Venice attractions: what to see and do in winter Winter 2013/14 events and exhibitions Carnevale di Venezia Venice's pre-Lenten revelries take place across the city with a host of musical, theatrical and popular folklore-inspired events attended by huge crowds of masked partiers. February 15-March 4. See www.carnevale.venezia.it Christmas and New Year Christmas festivities are low-key in Venice, but there are two events of note. The New Year's Day swim off the Lido (www.lidovenezia.it) attracts scores of hardy folk, while the Regata delle Befane (www.bucintoro.it) on January 6 is a rowing race along the Grand Canal for those aged over 50, who are required to dress up as La Befana - an ugly witch that dispenses sweets to well-behaved children and lumps of coal to naughty ones. Peggy Guggenheim Collection Everyone's favourite eccentric art collector, the redoubtable Peggy assembled a remarkable yet still intensely personal portofolio of modernist and surrealist art, including major works by Picasso, Magritte and Jackson Pollock. The gardens are lovely, the museum shop is the best in Venice, and the bar/cafè makes a good lunch or tea stop. Its current exhibition - The Avant-gardes of Fin-de-Siècle Paris: Signac, Bonnard, Redon, and their Contemporaries (until January 6, 2014) - features 100 paintings and works from the French avant-garde artwork of the late 19th century with a focus on the Neo-Impressionist, Nabi, and Symbolist movements. See www.guggenheim-venice.it Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana These two historic containers - the first an 18th-century Grand Canal palazzo that once belonged to Fiat, the second Venice's old customs house - together contain the contemporary art collection of a French billionaire François Pinault. In Palazzo Grassi (below), selected works are displayed in a series of long-running themed exhibitions, while Punta della Dogana - whose radical interior was entirely refitted by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando - houses the works of a roster of contemporary heavyweights, from Jeff Koons to Damien Hirst. Current exhibitions include more than 30 paintings by Rudolf Stingel at the Palazzo Grassi (until June 1, 2014), and Prima Materia at the Punta della Dogana, featuring thought-provoking installations (until December 31, 2013). See www.palazzograssi.it Teatro La Fenice Winter performances at the city's opera house include Rossini's "La Scale di Seta" (January 17-25) and "The Barber of Seville" (February 20-March 20), Mozart's "La Clemenza di Tito" (January 24-February 1) and Verdi's "La Traviata" (February 15-March 15). See www.teatrolafenice.it More winter exhibitions Landscape paintings by Pietro Bellotti at the Ca'Rezzonico - "Canaletto's nephew and the younger brother of Bernardo Bellotti. Born in Venice in 1725, he developed a manner that was very different to that of the Canaletto "clan" of which he was a part, despite exploiting the fame of his uncle." - December 7, 2013 - April 28, 2014. See www.visitmuve.it Camera 1953/1964: the years of Romeo Martinez at Ca" Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art - "Camera magazine, published since the early 1920s in Switzerland, became an international point of reference for photography during the 1950s and 1960s, thanks to the work of Romeo Martinez (1911-1990), who was its editor from 1953 to 1964. This phase is reconstructed in the exhibition, and material from Martinez's own private archive will also be on display." - December 12, 2013 - February 16, 2014. Anna Moro Lin: the nature of things at Casa di Carlo Goldoni - "Using her favourite materials - paper, gauze, fibre - the artist has tried to show the changing nature of things, their fragility and perishable qualities." December 13, 2013 - February 25, 2014. Other key attractions in Venice include St Mark's Square and Basilica, the Doge's Palace, the Gallerie dell'Accademia, and the Ca d'Oro. Click here for a full guide. Venice city guide Our Venice expert, Anne Hanley, tells you all you need to know about a city break in Venice, from the top sights to the best hotels, restaurants and shops. Overview Attractions Venice's best hotels Restaurants Nightlife Shopping Itineraries