Grand Canal.

Venice’s ultimate main street is a four-kilometer, reverse-S-shaped waterway that showcases the city exactly as it was meant to be seen: from the water. Lined with over 170 historic buildings dating from the 13th to the 18th centuries, the Grand Canal is a floating gallery of Venetian wealth and power, where Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance palaces rise straight out of the tide. Just four bridges span its width, including the iconic Rialto and the modern Ponte della Costituzione. While gondolas offer a traditional splurge, boarding the Vaporetto Line 1 is the most practical way to cruise past landmarks like the Ca’ d’Oro and Santa Maria della Salute. It remains a bustling, working transit corridor where delivery boats, water taxis, and commuters constantly share the waves.