Venice holidays

Explore pinch-me palaces

From the glittering mosaics of Saint Mark's Basilica to the Insta-perfect arch of the Rialto Bridge, every trip to Venice is show stopping.

Home to more than 150 canals, over 400 bridges and a whole bunch of beautiful palaces, a Venice holiday feels more like a cultural theme park than a real place.

From the gondola-packed Grand Canal to the atmospheric bars of Campo Santa Margherita via the balconies of the La Fenice opera house, Venice is an open-air museum with not one hair out of place. As holiday destinations go, it's a stunner.

Beyond the guidebook

At certain times of year, visitors outnumber locals by two to one, turning Piazza San Marco into an excitable squish of people taking selfies. Dodge the tour groups and cheap souvenir stalls by ditching the guidebook and getting a glimpse of the real Venice. Wander down abandoned cobbled backstreets, peek through half-open doorways and generally go in the opposite direction of the flock. In doing so, you'll find hidden restaurants, cafes and museums that are free from camera-wielding tourists. You might get lost, but you won't regret it.