We opted for the Ca d'Oro when the Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia sounded too daunting and too…read morefar away. Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca d'Oro was a great beginner's introduction to the island's many art galleries and museums. The museum is just the right size (housed in an old palace, just a few floors) and is not crowded. You basically get the whole museum to yourself and its a nice contrast to the busyness of Piazza San Marco. The art is so so but the building is what truly shines here. The Bon family designed the palace. If that family name makes no sense to you at all, just know that they also designed Doge's Palace! The courtyard is a beautiful space and is made up of the most amazing tile work. Also nice is the balcony and area where your boat would pull up from the canal. Just imagine what that would be like if it were back in the day. Not much has changed in terms of the structure and it is easy to picture what life was like in this palace.

There's no shortage of surprises in the labyrinth of roads throughout the metropolitan city of…read moreVenice! One of these roads led us to the open seafood market, filled with the hustle and bustle of fishmongers selling their freshly caught and hauled in seafood. There are numerous stalls selling a vast variety of seafood of every kind! The ambiance is high energy and excitement. Mixed in with some locals buying seafood are wide-eyed tourists taking in the impressive selection of fish & shellfish that would delight any seafood lover. This made me want to return to Venice next time and stay in the heart of the city so I can buy some of the seafood to make a dinner or two during my stay. As I didn't buy anything, I can't say much about the service, but every fishmonger there seemed friendly from what I can see. This was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon in Venice and I can't wait to be a customer the next time I visit Venice.

Murano is a small island just a 30 minute water bus ride from Venice. Known for its stained glass…read morefactory and colorful buildings, it is definitely worth a day trip to explore. Just like Venice, there are no cars and the only way to explore and get around is by foot. And to get to the island is by boat. Many cutesy little boutique shops to explore and even more cafes and restaurants to indulge in. Or if you're like me, it's the perfect place for taking photos.

The origin of the name can be attributed to the refugees from Altino who took refuge on the island…read morein the 5th century to escape the invasion from the Huns. Murano is actually a series of seven islands that are linked by bridges and separated by eight channels in the Venetian Lagoon. It's the largest island, which became an important port for trade in the Adriatic Sea and an active commercial center. In 1291, to avoid the danger of fires, numerous furnaces were moved here. In a short time, the island became the most important center of glass production. These glassmakers were the only craftsmen in the entirety of Europe who knew how to make mirrors made of glass, instead of the usual metal ones that were more common back then. On top of this, they were also able to create items from materials such as enameled glass, crystalline glass, milk glass, and glass with threads of gold. Not only does the island have countless glass establishments that my partner, our friends, family members, and I could browse, but just about every Murano glass factory has a showroom where they display their best products. One of them for 3 euros allowed walk-in visitors. Some of us watched his demonstrations and got a good look into the world of Murano glass. The most precious thing about travel is the opportunity it offers to expand your horizons, which we can recommend.

We've been in Venice several times. Always a joy. But somehow we've never made it to Burano. So…read morethis time we did. Had a weekly pass for the Vaporetto and took the No.12 from Fondamenta Nove in Venice. The trip took around 40min. And even on a weekday in April the Vaporetto was completely packed. But Burano is popular for good reason, it's an insanely pretty place! The Vaporetto will stop at the northern part of the small island. And it is indeed small. You can explore it easy in a few hours. It's very walkable - and most parts are even fit for wheelchairs and strollers (special bridges for these). From here you best get to the Fondamenta Assassini and Mauro. That will take you Vial Baldassare Galupp, the main drag here in Burano with countless shops, cafés and restaurants. And the famous buidlings in all colors (not just on this street of course). Soon you will reach the main Piazza with the lovely Chiesa di San Martino. Its tower is pretty tilted/leaning. You can see it clearly from further away west. From there you can head to the Fondamenta Cao di Rio - a more quite walk along along the canal. We did just that and then walked along the also pretty quiet Fondamenta della Peschera in the south. That will bring you back to the Fondamenta Cavanella and then Fondamenta Mauro where you came in first. It's a nice little round-trip. Of course there's more to explore. But this covers the most important and famous parts. There's also good food. Many good option. Cicchetti of course. But we've felt like a real meal and had lunch at the Osteria Cicchetteria da Gigetto. Excellent fried seafood and wonderful pasta. Nicely located at a more quiet canal. It's a really lovely place, this small island. The colors are amazing, we were lucky to get a picture-perfect blue skied day. And the colors were really glowing. It's definitely a must-do at least once. The ride there isn't that much fun, but definitely worth it.

What a treat! Watching an authentic woman who has had the tradition of lace making passed down to…read moreher was an honor to witness! Looking around the island during my visit was special and hearing about the tradition of painting the houses in colors that stand out because the men who are fisherman need to see their house distinct from others in the foggy weather! True or False...Burano benefits by having beautiful homes that tourists find unique! We had lunch while On the island and the food was fresh and tasty... If in Venice..only 30 mins or so distance..you can catch a public water bus and I would say it is worth it!

After having lunch in the Bar All'Arco several times we always went for a walk around the area. And…read moresomehow always ended up on this square. And it's a nice little discovery. While the area here is very popular and busy, we've found this Campo almost empty - and that every time. Ok, there isn't much to do here. But it's a nice spot to enjoy some lovely Venetian architecure. As well as the pretty Chiesa San Silvestro with its impressive tower. If you need a bit of peace and quiet and a piece of a Venice without people all over it, then this is a great little square to check out. It's pretty suprising actually that it's not more visited. But that's also a good thing.

This is a beautiful basilica located on the island of murano. It took about 35 minutes to get there…read moreby vapareto from the Arsenale stop. The basilica has some of the most magnificent 12th century Byzantine style mosaics - in the apse in the Virgin Mary standing alone amidst a gold background, while the floors are also beautifully mosaic too. Entrance fee is 3.50 euro- well worth it in my opinion.

Beautiful church. It's worth seeing. No pictures allowed as is true in most churches but we saw…read moretourists taking pictures anyway. The area is photogenic outside and there's a nice restaurant right by the church that has outdoor tables and there's also a gelateria near it.