All Articles How to get off the beaten path in Venice

How to get off the beaten path in Venice

A guide to the city’s underrated sites.

By Meena Thiruvengadam29 Mar 2024 3 minutes read
colorful building in Burano, Venice, Italy
A canal in Burano
Image: visionandimagination.com/Getty Images

Venice has the power to be magical. But finding the city’s magic requires getting away from the crowds and getting lost in the labyrinth of cobblestone streets and canals that have drawn visitors to this part of Italy for centuries. I’ve been lucky enough to get Venice practically to myself a couple of times over the years, a benefit of traveling on random weekdays in October. It’s a completely different experience from being packed into St. Mark’s Square or trying to get a peek at world-famous art through hordes of people.

In my experience, the best time to see Venice is around 8 or 9 a.m. I love watching canal boats loaded with daily supplies and having the space to linger at scenic spots without having to worry about getting run over by foot traffic. To improve your chances of getting Venice to yourself, avoid traveling during peak summer months between May and September. But even if you can’t time your trip just right, there are a few things you can do to make a visit to Venice magical even when you have to share.

Here, a few of my favorite underrated spots—plus, some tips for seeing Venice’s iconic sites without the crowds (or at least, with smaller ones).

Trade the Ponte di Rialto for the Ponte de Chiodo

Ponte de Chiodo in Venice
Venice's Ponte de Chiodo
Image: Traveling Mario/Tripadvisor

The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of four bridges across Venice’s Grand Canal, and it’s the most famous bridge in the city. As such, it can get crowded, especially on bright sunny days, so instead, head to Ponte de Chiodo, a rare Venice bridge that doesn’t have railings. Located in the residential Cannaregio district, visiting this bridge is a chance to get acquainted with how people live in Venice now—and how they lived here centuries ago. Bridges without railings were a key component of medieval life in Venice. Young men would fight on top of the bridges with the loser falling into the canal below. Those fights no longer happen, and today, the bridge serves as a particularly unique spot for photos.

Tip: For a less-crowded Ponte di Rialto, plan to arrive before 7 a.m. or wait until after 9 p.m. at night. Like Venice itself, this is a site that’s significantly quieter after dark.

Escape the Grand Canal for Burano

colorful buildings along the canal in Burano, Italy
Image: Jorg Greuel/Getty Images

The Grand Canal is perhaps the best-known waterway in the world. It’s also Venice’s main transportation artery, which means your dreams of a quiet, romantic float guided by a suave gondolier don’t quite mesh with reality. If you want to spend some time on the water without the canal’s chaos, leave Venice behind and head to Burano, a charming island a short water bus ride away from the city. Burano’s quiet, walkable canals are lined with brightly colored homes, and there’s a tranquility here you just can’t find in Venice. Settle in for a fish risotto lunch at Trattoria al Gatto Nero. Meet local lace artisans. Sip on coffee, or have an ice cream cone while strolling an island that feels like a mini-Venice. You can’t go wrong.

Tip: If you absolutely must experience a Venetian gondola, opt to schedule your ride for early in the morning.

Step off St. Mark’s Square for a local vibe

As Venice’s main public square, there’s almost always a crowd at St. Mark’s Square, with tourists (and pigeons) flocking to the site for a photo with the eponymous basilica. Once you’ve snagged a pic of your own, walk five minutes from the square to Harry’s Bar for a window into local life. There are no bargain drinks here and the food isn’t spectacular enough to mention, but the ambiance is top-notch. Come for the bellinis, olives, and some of the best people-watching in Venice. The legendary bar opened its doors in the 1930s and was once the Venetian watering hole of Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, and Orson Welles. This is European cafe culture at its best, and it’s well worth the overpriced drinks.

Tip: If you want to people-watch on the square itself, go to Caffè Florian. This iconic cafe has been operating in St. Mark’s Square for more than 300 years, and there’s no better place for coffee, cocktails, and white glove service than this neo-baroque gem.

Skip designer shopping for a historic bookstore

libreria Acqua alta courtyard
Image: Olga Bole/Tripadvisor

Libreria Acqua Alta is one of the best surprises in Venice, and it’s a place that captures the city’s spirit and resilience well. It sells new and used books and houses its collection in an unusual way. Instead of bookshelves, you’ll find bathtubs and gondolas filled with volumes of new and old books. There’s even a few store cats and a staircase made of damaged books that leads to a truly one-of-a-kind Venetian viewpoint. Note: the store is typically quieter in the mornings just after opening and in the evenings around closing time.

Tip: Keep an eye out for the store’s fire escape, which opens right out to the canal—it makes for a great photo op.

Meena Thiruvengadam
Meena Thiruvengadam is a writer who covers topics including travel, culture, and personal finance. She has visited 50 countries on six continents and 47 U.S. states. Follow her on Twitter @meena_thiru, on Instagram @meenathiru, or read her work at meenamedia.com.