inspired by historic bars, traditional mattonata flooring crafted with Fornaci Sant’Anselmo, a long bench made from reclaimed Istrian stone from the Arsenale, and a pergola echoing the movable baldachin of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. In the kitchen, chef Nathan Cal Danby completes the picture with a contemporary, thoughtful menu.
Trattorie/Bistrot
Antiche Carampane
Since 1983 this family-run restaurant has been dominating the Venetian culinary scene. A traditional, historical venue that is nestled among the charming, narrow streets moments from the Rialto fish market. The menu is based upon the seafood and seasonal produce found in the neighbouring Rialto market, to which Francesco, owner, and Adriano, chef, visit every morning; therefore you can expect the menu to vary. The Carpaccio of raw wild Fish is a starter I would highly recommend, as it is a fresh, delicate start to the meal, followed by the traditional creamed cod served with the heart of the artichokes to taste Venetian tradition. As for the mains, Tagliolini with spider crab sauce or Venetian style Cuttlefish with soft white polenta are exceptional choices. WEBSITE
La Corte Sconta
Hidden in a quiet corner of Castello, Corte Sconta, its name taken from Hugo Pratt’s Corto Maltese stories, meaning “hidden courtyard”, has been a reference point for authentic lagoon cuisine since 1980. Something that sticks with you here is the contrast between the minimalist, rustic interior and the complexity and colour of the dishes. The fish comes directly from the Rialto market; the bread is, of course, homemade. The sautéed clams have been a signature for over forty years and remain, by all accounts, like nothing else in the city.
Al Covo
A Castello institution in the best possible sense, tucked away in a back alley near the Arsenale, run with quiet dedication by Cesare Benelli and his Texan wife Diane, who oversees the desserts. The menu is a faithful, ever-rotating celebration of Venetian and Veneto regional cooking: fish sourced from local waters, vegetables from the island of Sant’Erasmo, the kind of seasonal logic that renders the menu entirely different with each visit. The atmosphere is elegantly unfussy and the tables well-spaced,
OSTERIA ALLE TESTIERE
Chef Bruno Gavagnin and sommelier Luca di Vita have been friends for decades, and opened Osteria alle Testiere together in 1993 in the Castello district. There are only twenty-two seats and the menu changes daily based on whatever arrived from the Rialto fish market that morning; an arrangement that renders advance booking not merely advisable but essential. Vegetables come from the gardens of Sant’Erasmo; the wine list is a serious thing, thoughtfully put together.
OSTERIA ALLA STAFFA
A neighbourhood osteria of the most reliable kind, tucked in Castello and frequented more by locals than the guidebook circuit has yet reached. The kitchen keeps things honest: good cicchetti at the bar, solid Venetian cooking at the table, wines chosen with more care than the price suggests.
VINI DA GIGIO
A brother-sister team has run Vini da Gigio since 1981, and the menu, traditional dishes from Venice and the Veneto, prepared with the finest produce the territory offers, reflects forty years of careful, consistent practice. The protagonists of the kitchen are the lagoon’s fish and the region’s vegetables; the wine cellar is one of the most impressive in the city: extraordinarily ample, with great age-depth, without being too intimidating for those just beginning to explore, yet entirely satisfying for the serious enthusiast. The fegato alla veneziana and the wild duck pasta are particular pleasures.
OSTARIA DA RIOBA
Ostaria da Rioba sits on the Fondamenta della Misericordia in Cannaregio, one of the most evocative stretches of canal in the city, where in summer the sunsets are genuinely something to plan an evening around. The interior has exposed brick walls, wooden beams and a Venetian floor; the menu covers traditional Venetian dishes alongside more considered preparations: the risotto with sage and crispy red mullet is highly spoken of. Forty seats inside; seventy outside, thirty-five of them canalside.
TRATTORIA DA GIGIO
A straightforward, warmly run trattoria in Cannaregio that has been doing the right things for a long time without making too much noise about it. The spaghetti alle vongole, the sea bass, the bigoli in salsa, all prepared with care and served at prices that feel, by Venice’s standards, almost quaint.
TAVERNA AL REMER
Set in the Campiello del Remer, a small square where gondola oars were once crafted, Taverna al Remer is a bacaro a few paces from the Grand Canal in Cannaregio, its interior seemingly suspended in time: brick arches, exposed beams, antique craft tools, and the kind of atmosphere that invites jazz rather than background music. In summer, tables on the pontile look directly across to the Rialto Bridge — one of the more quietly spectacular vantage points in Venice. The buffet at aperitivo hour is well worth timing your evening around; dinner is a more formal proposition, but the setting does the work.
