Venice Discovery Guide

You can't quite fully experience the essence of Italy without visiting the unforgettably exhilarating, unique, and breathtaking city of Venice (Venezia). Venice, the capital of the region as well as the province of Veneto, in northeastern Italy, is the beautiful "Queen of the Adriatic," with a population of close to 262,000.

Venice stretches across a group of islands in the marshy, shallow, saltwater Venetian Lagoon alongside the Adriatic Sea, between the mouths of the Piave River to the north and the Po River to the south.

Legend says Roman refugees founded the city in 422, though the fuller story is closer to what History (below) describes: a gradual settlement of the lagoon by people fleeing invasion on the mainland. From an obscure lagoon outpost, Venice grew over the following centuries into the Most Serene Republic, a major sea power, trading empire, and center of art and culture that lasted, in one form or another, until Napoleon conquered it in 1797.

The city of Venice today

Today, Venice is best known for its canals, built across 118 islands connected by roughly 150 canals and 400 bridges. Nobody drives anything besides a boat here -- transportation is strictly on water or foot, making Venice the largest fully functioning, self-sustaining automobile-free urban center in Europe.

Locals get around via motorized water buses and private boats for everyday use, while gondolas are reserved mostly for tourists and special occasions.

Is Venice sinking?

Venice's buildings stand on wood piles driven deep into the lagoon's mud and sand (wood doesn't decay underwater), a foundation that's kept the city standing for centuries.

Whether Venice is actually sinking, whether sea levels are rising, or both, has long been disputed -- what's clear is that the use of artesian wells in the 20th century accelerated the problem badly enough that they were banned in the 1960s. The city still faces regular flood tides today, and some experts have proposed pumping water into the underground soil to lift Venice back up as a more permanent fix.

Landmark attractions

Venice offers a wealth of tourist attractions beyond the surrounding beauty of the islands and the lagoon itself -- see Attractions below for the full list, including the city's grand piazzas, palaces, churches, and bridges.

Venice also faces real problems with overtourism, drawing crowds each year on a scale closer to London or Paris despite being a much smaller city.

See Responsible Travel Advice below for how to visit thoughtfully.