Venezia
▲▲▲Welcome to Venice’s Grand Canal Cruise
Map: Hotels & Restaurants near St. Mark’s Square
Map: Hotels & Restaurants near the Rialto Bridge
Map: Hotels & Restaurants near Accademia Bridge
Map: Hotels & Restaurants near the Train Station
Cheap Dormitory Accommodations
North of St. Mark’s Square, near Campo Santa Maria Formosa
Soak all day in this puddle of elegant decay. Venice is Europe’s best-preserved big city. This car-free urban wonderland of a hundred islands—laced together by 400 bridges and 2,000 alleys—survives on the artificial respirator of tourism.
Born in a lagoon 1,500 years ago as a refuge from barbarians, Venice is overloaded with tourists and is slowly sinking (not because of the tourists). In the Middle Ages, the Venetians became Europe’s clever middlemen for East-West trade and created a great trading empire. By smuggling in the bones of St. Mark (San Marco) in A.D. 828, Venice gained religious importance as well. With the discovery of America and new trading routes to the Orient, Venetian power ebbed. But as Venice fell, her appetite for decadence grew. Through the 17th and 18th centuries, Venice partied on the wealth accumulated through earlier centuries as a trading power.
Today, Venice is home to 58,000 people in its old city, down from about twice that number just three decades ago. While there are about 270,000 people in greater Venice (counting the mainland, not counting tourists), the old town has a small-town feel. Locals seem to know everyone. To see small-town Venice away from the touristic flak, escape the Rialto-San Marco tourist zone and savor the town early and late, without the hordes of vacationers day-tripping in from cruise ships and nearby beach resorts. A 10-minute walk from the madness puts you in an idyllic Venice that few tourists see.
Venice is worth at least a day on even the speediest tour. Hyper-efficient train travelers take the night train in and/or out. Sleep in the old center to experience Venice at its best: early and late. For a one-day visit, cruise the Grand Canal, do the major sights on St. Mark’s Square (the square itself, Doge’s Palace, Correr Museum, and St. Mark’s Basilica), see the Frari Church for art, and wander the back streets on a pub crawl. Enjoy an evening gondola ride. Venice’s greatest sight is the city itself. While doable in a day, Venice is worth two. It’s a medieval cookie jar, and nobody’s looking. Make time to simply wander.
The island city of Venice is shaped like a fish. Its major thoroughfares are canals. The Grand Canal winds through the middle of the fish, starting at the mouth where all the people and food enter, passing under the Rialto Bridge, and ending at St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco). Park your 21st-century perspective at the mouth and let Venice swallow you whole.
Venice is a carless kaleidoscope of people, bridges, and odorless canals. It’s made up of more than a hundred small islands—but for simplicity, I refer to the whole shebang as “the island.”
There are six districts (sestieri, shown on map on next page): San Marco (from St. Mark’s Square to the Accademia Bridge), Castello (the area east of St. Mark’s Square), Dorsoduro (the “belly” of the fish, on the far side the Accademia Bridge), Cannaregio (between the train station and the Rialto Bridge), San Polo (west of the Rialto Bridge), and Santa Croce (the “eye” of the fish, across the canal from the train station).
The easiest way to navigate is by landmarks. Many street corners have a sign pointing you to (per) the nearest major landmark, such as San Marco, Accademia, Rialto, and Ferrovia (train station). Obedient visitors stick to the main thoroughfares as directed by these signs...and miss the charm of back-street Venice.
Beyond the city’s core lie several other islands, including San Giorgio (with great views of Venice), Giudecca (more views), San Michele (old cemetery), Murano (famous for glass), Burano (lacemaking), Torcello (old church), and the skinny Lido (with Venice’s beach).
With this book, a free city map from your hotel, and the events schedule on the TI’s website, there’s little need to make an in-person visit to a TI in Venice. That’s fortunate, because the city’s TIs can be crowded and don’t have many free printed materials to hand out. If you need to check or confirm something, try phoning the TI at 041-529-8711 or visit turismovenezia.it (click on “Venezia,” then the English icon). This website can be more helpful than the actual TI office.
If you must visit a TI, you’ll find two convenient branches near St. Mark’s Square (one in the far-left corner with your back to the basilica, the other next to the Giardinetti Reali park near the San Marco vaporetto stop; both of these are open daily 9:00-19:00). There’s also a TI desk at the airport (daily 9:00-20:00).
At the train station, you’ll find TI staffers in a big, white kiosk out front near the vaporetto #2 stop most of the year (from Carnevale—falling sometime in Feb—through Oct daily 9:00-14:30, closed off-season; as this kiosk is shared with the private Alilaguna boat company, be sure to seek out a TI representative). The TI inside the station is open on summer afternoons (daily 13:00-19:00) and all day long in winter (daily 9:00-19:00; likely near track 1, though this may change with station renovation).
Maps: Of all places, you need a good map in Venice. Hotels give away freebies. The TI sells a decent €2.50 map and miniguide—but you can find a wider range at bookshops, newsstands, and postcard stands. The cheap maps are pretty bad, but if you spend €5, you’ll get a map that shows you everything. Investing in a good map can be the best €5 you’ll spend in Venice. Map lovers should look for the book Calli, Campielli e Canali, sold at bookstores for €22.50, with 1:2,000 maps of the whole city.
Also consider a mapping app for your smartphone, which uses GPS to pinpoint your location—extremely useful if you get lost in twisty back streets. To avoid data-roaming charges, look for an offline map that can be downloaded in its entirety before your trip. City Maps 2Go has a huge number of searchable offline maps, including a fairly good Venice version ($2 pays for any/all of their maps).
Helpful History Timelines: For historical orientation, local guide Michael Broderick (listed later, under “Tours in Venice”) has produced three poster-size timelines that cleverly map the city’s history and art (sold at local bookstores; see venicescapes.org).
A two-mile-long causeway (with highway and train lines) connects Venice to the mainland. Mestre, the sprawling mainland section of Venice, has fewer crowds, cheaper hotels, and plenty of inexpensive parking lots, but zero charm. Don’t stop in Mestre unless you’re parking your car, changing trains, or sleeping there.
All trains to “Venice” stop at Venezia Mestre (on the mainland). Most continue on to Santa Lucia Station (a.k.a. Venezia S.L.) on the island of Venice itself. If your train happens to terminate at Mestre, you’ll need to buy a Mestre-Santa Lucia ticket at a machine for €1.25 and validate it before hopping any non-express, regional train (with an R or RV prefix) for the ride across the causeway to Venice (6/hour, 10 minutes).
Santa Lucia train station plops you right into the old town on the Grand Canal, an easy vaporetto ride or fascinating 45-minute walk to St. Mark’s Square. As the station has just been renovated, you may find things different than described here.
For most of the year, you’ll find the TI in a white kiosk out front, next to the dock for vaporetto #2; a TI desk is also open inside the station on summer afternoons and all day in winter (see “Tourist Information,” earlier, for exact hours). If the station TI is crowded when you arrive, skip it and visit one of the two TIs at St. Mark’s Square instead. It’s not worth a long wait for a minimal TI map (buy a good one from a newsstand or pick up a free one at your hotel).
The station has a baggage check (€5/5 hours, €11/24 hours, daily 6:00-23:50, no lockers; likely at track 1 but may move after renovation). WCs (€1) are at track 1 and in the back of the big bar/cafeteria area inside the station.
Before heading into town, confirm your departure plan (use the ticket machines or just study the partenze/departures posters on walls). Minimize your time in the station—the banks of user-friendly ticket machines are handy but cover Italian destinations only. They take euros and credit cards, display schedules, and issue tickets. Be aware that there are two train companies: Trenitalia, with most connections, has green-and-white machines (toll tel. 892-021, trenitalia.it); the red machines are for the new high-speed Italo service (no rail passes accepted, cheaper the further in advance you book, tel. 06-0708, italotreno.it). Ticket offices (for both Trenitalia and Italo) are in the corner, near track 14.
If you need international tickets or live help, head to the ticket windows (open 6:00-20:30). Or you could take care of these tasks online or at a downtown travel agency (€4 fee per ticket, see here).
Getting from the Train Station to Downtown: Walk straight out of the station to the canal. You’ll see vaporetto docks and ticket booths on both sides. For vaporetto #2 (fast boat down Grand Canal), go left. For vaporetto #1 (slow boat down Grand Canal), go right. See here for details on vaporetto tickets and passes. A water taxi from the train station to a hotel in central Venice costs about €60-70 (the taxi dock is straight ahead).
Venice’s “bus station” is actually an open-air parking lot called Piazzale Roma. The square itself is a jumble of different operators, platforms, and crosswalks over busy lanes of traffic. But bus stops are well-signed. The ticket windows for ACTV (local public buses, including #5 to Marco Polo Airport) are by the vaporetto stop. The ATVO ticket office (for express buses to Marco Polo and Treviso airports and to Padua) is in the big, white building, on the right side of the square as you face away from the canal (office open daily 6:40-19:35).
Piazzale Roma also has three big parking garages and the People Mover monorail (€1, links to the cruise port and then the parking-lot island of Tronchetto). A baggage-storage office is next to the monorail at #497m (€7/24 hours, daily 6:00-21:00).
If you arrive here, find the vaporetto docks (just left of the modern bridge) and take #1 or the faster #2 down the Grand Canal to reach the Rialto, Accademia, or San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) stops. Electronic boards direct you to the letter of the dock you want. Before buying a single-ride vaporetto ticket, consider getting a transit pass (see here). If your hotel is near the train station, you can simply walk there by crossing the modern Calatrava Bridge.
The freeway dead-ends after crossing the causeway to Venice. At the end of the road you have two parking choices: garages at Tronchetto or Piazzale Roma. As you drive into the city, signboards with green and red lights indicate which lots are full. (You can also park in Mestre, on the mainland, but this is less convenient.)
Parking at Tronchetto: This garage is much bigger, a bit farther out, a bit cheaper, and well-connected by vaporetto (€3-4/hour, €21/24 hours, discounts for longer stays, tel. 041-520-7555, veniceparking.it).
After parking in the big Tronchetto garage, cross the street. While you can head left for a long walk to the People Mover monorail (described below), it’s easiest to go right to the vaporetto dock (not well-signed, look for ACTV). At the dock, catch vaporetto #2 in one of two directions: via the Grand Canal (more scenic, stops at Rialto, 40 minutes to San Marco), or via Giudecca (around the city, faster, no Rialto stop, 30 minutes to San Marco).
Don’t be waylaid by aggressive water-taxi boatmen. They’ll charge €100 to take you where the vaporetto will take you for €7. Also avoid the travel agencies masquerading as TIs; deal only with the ticket booth at the vaporetto dock or the HelloVenezia public transport office. If you’re going to buy a local transport pass, do it now.
If you’re staying near the train station and don’t mind a walk, you can take the €1 People Mover instead of paying €7 for the two-stop vaporetto ride. The monorail brings you from Tronchetto to the bus station at Piazzale Roma, from which it’s a five-minute walk across the Calatrava Bridge to the train station (buy monorail tickets with coins from machine, 3-minute trip, runs Mon-Sat 7:00-23:00, Sun 8:30-21:00).
Parking at Piazzale Roma: The two garages here are closer in and more convenient—but a bit more expensive and likelier to be full. Both garages face the busy square (Piazzale Roma) where the road ends. The big white building on your right is a 2,200-space public parking garage, the Autorimessa Communale (€26/24 hours, TI office in payment lobby, tel. 041-272-7211, asmvenezia.it). In a back corner of the square is the private Garage San Marco (€30/24 hours, tel. 041-523-2213, garagesanmarco.it). At either of these, you’ll have to give up your keys. Near the Garage San Marco, avoid the Parcheggio Sant’Andrea, which charges obscene rates (€72/24 hours).
Parking in Mestre: Parking in the Parcheggio Stazione garage across from the train station in Mestre (on the mainland) only makes sense if you have light bags and are staying within walking distance of Santa Lucia Station (€10/day Mon-Fri, €14-16/day Sat-Sun; sabait.it).
For information on Venice’s airport, see the end of this chapter.
Theft Alert: The dark, late-night streets of Venice are generally safe. Even so, pickpockets (often elegantly dressed) work the crowded main streets, docks, and vaporetti. Your biggest risk of pickpockets is inside St. Mark’s Basilica, near the Accademia or Rialto bridges (especially if you’re preoccupied with snapping photos), or on a tightly packed vaporetto.