Cafes, bakeries & Gelato
Cafe Florian
This 18th century cafe is one of the oldest and most iconic venues in the city. While the price reflects its prestige, it is still an iconic place to visit, with elegant interiors adorned with frescoes, mirrors and plush velvet seating. Over the centuries Caffè Florian has hosted poets, artists and revolutionaries like Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, and Giacomo Casanova. Le Voyage tip: Skip the outdoor seating surcharge and sit inside to fully appreciate the iconic interiors.
Dal Nono Colussi
A cherished Venetian pasticceria since 1956, founded by Franco “Nono” Colussi. Renowned for its commitment to traditional recipes, the bakery continues to honor its legacy by using a 60-year-old mother yeast. Today, Franco’s granddaughter, Marina, blends classic techniques with innovative flair, ensuring the family’s rich history thrives in every pastry.
Pasticceria Rizzardini
This historic bottega, adorned with original Art Nouveau windows and furnishings dating back to 1742, displays a rich selection of traditional venetian delights: bussolà, baicoli, and mandorlato, as well as pastries, brioches, sponge cakes and biscuits.
Rosa Salva
Rosa Salva has been a Venetian institution since 1879, and it’s impossible to walk into Rosa Salva and walk out empty handed. This beloved pastry shop has been spoiling locals with its mignon pastries, buttery biscuits, and perfectly flaky croissants for over a century. Visit early in the morning to get your hands on the freshest pastries before the rush. Our friend Valeria Necchio suggests starting your day at their Campo San Giovanni e Paolo location, but if you’re exploring the San Marco area, their other shop there is equally worth a visit.
Pasticceria Tonolo
Whatever you envision a traditional ‘pasticceria’ to look like, look no further. Beyond its appearance you have to listen to the clink of the coffee cups, chatter of the locals, the sugary scent of baked goods – only then, you can say you’ve been to a traditional pasticceria. Oh, and do as the Venetians do – you have to drink your coffee ‘al banco’ of course.
Gelateria Da Nico
A beloved institution since 1937, Gelateria Da Nico is famous for its authentic Venetian gelato and charming terrace overlooking the Giudecca Canal. Order the iconic “Gianduiotto da Nico,” a decadent slice of gianduia chocolate topped with whipped cream—an absolute must!
Drink
Harry’s Bar
Harry’s Bar requires no real introduction, and knows it. Since Giuseppe Cipriani opened its doors and invented the Bellini, white peach purée and Prosecco, still served here as originally conceived, the narrow room on Calle Vallaresso has received Hemingway, Capote, Peggy Guggenheim and rather a lot of people hoping to sit where they once sat. The prices reflect the address, the history and the mythology in equal measure.
Vino Vero
Vino Vero has claimed one of the finest aperitivo positions in Cannaregio, along the Fondamenta della Misericordia, where the canal catches the evening light in a way that makes whatever is in your glass taste even better. The wine list is young, organic and assembled with genuine curiosity; the small plates that accompany it are contemporary rather than traditional.
Bar Longhi
Inside the Gritti Palace, a favourite of Miuccia Prada, which tells you something about the calibre of its admirers, Bar Longhi is upholstered in Fortuny fabrics, lit by Murano chandeliers and hung with original paintings by Pietro Longhi, after whom it is named. Hemingway finished Across the River and Into the Trees here, which the bar wears lightly. In warmer months, the Riva Lounge terrace opens onto the Grand Canal: mahogany tones, aquamarine cushions and a view that makes it very difficult to leave.
Stappo
A natural wine bar and, in the evenings, something closer to a light dinner, owners Mathilde and Diego have put together a list of carefully chosen organic labels that changes with the same seasonal logic as the small plates that accompany them. The advice here is to order a few antipasti to share and let the wine conversation evolve from there. Unhurried, considered, and rather good. One of San Polo’s better recent additions.
Enoteca Schiavi
There are wine bars, and then there is Enoteca Schiavi, a Dorsoduro institution that has been filling glasses and lining canalside fondamente with contented locals for decades. The cicchetti here are made with the kind of daily care that puts most sandwiches to shame; the crostino with tuna and leek has its devoted following. The wine selection leans into regional producers with genuine knowledge. Come early, stand at the bar, and do as the Venetians do.
