Best Things to Do in the Veneto (2026 Guide)

The best things to do in the Veneto begin in Venice, but the region rewards those who travel beyond the city. Venice’s Grand Canal — best seen from a traghetto (the cheap gondola ferry that crosses the canal at multiple points for €2, rather than the €80 tourist gondola ride) — and the Doge’s Palace (the administrative heart of the Venetian Republic from the 9th to 18th centuries, holding Tintoretto’s Paradise, the largest oil painting in the world) are the first priorities. The Rialto Market — Venice’s wholesale fish and produce market (best at 7-8am) — is the most authentic Venice food experience. In Verona, the Arena di Verona (a 1st-century AD Roman amphitheatre, seating 15,000, still hosting summer opera) and Romeo and Juliet’s Balcony (Casa di Giulietta — fictional but irresistible) are the main sights.

Best time to visit

April-June is ideal for Venice: the Vogalonga (a non-competitive rowing regatta, June, 30km through the lagoon), the Venice Biennale (in even years, June-November — the world’s most prestigious contemporary art exhibition), and before summer’s peak crowds. September-October offers warm weather, the Venice Film Festival (September, Lido island), and Carnival’s low-season sibling. February is the Venice Carnival (date varies annually): 10 days of baroque masks, costumes, and events on the Grand Canal — extraordinary visually but extremely crowded. July-August is the most crowded and expensive month in Venice. The Verona Opera Festival runs June-September at the Arena di Verona. The Dolomites are best June-September for hiking and December-March for skiing.

Getting around

Venice has no roads: vaporetti (water buses) on the Grand Canal (Line 1, slow and scenic; Line 2, faster) and private water taxis connect all areas. A 24-hour ACTV transit pass covers unlimited vaporetto rides. Mestre on the mainland has cheaper hotels and a 10-minute train connection to Venice Santa Lucia station. Verona is 90 minutes from Venice by Freccia or Regionale train. Padua is 30 minutes from Venice by train (and has an extraordinary Giotto fresco cycle at the Scrovegni Chapel — book in advance). Vicenza (Palladio villas) is 45 minutes from Venice. For the Dolomites, rent a car at Venice Airport or Verona and drive north — the Cortina d’Ampezzo valley and Tre Cime di Lavaredo circuit are the main destinations.

What to eat and drink

Venetian cuisine is built on the lagoon: sarde in saor (sweet-and-sour fried sardines with onions, raisins, and pine nuts — a medieval preservation technique), baccalà mantecato (creamed salt cod on grilled polenta), moeche (soft-shell crabs, available only in spring and autumn when the crabs moult), risotto di seppia (black cuttlefish ink risotto), and cicchetti (the Venetian equivalent of pintxos — small bar snacks eaten standing at bacari wine bars). The best bacari: All’Arco (next to the Rialto Market), Cantina Do Spade, and Osteria da Colonne. Prosecco di Valdobbiadene DOCG (the original, dry Prosecco from the Veneto hills — quite different from the industrial Prosecco sold in supermarkets). Valpolicella and Amarone (the great red wines of the Verona hills). Aperol Spritz (invented in Padua in the 1950s — not Venice despite the association).

Destinations to explore

Venice: San Marco — St. Mark’s Basilica (book the free entry in advance; the mosaic cycle and Pala d’Oro gold altarpiece are extraordinary), the Doge’s Palace, the Campanile bell tower, and the Bridge of Sighs.

Venice: Dorsoduro — The quiet student neighbourhood: Peggy Guggenheim Collection (modern art in a palazzo), the Gallerie dell’Accademia (Venetian painting from Byzantine to Baroque), and the Punta della Dogana contemporary art space.

Venice Lagoon Islands — Murano (glassblowing, 7 minutes by vaporetto), Burano (coloured fishermen’s houses and lace making, 40 minutes), and Torcello (the earliest settled island in the lagoon — a Byzantine mosaic cathedral in a near-deserted landscape, 45 minutes).

Verona — The Arena di Verona (opera season June-September), Piazza delle Erbe (the Roman forum, now a daily market), Castelvecchio (medieval fortress with a fine arts museum), and Casa di Giulietta. 90 minutes from Venice by train.

Prosecco Hills (Valdobbiadene) — The steep terraced vineyards of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano (UNESCO since 2019): winery visits and Prosecco Superiore tastings at Bisol, Nino Franco, and Carpene Malvolti. 90 minutes from Venice by car.