VENETIAN EXPERIENCES YOU CAN ENJOY FROM HOME
One of my all time favourite cities in the world is Venice, Italy. I’ve been lucky to visit several times and have family living nearby. Even though travelling there is not possible at the moment, I’ve been exploring virtual Venice travel online with the many resources that are available these days. We are so lucky to have Venice accessible to all of us from the comfort of home whenever we want. I will share some of my favourite places to visit and Venetian experiences to enjoy online, for all of you who love La Serenissima, as it was once known, ‘the most serene city’.
Venice Today
Being closed to tourists, Venice is very serene these days. Or perhaps not, depends how you want to look at it, as it relies primarily on tourists to survive. Either way, the beauty of Venice still exists in all its glory. While it recuperates from the effects of overtourism, we are able to admire it from afar, thanks to the worldwide web. We can enjoy the vibrant, romantic, historic places that it is renowned for, on a virtual Venice vacation online, and even get up close and personal with many of the iconic attractions. I will tell you how. It’s actually pretty awesome. Ok, granted, it’s not the same as being in Venice, but this will have to suffice until travel is on the cards again.
On the bright side, with virtual travel you don’t have to contend with any crowds, queues, bags to carry or bad weather. Venice is notorious for floods, and as much as I love Venice, the alta acqua can be a bit of a buzz-kill if you happen to be there when the floods occur in Winter. But alas, we don’t have to worry about any of that. Just relax, grab an aperitivo, or a prosecco, or a cappuccino and enjoy Venice today.
Ready to head off on your virtual Venice vacation? Hold on to your devices. Andiamo (Let’s go).
How to Enjoy A Virtual Venice Vacation Online
I’m going to give you various options for virtual Venice travel and you can choose whatever interests you by simply clicking on the link where highlighted.
Google Earth & Google Maps
Firstly, Google Earth and Google Maps are fabulous resources we all have readily available with which to explore Venice, from our armchairs for free. These sites enable you to see different views of Venice – aerial views, street views and panoramic views, 2D & 3D, by navigating your way around online using your keyboard. Enjoy the Venice Google Maps Tour and explore Venice here now.
Drone
Another fabulous way to see Venice from above, other than Google is Venice Via Drone here. This footage was filmed in March 2020 when Venice shut down, showing an eerily empty city. It is a stunning visual spectacular and quite mesmerising to watch.
Google Arts & Culture
Google Arts & Culture is a brilliant initiative where Google has collaborated with many major museums around the world to bring art and history to our homes. It is one of the best resources available if you normally love visiting museums and galleries, and have an interest in cultural artefacts. These virtual tours of Venice allow you to feel like you’re right there experiencing art and culture first hand. Make sure to zoom wherever possible. Whilst you’re on the Google Arts and Culture website, you should take a look at a few of the different virtual Venice tours on offer. These are:
1. The most iconic landmark in Venice and a must-see attraction is the famous Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale). Explore this gothic style 14th century palace museum where the Doges (rulers) of Venice used to live and which was also the seat of government of the powerful maritime Republic of Venice. Explore the architecture of the building, the grand interior and some of the fabulous Renaissance art and Venetian art. You can start the tour of the Doge’s Palace from here now.
The Doge’s Palace, next to the Bell Tower of the Basilica of San Marco
Statues of the Doge and winged lion of San Marco on the Doge’s Palace
Ceiling of The Doge’s Palace – photo credit
2. Palazzo Rezzonico is a must-see for Italian art classics of the 18th century. Many renowned Venetian artists, like Tiepolo (see below) and Canaletto, are displayed. You can tour Ca’ Rezzonico here now to peruse the art up close. Also take a moment to appreciate the decor and furnishings of the gorgeous palace. The Ballroom is absolutely stunning.
3. Ca’ Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art has a fabulous collection of artists’ works, such as Kandinsky, Chagall, and Klimt from the 19th and 20th centuries, located in another beautiful Venetian Palace. Enjoy this tour here now.
