We recently returned from spending two days in Venice, and during that time, we tried to experience as many unique things to do in Venice as we could.
We wanted to see all of the top tourist hotspots in Venice, but we also wanted to find hidden gems and unique local experiences that would stick with us forever.
As it often seems to go, some of these Venice hidden gems ended up being the highlight of our time in the city (I’m looking at you, gondolier rowing class and opera in a palace 👀) and I hope they are for you too!
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🇮🇹 IN A RUSH? CHECK OUT OUR VENICE, ITALY FAVORITES:
✨ WHERE TO STAY IN VENICE:
🛏️ 😍: APARTMENT WITH GORGEOUS CANAL VIEWS: We enjoyed the Airbnb we stayed in, however, if we did it again I'd choose this place instead. This affordable apartment is located in a quiet area of Venice with an ariel view of the canals. That canal view would have been the cherry on top to an already perfect 2 days in Venice.
✨ OUR FAVORITE TOURS/EXCURSIONS:
🛶 LEARN TO ROW LIKE A GONDOLIER: We had the chance to learn very basic Venetian rowing techniques and ask every question we could think of about the history of rowing, sport rowing and the culture of gondoliers today (lots of drama there, let me tell you...).
🎵 INTIMATE OPERA EXPERIENCE IN A BEAUTIFUL PALACE: We weren't sure we'd enjoy the opera, but Musica a Palazzo is the perfect introductory opera experience and was possibly my favorite thing we did in Venice. It's a very intimate experience where you can get as close as one foot from the actors and you can really see and appreciate their vocal power.
✨ ST. MARK'S CAMPANILE: I love a good view and the view from St. Mark's Campanile is a stunning 360 ° view of all of Venice.
🏰 SMALL GROUP DOGES PALACE & ST. MARK'S BASCILICA TOUR: We didn't take this tour, but we did visit the Doge's Palace! It was great to get a glimpse of history by walking the beautiful halls of a building dating back to the 1300s 😮 and this tour will give you insights that we missed out on.
➡️ 2-HOUR WALKING TOUR + GONDOLA RIDE: We didn't take this tour, but if we had decided to book a gondola ride, I totally would've done it in combo with this walking tour with a local. The experience has 5 stars on Viator and seems like a great way to get the most out of your gondola ride as possible.
✨ HOW WE SAVE MONEY ON OUR RENTAL CARS:
🚗 ECONOMY BOOKINGS CAR RENTAL: Any bit you can save on your car rental is worth it! Our go-to car rental search engine is Economy Bookings.
📸 Tours/Excursions: Viator & Get Your Guide
🚕 Airport Transfers with Car Seats: Welcome Pickups
👉 Travel Strollers: Zoe Traveler & Zoe Double
🍼 Baby Carriers: Tula Carriers, Wildride Hip Carriers
📱 International Data Phone eSIM: Airalo
🚗 Cheap Rental Cars: Economy Bookings
🏠 Accomodations: Booking,Expedia,VRBO,Airbnb
🌎 Travel Insurance: World Nomads
Map of Where to Find These Venice Hidden Gems
*Use this interactive map to find these unique things to do in Venice. Click on the full-screen icon in the top right corner to have this map open in your own Google Maps app or click on the arrow in the top left corner to see a pullout list of all points on the map*
11 Hidden Gems in Venice, Italy
1. Cross the Grand Canal in a Traghetto
Of course, you’ve heard of taking a gondola ride in Venice, but have you heard of the traghetto?
A traghetto is a public gondola used for short crossings across the Grand Canal.
For hundreds of years, traghettos were an essential part of Venetian life because the only way to cross the Grand Canal was by boat.
The traghetto ride is short and sweet, carries multiple passengers at a time, and costs only 2 euros per person (cash only and exact change is preferred).
A ride on the traghetto is very different than if you were to book a gondola ride. It’s only a couple of minutes long, it’s shared with other people, and there aren’t any fancy chairs like you’d find in a gondola.
But we enjoyed taking the traghetto to get a taste for what life may have been like in Venice back when rowing was the lifeblood of the city, and the only way to cross the Grand Canal was like this.
There are six traghetto crossings in Venice, which you’ll find on this map.
Alternatively, you can zoom in on Google Maps to find the small, dotted lines going directly across the Grand Canal- those are traghetto routes.
We hopped on the traghetto at the stop near St. Mark’s Square (here on Google Maps) and crossed over to Dogana Station (here on Google Maps).
Stations are always marked with a sign indicating ‘traghetto’ which make them easy to find.
