What to do in Venice beyond St. Mark’s: tours and experiences to discover the lagoon

There are many ways to experience Venice.

There are the places everyone wants to see at least once: St. Mark’s Square, Rialto Bridge and the Doge’s Palace.

And then there is a quieter Venice, made of islands, water, small villages, boats and landscapes that reveal a completely different side of the city when seen from the lagoon.

For guests staying at Russo Palace Hotel, choosing the Lido means having the opportunity to experience both.

On one side, the historic centre, easily reached by vaporetto. On the other, the sea, the lagoon and an island where life moves at a slower pace.

And from Lido, you can discover Venice in a different way through the experiences organised by Destination Venice.

Discover the lagoon by boat

To truly understand Venice, you also need to see it from the water.

A boat tour allows you to leave the most familiar routes behind and discover the lagoon from a different perspective.

Islands, salt marshes, small canals and less-visited places reveal a Venice that feels very different from the one you experience while walking through its narrow streets.

Destination Venice offers boat experiences designed to explore the lagoon and some of its most authentic islands.

An ideal way to spend a day discovering not monuments, but landscapes.

Burano: colours, traditions and life on the water

Burano is one of the best-known islands in the Venetian Lagoon, but stepping away from its busiest streets reveals a place with a strong identity, shaped by colourful houses, traditions and everyday life.

A guided tour allows you to discover the island through its stories, rather than simply through photographs.

It is an opportunity to experience Venice from a completely different perspective: that of the people who live in the lagoon.

And for guests staying on Lido, exploring the islands means continuing the journey with water remaining at the heart of the experience.

Murano and the art of glassmaking

Another experience worth including in a Venetian stay is a visit to Murano.

Here, glassmaking has become an essential part of the island’s identity. Watching artisans at work helps reveal how much skill, knowledge and patience lie behind objects that can appear simply beautiful.

A guided tour can turn a quick visit into an encounter with a centuries-old tradition.

And perhaps even an opportunity to choose a small piece of Venetian craftsmanship to take home.

Venice beyond the usual routes

One of the advantages of choosing a local company such as Destination Venice is the opportunity to go beyond the classic itinerary.

Discover a lesser-known island.

Cruise through the lagoon.

Meet local artisans and discover traditional crafts.

Hear stories that are difficult to find in a conventional guidebook.

These experiences do not replace a first visit to St. Mark’s.

They complete it.

Because once you have seen the Venice everyone knows, you naturally begin to look for the Venice that belongs above all to those who live here.

From Russo Palace to a different Venice

Russo Palace Hotel, on Venice Lido, can be the ideal starting point for creating a tailor-made stay.

A morning in the historic centre.

An afternoon on the lagoon.

A day exploring the islands.

A walk along Lido at sunset.

The beauty of staying here is being able to alternate discovering the city with quieter moments, returning each evening to a hotel overlooking the lagoon.

Venice is not simply a destination to see.

It is a place to explore.

And sometimes, to truly discover it, all you need to do is move a few minutes away from its most famous squares.

Ask our team to help you choose the experience that best suits your stay and let the lagoon show you another side of Venice.