The Nobel prize winning poet, Joseph Brodsky once wrote that the uniqueness of Venice amounts to a civilization of its own. He’s right. After days of walking and photographing in Venice, you realize that this city is entirely unique. Yes, other cities have waterways – Amsterdam comes to mind – but nowhere else do they dominate as they do here.

What most people think of as Venice, consists of 118 little islands, separated by the veins of canals. That means as you walk around the city, you are constantly crossing arched footbridges, up one side, down the other, or coming to dead ends at water’s edge.

Only in Venice do you see a city’s history so clearly demonstrated in its architecture. Between the years 1000 and 1500, when much of Venice was built, it was the trading link between Europe and the east. (Keep in mind that Marco Polo was Venetian.)

The city’s buildings clearly show these influences. It’s a blend of the renaissance designs of Florence with the older styles of byzantine Constantinople and Islamic Cairo. It all adds up to “Venetian Gothic”.

When I look at my pictures of St. Mark’s Basilica, I see the domes of Turkey topped with the ribbed lanterns of Cairo minarets. This design amalgamation is obvious throughout the city.

At first, when you’re walking around photographing in Venice,  you find it peculiar that there are no cars, trucks, motorcycles, not even any bicycles. This is not the madness of Rome with scooters zigging and zagging through traffic, or the broad pedestrian streets of central Florence with every second tourist licking a gelato.

It’s quieter, much slower. No traffic noises, no honking. Everything moves at the pace of walking or a slow boat. You can’t hurry even if you wanted to. No street runs in a straight line for long and getting from A to B means learning a maze of alleys.

This was driven home to me by a charming Australian couple, Kerry and Pat, who I met one afternoon in a restaurant (it turned into a very long lunch aided by the wine, no doubt). We talked about the uniqueness of the city, and Kerry said that after a while, it seemed to be very normal. That Venice is how cities should be and it felt natural to walk alongside canals, and duck down little alleys to get where you’re going. Venice calms you down, slows you to its pace and helps you absorb the living history all around you. Perhaps Venice is the ideal version of city life. It was a perfect observation and it rings true.

With your mind on photography, you’re always stopping on bridges, looking for photo opportunities down the blue-green canals that reflect buildings that have stood for hundreds of years. Depending on where you are, you might see gondolas, but just as likely delivery boats, garbage boats or floating fruit and vegetable markets.

The first thing guide books tell you about visiting Venice is that you’ll get lost. As much as possible, you need to turn that into a positive – you’re not lost, you’re exploring the city. Keep your plans loose. If you have to turn back because the alley you’re in ends in a canal, you know that the next one over will take you across a bridge. Think of every alley as a photo opportunity.

If you search for pictures of Venice, these will be the most popular scenes:

Many locations around St. Marks Basilica with sunrise shots, the Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the cafés, clock tower, gondolas bobbing in the Grand Canal, the columns of St. Mark and St. Theodore, the balustrade of St. Mark’s and the Bridge of Sighs.

From the Accademia Bridge looking down the Grand Canal to include palazzos and the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.

From the Rialto Bridge looking down the Grand Canal or shots of the Rialto Bridge from the fondamente (bank) on either side.

The clock tower of the church of San Giorgio Maggiore on the island of San Giorgio for views of St. Mark’s, the Giudecca Canal and the lagoon. It’s much less crowded than the tower at St. Mark’s and a better view of Venice.

Roof of Fondaco dei Tedeschi, which is a four-story “luxury goods mall” near the Rialto Bridge with a free roof deck – great views of the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge in the foreground, especially just before sunset.

The island of Burano with many colourful houses. But keep in mind that this is about 45 minutes by vaporetto each way, so it’s easily a half-day commitment.

Note that you can’t take photographs in many churches including St. Mark’s, the Frari or the Santa Maria dei Miracoli or in stunning buildings such as the Scuola Grande. However, they’re all worth touring, and if you really insist, you’ll be able to sneak shots with your phone.

Head for the fish and fruit markets near the Rialto bridge early in the morning. Great for street photography.

Look for the little “bacaro” bars in the lanes near the Rialto markets. Some are open starting at lunch and close early, while others go late into the night. They’re so small that crowds spill out into the laneways. Again, ideal for street shooting.

The Castello siestre on the far east end of Venice. For a contrast to the canals and narrow lanes, Castello features wide streets, a big green park and different views of the lagoon.

Set your camera up for a fast shutter speed and take the #1 or #2 vaporetto boat down the Grand Canal to shoot palazzos and the traffic on the water.

