Venice is the most expensive city in Italy. The coffee in Piazza San Marco – EuropeR 9 espresso at Caffe Florian, the 1720 cafe where Casanova, Byron, and Dickens drank (EuropeR 9 is not for the coffee – the coffee is good, but it is not EUR 9 good – it is for the orchestra, the velvet chairs, the gilded mirrors, and the sense of drinking coffee in a painting) – is the price of the postcard Venice. EuropeR 3 ticket for the vaporetto (the water bus, the essential Venice transport – a single journey, valid for 75 minutes, and the cheapest way to see the Grand Canal) and the free entrance to the basilica di San Marco (the golden mosaics, the Pala d’Oro, and the view from the loggia that costs EUR 5 – the loggia is worth it, the basilica is free) are the smarter Venice. Venice can be done on a budget, and the free and the cheap Venice – the walking, the churches, and the views – is, in many ways, the better Venice. Here are 12 free things to do.

1. Walk the Grand Canal – from Santa Lucia to San Marco

The Grand Canal is 3.8 km long, and the walk along the banks – the fondamenta – is the best free experience in Venice: the palazzi (the Ca’ d’Oro, the Ca’ Rezzonico, the Palazzo Grassi – the 200 palaces that line the canal, the most beautiful street in the world, the architecture spanning 500 years), the gondole (the black gondolas, the gondolieri, the striped shirts – the iconic Venice that costs EUR 80 for 30 minutes, and the view is better from the bridge), and the Rialto Bridge (the oldest of the four bridges, 1591, the view of the canal – the most famous view in Venice, the crowds, the selfie sticks, and the reason you are here). The walk takes 45 minutes (if you do not stop), and you will stop – the palazzi, the reflections, and the sudden views that open up at every corner.

2. The basilica di San Marco – the golden church

The basilica is free, and the queue – up to an hour in the summer – is the price. The essential strategy: book a free timed reservation online (the “skip the line” is technically free but requires a EUR 2 booking fee – the best EUR 2 you will spend in Venice), arrive at your time slot, and walk straight in. The mosaics – 8,000 m2 of gold, glass, and marble, the oldest from the 11th century, the story of the Bible told in gold – are one of the most beautiful things in Italy. The free areas: the main basilica and the Museo di San Marco (the museum, the view from the loggia – the Piazza San Marco from above – is EUR 5 and worth it). The Pala d’Oro: the golden altarpiece, 1,900 gems, the most valuable object in Venice. ~EUR 5 to enter the sanctuary – worth it. The Treasury: the relics and the treasures brought back from the Fourth Crusade (the sack of Constantinople, 1204 – the Venetians diverted the crusade from Jerusalem to Constantinople and returned with the most valuable loot in European history). ~EUR 5. More Italy –

3. The Rialto Market

The fish market, the fruit and vegetable market – the 1,000-year-old market, the heart of the city, and the best free show in Venice. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 7.30am-1pm. Go early – the market wakes up at dawn and the best produce is gone by 9am.

4. The Scala Contarini del Bovolo – the spiral staircase

The “snail” staircase, the external spiral of white Istrian stone, the view from the top. Free to view from the outside; ~EUR 8 for the climb. The outside is the photograph.

5. The Libreria Acqua Alta – the high-water bookshop

The books stored in bathtubs and a gondola, the cats, the staircase of books, and the view of the canal from the back. Free, and the most charming bookshop in Europe.

6. The Jewish Ghetto

The first ghetto in the world – the word “ghetto” is Venetian, from the foundry – getto – that occupied the site – and the synagogues, the kosher restaurants, and the quietest corner of the city. Free to walk.

7. The Campo Santa Margherita

The square of the students, the Venetians, and the locals – the bars, the market on the weekends, and the atmosphere of the Venice that exists outside the tourist trail. A spritz costs EUR 3 here – a quarter of the San Marco price.

8. The Ponte dell’Accademia

The wooden bridge, the view of the Grand Canal – the Salute church, the dome, and the canal curving away towards the basin of San Marco. The second-best view in Venice, and free.

9. The Zattere – the southern waterfront

The Giudecca Canal, the sun, and the gelato at Da Nico (the best gelato in Venice, ~EUR 2.50 – not free, but close enough).

10. The basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

The great plague church – the most beautiful church in Venice from the outside, and free inside. The Tintoretto paintings, the Titian, and the silence.

11. The island of San Giorgio Maggiore

The Palladian church, the bell tower – the best view of Venice, better than the Campanile di San Marco, and less crowded. The vaporetto to the island costs EUR 3, the church is free, and the campanile is EUR 8.

12. The sunset on the Riva degli Schiavoni

The waterfront promenade, the lagoon, the silhouette of San Giorgio, and the free, beautiful, democratic Venice that belongs to everyone.