Al Mercà
There is almost nothing to Al Mercà: no seating, a counter barely wider than a handshake, a position on the Campo Bella Vienna right by the Rialto Market, and that is precisely the point. This is where you come for a quick ombra and a mini panino filled with prosciutto, truffle cheese or whatever has arrived that morning, surrounded by the particular mid-morning energy of Venetians who have been up since before the tourists arrived. Standing room only; entirely worth it.
Bar all’Arco
Just steps from the Rialto Bridge, Bar all’Arco has earned its devoted following through consistency and craft rather than visibility. Watch the cicchetti being assembled at the bar: baccalà all’aglio with parsley, crostini with gorgonzola and anchovy, rotating daily specials built around whatever looks best that morning. The wine recommendations are sharp. The atmosphere is exactly what a Venetian bacaro should feel like: busy, warm and entirely unselfconscious.
Cantine del Vino già Schiavi
An unmissable stop in Dorsoduro and one of the most genuinely beloved institutions in the city. Cantine del Vino già Schiavi is at once a wine shop, a bacaro and something of a social institution — the kind of place where a quick stop for a crostino and an ombra tends to stretch, pleasantly, into something longer. The wines skew local and regional; the cicchetti are exceptional; the canal beside it provides the backdrop. Always packed, never exhausting.
Al Squero
The setting alone makes Al Squero worth seeking out: a small bacaro positioned directly opposite one of Venice’s last working gondola workshops, where craftsmen restore traditional boats in full view of anyone nursing a spritz on the fondamenta. The cicchetti are good and the prices fair and it’s an ideal spot to slow down mid-afternoon and watch the city go about its business.
The Arts Bar
The cocktail menu at the St Regis’s Arts Bar reads as a love letter to Venice’s cultural history: each drink referencing an artist who shaped the city, served in Murano glassware handcrafted by Berengo Studio, with a direct view across the water to San Giorgio Maggiore. The Santa Maria, a Venetian-inflected Bloody Mary, is the one to order. The setting, facing one of Palladio’s masterpieces at dusk, does the rest.
Shop
DROGHERIA MÀSCARI
Venice has a rich tradition of spices, deeply tied to its history as a major hub for trade between the East and West during the Renaissance. Venetian merchants played a key role in the spice trade, importing exotic spices like cinnamon, pepper, cloves, and saffron from Asia and the Middle East. Drogheria Màscari is the oldest and last living spice shop, so pop in and stock up.
Bottega Cini
As in the Renaissance, this shop, that sells exclusively Venetian artifacts, also has a guest craftsman. In a beautiful room, recently renovated, you’ll find the works of Marisa Convento, one of the last Venetian impiraresses. Traditionally it is the women who strung glass beads to make bunches to be exported to the East. With those tiny fragments of glass or with artistic beads blown in Murano glass factories, Marisa today creates elegant bijoux and decorations.
Micheluzzi Glass
Elena and Margherita Micheluzzi returned to Venice in 2019, drawn by a family legacy rooted in glassmaking. Granddaughters of Micheluzzi Glass founder and daughters of artist Massimo Micheluzzi, they began collaborating with him before developing a distinct voice of their own. Starting with glassware and expanding into vases, their work reinterprets archival designs with a contemporary sensibility—smaller, more accessible pieces that retain the craftsmanship of traditional Venetian glass. Texture defines their aesthetic, achieved through intricate cold-carving techniques; each piece is hand-blown and finished by Murano artisans.
Yali Glass
Yali Glass is a stunning Murano glass brand founded by Marie-Rose Kahane and Felicity Menadue. heir mouth-blown glassware has expanded into tableware, furniture and creative collaborations, all held together by an instinct for colour and form that is distinctly their own. In Venice, Casa Yali operates as both gallery and boutique: a beautifully considered space where contemporary artists and designers share the floor with exquisitely crafted glasses, vases and lamps.
Giberto Venezia
Founded in 2005, Giberto Venezia is a celebration of refined Venetian craftsmanship. From Murano-blown glass to silver and lost-wax bronze, each object is a modern heirloom designed by Giberto Arrivabene. Working with Murano glassblowers, silversmiths and lost-wax bronze casters, his eponymous house produces objects that stand out. Among them, the rock crystal salt and pepper shakers are of impeccable refinement, as is the Coralla vase, made using the ancient bullegato technique in Murano. At the boutique near the Rialto, pieces can be personalised with monograms or family crests, which is either wonderfully old-fashioned or ahead of its time, depending on your point of view. Probably both.