Find the Squero di San Trovaso, the last of the downtown gondola repair shops. You’ll shoot it from across the small canal – they don’t let you into the workshops. They’re busy.

Head for the tip of the Punta Della Dogano for views in all directions – the St. Mark’s area, up both the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, Giudecca island and up across to the church of San Giorgio Maggiore.

Along the Fondamente Zattere looking at Giudecca island which has a number of churches and interesting buildings.

You’ll find some of the most interesting locations in the back streets away from St. Mark’s. That includes the siestres of San Polo, Santa Croce, Dorsoduro and Cannaregio.

Look for details – windows, doors, door knockers (Venice has the best exotic door knockers), shop windows, statues, etc.

Find streets that dead end onto canals – often great vantage points.

Take a good look at the church steeples. Many of them are visibly leaning, in competition with the Tower of Pisa.

I encourage you to just wander, “get lost” with your eyes open. You’ll find your way back.

Before you get to Venice, download a Google map of Venice onto your phone. That way you can use it without data. You won’t get turn-by-turn directions, but you’ll get the blue dot to show you where you are and what direction you’re going in. Here’s how you download a Google map. Once you’ve done that, just tap the Google Maps icon as usual.

Or rent a Teppy portable WiFi and have WiFi wherever you go. Stop for a coffee, upload some shots.

Bring comfortable shoes. I walked up to 15 km a day.

Once you get there, consider getting a multi-day pass for the vaporettos. You can get a 1, 2, 3 or 7-day pass for unlimited use. Single vaporetto tickets are expensive for tourists, €7.50 per ticket, good for 75 minutes. They’re much less for Venetian citizens. However, a 7-day pass is €60. It’s really handy to not have to worry about buying a ticket every time and if you use it twice a day or more, you’re saving.

Another reason to buy a vaporetto pass – the platforms are often the best shooting locations looking up and down the canals.

Thoughts before taking this 11-day photo trip to Venice. Would it be worth it? Would I enjoy it? Yes and yes…

Read about the exceptional week we spent in Venice in September – including opera at La Fenice.

Join us in learning about Mariano Fortuny, a true renaissance man of Venice, and make sure you visit his palazzo.

Read about the extraordinary kindness from Italians we experienced every day in Italy.

Take advantage of our Top 5 Tips for visiting the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s in Rome.

This account of Monticchiello, a small Italian hilltop village, will open your eyes to its history and brush with annihilation.

We planned to go to Cinque Terre, but didn’t. Why not?

Travel Resources

There’s nothing like having WiFi wherever you go. We rented a Teppy portable WiFi and carried it with us everywhere. With a Teppy, you can connect your phones, tablets, laptops and gaming consoles just like you connect to WiFi at home.

Use the apps on your phone including your favorite GPS apps without paying expensive cellular service fees.

It’s also perfect for uploading pictures, sending emails or just web browsing. We also used it for online work on the road including web updates and social media.

Teppy portable WiFi works around the world. Try it on your next trip.

For hotel accommodation, we like Booking.com. Photographs show off the properties, and real reviews help you choose the hotel that’s best for you. You’ll find a great selection, current prices and pages that make booking easy.

Remember, Italy is one of the world’s most popular destinations and can get very busy, so book early to get the best selection and price.

Click here, and you’ll get $25 off your next reservation on Booking.com.

We’ve also rented Airbnb throughout USA and Europe. We wrote an article about renting Airbnb, 12 Tips for a Great Renting Experience to help you make the right decision. If it’s your first time renting Airbnb, click here to get the equivalent of $50 CDN off your first booking.

Along with the websites and other travel planning tools, we still like to have a guide book handy. We’ve tried them all, and these days we prefer Lonely Planet books.

Use our link to get 10% off your total order when you enter EARTHTRIPPERS10 during checkout, where it asks for the Discount Code. Please note, this offer is valid only in USA and Canada.

These days there are many things that can happen when you travel, aside from getting bumped from a flight. That’s why we always get insurance for our trips. It covers damage, loss or theft of our belongings, health issues and if necessary, emergency evacuation. Better safe than sorry.

Whether you’ve just booked your trip or are already underway, you can get covered by World Nomads. It’s one of the most popular insurance companies designed specifically for travellers. See if it’s right for you.

Note: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. If you click on them and buy something or book accommodation, we receive a small commission at absolutely no cost to you. This helps with the cost of operating this site.