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Elegance and opulence sit side by side in what Napoleon named “the drawing room of Europe”. This magnificent square is adorned with monuments that give testimony to Venice’s glorious past (see Piazza San Marco).

Venice’s fairytale cathedral is pure Byzantine in essence, while its façade and interior have been embellished with resplendent mosaics and exquisite works of art through the ages (see Basilica San Marco).

This was the powerhouse of the city’s rulers for nearly 900 years. Passing through a maze of rooms gives visitors an insight into the sumptuous lifestyle that so often accompanied state affairs (see Doge’s Palace).

The city’s majestic watercourse swarms with all manner of boats, while its embankments boast a dazzling succession of palaces dating back as early as the 13th century (see Grand Canal).

The design of this most famous Venetian bridge at the narrowest point of the Grand Canal was hotly contested – leading 16th-century architects Michelangelo, Sansovino and Palladio all entered the competition, but lost out to the imposing winning project of 1588–91 by Antonio da Ponte. There were two previous bridges on this site; a timber bridge which collapsed in 1444 under the weight of a crowd, then a drawbridge, raised for the passage of tall-masted sailing ships (see Rialto Market).

This Mediterranean fresh produce market has enlivened this quayside since medieval times and is arguably still the best market in the world (see Rialto Market).

In the morning and late afternoon this area functions as a lively open-air produce market. In autumn the air is thick with the aroma of roasting chestnuts.

Few passers-by manage not to be tempted by the great value velvety bathrobes, cut-price bed linen and fluffy towels here.

A favourite subject for artists, this unusual three-arched high bridge dating from 1688 crosses the Cannaregio canal close to where it joins the lagoon. It was the work of engineer Andrea Tirali, nicknamed Tiranno (the tyrant) by his employees.