Upon arrival in Venice, we suggest heading east, towards the Castello area. Here you’ll see the most genuine side of Venice, with clothes hanging from the balconies, local shops and fascinating historic bookstores. This area is also an important cultural hub thanks to the presence of the Arsenale and the Biennale, not to mention some of the greenest places of the city, like I Giardini and the island of Sant’Elena. During your second day in Venice, we suggest catching a ferry to the beautiful Venetian islands. There would be plenty worth seeing, but the ones we recommend are the most peculiar: Murano, Burano and Torcello.