Fathom Favorites: Venice
There’s nothing demure about La Serenissima.
One city, made of 118 islands, filled with thousands of treasures, seen by millions of tourists. Look, it’s popular for a reason, and you shouldn’t be discouraged from planning a trip to Venice, though we strongly suggest a visit in the off-season because this gorgeous city is the global poster child for overtourism, and we all need to do our bit to alleviate this. Anyway, it’s better in April than in August.
Fathom Favorites are designed as easy to use, tightly edited lists. Herein are timeless classics, new thrillers, local standbys, and surprises, like:
the choice spots for bacari, cicchetti, and ombre
baroque concerts performed in costumes
Latin and Japanese menus (it’s not all Italian)
affordable hotels with even better gardens
300-year-old caffès still going strong
If instead of this cheat sheet, you want a day-by-day plan you can follow, you’ll want to buy our 3-day downloadable itinerary, A Few Days in Venice. It’s like having a concierge in your pocket. (We also have them for Rome, Florence, and The Amalfi Coast.)
Andiamo!
Restaurants
No, you’re not imagining it. Seafood is the name of the game around here.
al Covino — Venetian cuisine with Neapolitan accent.
al Covo — seasonal menu inspired by the fishy bounty of the lagoon.
al Giardinetto — traditional seafood with a lovely garden.
Anice Stellato — out of the way? No, worth the walk.
Antiche Carampane — sorta hidden, totally beloved seafood trattoria.
Bacán — Latin American flavors, fun, and mezcal.
Corte Sconta — updated take on Venetian classics.
da Fiore — excellent bacaro in front, trattoria in back.
da Riccardo — don’t argue. Eat whatever he feeds you.