2. Learn to Row Like a Gondolier
By far, one of the most unique things to do in Venice is to learn to row like a gondolier. We booked this 1.5-Hour Rowing Experience, and it was one of our favorite things we did.
Not only did we get to learn the basics of rowing like a true Venetian, but we got to chat with our local guide the entire time and ask him all of our burning questions about the history of rowing, sport rowing, and the culture of gondoliers today (and wow… it’s drama-filled!).
Venetians created their own special rowing technique to more easily navigate the narrow, shallow canals of the city. Unlike rowing you may be familiar with, which is done with two oars and sitting backwards, Venetian rowing is done with one oar and standing facing forward.
It’s how rowing has always been done in Venice since at least 1094 AD!
The rowing class is taught by Venice on Board, a local organization created to keep the art of rowing alive by teaching rowing to both locals and visitors and also dedicated to restoring old boats that would otherwise be lost.
We learned so much about the history of rowing in Venice, and it helped us gain such an appreciation for the city and its history.
🚣♀️ CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ‘LEARN TO ROW LIKE A GONDOLIER’ EXPERIENCE 🚣♀️
3. Go Hunting For Filming Locations in Venice
My husband loves looking for filming locations whenever we travel, and Venice has some great options!
The spot that we scouted out was from his childhood favorite: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The scene he wanted to recreate was the exterior of the ‘library’, where Indy and Elsa investigate the tomb marker.
This scene was in a square called Campo San Barnaba, with the Church of San Barnaba as the library.
Other films with filming locations in Venice include:
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
- Casino Royale (2006)
- The Italian Job (2003)
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
- The Tourist (2010)
Usually, a quick Google search will help you find the exact filming locations in the city for the film you are interested in.
4. Attend The Opera in a 15th-century Palace at Musica a Palazzo
I wouldn’t call myself an opera fan, but we found a true Venice hidden gem which is an opera held in a palace from the 15th century, where you move through three different rooms for each act.
I was nervous we weren’t going to like it, but within seconds of it starting, we were in awe at the actors and their powerful singing voices- it was amazing!
Musica a Palazzo has just a small cast of 4-5 actors performing plus a three-piece accompaniment and the venue is so small that you can be as close as one foot away from the actors- it’s a very unique experience.
Musica a Palazzo performs three different operas throughout the week (one per night): Barber of Seville (comedy), La Traviata (tragedy), and Rigoletto (tragedy).
We opted to see Barber of Seville as we felt that a comedy would be a good introduction to the opera, and I’m so glad we did. It was so fun, funny, and ended up being my favorite experience of the trip.
Although the opera is performed in Italian, we watched a synopsis online in English beforehand and bought a pamphlet for 5 euros at the performance that had all of the lyrics in both Italian and English, making it quite easy to follow along.
At intermission, they offer a complimentary glass of prosecco, wine, soda, or fruit juice, which is a nice touch.
Plus, there’s a small balcony you can step out on with gorgeous views of the Grand Canal lit up at night.
If you’ve never considered a visit to the opera before, this is the place to try it!
Tickets can sell out weeks in advance, especially in peak summer months, so be sure to book ahead.
We didn’t book ahead, and it was all sold out, but thankfully we lucked out, and they had a cancellation the night before, so two tickets became available 🙏.
But don’t be like us and almost miss out- book in advance! You can click here to check dates and prices for Musica a Palazzo.
🎵🎟️ CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES FOR OPERA TICKETS AT MUSICA A PALAZZO 🎟️🎵
5. Try a Traditional Quick Lunch of Cicchetti
At many places across Venice, you’ll find quick bites for lunch, such as cicchetti, polpette, and tramezzini.
Cicchetti are bite-sized slices of bread with different toppings ranging from seafood to various meats, and even delicious vegetarian options.
Polpette are deep-fried meatballs, and tramezzinni are crustless, white-bread sandwiches filled to the brim with toppings (if you’re coming from the US, they are very reminiscent of Uncrustables).
We did our research and stopped at two different lunch spots serving up chicchetti.
The first was Osteria al Squero, which is a bustling local hotspot situated across from a working gondola boat yard (if you’re lucky, you can watch them working on the gondolas while you eat).
We visited on a weekend at lunchtime, and the line was out the door, but it moved fast.
The second place we picked up chicchetti was after our rowing experience at a place called Birreria Zanon along a canal in by far the most local-feeling neighborhood we visited in Venice.
