One of the oldest bookstores in Verona. It happens to be in the city center, which allows you to…read morebreak off from all the tourists. The air-conditioning isn't that great and it's barely cooler in here than it is out there. The place is filled with Italians, which is nice. Plus there's a little café downstairs, which was also filled with nerdy, scholarly, book loving Italians. There was a tiny used book section that offered English titles.

I was so excited to read that Ca'Foscari gave tours of the university. I have always been…read moreintrigued by the beautiful palaces that sit on the Grand Canal and this is one of them. We met Elena on Saturday morning for our tour. It cost € 7 each to attend. There were only a total of 8 people on our tour, which made it more personal by Elena. The school is celebrating 150 years - 1868-2018. Some highlights of the tour were: they have the 2nd largest courtyard after the Palazzo Ducale; they originally offered 3 courses - Business, Diplomacy and Language; Foscari was the Doge for 30 years; and he was 53 when he became a Doge. After a brief history, we were shown the most stunning Mario Baratto Room - "Aula Baratto". The wide view on Canal Grand offers a majestic view of the Rialto Bridge on the left and the Accademia Bridge on the right. In 1936, Carlo Scarpo completely redesigned it. Carlo Scarpo work is easily recognizable by the style of the wooden windows, the furniture and the marble stage. The fascist work 'Venice, Italy and Scholarship' of Mario Sironi remained however on the wall. In 1956, Scarpa converted the large aula into a smaller room for lectures. His woodwork which separates the corridor from the aula is very fine. In addition to Ca' Foscari, we were able to tour the Ca' Dolfin. The 16th century Ca' Dolfin is located on the other side of the Rio di Ca' Foscari and was acquired by the university in 1955. You enter into a lovely, quiet garden. The impressive Aula Magna Silvio Trentin is now the main location for large events. As soon as you enter, look up and take in the sumptuous ceiling painting with 18th century frescoes. You feel really overwhelmed by the colors and images. One remarkable detail is the sculpture of a dolphin above the door. It refers to the Dolfin family who originally owned the building. Unfortunately, the 10 original wall paintings of the Venetian painter Giambattista Tiepolo had been sold by one of the former owners. The mirrors which now decorate the walls hide these empty spaces perfectly. From the terrace, you have lovely views of the rooftops and churches of Venice.

Date of visit: August 14, 2026…read more Regularly noted as one of the most interesting and fascinating free things to do in Venice, we enjoyed our time at the Libreria Acqua Alta. Because it is so Instagrammable, it was definitely crowded and we didn't get to spend as much time there as we would have liked. Yes, they have the cats you've seen online. And no, you should not pet them. Would you want strange foreigners putting their grubby mitts on you all day? Okay, maybe you would, I'm not judging, but let's not do that here! They have a variety of souvenirs perfect for the bibliophile you left back home, along with actual books in both English and Italian, so this is a great place to find some things that are not just the same magnets, keychains, and other bric-a-brac you'll find along the Grand Canal. But again, it's often super crowded so it can be challenging to take the time to find what you need; wish they did better crowd control at the entrance so you can take a little more time. We ended up not buying anything for that very reason.

Super cute and viral bookstore in Venice known for their picturesque book steps and book wall in…read morethe back of the store. Funny enough, I totally forgot about the book steps/wall when we got there but still had a great time walking around and exploring the bookstore. Their totes are popular and they had a variety of colors but it felt a bit pricey (€15 as of May 2026) for what it was. Lots of different books, with some specialty Venice books. I got a "Cats of Venice" book for a cat lover in my life which I thought was a unique souvenir to bring back. They had the entire "Little Books of Fashion" collection so I picked up a Little Book of Bottega Veneta as my own souvenir but noticed the book was priced higher than what they sell in the States (€20 versus ~$12-17 in US) - just FYI. They also had Libreria Acqua Alta postcards and bookmarks. We came mid-day in May and there was no line to get in. The actual bookstore itself is not big with narrow aisles so it was a bit crowded once we got in but it was manageable. No line to check out. We had several days in Venice which is why we stopped by but if you're only here for a day, I don't think it's a must-do.

Lots of fun books here, but other things as well. I got two shopping bags - LOQI bags for Venice-…read morethat I always get where ever I go as my souvenir. I was pleased with the bags- had a hard time finding LOQI bags with Venice on them. Price wasn't bad- 9.90.

The Palazzo Ducale also known as Doge's Palace is a must visit while in Venice. It's located in the…read morefamous St Marks square right next to St Mark's Basilica. It got its name from the Duke or ruler of Venice. Inside you will see high gold ceilings, an old armory that stored historic weapons, prison cells where you can look out a tiny hole to the Bridge of Sighs. We booked our tour here with Get Your Guide which included a tour of St Marks Basilica. Expect to spend at least a couple of hours here. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes since you will be doing a lot of walking in and around the grounds. Our tour guide spoke English the entire time which was helpful so we got to learn the history and feel first hand of the prisoners here. It was first built in the 14th century and then rebuilt to make it more grander each time.

Palazzo Ducale or the Doge's Palace was one of my favorite parts of my trip to Venice. Ducale or…read moreDoge means Duke. The Duke was the highest governing position in Venice, and this is once where they lived. While strolling St. Mark's Square I already admired the beauty of the building. The building has gothic architecture with influences from the Byzantine times, Islamic and European Medieval styles. My camera does not do its' beauty justice. The tickets to Doge's Palace are time entry tickets, but they didn't seem to be too strict compared to other museums. Tickets are 37€/person. There is a baggage check in area for large items like a backpack, at no cost. It's nice because my boyfriend and I left our stuff there, even things that weren't required to be checked so we walked around more lightly. I only kept my phone for photos. One of the first things I remember seeing is the snitch mailbox. In the olden days the citizens were encouraged to rat on one another and they can leave anonymous tips for the government here. Unfortunately as a result many were wrongfully imprisoned... and there is a full on prison in the later ends of the tour. It was really scary to walk through. On a more positive note, there had the most stunning golden staircase and one of the most incredible largest paintings in the world, the Il Parasido by Jacopo Tintoretto. A must visit when visiting Venice!

Be careful to visit this library museum, which was closed by the time I visited. There's no signs…read moresaying they'll be closed online or upon the booking with agents, and the only way to find out is walk in front of the door.

What an awesome accidental stop! We popped in because of a sign announcing Venetian Glass Week, and…read morediscovered that there was a superb, if small, exhibit of works by international glass artists. Admission - free! So we gave it a try. It doesn't take long to explore. There are a few rooms downstairs, which showcased works by younger artists on our visit. These ranged from interesting to unnerving. Upstairs - and it's a stunning staircase - works by better known artists we on display in a number of rooms. The rooms themselves are pretty amazing, too, including several library rooms filled with antique books, and the most glorious antique blown glass chandeliers - don't forget to look up! The whole thing took less than 40 minutes to walk through, if that, and there weren't a lot of visitors. Worth a quick stop on your Venice visit.