A handy polizia station is on the right side of St. Mark’s Square as you face the basilica (at #63, near Caffè Florian). To call the police, dial 113. The Venice TI handles complaints—which must be submitted in writing—about local crooks, including gondoliers, restaurants, and hotel rip-offs (fax 041-523-0399, complaint.apt@turismovenezia.it).
It’s illegal for street vendors to sell knockoff handbags, and it’s also illegal for you to buy them; both you and the vendor can get big fines.
Medical Help: Venice’s Santi Giovanni e Paolo hospital (tel. 118) is a 10-minute walk from both the Rialto and San Marco neighborhoods, located behind the big church of the same name on Fondamenta dei Mendicanti (toward Fondamente Nove). You can take vaporetto #4.1 from San Zaccaria, or #5.2 from the train station or Piazzale Roma, to the Ospedale stop.
Be Prepared to Splurge: Venice is expensive for residents as well as tourists, as everything must be shipped in and hand-trucked to its destination. But it’s a unique place that’s worth paying a premium to fully experience. I find that the best way to enjoy Venice is just to succumb to its charms and blow through a little money.
Crowd Control: The city is inundated with cruise-ship crowds and tours from mainland hotels daily from 10:00 to about 17:00. Crowds can be a serious problem at St. Mark’s Basilica. Try going early or late, or even better, bypass the line by checking your bag (see here). At the Doge’s Palace, avoid the long line by purchasing your ticket at the less-crowded Correr Museum. You can also visit late in the day, buy your ticket online, or book a tour. For the Campanile, ascend late (it’s open until 21:00 July-Sept), or skip it if you’re going to the similar San Giorgio Maggiore bell tower. For the Accademia, go early or late—or reserve a ticket in advance online or by phone.
Sights that have crowd problems get even more crowded when it rains.
Take Breaks: Venice’s endless pavement, crowds, and tight spaces are hard on tourists, especially in hot weather. Schedule breaks in your sightseeing. Grab a cool place to sit down, relax, and recoup—meditate on a pew in an uncrowded church, or stop in a café.
Etiquette: As ever-growing waves of tourists wash over Venice every year, its residents are struggling to ward off the trash (and trashiness) left in their wake. Picnicking is illegal anywhere on St. Mark’s Square, and offenders can be fined. (The only place nearby for a legal picnic is in Giardinetti Reali, the small park along the waterfront west of the Piazzetta near St. Mark’s Square. Elsewhere in Venice, picnicking is no problem.) On St. Mark’s Square, police admonish snackers and sunbathers. You may see friendly guidelines posted around town discouraging litter, pigeon-feeding, and beachwear (or rather, “encouraging” good behavior, as city officials are hoping that sweet talk will prove more effective).
Dress Modestly: When visiting St. Mark’s Basilica or other major churches, men, women, and even children must cover their shoulders and knees (or risk being turned away). Remove hats when entering a church.
Public Toilets: Handy public WCs (€1.50) are near major landmarks, including St. Mark’s Square (behind the Correr Museum and at the waterfront park, Giardinetti Reali), Rialto, and the Accademia Bridge. Use free toilets whenever you can—any museum you’re visiting, or any café you’re eating in. You could also get a drink at a bar (cheaper) and use their WC for free.
Best Views: A slow vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal on a sunny day—or a misty early morning—is a shutterbug’s delight (try to sit in the front seats, available on some older boats; for narration, see my self-guided Grand Canal cruise, later). On St. Mark’s Square, enjoy views from the soaring Campanile or the balcony of St. Mark’s Basilica (both require admission). The Rialto and Accademia bridges provide free, expansive views of the Grand Canal, along with a cooling breeze. Or get off the main island for a view of the Venetian skyline: Ascend San Giorgio Maggiore’s bell tower, or venture to Giudecca Island to visit the swanky bar of the Molino Stucky Hilton Hotel (free shuttle boat leaves from near the San Zaccaria-M.V.E. vaporetto dock).
Pigeon Poop: If your head is bombed by a pigeon, resist the initial response to wipe it off immediately—it’ll just smear into your hair. Wait until it dries, and it should flake off cleanly. But if the poop splatters on your clothes, wipe it off immediately to avoid a stain.
Water: I carry a water bottle to refill at public fountains. Venetians pride themselves on having pure, safe, and tasty tap water piped in from the foothills of the Alps. You can actually see the mountains from Venice’s bell towers on crisp, clear winter days.
Updates to This Book: For updates to this book, check ricksteves.com/update.
Internet Access: Almost all hotels have Wi-Fi, many have a computer that guests can use, and most provide these services for free. Otherwise, handy if pricey little Internet places are scattered around town (usually on back streets, marked with an @ sign, and charging €5/hour).
Post Office: Use post offices only as a last resort, as simple transactions can take 45 minutes if you get in the wrong line. You can buy stamps from tobacco shops and mail postcards at any of the red postboxes in town.
The main post office is just north of the Rialto Bridge—on the San Marco side, near the Teatro Malibran on Calle de le Acque (Mon-Fri 8:30-19:10, Sat 8:30-12:30, closed Sun, Castello 5016). You’ll find branch offices with shorter hours (generally mornings only) around town, including a handy one right behind St. Mark’s Square (near the TI).
Bookstores: In keeping with its literary heritage, Venice has classy and inviting bookstores. The small Libreria Studium, a block behind St. Mark’s Basilica, has a carefully chosen selection of new English books, including my guidebooks (Mon-Sat 9:00-19:30, Sun 9:30-13:30 & 14:00-18:00, on Calle de la Canonica at #337—see map on here, tel. 041-522-2382). Used-bookstore lovers shouldn’t miss the funky Acqua Alta (“high water”) bookstore, whose quirky owner, Luigi, has prepared for the next flood by displaying his wares in a selection of vessels, including bathtubs and a gondola. Look for the “book stairs” in his back garden (daily 9:00-21:00, large and classically disorganized selection includes prints of Venice, just beyond Campo Santa Maria Formosa on Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa at #5176—see map on here, tel. 041-296-0841). For a solid selection of used books in English, visit Marco Polo, on Calle del Teatro o de l’Opera, close to the St. Mark’s side of the Rialto Bridge, just past the Coin department store and behind the church (Mon-Sat 9:30-13:00 & 15:30-19:30, closed Sun, Cannaregio 5886a—see map on here, tel. 041-522-6343).
Laundry: You’ll find coin-operated launderettes near the train station and off Campo Santa Maria Formosa. I’ve listed details for a self-service lavanderia and a competitively priced full-service laundry near St. Mark’s Square (see here), and for a self-serve laundry near the train station (here). Or ask your hotelier for the nearest launderette.
Travel Agencies: If you need to get train tickets, make seat reservations, or arrange a cuccetta (koo-CHET-tah—a berth on a night train), save a time-consuming trip to Venice’s crowded train station by using a downtown travel agency. Most trains between Venice, Florence, and Rome require reservations, even for rail pass holders. A travel agency can also give advice on cheap flights (book at least a week in advance for the best fares). Both of the following agencies charge a €4 per-ticket fee.
Along the embankment near St. Mark’s Square (facing the San Zaccaria vaporetto stop), look for Oltrex Change and Travel (daily 9:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:00, closed Sun Nov-April; on Riva degli Schiavoni, one bridge past the Bridge of Sighs at San Marco 5097b—see map on here; tel. 041-524-2828, Luca and Beatrice).
Near Rialto, try Kele & Teo Travel (Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-12:00, closed Sun; leaving the Rialto Bridge heading for St. Mark’s, it’s half a block away, tucked down a side street on the right—see map on here; tel. 041-520-8722).
English Church Services: San Zulian Church offers a Mass in English (generally May-Sept Mon-Fri at 9:30 and Sun at 11:30, Sun only Oct-April, 2 blocks toward Rialto off St. Mark’s Square, tel. 041-523-5383). St. George’s Anglican Church welcomes all to its English-language Eucharist (Sun at 10:30, located on Campo San Zio in Dorsoduro, midway between Accademia and Peggy Guggenheim Collection, stgeorgesvenice.com).
The city’s “streets” are narrow pedestrian walkways connecting its docks, squares, bridges, and courtyards. To navigate, look for yellow signs on street corners pointing you to (per) the nearest major landmark. The first landmarks you’ll get to know are San Marco (St. Mark’s Square), Rialto (the bridge), Accademia (another bridge), Ferrovia (the train station), and Piazzale Roma (the bus station). Determine whether your destination is in the direction of a major signposted landmark, then follow the signs through the maze.
Dare to turn off the posted routes and make your own discoveries. While 80 percent of Venice is, in fact, not touristy, 80 percent of the tourists never notice. Escape the crowds and explore on foot. Walk and walk to the far reaches of the town. Don’t worry about getting lost—in fact, get as lost as possible. Keep reminding yourself, “I’m on an island, and I can’t get off.” When it comes time to find your way, just follow the arrows on building corners or simply ask a local, “Dov’è San Marco?” (“Where is St. Mark’s?”) People in the tourist business (that’s most Venetians) speak some English. If they don’t, listen politely, watch where their hands point, say “Grazie,” and head off in that direction. If you’re lost, refer to your map, or pop into a hotel and ask for their business card—it probably comes with a map and a prominent “You are here.”
Every building in Venice has a house number. The numbers relate to the district (each with about 6,000 address numbers), not the street. Therefore, if you need to find a specific address, it helps to know its district, street, house number, and nearby landmarks.
Some helpful street terminology: Campo means square, a campiello is a small square, calle (pronounced “KAH-lay” with an “L” sound) means “street,” and a ponte is a bridge. A fondamenta is the embankment along a canal or the lagoon. A rio is a small canal, while a rio terà is a street that was once a canal and has been filled in (and a piscina is a filled-in former pond). A sotoportego is a covered passageway. Salizzada means “laid with cobblestones” (indicating it’s among the first Venetian streets ever paved). Don’t get hung up on the exact spelling of street and square names, which may sometimes appear in the Venetian dialect and other times in standard Italian.
Venice’s public transit system, run by a company called ACTV, is a fleet of motorized bus-boats called vaporetti. They work like city buses except that they never get a flat, the stops are docks, and if you get off between stops, you might drown.
Individual Vaporetto Tickets: A single ticket costs €7. Tickets are good for one hour in one direction; you can hop on and off at stops and change boats during that time. Your ticket (a plastic card embedded with a chip) is electronic and refillable—don’t toss it after the first use. You can put more money on it at the automated kiosks and avoid waiting in line at the ticket window. The fare is reduced to €4 for a few one-stop runs (corsa semplice) that are hard to do by foot, including the route from San Marco to La Salute, from Fondamente Nove to Murano-Colonna, and from San Zaccaria to San Giorgio Maggiore.
Several vaporetti leave from the San Zaccaria docks, located 150 yards east of St. Mark’s Square. There are four separate San Zaccaria docks spaced about 70 yards apart, with a total of six different berths, lettered A to F: Danieli (E and F), Jolanda (C and D), M.V.E. (B), and Pietà (A). While this may sound confusing, in practice it’s simple: Check the big electronic board (next to the Jolanda C/D dock), which indicates the departure time, line number, destination, and berth letter of upcoming vaporetti. Once you’ve figured out which boat you want, go to that letter berth and hop on. They’re all within about a five-minute stroll of each other.
• Line #1 goes up the Grand Canal, making all the stops, including San Marco, Rialto, Ferrovia (train station), and Piazzale Roma (but it does not go as far as Tronchetto). In the other direction, it goes from San Zaccaria to Arsenale and Giardini before ending on the Lido.
• Line #2 zips over to San Giorgio Maggiore, the island church across from St. Mark’s Square (5 minutes, €4 ride). From there, it continues on to stops on the island of Giudecca, the parking lot at Tronchetto, and then down the Grand Canal. Note: You cannot ride the #2 up the Grand Canal (for example, to Rialto or the train station) directly from this stop—you’ll need to walk five minutes along the waterfront, past St. Mark’s Square, to the San Marco-Giardinetti dock, and hop the #2 from there.
• Line #4.1 goes to San Michele and Murano in 45 minutes.
• Line #7 is the summertime express boat to Murano (25 minutes).
• The Molino Stucky shuttle boat takes even nonguests to the Hilton Hotel, with its popular view bar (free, 20-minute ride, leaves at 0:20 past the hour from near the San Zaccaria-M.V.E. dock).
• Lines #5.1 and #5.2 are the circulare (cheer-koo-LAH-ray), making a loop around the perimeter of the island, with a stop at the Lido—perfect if you just like riding boats. Line #5.1 goes counterclockwise, and #5.2 goes clockwise.
• The Alilaguna shuttle to and from the airport stops here as well.
