Venice: Escape the crowds – 10 alternative highlights

If you're on a painting holiday in Venice, most likely you'll want to see some of the city's most historic and beautiful attractions, but don't forget to look for some hidden gems as well. Simply by avoiding the signposted routes to San Marco, Rialto or the train station, you can have parts of Venice virtually to yourself. And if you’ve ticked your must-see boxes and want to explore a little – or if you simply want to get off the tourist trail – the city has plenty more to offer.

So here are ten less crowded alternatives to some of the big-ticket sights that will still look sensational on your Facebook status updates.

1 Torcello

After visiting the glass-blowing shops on the island of Murano, and snapping the colourful houses reflected in the waters of Burano island, ferry-hop to Torcello: a remarkably quiet and rural-feeling island where sheep outnumber the handful of residents.

2 Teatro Malibran

La Fenice gets the limelight, but the tiny theatre of Teatro Malibran has a sumptuous charm of its own – as well as world-class opera.

3 Campo San Barnaba

Near the Accademia Gallery, this square is the most delightfully local in the city, with bustling cafes and shops more intimate and Venetian than the grand showcase of San Marco.

4 Ghetto

Once a foundry, segregated because of fire risk, this area – northwest of the city near the rail station – became the enforced home of Venice’s Jews in medieval times: the world’s first ghetto. The legacy lives on in its square, shops and synagogues.

5 Arsenale

Venice’s naval might was based in Arsenale, the old shipyards. Beyond it, in the Castello area, are quiet churches and corners far from the San Marco tourist groups. Wander at random through the neighbourhood bars and shops.

6 Guggenheim collection

If all those lavish Titians, Tintorettos and Veroneses in the Accademia Gallery and others start to blur, try this collection of modern art on the Grand Canal: everything from Picasso to Pollock, in peace.

7 San Giorgio Maggiore

Long queue for the view from San Marco’s bell tower? On Giudecca, a short boat ride south from San Marco, Palladio’s blinding white marble church has a tower with views just as sweeping – but with a fraction of the visitors.

8 Madonna dell’Orto

A good walk to the north of the city, this magnificently restored, quiet gem was Tintoretto’s church (his studio was nearby). He’s buried here and many of his works are on display.

9 Kayak the canals

Various companies offer self-propelled or guided tours of the canals by kayak – the best way to see hidden Venice from the water.

10 Bike the Lido

Get away from it all on two wheels. Central Venice is cycle-free, but on the nearby island of Lido, you can hire bikes and breeze along the seafront to a quiet summer beach.

Venice: Must-sees and must-dos – 10 essentials

Venice is unlike anywhere else. A car-free set of islands on stilts, where canals take the place of roads. A film-set of grand palaces, mansions and villas, virtually unchanged since the 1700s. A gorgeous time-capsule of architecture, art and music from centuries of shipping and trading wealth.

It’s flooding more than ever, the buildings are gently crumbling, the locals are gradually moving out – but it’s still one of the great must-visits of the world. And no citybreak destination has more must-sees or must-dos for the visitor. And now with Flavours of Italy's new Painting Holiday in Venice coming in 2013, we'll take a look at ten of Venice's essential attractions.

1 Grand Canal

Public transport isn’t usually like this. Take a boat trip past waterfront palaces and under the iconic Rialto bridge. The ideal introduction to Venice – a Canaletto come jaw-droppingly to life.

2 Rialto Markets

Piles of fish, fruit and vegetables, and – if you get here early morning, before the tourists arrive – a genuine local buzz.

3 Piazza San Marco

The heart of Venice, and arguably the world’s most beautiful square. The sweep of majestic buildings will take your breath away. As will the price of a coffee – but there’s nowhere better in the world to enjoy a people-watching cappuccino.

4 Basilica di San Marco

The awesome cathedral, with 800 years of golden and bejewelled architecture, and enough mosaics to cover a football pitch, is a world-class attraction on its own.

5 Palazzo Ducale

What other government building would dare have gold-lined staircases, Tintoretto ceilings, and paintings by Veronese? In Venice’s heyday, style and luxury mattered as much as authority.

6 Campanile di San Marco

Take a lift to the top of the bell-tower for breathtaking views of the city, the lagoon, even – on a clear day – the Alps.

7 Explore the alleys

Get a good map and wander those narrow, pedestrian-only back alleys. Just when you think you’re lost forever in the 17th century, a lovely square appears to save you with a cafe.

8 La Fenice

Reopened in 2003 after a fire – its name appropriately means ‘phoenix’ – and fully restored to its 19th-century splendour. Not just opera, but also orchestral and chamber concerts; or simply take a tour.

9 Gondola ride

Expensive (80 euros is the going rate per boatload) but one of the world’s great experiences, especially at dusk when the buildings are floodlit and Venice has a luminous magic of its own.

10 Ice-cream and liqueur

Finish your day the Venetian way, in one of its countless cafe-ringed squares. Paolin, in Campo Santo Stefano, is a good (and affordable) bet.