Birreria Zanon really felt like a true hidden gem in Venice, visited by locals and serving up delicious chicchetti- plus they have tables along a canal… what more can you ask for?
They had so many different options of chicchetti, each one better than the last.
6. Visit a Gondola Boat Yard
There are only a few working gondola boatyards left in Venice, the oldest of which is Squero di San Trovaso, dating back to the 1600s.
From across the canal, you can watch them working on the gondolas if they happen to be out, and the best way to do that is snacking on cicchetti from Osteria al Squero, which I mentioned above.
You can potentially book a guided tour of the boatyard by contacting them through their website here.
7. Climb Scala Contarini del Bovolo For Beautiful Views of Venice
I love a good view, and Scala Contarini del Bovolo offers just that. Scala Contarini del Bovolo is a beautiful, stone staircase that is impressive on its own, but it also has a lovely viewpoint at the top offering sweeping views of Venice.
The views from this staircase aren’t as epic as the views from St. Mark’s Campanile; however, they’re closer to the rooftops, making for more intimate views (I recommend soaking in the views from both places!).
The staircase is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm most days of the month; however, there are some days with random closures, so I recommend checking their website in advance just to be sure.
Tickets cost €9 each and can be purchased on their website here, where they are only available for one month at a time, opening up ten days before the next month starts.
We visited in mid-May and were able to purchase our tickets onsite; however, I’d definitely recommend booking in advance in the busier months of June through August.
8. Find the Water Ambulances Lined Up at the Hospital
One of the things that tickled me the most about visiting Venice was realizing that all of the city’s services are accomplished on the water.
We’re talking police boats, garbage boats, ambulance boats, delivery boats and more. If you spend much time in the city, you’ll be sure to see your fair share of these.
And one day we stumbled across what I feel is one of the best hidden gems in Venice, which is one of the city’s hospitals with its fleet of ambulance boats docked outside (how amazing is that?).
We were so intrigued by this that we even watched a video produced by a local news channel giving an inside look into how ambulance services work in Venice.
You can find it on YouTube here– it’s seriously fascinating.
The hospital that I’m talking about is very close to the F.te Nove stop for the ferry to and from Marco Polo airport, making it easy to see if you plan to hop on or off at that stop.
9. Buy Fruit From a Floating Fruit Stand
Located right along the filming route of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a traditional Venetian boat turned fruit stand located on the water (here on Google Maps).
I honestly didn’t think much of it as we were purchasing some fruit to take with us, but a local who was buying a large bag full of produce turned to me and said, ‘Isn’t it so cool that we have a fruit stand on a boat?’
The fruit stand is open from Monday to Saturday from 7:30 am to 7:00 PM and closes at 5:00 pm on Saturdays, and when possible, sells produce from local farms in the Venetian Lagoon.
10. See Mozart’s Residence in Venice
A very quick stop, but worth it if you’re in the area, is a building where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart stayed as a young man with his father when visiting Venice.
It’s otherwise another building in Venice, but it has a plaque on the building indicating the story.
Venice has so much amazing history that it’s fun to know the exact spot that someone as influential as Mozart has stood before.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to see this (unless you’re a huge Mozart fan) but it was a fun thing to see along our route to Ponte dell’Accademia on our 2-Day Venice itinerary.
11. Experience Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with Performers in Era Costume
The only thing on this list of unique and unusual things to do in Venice that we didn’t do was this one.
However, we had tickets booked but opted to visit the opera at Musica a Palazzo instead- I wish we had had time for both.
At a beautiful venue in the heart of Venice, you can watch a 1.5-hour performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed by an orchestra and singers IN ERA-STYLED COSTUMES.
So not only is Venice the hometown of Vivaldi, but IN VENICE you can experience the Four Seasons performed by musicians looking THE SAME WAY they would look when it was first performed (how cool is that?).
And trust me, even if you think you don’t know classical music, you know Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. It’s like the most classic of classical music (look it up).
🎵 🎟️ CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT TICKETS TO VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS IN ERA COSTUMES 🎟️🎵
And those are the best hidden gems in Venice that we loved seeing and experiencing during our time in the city. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below, I’ll be sure to get back to you!
✨ LOOKING FOR MORE ABOUT VENICE, ITALY?
🇮🇹 Venice in Two Days: Our Tried and True Itinerary
✨ What It’s Like Visiting Venice in May
🚣♀️ How to Take a Traghetto in Venice: An Alternative to the Gondola
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cee
just went through all your venice posts. thanks for the tips!
jenessa
ceeGreat to hear! I hope you have a great time in Venice 🙂