LINEA D’ACQUA
Venice’s finest antiquarian bookshop rewards those who find it with shelves of rare first editions, antique maps of the city and original paintings by Venetian artist Davide Battistin. It’s truly a space for discovery, where collectors, artists, and book lovers can immerse themselves in the beauty of fine publishing.
PIEDÀTERRE
The furlane, a flat, rope-soled slipper with roots in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, was once the practical footwear of choice for Venetian gondoliers, whose job required both grip and silence on lacquered wood. Somewhere along the way, the rest of the world caught on. Piedàterre is the best place in the city to find them: a well-edited selection running from classic styles to Mary Janes, in a range of colours and fabrics broad enough to satisfy the most particular of tastes.
SANGUEBLU
This is vintage shopping at its most considered: rare, pre-owned clothing and accessories selected without gender categorisation and arranged with the kind of care you’d expect from a gallery rather than a rails-and-rails emporium. Iconic designer pieces sit alongside sartorial finds of genuine distinction.
FRANCO PUPPATO
Franco Puppato has been cutting cloth in Venice since his early twenties, a fact that becomes more remarkable when you learn he was born in 1951 and trained first in his family’s Treviso workshop before sharpening his eye with master tailors across the Veneto and in London. Decades on, his atelier remains one of the most respected in the city, a place where the relationship between tailor and client is still treated as the foundation of the whole endeavour.
GIANNI BASSO STAMPATORE
At Gianni Basso Stampatore the art of traditional letterpress printing lives on. Tucked away in a small workshop, Gianni Basso has been crafting exquisite handmade prints, business cards, and stationery for decades, using antique presses and timeless techniques. His shop feels like a step back in time, filled with type cases, vintage fonts, and the rich scent of ink and paper. Whether you’re a design lover or just appreciate old-world craftsmanship, this is a true Venetian treasure.
Where to sleep
four seasons venice
Parisians Grégory and Olivia Marciano seem like native Florentines, but they’re 100% Parisian. In 2020, they moved to the Tuscan capital with their three children to begin a new adventure, bringing a touch of French art de vivre with them. On Via Santo Spirito, in the Oltrarno, they bought a rundown 15th-century building and turned it into six stately residences, opening October 16th under the prestigious La Réserve hotel group, with interiors by studio Gilles & Boissier, known for villas, apartments and private yachts. The Marcianos’ idea is to make guests feel at home in Florence’s historic center, with the Ferragamos and Cavallis as neighbors. Beneath unremarkable false ceilings, renovation uncovered frescoes from different eras, now surrounding custom sculptural furniture, 150 artworks and antiques, and art books that make both the private apartments and shared spaces — lounge, library, fountain courtyard — unique. Guests can hire a private chef, order room service from restaurant Camillo, or take cooking classes with Harris Bar chefs, while Grégory and Olivia, true insiders, suggest hidden gems like their home tennis court and Arno boat aperitivos.
Orient Express Venice
One of the newest properties in the city rises in a splendid noble Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, built in 1436 by Filippo Calendario (also architect of the monumental Palazzo Ducale). The restoration was led by Aline Asmar d’Amman, who has spent years reconciling the palace’s original frescoes and gilded decorations with a contemporary design sensibility. The lobby announces itself immediately: soaring wooden ceilings, an octagonal staircase by Giovanni Battista Meduna — architect of Ca’ d’Oro and Teatro La Fenice — and a vaulted canopy of stone and glass ascending to the Piano Nobile, where a sequence of historic salons unfolds, among them the baroque Salone Vittoria and a Library finished in lapis-lazuli pigments and gilded wood. The culinary direction belongs to Heinz Beck, the three-Michelin-star chef behind Rome’s La Pergola, whose menus draw on the Venetian lagoon and the broader Mediterranean. The jewel is a twenty-seat fine-dining restaurant housed in the historic Orangerie; La Casati offers a more relaxed interpretation of Venetian cooking, with garden dining in summer; and the Wagon Bar, inspired by the golden age of Orient Express travel, serves cocktails late into the evening.
