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Don’t miss Venice’s museum (and the former house of Robert Browning) dedicated to the 18th century. This palazzo, which took twenty years to restore before it reopened, in 2001, contains a wonderful selection of art and furniture. It’s often compared to New York’s Frick for the way it showcases art and antiques in a grand house setting.

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Peggy Guggenheim’s incredible collection, which includes major works by Picasso, Pollock, Kandinsky and Ernst, is on view at her former home: the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni. The wealthy American eccentric, who reportedly loved to sunbathe nude on her terrace and was the last person in Venice to have a private gondola, is buried here alongside her fourteen dogs. Closed Tuesday.

Ca’ d’Oro’s façade may no longer be gold, as the name suggests, but this palazzo is one of the best preserved along the Grand Canal, and lovers of Gothic Byzantine-style architecture should not miss it. The collection on view inside includes 16th-century Flemish tapestries, paintings by Titian and Andrea Mantegna and furniture.

Yes, it’s almost always crowded, but you should still go to see the finest collection of Venetian paintings in the world, including works by Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto and Carpaccio.

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As insider Francesca Bortolotto Possati says in her insider tips, “While most tourists flock to see the façade of the famous basilica on St. Marks Square, few realize that you can visit the Sansovino-designed Marciana Library inside, which lies across the square.” It has gorgeous interiors and a spectacular collection of rare books and maps, which you can be shown with a docent.

The special exhibits at the Correr museum are always worth seeing. Currently, there’s a fascinating show called “Sargent and Venice.” An American painter born in Florence in 1856, John Singer Sargent was drawn to Venice, whose people and landscapes he painted for forty-some years. The exhibit includes sixty of his watercolors and oils. It’s a great conclusion to a day of sightseeing, during which you have seen many of his motifs up close and personal. Through July 22, 2007.

The last palazzo to be erected in Venice before the fall of the Republic, in the late 18th century, the Grassi now hosts exhibitions drawn mainly from the vast contemporary-art collection that French businessman François Pinault assembled over more than thirty years. Originally, the publicity-shy billionaire had planned on exhibiting his extraordinary art—including works by Jeff Koons, Cy Twombly, Brice Marden and Damien Hirst—in France, but after French red tape delayed the project several times, Pinault moved his treasures to Venice (he also brought along architect Tadeo Ando to renovate the building and former French minister of culture and communication Jean-Jacques Aillagon to serve as the director). Apparently Pinault has taken a liking to the city: in April, he beat out the Guggenheim Foundation in the bidding on the right to turn an unused Grand Canal customs house into a new museum, which is slated to open in 2009.

Renaissance fans ought to check out this magnificent building, in the Castello district. From 2000 to 2004, Save Venice (www.savevenice.org), a United States–based nonprofit organization, spearheaded the restoration of the structure’s intricate façade, which is adorned with pillars and statues.