San Marco - Piazza San Marco, Basilica dei San Marco and the Doge's Palace

A must stop for all tourists in Venice is Piazza San Marco. Its a beautiful square, filled with open air restaurants, gelato stands, souvenir stands, a historical clock tower that you can tour, and its surrounded by the Doge's Palace and the Basilica dei San Marco.

However, because this is the must stop for every tourist in the city, including the day trippers on cruise liners, it can get crowded. And, if you want to tour the basilica or the Doge's Palace, you could be waiting in a very long line.

Also, the restaurants in this square are very pricey. Granted, you are paying for the location - in the square and right by the Grand Canal. And a few of them have live music and outdoor dining or nice days. However, if you walk a few blocks off of the Piazza in any direction, you'll find delicious restaurants at half the price - for both the entrees, drinks and seating charge.

If you want to tour the basilica, I recommend getting there early. We were there about half an hour before the basilica opened and the line was already forming.

Reserve a specialized tour for the Doge's Palace online before you head for your trip and you can skip the ticketing line in the piazza. We did the Secret Itineraries tour, which takes guests to areas that are normally off-limits in the palace, and was a very interesting tour, to boot.

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