Vaporetto Passes: You can buy a pass for unlimited use of vaporetti: €18/12 hours, €20/24 hours, €25/36 hours, €30/48 hours, €35/72 hours, €50/7-day pass. All passes must be validated each time you board by touching it to the small white machine on the dock. Because single tickets cost a hefty €7 a pop, these passes can pay for themselves in a hurry. Think through your Venice itinerary before you step up to the ticket booth to pay for your first vaporetto trip. The 48-hour pass pays for itself with five rides (for example: to your hotel, on a Grand Canal joyride, into the lagoon and back, and to the train station). Keep in mind that smaller and/or outlying stops, such as Sant’Elena and Biennale, are unstaffed—another good reason to buy a pass. It’s fun to be able to hop on and off spontaneously, and avoid long ticket lines. On the other hand, many tourists just walk and rarely use a boat.
Anyone under 30 years old can get a 72-hour pass for €18 if they also buy a Rolling Venice discount card for €4 (see here). Those settling in for a longer stay can ride like a local by buying the Imob card (€40/5 years, which lets you either ride for €1.30 per trip or buy a carnet of 10 rides for €11). See actv.it for details.
Passes are also valid on ACTV’s mainland buses, including bus #5 to the airport (but not the airport buses run by ATVO, a separate company) and bus #2 to Mestre.
For most travelers, only two vaporetto lines matter: line #1 and line #2. These lines leave every 10 minutes or so and go up and down the Grand Canal, between the “mouth” of the fish at one end and St. Mark’s Square at the other. Line #1 is the slow boat, taking 45 minutes and making every stop along the way. Line #2 is the fast boat that zips down the Grand Canal in 25 minutes, stopping only at Tronchetto (parking lot), Piazzale Roma (bus station), Ferrovia (train station), Rialto Bridge, San Tomà (Frari Church), San Samuele (opposite Ca’ Rezzonico—an easy traghetto ride across), Accademia Bridge, and San Marco (west end of St. Mark’s Square, end of the line).
Catching a vaporetto is very much like catching a city bus. You can buy either single-ride tickets (valid for 1 hour) or passes (valid for a variety of durations, from 12 hours to 7 days) from any ticket window or HelloVenezia office. HelloVenezia, run by ACTV, is a string of shops selling tickets and passes at the same prices as ticket windows (hellovenezia.com).
Before you board, validate your ticket by holding it up to the small white machine on the dock until you hear a pinging sound. The machine readout shows how long your ticket is valid—and inspectors do come by now and then to check tickets. If you board without a ticket (because ticket windows may be closed at odd hours or small stops), seek out the conductor immediately to buy a single ticket on board (or risk a €50 fine). If you purchase a vaporetto pass, you need to touch the pass to the machine each time you board the boat.
Most stops have at least two docks. Signs on each dock show the vaporetto lines that stop there and the direction they are headed. For example, along the Grand Canal, a #1 or #2 boat might be headed toward St. Mark’s Square (signposted Lido or San Marco), or back toward the mainland (signposted Ferrovia, Piazzale Roma, or Tronchetto). Helpful electronic boards at most stops display which boats are coming next, and when. Make a point to take advantage of these. Most boats also have electronic boards displaying this information.
Large stops—such as San Marco, San Zaccaria, Rialto, Ferrovia (train station), and Piazzale Roma—have multiple docks. At these, each berth is assigned a letter (clearly marked above the door to the dock, along with the numbers of the vaporetto lines that use that dock). Electronic boards will direct you to the letter of the dock you want.
Sorting out the different directions of travel can be confusing. Some boats have circular routes traveling in one direction only (true for lines #5.1 and #5.2, plus the non-Murano sections of lines #4.1 and #4.2). Be careful of the otherwise-handy express line #2, which runs in both directions and is almost, but not quite, a full loop. The #2 boat leaving from the San Marco stop goes in one direction (up the Grand Canal), whereas from the San Zaccaria stop—just a five-minute walk away—it goes in the opposite direction (around the tail of the “fish”). Make sure you use the correct stop to avoid taking the long way around to your destination.
You may notice some vaporetti sporting a corsa bis sign, indicating that it’s running a shortened or altered route, and that riders may have to hop off partway and wait for the next boat. If you see a corsa bis sign, before boarding ask the conductor whether it’s going to your desired destination.
To clear up any confusion, ask a ticket-seller or conductor for help (sometimes they’re stationed on the dock to help confused tourists), or look at the most current ACTV timetable (in English and Italian, free at ticket booths but often unavailable—can be downloaded from the ACTV website, actv.it).
For fun, follow my self-guided cruise on the Grand Canal. But be warned: Grand Canal vaporetti in particular can be absolutely jam-packed, especially during the tourist rush hour (during mornings heading in from Piazzale Roma, and in evenings heading out to Piazzale Roma). Riding at night, with nearly empty boats and chandelier-lit palace interiors viewable from the Grand Canal, is an entirely different experience.
Only four bridges cross the Grand Canal, but traghetti (shuttle gondolas) ferry locals and in-the-know tourists across the Grand Canal at seven handy locations. Just step in, hand the gondolier €2, and enjoy the ride—standing or sitting. Note that some traghetti are seasonal, some stop running as early as 12:30, and all stop by 18:00. Traghetti are not covered by any transit pass.
Venetian taxis, like speedboat limos, hang out at busy points along the Grand Canal. Prices are regulated and listed on the TI’s website: €15 for pickup, then €2 per minute; €5 per person for more than four passengers; and €10 between 22:00 and 6:00. Extra bags cost €3 apiece. (For information on taking the water taxi to/from the airport, see here.) Despite regulation, prices can be soft; negotiate and settle on the price or rate before stepping in. For travelers with lots of luggage or small groups who can split the cost, taxi boat rides can be a worthwhile and time-saving convenience—and skipping across the lagoon in a classic wooden motorboat is a cool indulgence. For a little more than €100 an hour, you can have a private, unguided taxi-boat tour. You may find more competitive rates if you prebook through the Consorzio Motoscafi water taxi association (tel. 041-522-2303, motoscafivenezia.it).
If you’re interested in hiring a gondolier for your own private cruise, see here.
Tours of Venice on foot and afloat abound. To sightsee on your own, download my series of free Rick Steves audio tours that illuminate some of Venice’s top sights and experiences: St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, the Frari Church, and a cruise along the Grand Canal (see sidebar on here for details).
This company offers several English-only two-hour walks, including a basic St. Mark’s Square introduction called the “Original Venice Walking Tour” (€22, includes church entry, most days at 11:00, Sun at 14:00; 45 minutes on the square, 15 minutes in the church, 1 hour along back streets), a 70-minute private boat tour of the Grand Canal (€43, daily at 16:30, 8 people maximum), a “Hidden Venice” tour (€22, in summer 3/week at 11:30, less off-season), and excursions on the mainland (discount for Rick Steves readers, see descriptions at tours-italy.com, tel. 041-970-499, info@tours-italy.com, Monica or Jonathan).
Debonair guide Alessandro Schezzini is a connoisseur of Venetian bacari—classic old bars serving wine and traditional cicchetti snacks. He organizes two-hour Venetian pub tours (€30, any night on request at 18:00, depart from top of Rialto Bridge, better to book by email—alessandro@schezzini.it—than by phone, mobile 335-530-9024, schezzini.it). Alessandro’s tours include sampling cicchetti with wines at three different bacari. (If you think of this tour as a light dinner with a local friend, it’s a particularly good value.)
This company offers a comprehensive program of tours, including Venice in a day, five themed tours (Grand Canal, Venice Walk, Doge’s Palace, Gondola Tour, Food and Wine Tour with a sommelier), and a “Learn to Be a Gondolier” tour (for details, see italy.artviva.com).
Michael Broderick’s private theme tours of Venice are intellectually demanding and beyond the attention span of most mortal tourists. But travelers with a keen interest and a desire to learn find him passionate and engaging. Your time with Michael is like a rolling, graduate-level lecture (see his website for various 4-6-hour itineraries, 2 people-$250-290 or the euro equivalent, $60/person after that, admissions and transport not included, book in advance, tel. 041-850-5742, mobile 349-479-7406, venicescapes.org, info@venicescapes.org).
Plenty of licensed, trained guides are available. If you organize a small group from your hotel at breakfast to split the cost (figure on €70/hour with a 2-hour minimum), the fee becomes more reasonable. The following guides work with individuals, families, and small groups:
Walks Inside Venice is a dynamic duo of women—and their tour-guide colleagues—enthusiastic about teaching (€225/3 hours per group of up to 6 with this book, 3-hour minimum; Roberta: mobile 347-253-0560; Sara: mobile 335-522-9714; walksinsidevenice.com, info@walksinsidevenice.com). Roberta has been a big help in the making of this book. They also do side-trips to outlying destinations and offer regularly scheduled small-group, English-only walking tours (€62.50, departs Mon-Sat at 14:30, 2.5 hours).
Alessandro Schezzini, mentioned earlier for his Classic Venice Bars Tour, isn’t a licensed guide, so he can’t take you into sights. But his relaxed, 1.5-hour back-streets tour gets you beyond the clichés and into off-beat Venice (€15/person, departs daily at 16:30, mobile 335-530-9024, schezzini.it, alessandro@schezzini.it). He also does lagoon tours in the morning.
Another good option is Venice with a Guide, a co-op of 10 good guides (venicewithaguide.com), including Corine Govi (mobile 347-966-8346, corine_g@libero.it) and Elisabetta Morelli (€70/hour, 2-hour minimum, tel. 041-526-7816, mobile 328-753-5220, bettamorelli@inwind.it).
Andy Steves (my son) runs Weekend Student Adventures, offering active and experiential three-day weekend tours from €199, designed for American students studying abroad (wsaeurope.com for details on tours of Venice and other great cities).
(See “Grand Canal” map, here.)
Take a joyride and introduce yourself to Venice by boat. Cruise the Canal Grande all the way to San Marco, starting at the train station (Ferrovia) or the bus station (Piazzale Roma).
If it’s your first trip down the Grand Canal, you might want to stow this book and just take it all in—Venice is a barrage on the senses that hardly needs narration. But these notes give the cruise a little meaning and help orient you to this great city.
This tour is designed to be done on the slow boat #1 (which takes about 45 minutes). The express boat #2 travels the same route, but it skips many stops and takes only 25 minutes, making it hard to sightsee.
You can break up the tour by hopping on and off at various sights described in greater depth elsewhere in this chapter (but remember, a single-fare vaporetto ticket is good for just one hour; passes let you hop on and off all day).
To help you enjoy the visual parade of canal wonders, I’ve organized this tour by boat stop. I’ll point out both what you can see from the current stop, and what to look forward to as you cruise to the next stop. You can download this self-guided cruise as a free Rick Steves audio tour (see here).
Where to Sit: You’re more likely to find an empty seat if you catch the vaporetto at Piazzale Roma—the stop before Ferrovia. Some vaporetti have seats in the bow (in front of the captain’s bridge), which is the perfect vantage point for spotting sights left, right, and forward. However, many boats lack these seats, so you have to settle for another option: Sit inside (and view the passing sights through windows), stand in the open middle deck (you can try to move back and forth—almost impossible if the boat is crowded), or sit outside in the back (where you’ll miss the wonderful forward views). If you have to commit to one side, consider this: The left side has a slight edge, with more sights and the best light late in the day.
The Grand Canal is Venice’s “Main Street.” At more than two miles long, nearly 150 feet wide, and nearly 15 feet deep, it’s the city’s largest canal, lined with its most impressive palaces. It’s the remnant of a river that once spilled from the mainland into the Adriatic. The sediment it carried formed barrier islands that cut Venice off from the sea, forming a lagoon.
Venice was built on the marshy islands of the former delta, sitting on wood pilings driven nearly 15 feet into the clay (alder was the preferred wood). About 25 miles of canals drain the city, dumping like streams into the Grand Canal. Technically, Venice has only three canals: Grand, Giudecca, and Cannaregio. The 45 small waterways that dump into the Grand Canal are referred to as rivers (e.g., Rio Novo).
Venice is a city of palaces, dating from the days when the city was the world’s richest. The most lavish palaces formed a grand architectural cancan along the Grand Canal. Once frescoed in reds and blues, with black-and-white borders and gold-leaf trim, they made Venice a city of dazzling color. This cruise is the only way to truly appreciate the palaces, approaching them at water level, where their main entrances were located. Today, strict laws prohibit any changes in these buildings, so while landowners gnash their teeth, we can enjoy Europe’s best-preserved medieval city—which also is slowly rotting. Many of the grand buildings are now vacant. Others harbor chandeliered elegance above mossy, empty (often flooded) ground floors.
