Venice attractions: what to see and do in summer Why go? Visitors pile into the fragile centro storico of Venice - and there are days when tourists outnumber locals by two to one - but the city never loses its capacity to enchant. Late spring and early summer bring some of the most daunting crowds, but there's a reason why they come: the sheer loveliness of this exquisite city bathed in clear light and warmth. It's important to remember, that even at peak visitor times, you are never more than a bridge and an alley away from a more secluded city, full of secret campos, handsome Gothic palazzos and neighbourhood wine bars. The Museo Correr (www.visitmuve.it) marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gustav Klimt with an exhibition of some well known works by the Austrian artist alongside rarely seen examples from private collections; the show runs until 8 July. On 28 September, a vast selection of works by 18th century Venetian landscapist Francesco Guardi go on display at the Correr, until 6 January 2013. At the Peggy Guggenheim Gallery (www.guggenheim-venice.it), an exhibition of rarely shown works from Peggy's post-war collection runs until 6 May, to be replaced by the creations of up-and-coming young artists in Art+Technology=School (16-21 May), cycling-inspired Cubist paintings in Cycling, Cubism and the Fourth Dimension (9 June to 16 September) and Seeing the World Within, a selection of canvasses from the 1940s by US artist Charles Seliger (9 June to 16 September). The extraordinary influence of fashion columnist and editor Diana Vreeland is examined in an exhibition which runs until 25 June at the Palazzo Fortuny (www.visitmuve.it).Until 15 June, the Casa dei Tre Oci (www.fondazionedivenezia.org) hosts 140 photos by Magnum agency snapper Elliot Erwitt. At the Punta della Dogana (www.palazzograssi.it), works from the extraordinary contemporary art collection of Francois Pinault feature in a show called In Praise of Doubt, which runs until 31 December. My hotel pick: Palazzina G, a contemporary Philippe Starck-designed boutique hotel The summer opera programme at La Fenice (www.teatrolafenice.it) offers an array of classics, from La Boheme in May to Carmen in June/July, and La Traviata and Rigoletto in September. My hotel pick: AD Place hotel, a blissfully quiet hotel dedicated to style and comfort On the water, all the usual Venetian rowing competitions - such as the wonderfully colourful Vogalonga (www.vogalonga.it) on 27 May, and the Regata Storica on 2 September - are supplemented this year by nine days (12-20 May) of America's Cup World Series racing, when AC45 class multi-hulls will spin around the Lagoon.