Optional add-on: Walk through Piazzetta San Marco, a ceremonial waterfront space that served as the formal gateway to the Republic, taking note of the Colonna di San Marco and the Colonna di San Teodoro.

Head to St. Mark’s Square, considered to be the city’s political and religious heart, then ascend St. Mark’s Campanile for panoramic views over the lagoon and rooftops.

Visit St. Mark’s Basilica, whose Byzantine-influenced domes and mosaics reflect Venice’s close artistic and commercial ties to the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as the accumulation of relics and treasures through trade and conquest. Requirements for respectful/modest attire apply at churches and other religious sites. Visitors should avoid disrupting religious observances and remain mindful of posted customs.

Continue on to the Doge’s Palace, where the Republic governed its maritime empire, including a walk across the Bridge of Sighs linking the palace to its historic prisons.

Head to the Rialto Bridge and Rialto Market, the historic commercial center where Venetians have traded goods for centuries.

Take a gondola ride through the quieter, back canals, offering a close-up view of Venice’s architectural details and waterways.

Continue to the Gallerie dell’Accademia to explore masterpieces of Venetian painting from the Renaissance to the Baroque.

Optional add-on: Explore the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, which showcases a collection of modern art in a Grand Canal palazzo.

Take a sunset vaporetto ride along the Grand Canal, gliding past palaces that once showcased the wealth of merchant families. Make sure to look for Ca'd'Oro, one of the most famous examples of Venetian Gothic architecture along the Grand Canal, its intricate facade once decorated with gold leaf, giving the palace its name.

Head to Cannaregio for a cichetti crawl, sampling small plates such as sarde in saor (sweet and sour sardines with onions, vinegar, raisins, and pine nuts), baccalà mantecato (creamy whipped cod spread typically served on bread), and bigoli in salsa (thick whole-wheat pasta with anchovy and onion sauce). Finish with tiramisu (coffee-soaked ladyfingers layered with mascarpone cream and cocoa), then enjoy a post-dinner stroll through the Venetian Ghetto, a historically significant area.