(See “Grand Canal” map, here.)
This tour starts at the Ferrovia vaporetto stop (at Santa Lucia train station). It also works—and the boat can be less crowded—if you board upstream from Ferrovia at Piazzale Roma, a short walk from Ferrovia over the Calatrava Bridge. At Piazzale Roma, check the electronic boards to see which dock the next #1 or #2 is leaving from, hop on board to get your pick of seats, and start reading the tour when your vaporetto reaches Ferrovia.
Ferrovia: The Santa Lucia train station, one of the few modern buildings in town, was built in 1954. It’s been the gateway into Venice since 1860, when the first station was built. “F.S.” stands for “Ferrovie dello Stato,” the Italian state railway system.
More than 20,000 people a day commute in from the mainland, making this the busiest part of Venice during rush hour. The Calatrava Bridge, spanning the Grand Canal between the train station and Piazzale Roma upstream, was built in 2008 to alleviate some of the congestion and make the commute easier (see here).
Opposite the train station, atop the green dome of San Simeon Piccolo church, St. Simeon waves ciao to whoever enters or leaves the “old” city. The pink church with the white Carrara-marble facade, just beyond the train station, is the Church of the Scalzi (Church of the Barefoot, named after the shoeless Carmelite monks), where the last doge (Venetian ruler) rests. It looks relatively new because it was partially rebuilt after being bombed in 1915 by Austrians aiming (poorly) at the train station.
Riva de Biasio: Venice’s main thoroughfare is busy with all kinds of boats: taxis, police boats, garbage boats, ambulances, construction cranes, and even brown-and-white UPS boats. Somehow they all manage to share the canal in relative peace.
About 25 yards past the Riva de Biasio stop, look left down the broad Cannaregio Canal to see what was the Jewish Ghetto (described on here). The twin, pale-pink, six-story “skyscrapers”—the tallest buildings you’ll see at this end of the canal—are reminders of how densely populated the world’s original ghetto was. Set aside as the local Jewish quarter in 1516, this area became extremely crowded. This urban island developed into one of the most closely knit business and cultural quarters of all the Jewish communities in Italy and gave us our word “ghetto” (from geto, the copper foundry located here).
San Marcuola: At this stop, facing a tiny square just ahead, stands the unfinished Church of San Marcuola, one of only five churches fronting the Grand Canal. Centuries ago, this canal was a commercial drag of expensive real estate in high demand by wealthy merchants. About 20 yards ahead on the right (across the Grand Canal) stands the stately gray Turkish “Fondaco” Exchange, one of the oldest houses in Venice. Its horseshoe arches and roofline of triangles and dingleballs are reminders of its Byzantine heritage. Turkish traders in turbans docked here, unloaded their goods into the warehouse on the bottom story, then went upstairs for a home-style meal and a place to sleep. Venice in the 1500s was very cosmopolitan, welcoming every religion and ethnicity, so long as they carried cash. (Today the building contains the city’s Museum of Natural History—and Venice’s only dinosaur skeleton.)
Just 100 yards ahead on the left, Venice’s Casinò is housed in the palace where German composer Richard (The Ring) Wagner died in 1883. See his distinct, strong-jawed profile in the white plaque on the brick wall. In the 1700s, Venice was Europe’s Vegas, with casinos and prostitutes everywhere. Casinòs (“little houses” in Venetian dialect) have long provided Italians with a handy escape from daily life. Today they’re run by the state to keep Mafia influence at bay. Notice the fancy front porch, rolling out the red carpet for high rollers arriving by taxi or hotel boat.
San Stae: The San Stae Church sports a delightful Baroque facade. Opposite the San Stae stop is a little canal opening—on the second building to the right of that opening, look for the peeling plaster that once made up frescoes (you can barely distinguish the scant remains of little angels on the lower floors). Imagine the facades of the Grand Canal at their finest. Most of them would have been covered in frescoes by the best artists of the day. As colorful as the city is today, it’s still only a faded, sepia-toned remnant of a long-gone era, a time of lavishly decorated, brilliantly colored palaces.
Just ahead, jutting out a bit on the right, is the ornate white facade of Ca’ Pesaro (which houses the International Gallery of Modern Art—see here). “Ca’” is short for casa (house). Because only the house of the doge (Venetian ruler) could be called a palace (palazzo), all other Venetian palaces are technically “Ca’.”
In this city of masks, notice how the rich marble facades along the Grand Canal mask what are generally just simple, no-nonsense brick buildings. Most merchants enjoyed showing off. However, being smart businessmen, they only decorated the side of the buildings that would be seen and appreciated. But look back as you pass Ca’ Pesaro. It’s the only building you’ll see with a fine side facade. Ahead, on the left, with its glorious triple-decker medieval arcade (just before the next stop) is Ca’ d’Oro.
Ca’ d’Oro: The lacy Ca’ d’Oro (House of Gold) is the best example of Venetian Gothic architecture on the canal. Its three stories offer different variations on balcony design, topped with a spiny white roofline. Venetian Gothic mixes traditional Gothic (pointed arches and round medallions stamped with a four-leaf clover) with Byzantine styles (tall, narrow arches atop thin columns), filled in with Islamic frills. Like all the palaces, this was originally painted and gilded to make it even more glorious than it is now. Today the Ca’ d’Oro is an art gallery (described on here).
Look at the Venetian chorus line of palaces in front of the boat. On the right is the arcade of the covered fish market, with the open-air produce market just beyond. It bustles in the morning but is quiet the rest of the day. This is a great scene to wander through—even though European Union hygiene standards have made it cleaner, but less colorful, than it once was.
Find the traghetto gondola ferrying shoppers—standing like Washington crossing the Delaware—back and forth. There are seven traghetto crossings along the Grand Canal, each one marked by a classy low-key green-and-black sign. Driving a traghetto isn’t these gondoliers’ normal day jobs. As a public service, all gondoliers are obliged to row the traghetto a few days a month. Make a point to use them. At €2 a ride, traghetti offer the cheapest gondola ride in Venice (but, at this price, don’t expect them to sing to you).
Mercato Rialto: This stop was opened in 2007 to serve the busy market (boats only stop here between 8:00 and 20:00). The long and officious-looking building at this stop is the Venice courthouse. Straight ahead in the distance, rising above the huge post office, is the tip of the Campanile (bell tower), crowned by its golden angel at St. Mark’s Square, where this tour will end. The German Exchange (100 yards directly ahead, on left side) was the trading center for German metal merchants in the early 1500s (once a post office, it will soon be a shopping center).
You’ll cruise by some trendy and beautifully situated wine bars on the right, but look ahead as you round the corner and see the impressive Rialto Bridge come into view.
A major landmark of Venice, the Rialto Bridge is lined with shops and tourists. Constructed in 1588, it’s the third bridge built on this spot. Until the 1850s, this was the only bridge crossing the Grand Canal. With a span of 160 feet and foundations stretching 650 feet on either side, the Rialto was an impressive engineering feat in its day. Earlier Rialto Bridges could open to let big ships in, but not this one. When this new bridge was completed, much of the Grand Canal was closed to shipping and became a canal of palaces.
When gondoliers pass under the fat arch of the Rialto Bridge, they take full advantage of its acoustics: “Volare, oh, oh...”
Rialto: Rialto, a separate town in the early days of Venice, has always been the commercial district, while San Marco was the religious and governmental center. Today, a winding street called the Mercerie connects the two, providing travelers with human traffic jams and a mesmerizing gauntlet of shopping temptations. This is the only stretch of the historic Grand Canal with landings upon which you can walk. They unloaded the city’s basic necessities here: oil, wine, charcoal, iron. Today, the quay is lined with tourist-trap restaurants.
Venice’s sleek, black, graceful gondolas are a symbol of the city (for more on gondolas, see here). With about 500 gondoliers joyriding amid the churning vaporetti, there’s a lot of congestion on the Grand Canal. Pay attention—this is where most of the gondola and vaporetto accidents take place. While the Rialto is the highlight of many gondola rides, gondoliers understandably prefer the quieter small canals. Watch your vaporetto driver curse the better-paid gondoliers.
Ahead, 100 yards on the left, two gray-colored palaces stand side by side (the City Hall and the mayor’s office). Their horseshoe-shaped, arched windows are similar and their stories are the same height, lining up to create the effect of one long balcony.
San Silvestro: We now enter a long stretch of important merchants’ palaces, each with proud and different facades. Because ships couldn’t navigate beyond the Rialto Bridge, the biggest palaces—with the major shipping needs—line this last stretch of the navigable Grand Canal.
Palaces like these were multifunctional: ground floor for the warehouse, offices and showrooms upstairs, and the living quarters above the offices on the “noble floors” (with big windows designed to allow in maximum light). Servants lived and worked on the top floors (with the smallest windows). For fire-safety reasons, the kitchens were also located on the top floors. Peek into the noble floors to catch a glimpse of their still-glorious chandeliers of Murano glass.
Sant’Angelo: Notice how many buildings have a foundation of waterproof white stone (pietra d’Istria) upon which the bricks sit high and dry. Many canal-level floors are abandoned as the rising water level takes its toll.
The posts—historically painted gaily with the equivalent of family coats of arms—don’t rot underwater. But the wood at the waterline, where it’s exposed to oxygen, does. On the smallest canals, little blue gondola signs indicate that these docks are for gondolas only (no taxis or motor boats).
San Tomà: Fifty yards ahead, on the right side (with twin obelisks on the rooftop), stands Palazzo Balbi, the palace of an early-17th-century captain general of the sea. These Venetian equivalents of five-star admirals were honored with twin obelisks decorating their palaces. This palace, like so many in the city, flies three flags: Italy (green-white-red), the European Union (blue with ring of stars), and Venice (a lion on a field of red and gold). Today it houses the administrative headquarters of the regional government.
Just past the admiral’s palace, look immediately to the right, down a side canal. On the right side of that canal, before the bridge, see the traffic light and the fire station (the 1930s Mussolini-era building with four arches hiding fireboats parked and ready to go).
The impressive Ca’ Foscari, with a classic Venetian facade (on the corner, across from the fire station), dominates the bend in the canal. This is the main building of the University of Venice, which has about 25,000 students. Notice the elegant lamp on the corner—needed in the old days to light this intersection.
The grand, heavy, white Ca’ Rezzonico, just before the stop of the same name, houses the Museum of 18th-Century Venice (described on here). Across the canal is the cleaner and leaner Palazzo Grassi, the last major palace built on the canal, erected in the late 1700s. It was purchased by a French tycoon and now displays part of Punta della Dogana’s contemporary art collection.
Ca’ Rezzonico: Up ahead, the Accademia Bridge leads over the Grand Canal to the Accademia Gallery (right side), filled with the best Venetian paintings (described on here). The bridge was put up in 1934 as a temporary structure. Locals liked it, so it stayed. It was rebuilt in 1984 in the original style.
Accademia: From here, look through the graceful bridge and way ahead to enjoy a classic view of La Salute Church, topped by a crown-shaped dome supported by scrolls (described on here). This Church of St. Mary of Good Health was built to thank God for delivering Venetians from the devastating plague of 1630 (which had killed about a third of the city’s population).
The low, white building among greenery (100 yards ahead, on the right, between the Accademia Bridge and the church) is the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The American heiress “retired” here, sprucing up a palace that had been abandoned in midconstruction. Peggy willed the city her fine collection of modern art (described on here).
As you approach the next stop, notice on the right how the fine line of higgledy-piggledy palaces evokes old-time Venice. Two doors past the Guggenheim, Palazzo Dario has a great set of characteristic funnel-shaped chimneys. These forced embers through a loop-the-loop channel until they were dead—required in the days when stone palaces were surrounded by humble, wooden buildings, and a live spark could make a merchant’s workforce homeless. Notice this early Renaissance building’s flat-feeling facade with “pasted-on” Renaissance motifs. Three doors later is the Salviati building, which once served as a glassworks. Its fine mosaic, done by Art Nouveau in the early 20th century, features Venice as a queen being appreciated by the big shots of society.
Santa Maria del Giglio: Back on the left stands the fancy Gritti Palace hotel. Hemingway and Woody Allen both stayed here (but not together).
Take a deep whiff of Venice. What’s all this nonsense about stinky canals? All I smell is my shirt. By the way, how’s your captain? Smooth dockings? To get to know him, stand up in the bow and block his view.
