There is nowhere else like Venice. A hundred and eighteen islands stitched together by more than four hundred bridges, with no cars anywhere in the historic centre — you travel on foot or by water, and getting lost in the back lanes is genuinely part of the appeal.St Mark's Square anchors the sightseeing, with the basilica's golden mosaics and the Doge's Palace next door, linked to the old prison by the Bridge of Sighs. The Rialto Bridge marks the halfway point of the Grand Canal, while the Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection cover Venetian masters and modern art respectively.Step...

There is nowhere else like Venice. A hundred and eighteen islands stitched together by more than four hundred bridges, with no cars anywhere in the historic centre — you travel on foot or by water, and getting lost in the back lanes is genuinely part of the appeal.

St Mark's Square anchors the sightseeing, with the basilica's golden mosaics and the Doge's Palace next door, linked to the old prison by the Bridge of Sighs. The Rialto Bridge marks the halfway point of the Grand Canal, while the Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection cover Venetian masters and modern art respectively.

Step away from the crowds and the city changes pace. Cannaregio and Dorsoduro are where Venetians actually eat, standing at bacari counters with a glass of wine and a plate of cicchetti. A vaporetto north reaches Murano's glass furnaces and Burano's painted fishermen's cottages within an hour.

Marco Polo is twenty minutes from Piazzale Roma by bus, or you can arrive by water taxi. Note that day visitors pay an access fee on selected peak dates in spring and early summer — overnight guests are exempt but must still register in advance for a QR code.