There are daily direct flights to Venice from Bristol and a number of London airports.

• Currency: Euro 
• Time difference: GMT +1 
• Flight from UK: 2 hours 10 minutes 
• Visa: Visa not required for UK passport holders 
• Language: Italian 
• Regional drink: Spritz – white wine, Campari and soda water 
• Regional dish: Seafood dishes including squid ink risotto

Venice Activities

A trip to Venice would not be complete without gliding along the canals in a gondola, punted by a red-and-white striped shirted gondolier. For the best views of the city head to the top of the Campanile di San Marco or Campanile di San Giorgio bell towers. Artistic and cultural entertainment abounds here – take in an opera at La Fenice, the annual masked Carnevale takes places before Lent and every two years Biennale is held with film, music, theatre and art festivals.

Venice Food & Drink

A lagoon city, it comes as no surprise that fish and seafood dominate the menus of Venice’s restaurants. Must-try traditional Veneto dishes (the area where Venice is located) are bigoli in salsa a plate of whole-wheat bigoli pasta with onions and cured fish and sarde in soar, sweet-and-sour sardines served with onions, pine nuts and raisins. For pre-dinner tipples try a spritz or bubbly prosecco, paired with cicchetti, the Venetian version of tapas.

Venice Attractions

The only square to be given the title ‘piazza’ in Venice, the Piazza San Marco is undoubtedly La Serenissima’s top attraction. Edged by cafés and impressive buildings the main draw-card is the Basilica di San Marco named after the city’s patron saint and housing an exceptional number of Byzantine gold mosaics. For your art-hit head to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection home to works by Dali Picasso – keep in mind most galleries and museums are closed on Mondays.