4. Palazzo Fortuny is an interesting and worthwhile museum to check out filled with eclectic art, including printed fabrics and clothing, drawings and sculptures, paintings and photography, all works of Mariano Fortuny in the early 1900’s. Take the tour here.
That’s all I recommend on Google sites. Read on for other fabulous virtual Venice tours.
Nuptial Allegory, By Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1758 at Ca’ Rezzonico Museum – photo credit
By Gustave Klimt, 1909 at Ca’ Pesaro Museum – photo credit
Basilica of San Marco
The famous cathedral in Piazza San Marco is an iconic landmark of Venice. A combination of Gothic and Byzantine architecture, the building of this extravagant church began in the year 829. You can book a virtual tour with a local guide here, for a small fee.
Guggenheim Museum
The Peggy Guggenheim Art Museum is one of the most popular museums in Venice for modern European and American art, as well as being one of the finest museums for modern art in the world. It’s located in Peggy Guggenheim‘s former home where she lived and died, the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal. Much of the art displayed here is from her own collection, including works by Dalí and Picasso. I love this tour. There are some very interesting pieces here indeed. You can start your tour here now.
Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Venice – photo credit
Bronze Horse Sculpture at front entrance of PG Museum (ha!), 1948, M Marini – photo credit
Surrealist oil painting, 1940, M Ernst – photo credit
Murano Island
As part of your virtual Venice vacation you should not miss out on visiting other islands of Venice away from the historic centre. One of the most famous is the island of Murano, for its traditional glass blowing industry and vibrantly coloured houses.
Google Arts & Culture has a small section devoted to Murano. You can learn about the ancient art here. There is a Glass Museum also which you can view here.
For a fabulous all round virtual tour of Murano, including watching the master craftsmen in action, be sure to have a look at the YouTube video by Prowalk Tours here. You will love it.
Brightly painted houses line the canals of Murano
Murano Glass Art
Glass blower working his magic at Murano
Video Tours of Things To Do
One of my favourite YouTube videos of Venice is called 10 Things In Venice. This gives you a wonderful overview of Venice and takes you to 10 primary attractions you would most likely want to visit if you were to travel there in person. It includes a PDF document and extra information to help your future travel to Venice. You can start the tour here now.
Another YouTube video I love to watch is Top Things To Do In Venice, full of all the things that are quintessentially Venice. It takes you on a journey through Venice with a brief description of each of the main sites. You can start your tour here now.
One of my many trips to Venice visiting Piazza San Marco – ‘the drawing room of Europe’ (Napoleon)
Gondola rides through the canals of Venice which I have enjoyed on two occasions
Virtual Venice Tours With a Local
For a change of pace, how about doing an interactive Webinar of Venice with a live local tour guide online, to interact with and who can answer questions. These types of tours are held at specific times and you must book your place, just like a normal tour. There are several to choose from. This is a brilliant way to really connect with Venice and have a conversation with a Venetian who lives there. Check out the site here. There is a charge for this tour.
Virtual Aperol Tour With A Local of Venice
Here is another fun interactive tour you can do of Venice online with a Venetian. He will share his secret recipe for an Aperol Spritz cocktail which was invented in Venice. The Spritz was, and still is, a symbol of Venetian lifestyle and merriment, embraced worldwide. The bright red-orange coloured beverage became the drink of choice for its low alcohol content and bitter-sweet flavour, since Aperol first took off in the 1920’s. Book online here. There is a charge for this tour also.
Visit The Home Of A Local Venetian Virtually
Do you want to visit a real Venetian home, of a local? Well you can do that too, online of course. The Venetian Curiosities Room invites you to see a typical residence in Venice. Furthermore, you will be given a fascinating insight into mysteries, oddities and stories of the past. Jump on the site here and book an interactive home chat with a local. A fee will be charged.
Venice Carnival Online
The Carnevale di Venezia is an annual celebration held during the lead up to Lent before Easter, where people dress up in gorgeous elaborate costumes of a by-gone era and wear beautifully handcrafted masks. You have to watch this YouTube video and see how much fun it is to be a part of the festivities there.