The St. Regis Hotel
The St. Regis hotel in Venice is tactically hidden at the end of a narrow alleyway allowing maximum peace and tranquility during your stay. It overlooks the Grand Canal offering a picturesque view of the boats and vaporetti driving down from the early hours of the morning. As you step into the hotel, you are immediately greeted with a modern, contemporary and elegant interior that creates a pleasant contrast to the historic provenance of the St. Regis. There is a theme that runs throughout the hotel and that is the combination of pastel coloured, avant-guard decor combined with works of contemporary art spread throughout both the communal areas and the rooms. In fact, inspired by the Venetian masterpieces of former guest and Impressionist painter Claude Monet, the interiors showcase a distinctive colour palette that represents how light changes throughout the day from dawn to dusk. WEBSITE
Hotel Flora
Run by the Romanelli family for over fifty years and three generations, Hotel Flora is a small, charming hideaway located near St. Mark’s Square. Located within a 17th century palazzo, its history has been reflected throughout the choice of vintage decor in the 40 uniquely decorated rooms. The building encloses a beautiful internal courtyard with cast iron furnishings and luscious vegetation, ideal for an intimate drink or a quiet afternoon reading a book. As the concept is more of a b&b, there is no restaurant, however the breakfast certainly makes up for this, A rich selection of home made cakes and pastries coupled with freshly brewed coffee whose smell oozes into your room every morning. Truly delightful. WEBSITE
Hotel Nani Mocenigo
Housed in a 15th-century palazzo overlooking the Rio di San Trovaso in the Dorsoduro Neighbourhood, this late-Gothic masterpiece still bears the soul of its aristocratic past. Brocade fabrics, Murano glass sculptures and original frescoes whisper of centuries gone by, while the rhythm of its pointed arches and quatrefoil windows hints at the city’s ever-present beauty. The palace was commissioned by the Barbarigo family as part of the dowry of Elena Barbarigo, daughter of Doge Agostino Barbarigo, and her husband Giorgio Nani. Centuries later, the palace has been lovingly restored by Paolo Caffi and his wife, who treated the project with love and care, as if it were their home. The result is an intimate, elegant 30-room hotel with restored frescoes by Jacopo Guarana, stuccoes by Alessandro Vittoria, and a magnificent courtyard where the day rolls out amidst plants, sunshine and quietude. Recently, Chef Gennaro Esposito took the reigns of La Bauta restaurant, bringing his southern influences to Venetian traditional dishes. The result? A menu that speaks of season, flavour and Mediterranean. Don’t miss the Spaghetti al Pomodoro, Chef’s classic, as well as Risotto e Orata, made with saffron and locally caught seabream. As for dessert, Pastry Chef Raffaele Santoro also brings a touch of the south with the irresistible babà (the rum is poured later).
Ca Di Dio
Located within a 13th century building of great historical value signed by Jacopo Sansovino, Ca’ di Dio is an evocation of an unconventional Venice combined with a highly refined design concept thought up by the talented Patricia Urquiola. 66 rooms & suites that house precious objects that highlight the refined Venetian craftsmanship from textiles to murano glass lamps. On the culinary front there are two restaurants: the Essentia Restaurant, located within the internal courtyard that follows an ‘all day dining’ concept, serving light snacks. The second, the VERO Restaurant overlooks the laguna and is a charming setting to enjoy sophisticated cuisine that draws inspiration from typical local dishes. Ca’ di Dio also features a reading hall, two private courtyards and a SPA & Wellness centre for those seeking a moment of zen from the busy city. WEBSITE
The Gritti Palace
In the 15th century, the noble Pisani family transformed this magnificent building into its exquisite Gothic form. By 1525, it had become the private residence of the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti, and in the centuries that followed, it welcomed noble families and distinguished guests. In the early 19th century, the palace was reborn as a hotel, where its grandeur remains palpable. Opulent fabrics, gilded furnishings, Murano glass light fittings and ornate picture frames whisper stories of over five centuries of history, making it a sanctuary for those who crave luxury with a touch of old-world charm. Ps. There’s a Signature Suite much loved by Miuccia Prada and it is one of the most breathtaking rooms we’ve ever witnessed.
Aman Venice
Set in a magnificent palazzo with a rare private garden on the Grand Canal, Aman Venice is the epitome of Venetian grandeur. This stunning Rococo masterpiece, adorned with original frescoes, gilded ceilings, and intricate reliefs, seamlessly blends history with the contemporary elegance of Jean-Michel Gathy’s design. Its 24 exquisite rooms and suites showcase works by Italy’s artistic greats, from Sansovino’s architectural flourishes to Tiepolo’s breathtaking paintings. Beyond its opulent interiors, the hotel offers two serene private gardens, a tranquil spa inspired by Asian healing traditions, and Arva, a restaurant celebrating seasonal, ingredient-driven cuisine. For the perfect toast to Venice, the bar serves expertly crafted cocktails in an ambiance of timeless sophistication.
