Venice
The best introduction to Venice is a boat ride on the Grand Canal, and it doesn't really matter whether the vessel is a velvet-cushioned gondola or a utilitarian vaporelto (public water bus). The S-shaped canal slices the city in half, and lining each side are an astonishing collection of buildings dating back to the I2th century. Some of the baroque palaces look as elegant as they did when the doges ruled the city, while other architectural gems are crumbling into the murky sea.
As you travel along Venice's main street, you'll also see what life is like in a city without automobiles. Cargo barges ply the narrow waterway along with police and fireboats. Classic, wooden cabin cruisers take tourists to luxury hotels, while skilled gondoliers serenade lovers as they negotiate the sleek black vessels under bridges and around bends. Venice's canals are a visual parade that shouldn't be missed.
Once you have an overview from the water, set out on foot. Pick up a map, but expect to get lost—it's an inevitable part of the experience. Streets meander across canals, through plazas and around buildings, changing names as well as direction. If that isn't confusing enough, some close in the winter because of high water.
You'll want to spend most of a day seeing the sights around St. Mark's Square. The Doge's Palace offers a fascinating look at how the city's leaders lived and managed the republic, while the colorful religious mosaics at St. Mark's Basilica are some of the most stunning in the world. Take in the view from the top of the Campanile if it's a sunny day. (Beware of the plaza's most aggressive residents—pigeons delight in dive-bombing unsuspecting newcomers on the ground.)

From the square it's an easy walk to the Rialto Bridge, where you can browse the shops and enjoy canal views in both directions. Across the Grand Canal from San Marco is Dorsoduro, where you'll find two very different museums. The Gallerie del'Accademia is the city's signature art repository, containing the best works of the prolific Italian Renaissance painters. A few blocks away but worlds apart is the Guggenheim Collection, a canal-front palazzo that was fashioned into a modern and avant-garde art gallery by an American heiress.
A host of other sights—from the Jewish Ghetto to the city's many ornate churches, along with the islands of Murano and Burano—should be visited, as many as your time allows. But we caution you to use your time well: A moonlit walk along the canal or an early morning stroll through the winding streets of a secluded residential area can prove just as illuminating as a tour of the city's major attractions.