Inspiring artists, poets and lovers for centuries, Venice has a reputation for romance that runs deep. But what if you’re not part of a couple, yet find yourself in Venice on Valentine’s Day — or amid the hordes of honeymooners any other time of year?
Visitors without a plus-one, take heart. The lagoon city has plenty of things to do and see that don’t require holding hands under glowing lamplights or gliding along in a gondola built for two. Love may be in the air, but you can stay grounded and embrace your independence, exploring Venetian sites and surroundings on your own terms and at your own pace. Here’s a starter’s guide.
Instead of a gondola, take a seat on the open deck of a waterbus
From Piazzale Roma or the Ferrovia E stop outside of Santa Lucia station, set sail aboard the Vaporetto (Line 1) for Venice’s most scenic (and cheapest) Grand Canal cruise. The waterbus chugs past a parade of opulent palazzi, such as the filigreed Ca’ d’Oro (now an art gallery) and Ca’ Pesaro, a prime example of Venetian Baroque. Slip beneath the Rialto Bridge and the wooden Ponte dell’Accademia, before drifting toward the church of Santa Maria della Salute. Just off to the side and kitty-corner from the Punta della Dogana — a former 15th-century customs house — catch sight of Venice’s centuries-strong calling card: St. Mark’s Basilica and its famous square. Instead of disembarking with the crowds at San Marco-Zaccaria, stay aboard a little while longer, until you reach the Arsenale “B” stop.
Tip: If the 1 is overflowing with people, you could instead take the faster and often less crowded Line 2 — you’ll just need to get off at San Marco Giardinetti and walk to Castello, if you want to follow our next suggestion.
Instead of St. Mark’s Square, explore Castello
After hopping off the vaporetto, start your self-guided walking tour through the Castello neighborhood — the largest and yet least visited of all the sestieri (historic districts) in Venice. Instead of big-ticket attractions, here you’ll find hole-in-the-wall businesses, boutiques, resident-geared market stalls and cultural centers. If staying overnight, you could check into Ca’ di Dio, which has ample character, but is far from the crushing Carnival and Valentine’s Day crowds you’ll find closer to St. Mark’s or to the Rialto Bridge.
Castello is also home to the Biennale Gardens — constructed by order of Napoleon in the 19th century, and site of the Biennale Arte Exhibitions even today — and the sprawling Arsenale, once the nucleus of the Venetian Republic’s naval industry.
Many visitors beeline for the Instagram-baity Acqua Alta bookshop, but consider alternative stops like the Libreria Editrice Filippi, the outpost of what claims to be the oldest publishing house in Venice; the Libreria Giovanni at the cultural center Fondazione Querini Stampalia; or, further out, the tiny Libreria di seconda mano (secondhand bookshop) on Fondamenta San Gioachin. En route to the latter, enjoy the lively neighborhood shops, markets and watering holes of Via Garibaldi — an example of what’s known locally as a rio terà, or a former canal transformed into a street.
Instead of panoramic lookout points, explore Venice’s darker corners
The area around St. Mark’s is always buzzing with lovebirds, but there’s a dark side to the square, too. Head back in that direction, but quell any romantic impulses of your own by diving deep into Venice’s power politics at Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace). The Gothic museum offers guided tours weaving through massive chambers and frescoed halls painted by such masters as Titian, Tintoretto and Bellini. Things grow less lovey-dovey by the minute, with the circuit culminating at the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) — the 17th-century covered stone span that links the palace to the ancient prisons. It was so named because it was the last view of Venice convicts got before being taken down to their windowless lockups. You can get all the macabre details on a Secret Itineraries Tour, which offers access to dark and dank dungeons, torture chambers, interrogation rooms and claustrophobia-inducing cells — including one graffiti-covered room from which Giacomo Casanova (ironically, Venice’s most famous lover-slash-lothario) escaped.
Instead of spa time, spoil yourself out and about
Leave the overpriced spa treatments to the Valentine’s Day crowd; you’ve got six sestieri to explore. Head to artsy Dorsoduro, home to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (whose patron was as famed for her libertine love life as she was for her art collecting). Treat yourself to a Select Spritz and a tramezzino (small sandwich) at a neighborhood café; we love the selection at Bar alla Toletta. If you’re instead after the best cicchetti — or “Venetian tapas” — in the area, try to snag a coveted seat at Osteria al Squero, across from an old gondola workshop, or enjoy standing-room-only small bites at Cantine del Vino già Schiavi. Afterward, buy yourself some flowers from a local florist (we love the charming corner stand between the deconsecrated Church of San Vidal and the Ponte dell’Accademia).
When evening strikes and the mood shifts, you could splurge on a cocktail at one of Venice’s high-end yet solo-friendly bars, many of which are spread across San Marco and San Polo without being directly in the thick of the action. Some of our favorite luxurious-yet-not-strictly-romantic spots are Library Bar at the opulent Nolinski Venezia, the plush indoor portion of Bar Longhi at the legendary Gritti Palace, or the striking yet cozy Il Mercante just opposite the Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. The point here is to slow down, sip well and unapologetically enjoy your sweet solitude.
Instead of a candlelit tourist restaurant, try a rowdy trattoria
When dinnertime rolls around, dine at a family-style trattoria; they’re low on both cooing couples and end-of-meal sticker shock. We love Trattoria dai Tosi, which is close to the Arsenale and full of Venetian regulars, or the wood-paneled, fixed-menu Trattoria Da’a Marisa (tel. +39 041720211), a 10-minute walk from Santa Lucia train station yet firmly off the radar of most visitors.