Salute: The huge La Salute Church towers overhead as if squirted from a can of Catholic Reddi-wip. Like Venice itself, the church rests upon pilings. To build the foundation for the city, more than a million trees were piled together, reaching beneath the mud to the solid clay. Much of the surrounding countryside was deforested by Venice. Trees were imported and consumed locally—to fuel the furnaces of Venice’s booming glass industry, to build Europe’s biggest merchant marine, to form light and flexible beams for nearly all of the buildings in town, and to prop up this city in the mud.
As the Grand Canal opens up into the lagoon, the last building on the right, with the golden ball, is the 17th-century Customs House, which now houses the Punta della Dogana contemporary art museum (listed on here). Its two bronze Atlases hold a statue of Fortune riding the ball. Arriving ships stopped here to pay their tolls.
San Marco: Up ahead on the left, the green pointed tip of the Campanile marks St. Mark’s Square, the political and religious center of Venice...and the final destination of this tour. You could get off at the San Marco stop and go straight to St. Mark’s Square. But I’m staying on the boat for one more stop, just past St. Mark’s Square (it’s a quick walk back).
Survey the lagoon. Opposite St. Mark’s Square, across the water, the ghostly white church with the pointy bell tower is San Giorgio Maggiore, with great views of Venice (described on here). Next to it is the residential island Giudecca, stretching from close to San Giorgio Maggiore past the Venice youth hostel (with a nice view, directly across) to the Hilton Hotel (good nighttime view, far right end of island).
Still on board? If you are, as we leave the San Marco stop, prepare for a drive-by view of St. Mark’s Square. First comes the bold white facade of the old mint (marked by a tiny cupola, where Venice’s golden ducat, the “dollar” of the Venetian Republic, was made) and the library facade. Then come the twin columns topped by St. Theodore and St. Mark, who’ve welcomed visitors since the 15th century. Between the columns, catch a glimpse of two giant figures atop the Clock Tower—they’ve been whacking their clappers every hour since 1499. The domes of St. Mark’s Basilica are soon eclipsed by the lacy facade of the Doge’s Palace. Next you’ll see the Bridge of Sighs (leading from the palace to the prison—check out the maximum security bars), many gondolas with their green breakwater buoys, and then the grand harborside promenade—the Riva.
Follow the Riva with your eye, past elegant hotels to the green area in the distance. This is the largest of Venice’s few parks, which hosts the annual Biennale festival (see here). Much farther in the distance is the Lido, the island with Venice’s beach. Its sand and casinos are tempting, but its car traffic disrupts the medieval charm of Venice.
San Zaccaria: OK, you’re at your last stop. Quick—muscle your way off this boat! (If you don’t, you’ll eventually end up at the Lido.)
At San Zaccaria, you’re right in the thick of the action. A number of other vaporetti depart from here (see here). Otherwise, it’s a short walk back along the Riva to St. Mark’s Square. Ahoy!
▲▲▲St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco)
▲▲▲St. Mark’s Basilica (Basilica di San Marco)
▲▲▲Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale)
▲▲Correr Museum (Museo Correr)
▲Campanile (Campanile di San Marco)
La Fenice Opera House (Gran Teatro alla Fenice)
Across the Lagoon from St. Mark’s Square
▲▲Accademia (Galleria dell’Accademia)
▲La Salute Church (Santa Maria della Salute)
▲Ca’ Rezzonico (Museum of 18th-Century Venice)
▲Ca’ Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art
Palazzo Mocenigo Costume Museum
▲▲Frari Church (Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari)
Calatrava Bridge (a.k.a. Ponte della Costituzione)
▲Scuola Dalmata di San Giorgio
Venice’s city museums offer youth and senior discounts to Americans and other non-EU citizens.
Venice offers a dizzying array of combo-tickets and sightseeing passes. Determine roughly what you plan to see, do the math, and pick the pass that best suits your plans. For most people, the best choice is the Museum Pass, which covers entry into the Doge’s Palace, Correr Museum, and more. Note that some major sights are not covered on any pass, including the Accademia, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Scuola San Rocco, and Campanile, along with the three sights within St. Mark’s Basilica that charge admission.
All of the passes described below are sold at the TI (except for the combo-ticket), and most are also available at participating sights.
Combo-Ticket: A €16 combo-ticket covers both the Doge’s Palace and the Correr Museum; to bypass the long line at the Doge’s Palace, buy your combo-ticket at the never-crowded Correr Museum. The two sights are also covered by the Museum Pass and Venice Card.
Museum Pass: Busy sightseers may prefer this more expensive pass, which covers these museums: the Doge’s Palace; Correr Museum; Ca’ Rezzonico (Museum of 18th-Century Venice); Palazzo Mocenigo Costume Museum; Casa Goldoni (home of the Italian playwright); Ca’ Pesaro (modern art); Museum of Natural History in the Santa Croce district; the Glass Museum on the island of Murano; and the Lace Museum on the island of Burano. At €24, this pass is the best value if you plan to see the Doge’s Palace/Correr Museum and even just one of the other covered museums. (Families get a price break on multiple passes—ask.) You can buy it at any of the participating museums.
Chorus Pass: This pass gives church lovers admission to 16 of Venice’s churches and their art (generally €3 each)—including the Frari Church—for €10, although the typical tourist is unlikely to see more than two of them.
Venice Card: This pass combines the 11 city-run museums and the 16 churches covered by the Chorus Pass, plus a few minor discounts, for €40. A cheaper variation, the Venice Card San Marco, is more selective: It covers the Correr Museum, Doge’s Palace, and your choice of any three churches for €25. But it’s hard to make either of these passes pay off.
Rolling Venice: This youth pass offers discounts at dozens of sights and shops, but its best deal is for transit. If you’re under 30 and want to buy a three-day transit pass, it’ll cost you just €18—rather than €35—with the Rolling Venice pass (€4 for ages 14-29, sold at TIs and HelloVenezia shops).
Transportation Passes: Venice sells transit-only passes that cover vaporetti and mainland buses. For a rundown on these, see here.
This grand square is surrounded by splashy, historic buildings and sights: St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the Campanile bell tower, and the Correr Museum. The square is filled with music, lovers, pigeons, and tourists by day, and is your private rendezvous with the Venetian past late at night, when Europe’s most magnificent dance floor is the romantic place to be.
With your back to the church, survey one of Europe’s great urban spaces, and the only square in Venice to merit the title “Piazza.” Nearly two football fields long, it’s surrounded by the offices of the republic. On the right are the “old offices” (16th-century Renaissance). At left are the “new offices” (17th-century High Renaissance). Napoleon called the piazza “the most beautiful drawing room in Europe,” and added to the intimacy by building the final wing, opposite the basilica, that encloses the square.
For a slow and pricey evening thrill, invest €12-22 (including the cover charge for the music) for a drink at one of the elegant cafés with the dueling orchestras. For an unmatched experience that offers the best people-watching, it’s worth the small splurge.
The Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio), built during the Renaissance in 1496, marks the entry to the main shopping drag, called the Mercerie (or “Marzarie,” in Venetian dialect), which connects St. Mark’s Square with the Rialto Bridge. From the piazza, you can see the bronze men (Moors) swing their huge clappers at the top of each hour. In the 17th century, one of them knocked an unsuspecting worker off the top and to his death—probably the first-ever killing by a robot. Notice one of the world’s first “digital” clocks on the tower facing the square (with dramatic flips every five minutes). You can go inside the Clock Tower with a prebooked guided tour that takes you close to the clock’s innards and out to a terrace with good views over the square and city rooftops (€12.50 combo-ticket includes Correr Museum—where the tour starts—but not Doge’s Palace; €7 for the tour if you already have a Museum Pass or Correr/Doge’s Palace combo-ticket; tours in English Mon-Wed at 10:00 and 11:00, Thu-Sun at 14:00 and 15:00; no kids under age 6). While reservations are required for the Clock Tower tour, you have a decent chance of being able to “reserve” on the spot—try dropping by the Correr Museum for same-day (or day-before) tickets. To ensure a spot in advance, reserve by calling 848-082-000, or book online at torreorologio.visitmuve.it.
You can download a free Rick Steves audio tour of St. Mark’s Square (see here).
Built in the 11th century to replace an earlier church, this basilica’s distinctly Eastern-style architecture underlines Venice’s connection with Byzantium (which protected it from the ambition of Charlemagne and his Holy Roman Empire). It’s decorated with booty from returning sea captains—a kind of architectural Venetian trophy chest. The interior glows mysteriously with gold mosaics and colored marble. Since about A.D. 830, the saint’s bones have been housed on this site.
Cost and Hours: Basilica entry is free, three interior sights charge admission (see below), open Mon-Sat 9:45-17:00, Sun 14:00-17:00 (Sun until 16:00 Nov-March), interior brilliantly lit daily 11:30-12:30, St. Mark’s Square, vaporetto: San Marco or San Zaccaria. No photos are allowed inside. Tel. 041-270-8311, basilicasanmarco.it.
Three separate exhibits within the church charge admission: the Treasury (€3, includes free audioguide), Golden Altarpiece (€2), and San Marco Museum (€5). The San Marco Museum has the original bronze horses (copies of these overlook the square), a balcony offering a remarkable view over St. Mark’s Square, and various works related to the church.
Dress Code: Modest dress (no bare knees or bare shoulders) is strictly enforced, even for kids. Shorts are OK if they cover the knees.
Bag Check (and Skipping the Line): Small purses and shoulder-slung bags are allowed inside, but larger bags and backpacks are not. Check them for free for up to one hour at the nearby church called Ateneo San Basso, 30 yards to the left of the basilica, down narrow Calle San Basso (see map here; daily 9:30-17:00). Note that you can’t check small bags that would be allowed inside.
Those with a bag to check actually get to skip the line, as do their companions (up to three or so). Leave your bag at Ateneo San Basso and pick up your claim tag. Take your tag to the basilica’s tourist entrance. Keep to the left of the railing where the line forms and show your tag to the gatekeeper. He’ll let you in, ahead of the line. After touring St. Mark’s, come back and pick up your bag.
Theft Alert: St. Mark’s Basilica is the most dangerous place in Venice for pickpocketing—inside, it’s always a crowded jostle.
Tours: Free, hour-long English tours (heavy on the mosaics’ religious symbolism) are offered many days at 11:00 (meet in atrium, schedule varies, see schedule board just inside entrance). You can download a free Rick Steves audio tour of St. Mark’s Basilica (see here).
Visiting the Basilica: St. Mark’s Basilica has 4,750 square yards of Byzantine mosaics, though many were designed by artists from the Italian Renaissance and later. Start outside in the square, far enough back to take in the whole facade. Then zero in on the details. The mosaic over the far left door shows the theft of 
St. Mark’s relics that put Venice on the pilgrimage map.
The best and oldest mosaics are in the atrium (turn right as you enter and stop under the last dome). Facing the piazza, look domeward for the story of 
Noah, the ark, and the flood (two by two, the wicked being drowned, Noah sending out the dove, a happy rainbow, and a sacrifice of thanks).
Step inside the church and follow the one-way tourist route. Notice how the marble floor is richly decorated in mosaics. As in many Venetian buildings, because the best foundation pilings were made around the perimeter, the floor rolls. The church is laid out with four equal arms, topped with domes, radiating out from the center to form a 
Greek cross (+). Those familiar with Eastern Orthodox churches will find common elements in St. Mark’s: a central floor plan, domes, mosaics, and iconic images of Mary and Christ as Pantocrator—ruler of all things.
Find the chandelier near the entrance doorway, and run your eyes up to the 
Pentecost mosaic in the dome above. In a golden heaven, the dove of the Holy Spirit shoots out a pinwheel of spiritual lasers, igniting tongues of fire on the heads of the 12 apostles below.
Shuffle under the central dome, and look up for the 
Ascension mosaic. Christ—having lived his miraculous life and having been crucified for man’s sins—ascends into the starry sky on a rainbow.
Look around at the church’s furniture: the 
rood screen, topped with 14 saints, separates the congregation from the high altar. The 
pulpit on the right was reserved for the doge, who led prayers and made important announcements.
In the north transept, today’s Venetians pray to a painted wooden icon of Mary and baby Jesus known as 
Nicopeia, or “Our Lady of Victory.” This Madonna has helped Venice persevere through plagues, wars, and crucial soccer games.
In the south transept (to right of main altar), find the dim 
Discovery of Mark mosaic high up on the west wall. This mosaic re-creates the happy scene in 1094 when Mark’s misplaced relics were found within a hollow column.
