Hotels near Piazza San Marco

Napoleon famously called Piazza San Marco "the drawing room of Europe" and the description still fits. The 175-metre by 82-metre square is the only piazza in Venice (every other square is a campo) and the geographic and ceremonial centre of the city. It is bordered on three sides by the arcaded Procuratie - 16th-century buildings that once housed the procurators of St Mark - and on the fourth by the Basilica and Doge's Palace.

The square sees everything: pigeons and selfie sticks at midday, classical orchestras duelling between Caffe Florian (open since 1720) and Caffe Quadri at sunset, and full submersion under acqua alta tides several times a winter. A coffee at one of the outdoor tables runs around EUR 12-15, but you are paying for one of the most theatrical settings in Europe. For free, walk the perimeter and look up at the Torre dell'Orologio - the blue-and-gold astronomical clock from 1499 - and the Bocca di Leone postboxes once used for anonymous denunciations during the Republic.

Pro Tip: Visit at 7 am before the cruise crowds arrive. The square is empty, the cafe orchestras are silent, and the early light on the basilica's facade is the cleanest shot you will get all day.