But not all of those tourists just go away with happy thoughts. Many wealthy ones return to Venice to purchase an overpriced palazzo for occasional use. Carlo, our favorite winebar owner, tells us with sorrow that there are only 20,000 "real" Venetians left.
Another interesting statistic: the Venice Tourist Bureau reports that 50% of tourists who visit Venice will see no more of the city than St. Mark's Square. Yet tourists will feel it's worth every Euro they spend. And if they spend it sitting in an outdoor cafe in the Piazza San Marco, that's saying a lot.
Our Venice photo essay begins with pictures of canal-side buildings, famous and infamous, carries on with pictures of those famous gondolas, takes you to St. Mark's early in the morning, and finishes with a view from the Rialto Bridge. You can start at the first Venice picture and make your way through the whole photo set, or start at any category below. Enjoy.
Venice Pictures
Palazzi - Pictures of Buildings in Venice
Pictures of waterside palaces we'd all like to live in some day.
Venice Gondola Pictures
The symbols of Venice, these boats ply tourists through the canals day after day. The Naval Museum near the Arsenal explains in English how these boats are designed, and has some interesting examples.
St. Mark's - Early Morning
If you get up real early (like, say, 5:30) you can visit the Piazza San Marco in relative solitude. It's a different view from the one you'll get just hours later, after the tourists have downed their breakfasts and made their assault on the city.
St. Mark's - Late Afternoon
By this time the place is hopping with pigeon-feeders, artists, drinkers, and musicians.
View from the Rialto Bridge
A classic look down the Grand Canal.
The Doge's Palace - Venice Pictures of Opulence and Despair
It's a fine, opulent palace that leads you right to a dank prison. The contrast is quite amazing. You can buy a museum card at the Correr Museum for €9.50 that includes the Doge's Palace. Hint: Buy your museum card at the Correr, visit the museum, stopping for one of the more reasonable cups of coffee (for this high-rent district anyway) at the museum bar where there's a decent view of San Marco, then return to San Marco the following morning when the Doges's Palace opens. You can manage to get in before they even start selling tickets--and the Doge's Palace is a much more enchanting place without the tourist hordes.
Venice's Naval History
From the Arsenale to the Naval History Museum, a little trip that's worth the cheap admission. You can find out more in our article
Venice Naval History Museum.
Venice - Miscellaneous Pictures
My favorite campo (with a discussion on campo vs. piazza) and a picture of a strange door. Venice is magnificent, but derived from humble beginnings. Who can describe it properly?
And when you're done, you might want to look over the rest of our Italy Pictures or, if you're planning a trip, see our Italy Map and Essentials.
Venice Pictures © James Martin, licensed to About.