Additional Sights: The 
Treasury (Tesoro; ask for the included and informative audioguide when you buy your ticket) and 
Golden Altarpiece (Pala d’Oro) give you the easiest way outside of Istanbul or Ravenna to see the glories of the Byzantine Empire. Venetian crusaders looted the Christian city of Constantinople and brought home piles of lavish loot (perhaps the lowest point in Christian history until the advent of TV evangelism). Much of this plunder is stored in the Treasury of San Marco. As you view these treasures, remember that most were made in about A.D. 500, while Western Europe was stuck in the Dark Ages. Beneath the high altar lies the body of St. Mark (“Marce”) and the Golden Altarpiece, made of 250 blue-backed enamels with religious scenes, all set in a gold frame and studded with 15 hefty rubies, 300 emeralds, 1,500 pearls, and assorted sapphires, amethysts, and topaz (c. 1100).
In the 
San Marco Museum (Museo di San Marco) upstairs you can see an up-close mosaic exhibition, a fine view of the church interior, a view of the square from the balcony with bronze horses, and (inside) the original horses. Art historians don’t know how old the horses are—they could be from ancient Greece (fourth century B.C.) or from ancient Rome, during its Fall (fourth century A.D.). Legend says these well-traveled horses were taken to Rome by Nero. We know they were taken to Constantinople/Istanbul by Constantine, to Venice by crusaders, to Paris by Napoleon, back “home” to Venice when Napoleon fell, and finally indoors and out of the acidic air. The staircase up to the museum is in the atrium, near the basilica’s main entrance, marked by a sign that says Loggia dei Cavalli, Museo.
The seat of the Venetian government and home of its ruling duke, or doge, this was the most powerful half-acre in Europe for 400 years. The Doge’s Palace was built to show off the power and wealth of the Republic. The doge lived with his family on the first floor up, near the halls of power. From his once-lavish (now sparse) quarters, you’ll follow the one-way tour through the public rooms of the top floor, finishing with the Bridge of Sighs and the prison. The place is wallpapered with masterpieces by Veronese and Tintoretto. Don’t worry too much about the great art. Enjoy the building.
Cost and Hours: €16 combo-ticket includes Correr Museum, also covered by Museum Pass—see here, daily April-Oct 8:30-18:30, Nov-March 8:00-17:30, last entry one hour before closing, café, no photos inside, next to St. Mark’s Basilica, just off St. Mark’s Square, vaporetto stops: San Marco or San Zaccaria, tel. 041-271-5911, palazzoducale.visitmuve.it.
Avoiding Lines: If the line is long at the Doge’s Palace, buy your combo-ticket at the Correr Museum across the square; then you can go straight to the Doge’s Palace turnstile, skirting along to the right of the long ticket-buying line and entering at the “prepaid tickets” entrance. It’s also possible to buy your ticket online—at least 48 hours in advance—on the museum website (€0.50 fee).
Tours: The audioguide tour is dry but informative (€5, 1.5 hours, need ID or credit card for deposit). For a 1.25-hour live guided tour, consider the Secret Itineraries Tour, which takes you into palace rooms otherwise not open to the public (€20, includes Doge’s Palace admission but not Correr Museum admission; €14 with combo-ticket; three English-language tours each morning). Though the tour skips the palace’s main hall, you’re welcome to visit the hall afterward on your own. Reserve ahead for this tour in peak season—it can fill up as much as a month in advance. Book online (palazzoducale.visitmuve.it, €0.50 fee), or reserve by phone (tel. 848-082-000, from the US dial 011-39-041-4273-0892), or you can try just showing up at the info desk.
Visiting the Palace: You’ll see the restored facades from the courtyard. Notice a grand staircase (with nearly naked Moses and Paul Newman at the top). Even the most powerful visitors climbed this to meet the doge. This was the beginning of an architectural power trip.
In the Senate Hall, the 120 senators met, debated, and passed laws. Tintoretto’s large Triumph of Venice on the ceiling (central painting, best viewed from the top) shows the city in all its glory. Lady Venice is up in heaven with the Greek gods, while barbaric lesser nations swirl up to give her gifts and tribute.
The Armory—a dazzling display originally assembled to intimidate potential adversaries—shows remnants of the military might that the empire employed to keep the East-West trade lines open (and the local economy booming).
The giant Hall of the Grand Council (175 feet by 80 feet, capacity 2,600) is where the entire nobility met to elect the senate and doge. It took a room this size to contain the grandeur of the Most Serene Republic. Ringing the top of the room are portraits of the first 76 doges (in chronological order). The one at the far end that’s blacked out (in the left corner) is the notorious Doge Marin Falier, who opposed the will of the Grand Council in 1355. He was tried for treason, beheaded, and airbrushed from history.
On the wall over the doge’s throne is Tintoretto’s monsterpiece, Paradise, the largest oil painting in the world. Christ and Mary are surrounded by a heavenly host of 500 saints. The painting leaves you feeling that you get to heaven not by being a good Christian, but by being a good Venetian.
Cross the covered Bridge of Sighs over the canal to the prisons. Circle the cells. Notice the carvings made by prisoners—from olden days up until 1930—on some of the stone windowsills of the cells, especially in the far corner of the building.
Cross back over the Bridge of Sighs, pausing to look through the marble-trellised windows at all of the tourists.
This uncrowded museum gives you a good, easy-to-manage overview of Venetian history and art. The doge memorabilia, armor, banners, statues (by Canova), and paintings (by the Bellini family and others) re-create the festive days of the Venetian Republic. And it’s all accompanied—throughout the museum—by English descriptions and breathtaking views of St. Mark’s Square. But the Correr Museum has one more thing to offer, and that’s a quiet refuge—a place to rise above St. Mark’s Square when the piazza is too hot, too rainy, or too overrun with tourists.
Cost and Hours: €16 combo-ticket also includes the Doge’s Palace and the two lesser museums inside the Correr (National Archaeological Museum and the Monumental Rooms of the Marciana National Library); daily April-Oct 10:00-19:00, Nov-March 10:00-17:00, last entry one hour before closing; bag check free and mandatory for bags bigger than a large purse, no photos, elegant café, enter at far end of square directly opposite basilica, tel. 041-240-5211, correr.visitmuve.it.
Avoid long lines at the crowded Doge’s Palace by buying your combo-ticket at the Correr Museum. For €12.50 you can see the Correr Museum and tour the Clock Tower on St. Mark’s Square, but this ticket doesn’t include the Doge’s Palace (and the €16 combo-ticket mentioned above doesn’t include the Clock Tower). For more on reserving a Clock Tower tour, see here.
This dramatic bell tower replaced a shorter tower, part of the original fortress that guarded the entry of the Grand Canal. That tower crumbled into a pile of bricks in 1902, a thousand years after it was built. Today you’ll see construction work being done to strengthen the base of the rebuilt tower. Ride the elevator 325 feet to the top of the bell tower for the best view in Venice (especially at sunset). For an ear-shattering experience, be on top when the bells ring. The golden archangel Gabriel at the top always faces into the wind. Beat the crowds and enjoy the crisp morning air at 9:00 or the cool evening breeze at 18:00.
Cost and Hours: €8, daily Easter-June and Oct 9:00-19:00, July-Sept 9:00-21:00, Nov-Easter 9:30-16:45, tel. 041-522-4064, basilicasanmarco.it.
During Venice’s glorious decline in the 18th century, this was one of seven opera houses in the city, and one of the most famous in Europe. For 200 years, great operas and famous divas debuted here, applauded by ladies and gentlemen in their finery. Then, in 1996, an arson fire completely gutted the theater. But La Fenice (“The Phoenix”) has risen from the ashes, thanks to an eight-year effort to rebuild the historic landmark according to photographic archives of the interior. To see the results at their most glorious, attend an evening performance (theater box office open daily 10:00-17:00, tel. 041-2424, teatrolafenice.it).
During the day, you can take an audioguide tour of the opera house. All you really see is the theater itself; there’s no “backstage” tour of dressing rooms or an opera museum, and the dry 45-minute guide mainly recounts two centuries of construction. But the auditorium, ringed with box seats, is impressive: pastel blue with sparkling gold filigree, muses depicted on the ceiling, and a starburst chandelier. It’s also a bit saccharine and brings sadness to Venetians who remember the place before the fire. Other than a minor exhibit of opera scores and Maria Callas memorabilia, there’s little to see from the world of opera.
Cost and Hours: €8.50 audioguide tours, generally open daily 9:30-18:00, but can vary wildly, depending on the performance schedule—to confirm, call box office number (listed earlier) or check festfenice.com. La Fenice is on Campo San Fantin, between St. Mark’s Square and the Accademia Bridge.
This former palace, gleaming proudly on the San Marco side of the Grand Canal, holds a branch of the Punta della Dogana contemporary art museum (for details, see “Punta della Dogana,” later).
This much-photographed bridge connects the Doge’s Palace with the prison. Travelers popularized this bridge in the Romantic 19th century. Supposedly, a condemned man would be led over this bridge on his way to the prison, take one last look at the glory of Venice, and sigh. Though overhyped, the Bridge of Sighs is undeniably tingle-worthy—especially after dark, when the crowds have dispersed and it’s just you and floodlit Venice.
Getting There: The Bridge of Sighs is around the corner from the Doge’s Palace. Walk toward the waterfront, turn left along the water, and look up the first canal on your left. You can walk across the bridge (from the inside) by visiting the Doge’s Palace.
This historic church is home to a sometimes-waterlogged crypt, a Bellini altarpiece, a Tintoretto painting, and the final resting place of St. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.
Cost and Hours: Free, €1 to enter crypt, €0.50 coin to light up Bellini’s altarpiece, Mon-Sat 10:00-12:00 & 16:00-18:00, Sun 16:00-18:00 only, 2 canals behind St. Mark’s Basilica.
This is the dreamy church-topped island you can see from the waterfront by St. Mark’s Square. The striking church, designed by Palladio, features art by Tintoretto, a bell tower, and good views of Venice.
Cost and Hours: Free entry to church; April-Oct Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, Sun 9:00-11:00 & 12:00-19:00; Nov-March daily 9:00-17:30. The bell tower costs €6 and is accessible by elevator (runs until 30 minutes before the church closes).
Getting There: To reach the island from St. Mark’s Square, take the five-minute ride on vaporetto #2 (€4, 6/hour, ticket valid for one hour; leaves from San Zaccaria stop—check the readerboard to see which dock/berth it leaves from, direction: Tronchetto).
Venice’s top art museum, packed with highlights of the Venetian Renaissance, features paintings by the Bellini family, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Tiepolo, Giorgione, Canaletto, and Testosterone. It’s just over the wooden Accademia Bridge from the San Marco action.
Cost and Hours: €9, dull audioguide-€6, Mon 8:15-14:00, Tue-Sun 8:15-19:15, last entry 45 minutes before closing, no photos allowed. At Accademia Bridge, vaporetto: Accademia, tel. 041-522-2247, gallerieaccademia.org.
Avoiding Lines: Just 360 people are allowed into the gallery at one time, so you may have to wait. It’s most crowded on Monday mornings and whenever it rains; it’s least crowded Tue-Sun mornings (before about 10:00) and late afternoons (after about 17:00). While it’s possible to book tickets in advance (€1.50/ticket surcharge; either book online at gallerieaccademia.org or call 041-520-0345), it’s generally not necessary if you avoid the busiest times.
Renovation: This museum seems to be in a constant state of disarray. A major expansion and renovation has been dragging on for years. Paintings come and go, but the museum always contains sumptuous art—the best in Venice. If you can’t find one of the items noted below, check in Room 23 at the end, where they tend to shuffle pieces that have been displaced by the renovation.
Visiting the Accademia: The Accademia is the greatest museum anywhere for Venetian Renaissance art and a good overview of painters whose works you’ll see all over town. Venetian art is underrated and, I think, misunderstood. It’s nowhere near as famous today as the work of the florescent Florentines, but—with historical slices of Venice, ravishing nudes, and very human Madonnas—it’s livelier, more colorful, and simply more fun. The Venetian love of luxury shines through in this collection, which starts in the Middle Ages and runs to the 1700s. Look for grand canvases of colorful, spacious settings, peopled with happy locals in extravagant clothes having a great time.
Medieval highlights include elaborate altarpieces and golden-haloed Madonnas, all painted at a time when realism, depth of field, and emotion were considered beside the point. Medieval Venetians, with their close ties to the East, borrowed techniques such as gold-leafing, frontal poses, and “iconic” faces from the religious icons of Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul).