Hotel Cipriani
People visit Venice for all the well-known reasons, and they stay at the Hotel Cipriani because it is one of the most glamorous hotels in the world. Just take a look at the Hall of Fame in the corridor leading to the restaurant where you’ll find photos of Liz Taylor, Richard Burton, Sophia Loren, Mick Jagger, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and George Clooney (who hosted his wedding party there with Amal and created a cocktail—the “Buonanotte”—which remains on the menu to this day). Nothing feels more privileged than arriving aboard the wooden Hotel Cipriani boat, or stepping out in a bathrobe early in the morning onto the terrace, coffee in hand, to gaze at San Giorgio Island, or lounging for an afternoon by the only Olympic-sized pool in Venice. A dinner at Cip’s Club, the floating restaurant on the Giudecca Canal, is a must. With the gentle sway of the old dock, it will feel like a dream: St. Mark’s Campanile on one side, the intricate façade of the Doge’s Palace on the other.
Nolinski
Housed in the city’s former stock exchange building, Nolinski was carefully restored into a 43-roomed hotel by French-Italian duo Lecoadic-Scotto. Overall, the design harmoniously blends art nouveau, liberty and modernism through a diverse mix and match of colors, furnishings and materials. Savor Mediterranean-style lunches at Il Caffè or embark on a gastronomic journey curated by chef Philip Chronopoulos at the Palais Royal Restaurant. The spa is a whole new level, literally, on the top floor overlooking the rooftops of the city. And the jacuzzi is panelled in gold mosaic – talk about Venetian opulence.
Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido
The only hotel in Venice with a private beach, the Excelsior has occupied its singular position on the Lido since 1908 and has spent the intervening century receiving the kind of guests that most hotels only dream of. Winston Churchill, John Steinbeck, generations of Hollywood stars and European royalty have all made the crossing by boat from Venice, towards those unmistakable Moorish domes and arches rising above the Adriatic. The rooms and suites carry a soft Mediterranean palette with views over either the Adriatic or the Venetian lagoon; the restored Palm Court serves as both the social heart of the hotel and a living archive of everyone who has ever passed through it. The beach club and terrace restaurant is set to open towards the end of summer and seeks to bring a relaxed Riviera sensibility to the private beach, with 299 cabanas and a menu rooted in the gastronomic traditions of the Veneto. The iconic Blue Bar remains the place for an evening drink, beloved by guests and Venetians alike. WEBSITE
Venice Venice
A wonderful hotel with a unique concept: it is a fashion and design shop, restaurant, bar with 20 rooms that will soon become 40 as soon as the renovation of the second building is completed. Perhaps the most glamorous place currently open in the city (also because the owners are the Gallo, entrepreneurs of the Golden Goose sneakers fashion brand). The waiters wear uniforms reminiscent of gondoliers, with striped shirts and Friuliane shoes on their feet. The menu is chichèti-style: small bites of many Venetian specialties: meatballs, sardines in saòr, creamed cod and an original cocktail menu (try the Americano with orange foam: super!) WEBSITE
CA’ MARIA ADELE
One of the sweetest locations. Less than twenty rooms in a Venetian style-decor, with brocades, Murano glass chandeliers (the owners come from there) and Baroque-style furnishings. Upon arrival, they offer you coffee and whipped cream and breakfast is ordered in your room the night before to be ready on the table the next morning. The place for those who love to be pampered. WEBSITE
Isola Santa Cristina
Isola Santa Cristina is a private island at 40 minute boat ride from Venice. Set in secluded scenery, far away from the crazy crowds, it had been bought 30 years ago by Gernot Swarvoski together with the island as a family retreat. There is nothing more, apart from a villa, a tiny ancient chapel amidst lovingly tended grounds cradling organic gardens, orchards of plums, apricots, figs, olive trees, vineyards and fish valleys. René Deutsch, one of the youngest members of the family, and his wife Sandra decided to turn it to a retreat to practice yoga and meditation, and live according to the rhythm of nature. In 2015, they restored the villa following their new ecological philosophy based on simplicity, which is now enjoyable with minimal furniture, valuable artworks and historical design. There are no TVs in the nine rooms, only windows to frame the spectacular and lively nature. Common areas are generous, with custom made crystal chandeliers and lit fireplaces both inside and outside on the patio, in front of the swimming pool. There are no restaurants on the island, but a personal chef, even Michelin-starred if required, arrives with staff and groceries to prepare a sumptuous dinner. WEBSITE
