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City guide · Italy
Fewer than 50,000 people now live in the historic centre, out of 249,466 in the commune as a whole in 2025, so on any ordinary day the island city is outnumbered several times over by its visitors. It is built on some 118 small islands, linked by 438 bridges and divided into six sestieri: Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, San Marco, San Polo and Santa Croce. Venice and its lagoon have been UNESCO-listed since 1987. Acqua alta is the thing to plan around: in November 2019 the tide reached 1.87 metres and more than 80% of the city stood under water.
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St Mark's Basilica is the cathedral church of the Patriarchate of Venice and stands at the eastern end of Piazza San Marco, attached to the Doge's Palace.
Santa Maria della Salute is a votive church standing at the mouth of the Grand Canal, raised by the Venetian Republic as a prayer and a thanksgiving for the city's deliverance from the plague of the seventeenth century.
San Giorgio Maggiore is a Benedictine basilica standing alone on its own island in the lagoon, directly across the water from the Piazzetta di San Marco.
The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is the Franciscan church of San Polo, and Venetians shorten its name to the Frari.
Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.