Among early masterpieces of the Renaissance are Mantegna’s studly St. George and Giorgione’s mysterious Tempest. As the Renaissance reaches its heights, so do the paintings, such as Titian’s magnificent Presentation of the Virgin. It’s a religious scene, yes, but it’s really just an excuse to display secular splendor (Titian was the most famous painter of his day—perhaps even more famous than Michelangelo). Veronese’s sumptuous Feast in the House of Levi also has an ostensibly religious theme (in the middle, find Jesus eating his final meal)—but it’s outdone by the luxury and optimism of Renaissance Venice. Life was a good thing and beauty was to be enjoyed. (Veronese was hauled before the Inquisition for painting such a bawdy Last Supper...so he fine-tuned the title.) End your tour with Guardi’s and Canaletto’s painted “postcards” of the city—landscapes for visitors who lost their hearts to the romance of Venice.
The popular museum of far-out art, housed in the American heiress’ former retirement palazzo, offers one of Europe’s best reviews of the art of the first half of the 20th century. Stroll through styles represented by artists whom Peggy knew personally—Cubism (Picasso, Braque), Surrealism (Dalí, Ernst), Futurism (Boccioni), American Abstract Expressionism (Pollock), and a sprinkling of Klee, Calder, and Chagall.
Cost and Hours: €14, usually includes temporary exhibits, audioguide-€7, Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, closed Tue, pricey café, 5-minute walk from the Accademia Bridge, vaporetto: Accademia or Salute, tel. 041-240-5411, guggenheim-venice.it.
This impressive church with a crown-shaped dome was built and dedicated to the Virgin Mary by grateful survivors of the 1630 plague.
Cost and Hours: Free entry to church, €3 to enter the Sacristy; daily 9:00-12:00 & 15:00-17:30. It’s a 10-minute walk from the Accademia Bridge; the Salute vaporetto stop is at its doorstep, tel. 041-241-1018, seminariovenezia.it.
This grand Grand Canal palazzo offers the most insightful look at the life of Venice’s rich and famous in the 1700s. Wander under ceilings by Tiepolo, among furnishings from that most decadent century, enjoying views of the canal and paintings by Guardi, Canaletto, and Longhi.
Cost and Hours: €8, audioguide-€4; April-Oct Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, Nov-March Wed-Mon 10:00-17:00, closed Tue year-round; ticket office closes one hour before museum does, no photos, café, at Ca’ Rezzonico vaporetto stop, tel. 041-241-0100, carezzonico.visitmuve.it.
This museum of contemporary art, opened in 2009, makes the Dorsoduro a major destination for art lovers. Housed in the former Customs House at the end of the Grand Canal, it features cutting-edge 21st-century art in spacious rooms. This isn’t Picasso and Matisse, or even Pollock and Warhol—those guys are ancient history. But if you’re into the likes of Jeff Koons, Cy Twombly, Rachel Whiteread, and a host of newer artists, the museum is world-class. The displays change completely about once a year, drawn from the museum’s large collection—so large it also fills Palazzo Grassi, farther up the Grand Canal.
Cost and Hours: €15 for one locale, €20 for both; Wed-Mon 10:00-19:00, closed Tue, last entry one hour before closing; audioguide-€5 or €8 for both museums, small café, tel. 199-139-139, palazzograssi.it.
Getting There: Punta della Dogana is near La Salute Church (Dogana traghetto or vaporetto: Salute). Palazzo Grassi is a bit upstream, on the east side of the Grand Canal (vaporetto #2: San Samuele, or vaporetto #1 to Ca’ Rezzonico then traghetto across the canal).
This museum features 19th- and early 20th-century art in a 17th-century canalside palazzo. The collection is strongest on Italian (especially Venetian) artists, but also presents a broad array of other well-known artists. While the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is Venice’s undisputedly best modern collection, Ca’ Pesaro comes in a clear second—and features a handful of recognizable masterpieces (most notably Klimt’s Judith II, Kandinsky’s White Zig Zags, and Chagall’s Rabbi of Vitebsk).
Cost and Hours: €8; April-Oct Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, Nov-March Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon year-round, last entry 1 hour before closing, 2-minute walk from San Stae vaporetto stop, tel. 041-524-0695, capesaro.visitmuve.it.
The Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo offers a walk through six rooms of a fine 17th-century mansion with period furnishings, family portraits, ceilings painted (c. 1790) with family triumphs (the Mocenigos produced seven doges), Murano glass chandeliers in situ, and a paltry collection of costumes with sparse descriptions.
Cost and Hours: €5; April-Oct Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, Nov-March Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00, closed Mon year-round, last entry one hour before closing, a block in from San Stae vaporetto stop, tel. 041-721-798, mocenigo.visitmuve.it.
One of the world’s most famous bridges, this distinctive and dramatic stone structure crosses the Grand Canal with a single confident span. The arcades along the top of the bridge help reinforce the structure...and offer some enjoyable shopping diversions, as does the market surrounding the bridge (produce market closed Sun, fish market closed Sun-Mon).
My favorite art experience in Venice is seeing art in the setting for which it was designed—as it is at the Frari Church. The Franciscan “Church of the Brothers” and the art that decorates it are warmed by the spirit of St. Francis. It features the work of three great Renaissance masters: Donatello, Giovanni Bellini, and Titian—each showing worshippers the glory of God in human terms.
Cost and Hours: €3, Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun 13:00-18:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, modest dress recommended, no photos, on Campo dei Frari, near San Tomà vaporetto and traghetto stops, tel. 041-272-8618, basilicadeifrari.it.
Audioguides: You can rent an audioguide for €2, or you can download a free Rick Steves audio tour of the Frari (see here).
Concerts: The church occasionally hosts evening concerts and small theatrical performances (usually around €15, buy tickets at church, for details see the church’s website, earlier).
Visiting the Frari Church: In Donatello’s wood statue of St. John the Baptist (just to the right of the high altar), the prophet of the desert—dressed in animal skins and nearly starving from his diet of bugs ’n’ honey—announces the coming of the Messiah. Donatello was a Florentine working at the dawn of the Renaissance.
Bellini’s Madonna and Child with Saints and Angels painting (in the sacristy farther to the right) came later, done by a Venetian in a more Venetian style—soft focus without Donatello’s harsh realism. While Renaissance humanism demanded Madonnas and saints that were accessible and human, Bellini places them in a physical setting so beautiful that it creates its own mood of serene holiness. The genius of Bellini, perhaps the greatest Venetian painter, is obvious in the pristine clarity, rich colors (notice Mary’s clothing), believable depth, and reassuring calm of this three-paneled altarpiece.
Finally, glowing red and gold like a stained-glass window over the high altar, Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin sets the tone of exuberant beauty found in the otherwise sparse church. Titian the Venetian—a student of Bellini—painted steadily for 60 years...you’ll see a lot of his art. As stunned apostles look up past the swirl of arms and legs, the complex composition of this painting draws you right to the radiant face of the once-dying, now-triumphant Mary as she joins God in heaven.
Feel comfortable to discreetly freeload off passing tours. For many, these three pieces of art make a visit to the Accademia Gallery unnecessary (or they may whet your appetite for more). Before leaving, flanking the nave just inside the main entrance, check out the Neoclassical pyramid-shaped Canova monument and (opposite that) the grandiose tomb of Titian. Compare the carved marble Assumption behind Titian’s tombstone portrait with the painted original above the high altar.
Sometimes called “Tintoretto’s Sistine Chapel,” this lavish meeting hall (next to the Frari Church) has some 50 large, colorful Tintoretto paintings plastered to the walls and ceilings. The best paintings are upstairs, especially the Crucifixion in the smaller room. View the neck-breaking splendor with the mirrors available in the Grand Hall.
Cost and Hours: €10, includes audioguide, daily 9:30-17:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing, no photos, tel. 041-523-4864, scuolagrandesanrocco.it.
This nearby church, which pales in comparison to the two sights just listed, is only worth a visit for art lovers. One of Venice’s oldest churches (from the ninth century), San Polo features works by Tintoretto, Veronese, and Tiepolo and son.
Cost and Hours: €3, Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, closed Sun.
Tucked away in the Cannaregio District is the ghetto where Venice’s Jewish population once lived, segregated from their non-Jewish neighbors. While today’s Jewish population is dwindling, the neighborhood still has centuries of history, not to mention Jewish-themed sights and eateries.
In medieval times, Jews were grudgingly allowed to do business in Venice, but they weren’t permitted to live here until 1385 (subject to strict laws and special taxes). Anti-Semitic forces tried to oust them from the city, but in 1516, the doge compromised by restricting Jews to a special (undesirable) neighborhood. It was located on an easy-to-isolate island near the former foundry (geto). In time, the word “ghetto” caught on across Europe as a term for any segregated neighborhood.
The population swelled with immigrants from elsewhere in Europe, reaching 5,000 in the 1600s, the Golden Age of Venice’s Jews. Restricted within their tiny neighborhood (the Gheto Novo—“New Ghetto”), they expanded upward, building six-story “skyscrapers” that still stand today. The community’s five synagogues were built atop the high-rise tenements. (As space was very tight and you couldn’t live above a house of worship, this was the most practical use of precious land.) Only two synagogues are still active; you can spot them (with their five windows) from the square.
The Jewish Museum (Museo Ebraico), at #2902b, is small, but modern and well-presented—a worthwhile stop. Exhibits include silver menorahs, cloth covers for Torah scrolls, and a concise bilingual exhibit on the Venetian Jewish community (€4, June-Sept Sun-Fri 10:00-19:00, Oct-May Sun-Fri 10:00-17:30, closed Jewish holidays and Sat year-round, bookstore, small café, Campo de Gheto Novo, tel. 041-715-359, museoebraico.it). You can see three of the ghetto’s five synagogues with the 45-minute English tour (€10, includes museum admission, tours run hourly on the half-hour June-Sept Sun-Fri 10:30-17:30, Oct-May Sun-Fri 10:30-16:30, no tours Sat and Jewish holidays). Group sizes are limited (the 11:30 and 12:30 tours are the most popular), so show up 20 minutes early to be sure you get in.
Getting There: From either the San Marcuola vaporetto stop or the train station, walk five minutes to the Ponte de Guglie bridge that crosses the Cannaregio Canal. Cross the bridge and turn left. About 50 yards north of the bridge, a small covered alleyway (Calle del Gheto Vechio) leads between the farmacia and the Gam-Gam Kosher Restaurant, through a newer Jewish section, across a bridge, and into the historic core of the ghetto at Campo de Gheto Novo.
This controversial bridge, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, is just upstream from the train station. Only the fourth bridge to cross the Grand Canal, it carries foot traffic between the train station and bus terminal at Piazzale Roma.
The bridge draws snorts from Venetians. Its modern design is a sore point for a city with such rich medieval and Renaissance architecture. With an original price tag of €4 million, the cost rose to around €11 million by the time it finally opened, after lengthy delays, in 2008. Then someone noticed that people in wheelchairs couldn’t cross, so the bridge was retrofitted with a special carriage on a track. And, to add practical insult to aesthetic injury, critics say the heavy bridge is crushing the centuries-old foundations at either end, threatening nearby buildings.
This “House of Gold” palace, fronting the Grand Canal, is quintessential Venetian Gothic (Gothic seasoned with Byzantine and Islamic accents—see “Ca’ d’Oro” on here). Inside, the permanent collection includes a few big names in Renaissance painting (Ghirlandaio, Signorelli, and Mantegna), a glimpse at a lush courtyard, and a grand view of the Grand Canal.
Cost and Hours: €6, dry audioguide-€4, Mon 8:15-14:00, Tue-Sat 8:15-19:15, Sun 10:00-18:00, free peek through hole in door of courtyard, Cannaregio 3932, vaporetto: Ca’ d’Oro, cadoro.org.
This little-visited scuola (which can mean either “school” or, as in this case, “meeting place”) features an exquisite wood-paneled chapel decorated with the world’s best collection of paintings by Vittorio Carpaccio (1465-1526).
The Scuola, a reminder that cosmopolitan Venice was once Europe’s trade hub, was one of a hundred such community centers for various ethnic, religious, and economic groups, supported by the government partly to keep an eye on foreigners. It was here that the Dalmatians (from a region of Croatia) worshipped in their own way, held neighborhood meetings, and preserved their culture.
Cost and Hours: €5, Mon 14:45-18:00, Tue-Sat 9:15-13:00 & 14:45-18:00, Sun 9:15-13:00, midway between St. Mark’s Square and the Arsenale on Calle dei Furlani at #3259a, tel. 041-522-8828.
The mighty Republic of Venice was home to the first great military industrial complex: a state-of-the-art shipyard that could build a powerful warship of standardized parts in an assembly line (and did so to intimidate visiting heads of state). While the Arsenale is still a military base and is therefore closed to the public, its massive and evocative gate, the Porta Magna, is worth a look (to see the gate, turn left at the Naval Museum and follow the canal). At the waterfront end of the canal, in front of the Arsenale, stands the Naval Museum (Museo Storico Navale). It’s very old-school and military-run, but anyone into maritime history or sailing will find its several floors of exhibits interesting. You’ll see the evolution of warships, displays on old fishing boats, and gondolas (all described in English).