Also, check out this Venetian Mask Maker who talks about his trade. You will appreciate more about the traditional craft that goes back centuries. I love these little shops tucked away in the passages of Venice.
Stunning Carnival Costumes
Venetian Carnival Masks
Venice Live Cam Feed
Anytime you want to see live vision of Venice, you can check-in with this Rolling Live Cam here. It is real time footage of the city shown from different locations.
Venice Short Film
Finally, I’ll leave you with this lovely short film from National Geographic, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy.
I hope you take advantage of some of these delightful online resources to explore Venice virtually. You don’t have to wait to be able to experience one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Until we travel there again, we have to content ourselves with a virtual Venice vacation.
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Be sure to have a look at my other Venice articles:
Ciao, for now.
Snazzy Trips
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Thanks for those ideas!I love Venice and I would love to experience it another time, maybe this time in this different way 🙂
I’ve never been to Venice so this virtual tour is a great way of exploring this city without being actually there. It’s given me doses of wanderlust, though, which I have to contain for the time being. 🙂
I love that all the popular tourist cities have these virtual tours! I’m slightly addicted to the venice live cam. It feeds my need for people watching haha
This is wonderfully put together! While Venice has always been on our bucket list, it doesn’t seem like we will make it there anytime soon. But the idea of the virtual tour, armed with the information you have perfectly rounded up seems to be the perfect alternative.
The idea of the virtual tour with an actual tour guide is great! It’s one way to keep tourist money coming in without tourists coming in.
What a great list of ways to explore Venice. I visited in 2008, and I would love the opportunity to go back and explore. I am watching the drone video, and the footage is mesmerizing! Thanks for sharing.
We just visited Venice last December and are soooo glad that we did before this whole crazy pandemic! Now this is giving us a chance to relive Venice from home!
Venice is definitely somewhere I really want to visit, it looks so interesting and beautiful. I am going to check out the virtual tour and the drone video – it must look so different with no tourists! Also that horse statue is, erm, different 🙂
Venice is one of my favourite European cities as well ! Although my favourite parts are dining next to the canals, exploring the city at night while there’s much less tourists, people watching etc. I checked out the drone video you shared and Venice on shutdown is beautiful ! The canals looked so calm and peaceful ! Hope to visit Venice again soon ! =)
Venice is so vibrant and colourful. Having visited Venice a few years back, it is great to relive the time virtually. Gliding on a Gondola is such a dream like experience.
This is one virtual trip that I’d like to experience this weekend. I love Venice and all the photos that look just so romantic.
I have been in Venice twice and absolutely loved it. The second time, we spent New Years there. One of my favorite places is the gold-clad Basilica de San Marco. It is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen.
Woooah those drone shots are fantastic! I wonder if they made that film during the lockdown!? I mean, I can’t imagine seeing Venice with s few people! I have visited that gorgeous city once before, but it is fantastic to see it all virtually again. 😀
In this era of pandemic COVID-19, traveling virtually have made the possibility for travel enthusiast to travel online. I hope this travel restriction is lift end soon.
Venice is on my bucket list. Thank you for sharing this. Any season you can recommend to visit Venice? Or anytime of the year is good?
I recommend not going in the busy Summer period, shoulder seasons are preferable.
Great! I’ll take note of this. Thank you?
This was a great post! I watched the Venice via drone and that footage was so great! So crazy to see the places I was walking through only in 2017 is now covered in water! Great post!
I can not wait until I can visit Venice. I guess the live cam will have to do until then! 🙂 Thanks for all these virtual resources!!
I had no idea you could watch the Venice Carnival online! If I can’t make it there next year, I’d love to “attend” virtually!
Great post! I visited Venice last year and it’s so awesome that now you can do so much of this traveling right from home.
Talking to a tour guide from another place is a great idea. Half of why I travel is to experience another place and the people are the real culture.
Venice was the last airport I landed at before lockdown… These virtual tours make me want to go again and experience the real thing, but then I guess that is the point. On one account they’re much better though, you are so right: no crowds!!! See Venice with no crowds!
I was supposed to see italy in April and now I will plan for next year. This was so good to travel online.