The Top 3 Venice Churches That You Shouldn't Miss Out On

Whether you decide to use water taxis to travel around Venice or walk through the streets to explore your surroundings, here are the top 3 Venice churches that you shouldn't miss out on while in the city, no matter what.

After landing near the city at a Venice airport, you can now take a basic and quick ride on an airport boat that will send you straight into the city center, so that you can either visit one of the main attractions right away or go straight to your hotel. By cursing through the Grand Canal, you can save on a lot of time, in general - time that you can spend experiencing more of the culture, sights and history of Venice, Italy instead.

Generally speaking, Venice consists of 118 islands, all of which are connected by bridges and canals. On the main islands, people do not use any cars and merely travel on boats to go from place to place. As such, you have the choice to either use their unique water taxis to travel, or to walk through the streets as you explore some of the most amazing churches in the city. Here are the top 3 Venice churches that you shouldn't miss out on, no matter what.

San Giacomo dell'Orio

San Giacomo dell'Orio is one of the oldest Venitian churches. This small church was founded in 555 A.D. and is dedicated to St. James the Great. Since it is located inside the winding streets of Venice, though, you won't actually be able to see it from the boat that you come in. However, once you do spot San Giacomo dell'Orio, you will instantly feel like a part of the city's vast history. The tall campanile of the church was rebuilt twice - once in 1225 and once in 1360. You can also find a painting by Francesco Bassano inside of St. John the Baptist preaching.

San Marco

One of the churches that you will see the minute you arrive at the main city piazza on your boat will be San Marco, which takes up most of San Marco Piazza. This church is a very famous example of Byzantine architecture and is connected to the Doge's Palace since it was meant to function as the Doge's chapel back in 828 A.D.  Although the actual structure was built in 1094, its famous areas weren't added on until the 14th century. These include the antique Greek horses that were placed on the basilica back in 1254, but can now be found inside the actual church.

San Pietro Martire

Before you go back to a Venice airport and face the real world back home, your trip to Venice wouldn't be complete without visiting Murano's famous glass islands, where you can also find the San Pietro Martire. This church was built in 1363 and is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It had to be rebuilt in 1511, though, because it became prey to a huge fire. Fortunately, the original ceiling, frescos and pillars are still intact inside. The highlights of this particular church are still intact, as well: two paintings originally made by Giovanni Bellini for the Doge's palace. Back in the day, the San Pietro Martire also housed the St. Thomas Aquinas Altarpiece by Carpaccio and Allegory of the Battle of Lepanto by Veronese, but these have been transferred to different locations now.