The Doge's Palace in Venice, an outstanding example of Gothic architecture, was the seat of the Doge and is now one of the most visited sights in the city. Originally built in the 9th century, the palace served as the residence and political centre of the Republic of Venice. Today's palace was built in the 14th and 15th centuries and impresses with its ornate façade, large inner courtyard and magnificent halls such as the Great Council Chamber and the Golden Hall.

St Mark’s Basilica, which was opened in 1092, was the state shrine of the Republic of Venice until 1797 and is now the cathedral of the Patriarch. The cathedral was built as a place of honour for the remains of St Mark, the city’s patron saint, and impresses with a mixture of Gothic and Byzantine architecture. As soon as you enter the cathedral through one of the five ornate portals, you get an extraordinary view of the church, which is decorated with marble mosaics and gold, giving it its name ‘golden basilica’. At the meeting point, you’ll find a VR experience that lets you explore St Mark’s Basilica in a completely new way. If you prefer an audio guide, simply install the basilica’s official app on your smartphone before you head inside — it’s an easy way to dive deeper into the history and artistry of this extraordinary cathedral.

The palace is one of the few Venetian noble palaces that is open to the public today, and provides a valuable insight into the life of the rich Venetian upper class in the 18th century. It now houses the Museo del Settecento Veneziano, with numerous works of art and interior decorations from one of the absolute heyday of Venetian painting and art. It contains works from the late Baroque, Rococo and early Classicism periods, including paintings and frescoes by Pietro Longhi, Canaletto, Francesco Guardi, and the father and son Tiepolo, as well as furniture and fittings that were brought here from other palaces and villas.

The museum is located at the historic palace of Podestà of Torcello, in Piazza Galuppi, Burano, seat of the famous Burano Lace School from 1872 to 1970. Rare and precious pieces offer a complete overview of the history and artistry of the Venetian and lagoon’s laces, from its origins to the present day are on display, in a picturesque setting decorated in the typical colours of the island.

The International Gallery of Modern Art in Ca’ Pesaro contains important 19th- and 20th-century collections of paintings and sculptures, including masterpieces by Gustav Klimt and Auguste Rodin and remarkable works by artists such as Medardo Rosso, Adolfo Wildt and Giacomo Balla, as well as a rich selection of works by other Italian artists and an important section on graphic art. The second floor of the monumental palace is home to temporary exhibitions and the third floor hosts the Museum of Oriental Art.

The museum's glass art collection is considered one of the most extensive in the world and is presented in seven chronologically arranged sections from antiquity to the present day. The last three sections of the exhibition are dedicated to the ‘rebirth’ of Murano glass, which has been in high demand again since the second half of the 19th century. You can admire both classical and Art Nouveau objects, as well as modern and contemporary works.

The museum presents a modern and varied exhibition. Visitors are actively involved in the exhibition and can thus easily grasp even complex topics. The ground floor of the Venice Natural History Museum, designed by Giancarlo Ligabue, houses two exhibition rooms: the Gallery of Whales and the Tegnue Aquarium. On the second floor, there are three sections: ‘In Search of Life’, dedicated to fossils and palaeontology; ‘Collecting to Wonder, Collecting for Research’, about the development of natural science collecting and the evolution of natural history collecting and scientific museology; ‘The Strategies of Life’, about the forms and functions of natural things. The Tegnùe aquarium: This five-metre aquarium holds more than 5,000 litres of water and re-creates the extraordinary eco-system of the tegnùe region and their rich varieties of animal life: more than 50 different species of fish and invertebrates.

The Museo Mariano Fortuny is considered a second location of the Museo d'Arte Pesaro. The Palazzo Pesaro Fortuny displays the works of the artist and designer Mariano Fortuny, as well as other works of modern art. On the first floor, you will find the former living space of Mariano Fortuny. The artist created the interior of his home, sometimes even inventing new techniques to bring his ideas to life. As a painter and a set-designer he was a renowned artist of his time, aiming to find the perfect lighting for both works and performances of art. In the Palazzo Fortuny Museum, today you can find paintings, photographs, and fabrics, all set up according to the vision of perfect lighting of the artist.

The museum houses the vast collections of ancient fabrics and clothes belonging to the Venice City Museums, with a section dedicated to perfume. It is meant to be a Study Centre for the history of fabrics, costumes and fashion. The rooms skilfully evoke the different aspects of the life and activities of a Venetian nobleman between the 17th and 18th century. The layout of the museum integrates the palazzo furnishings and paintings with a large number of works from different sectors and deposits of the Venice Civic Museums. After restoring and valorising canvases and pastels, furnishings and glass that had never been on display before, it w shows a rich and opulent display of luxurious elegance of former times.

The Scala Contarini del Bovolo, a spectacular spiral staircase, is an extension of the Gothic Palazzo Contarini. The building was commissioned by Pietro Contarini, the former owner of the palace, in the 15th century and is now one of the most famous Renaissance buildings. At the top of the staircase is a domed room that offers a wonderful view over Venice. The loggia on the second floor of the Scala del Bovolo leads to the representative hall of the Palazzo Contarini (Sala del Tintoretto), where paintings, sculptures and objects are exhibited that provide an exciting insight into the tastes of the Venetian patricians of that time.

In the 16th century, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco was completely remodelled. The famous Venetian painter Jacopo Tintoretto worked on this project for more than two decades and created some of his most important works here.

The Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista is one of the oldest confraternities in Venice and has existed since 1261. A visit is a journey through history, between Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo.

60-minute guided tour through Venice's famous opera house with history and architecture

Leonardo Da Vinci, who lived during the 15th and 16th centuries, is considered one of the greatest geniuses of all time as an artist, engineer, scientist and inventor.