Venice gives art lovers far more than one gallery day. Start at the Gallerie dell'Accademia, home to the largest collection of Venetian painting, where Giorgione's The Tempest, Titian's Pietà, Carpaccio's St Ursula cycle, and Veronese's Feast in the House of Levi are among its highlights, across 37 halls. Check which works are on view before you go.

Then cross to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection for 20th-century European and American art in Peggy Guggenheim's former home on the Grand Canal. Ca' Rezzonico and Ca' Pesaro add more museum options, and in years when the Biennale Arte runs, check its program for contemporary exhibitions.

A day on the lagoon shows a different side of Venice. On Murano, the Glass Museum occupies the former residence of the bishops of Torcello and holds the world's largest historical collection of Murano glass, with pieces from the 15th to the 20th century.

Continue to Burano, where the Lace Museum traces five centuries of Venetian lace-making through around 200 original pieces. Torcello, which the city's tourism office calls the original Venice, is home to the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, and a St Mark's Basilica ticket also covers a visit there within six months.

Venice's calendar gives many trips a clear focus. Carnival brings winter celebrations to the city, and the 2027 edition runs January 23–February 9, 2027, according to the official Carnival site.

In July, the Festa del Redentore brings Venetians out onto boats and terraces with sarde in saor. Every November 21, the Festa della Salute sees a bridge of boats built across the Grand Canal to Santa Maria della Salute. In Biennale years, art or architecture exhibitions add another draw, so check official dates for every event before you book.