Cost and Hours: Museum-€1.55, Mon-Sat 8:45-13:30, closed Sun, Castello 2148, tel. 041-244-1399.
Getting There: From the Doge’s Palace, hike six bridges east along the waterfront to the Naval Museum. To see the gate, turn left at the museum and follow the canal.
For a pleasant peek into a completely nontouristy, residential side of Venice, walk or catch vaporetto #1 from St. Mark’s Square to the neighborhood of Sant’Elena (at the fish’s tail). This 100-year-old suburb lives as if there were no tourism. You’ll find a kid-friendly park, a few lazy restaurants, and beautiful sunsets over San Marco.
From roughly June through November, Venice hosts an annual world’s fair—contemporary art in odd years, modern architecture in even years—in buildings and pavilions scattered throughout Giardini park and the Arsenale. The festival is an excuse for temporary art exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events around the city (for more information, see labiennale.org).
You must experience Venice after dark. The city is quiet at night, as tour groups stay in the cheaper hotels of Mestre on the mainland, and the masses of day-trippers return to their beach resorts and cruise ships. Gondolas cost more, but are worth the extra expense (described on here). At night, vaporetti are nearly empty, and it’s a great time to cruise the Grand Canal on the slow boat #1. Venice has a busy schedule of events, church concerts, festivals, and entertainment. Check at the TI or the TI’s website (turismovenezia.it) for listings. The free monthly Un Ospite di Venezia lists all the latest happenings in English (free at fancy hotels, or check unospitedivenezia.it).
Venice is a city of the powdered-wig Baroque era. For about €25, you can take your pick of traditional Vivaldi concerts in churches throughout town. Homegrown Vivaldi is as ubiquitous here as Strauss is in Vienna and Mozart is in Salzburg. In fact, you’ll find frilly young Vivaldis hawking concert tickets on many corners. Most shows start at 20:30 and generally last 1.5 hours. You’ll see posters in hotels all over town (hotels sell tickets at face value). Tickets for Baroque concerts in Venice can usually be bought the same day as the concert, so don’t bother with websites that sell tickets with a surcharge. The general rule of thumb: Musicians in wigs and tights offer better spectacle; musicians in black-and-white suits are better performers.
The Interpreti Veneziani orchestra, considered the best group in town, generally performs 1.5-hour concerts nightly at 21:00 inside the sumptuous San Vidal Church (€26, church ticket booth open daily 9:30-21:00, north end of Accademia Bridge, tel. 041-277-0561, interpretiveneziani.com).
Venice’s most famous theaters are La Fenice (grand old opera house, box office tel. 041-2424, see here), Teatro Goldoni (mostly Italian live theater), and Teatro della Fondamenta Nuove (theater, music, and dance).
Musica a Palazzo is a unique evening of opera at a Venetian palace on the Grand Canal. You’ll spend about 45 delightful minutes in each of three sumptuous rooms (about 2.25 hours total) as eight musicians (generally four instruments and four singers) perform. They generally present three different operas on successive nights—enthusiasts can experience more than one. With these kinds of surroundings, under Tiepolo frescoes, you’ll be glad you dressed up. As there are only 70 seats, you must book by phone or online in advance (€60, nightly at 20:30, Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto, Fondamenta Duodo o Barbarigo, vaporetto: Santa Maria del Giglio, San Marco 2504, mobile 340-971-7272, musicapalazzo.com).
Venezia is advertised as “the show that tells the great story of Venice” and “simply the best show in town.” I found the performance to be slow-moving and a bit cheesy, and the venue disappointing (€39, nightly May-Oct at 20:00, Nov-April at 19:00; 80 minutes, just off St. Mark’s Square on Campo San Gallo, San Marco 1097, tel. 041-241-2002, teatrosangallo.net).
For tourists, St. Mark’s Square is the highlight, with lantern light and live music echoing from the cafés. Just being here after dark is a thrill, as dueling café orchestras entertain. Every night, enthusiastic musicians play the same songs, creating the same irresistible magic. Hang out for free behind the tables (allowing you to move easily on to the next orchestra when the musicians take a break), or spring for a seat and enjoy a fun and gorgeously set concert. If you sit awhile, it can be €12-22 well spent (for a drink and the cover charge for music). Dancing on the square is free—and encouraged.
Several venerable cafés and bars on the square serve expensive drinks outside but cheap drinks inside at the bar. The scene in a bar like Gran Caffè Lavena (in spite of its politically incorrect chandelier) can be great. The touristy Bar Americano is lively until late (under the Clock Tower). You’ll hear people talking about the famous Harry’s American Bar, which sells overpriced food and American cocktails to dressy tourists near the San Marco-Vallaresso vaporetto stop. But it’s a rip-off...and the last place Hemingway would drink today. It’s far cheaper to get a drink at any of the bars just off St. Mark’s Square; you can get a bottle of beer or even prosecco-to-go in a plastic cup.
Wherever you end up, streetlamp halos, live music, floodlit history, and a ceiling of stars make St. Mark’s magic at midnight. You’re not a tourist, you’re a living part of a soft Venetian night...an alley cat with money. In the misty light, the moon has a golden hue. Shine with the old lanterns on the gondola piers, where the sloppy lagoon splashes at the Doge’s Palace...reminiscing.
For hassle-free efficiency and the sheer magic of being close to the action, I favor hotels that are handy to your sightseeing activities. I’ve listed rooms in four neighborhoods: St. Mark’s bustle, the Rialto action, the quiet Dorsoduro area behind the Accademia art museum, and near the train station.
Book your accommodations well in advance if you’ll be traveling during busy times. Note that hotel websites are particularly valuable for Venice, because they often include detailed directions that can help you get to your rooms with a minimum of wrong turns in this navigationally challenging city.
The prices I’ve listed are for one-night stays in peak season (April, May, June, Sept, and Oct) and assume you’re booking directly (not through a TI or online hotel-booking engine). Prices can spike during festivals. Almost all places drop prices from November through March (except during Christmas and Carnevale—Feb 7-17 in 2015) and in July and August. A €180 double can cost €80-90 in winter. Off-season, don’t pay the rates I list.
Over the past decade, Venice has seen the opening of several big new hotels, countless little boutique hotels, and the conversion of many private homes to short-term rental apartments, nearly doubling Venice’s hotel capacity. Now the city is overbuilt for hotels. Demand is soft and, therefore, so are the prices.
To save money during a relatively slow time, consider arriving without a reservation and dropping in at the last minute. Big, fancy hotels put empty rooms on an aggressive push list, offering great prices. Many hotels in Venice list rooms on venere.com, especially for last-minute vacancies (two to three weeks before the date).
To get here from the train station or Piazzale Roma bus station, ride the vaporetto to San Zaccaria—either the slow #1 or the fast #2 (from the Tronchetto parking lot, it’s #2 only). Consider using your ride to follow my tour of the Grand Canal (see here); to make sure you arrive via the Grand Canal, confirm that your boat goes “via Rialto.”
Nearby Laundries: Lavanderia Gabriella offers full service a few streets north of St. Mark’s Square (€15/load includes wash, dry, and fold; drop off Mon-Fri 8:00-12:30, closed Sat-Sun; pick up 2 hours later or next working day, on Rio Terà de le Colonne, look for #985, tel. 041-522-1758, Elisabetta).
Effe Erre, a modern self-service lavanderia, is near the recommended Hotel al Piave on Ruga Giuffa at #4826 (€12/load, daily 6:30-24:00, mobile 349-058-3881, Massimo).
Located near the Bridge of Sighs, just off the Riva degli Schiavoni waterfront promenade, these places rub drainpipes with Venice’s most palatial five-star hotels. To locate the following hotels, see the map on here.
$$$ Hotel Campiello, lacy and bright, was once part of a 19th-century convent. Ideally located 50 yards off the waterfront on a tiny square, its 16 rooms offer a tranquil, friendly refuge for travelers who appreciate comfort and professional service (Sb-€130, Db-€180, bigger “superior” rooms €20-30 more, ask about discount with this book if you reserve direct and pay cash on arrival, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi; just steps from the San Zaccaria vaporetto stop, Castello 4647; tel. 041-520-5764, hcampiello.it, campiello@hcampiello.it; family-run for four generations, currently by Thomas, Nicoletta, and Marco). They also rent three modern family apartments, under rustic timbers just steps away (up to €380/night).
$$$ Hotel Fontana, two bridges behind St. Mark’s Square, is a pleasant family-run place with 15 sparse but classic-feeling rooms overlooking a lively square (Sb-€120, Db-€180, family rooms, cash discount, quieter rooms on garden side, 2 rooms have terraces for €20 extra, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi in common areas, on Campo San Provolo at Castello 4701, tel. 041-522-0579, hotelfontana.it, info@hotelfontana.it, cousins Diego and Gabriele).
$$$ Hotel la Residenza is a grand old palace facing a peaceful square. It has 16 small rooms on three levels (with no elevator) and a huge, luxurious lounge that comes with a piano and a stingy breakfast. This is a good value for romantics—you’ll feel like you’re in the Doge’s Palace after hours (Sb-€105, Db-€205, view Db-€215, air-con, free Wi-Fi, on Campo Bandiera e Moro at Castello 3608, tel. 041-528-5315, venicelaresidenza.com, info@venicelaresidenza.com, Giovanni).
$$ Locanda al Leon, which feels a little like a medieval tower house, is conscientiously run and rents 13 reasonably priced rooms just off Campo Santi Filippo e Giacomo (Db-€160, Db with square view-€180, Tb-€200, Qb-€240, ask about Rick Steves price with this book and cash, air-con, free Wi-Fi, 2 apartments with kitchens, Campo Santi Filippo e Giacomo, Castello 4270, tel. 041-277-0393, hotelalleon.com, leon@hotelalleon.com, Giuliano and Marcella). Their down-the-street annex, B&B Marcella, has three newer, classy, and spacious rooms for the same rates (check in at main hotel).
$ Albergo Doni, situated along a quiet canal, is dark and quiet. This time-warp—with 13 well-worn, once-classy rooms up a creaky stairway—is run by friendly Tessa and her brother, an Italian stallion named Nikos (S-€70, D-€105, Db-€130, T-€135, Tb-€170, ask about discount with this book, ceiling fans, three Db rooms have air-con, free Wi-Fi in common areas, 3 nice overflow apartments are same price but no breakfast, on Fondamenta del Vin at Castello 4656, tel. 041-522-4267, albergodoni.it, albergodoni@hotmail.it).
$ Casa per Ferie Santa Maria della Pietà is a wonderful church-run facility renting 53 beds in 15 rooms just a block off the Riva, with a fabulous lagoon-view roof terrace that could rival the most luxurious hotels in town. Institutional with generous public spaces and dorm-style comfort, there are no sinks, toilets, or showers in any of its rooms, but there’s plenty of plumbing down the hall (€40 beds in 4-8-bed dorms, S-€55, D-€100, straight price all year, only twin beds, reserve with credit card but pay cash, air-con, free Wi-Fi, profits go to church care for poor, 100 yards from San Zaccaria-Pietà vaporetto dock, down Calle de la Pietà from La Pietà Church at Castello 3701, take elevator to third floor, tel. 041-883-0111, bedandvenice.it, info@bedandvenice.it).
To locate the following hotels, see the map on here.
$$ Hotel al Piave, with 28 fine, air-conditioned rooms above a bright and classy lobby, is fresh, modern, and comfortable. You’ll enjoy the neighborhood and always get a cheery welcome (Db-€155, larger “superior” Db-€200, Tb-€200, Qb-€260; family suites-€280 for 4, €300 for 5, or €310 for 6; Rick Steves discount when you book direct and pay in cash, free Wi-Fi, on Ruga Giuffa at Castello 4838, tel. 041-528-5174, hotelalpiave.com, info@hotelalpiave.com; Mirella, Paolo, Ilaria, and Federico speak English).
$$ Locanda Silva is a big, basic, beautifully located hotel with a functional 1960s feel, renting 23 decent old-school rooms that are particularly worth considering if you’re willing to share a bathroom to save some money (S-€70, Sb-€85, D-€85, D with toilet but shared shower-€90, Db-€140, Tb-€160, Qb-€180, book direct and ask about Rick Steves discount, additional discount if you stay at least 2 nights, discounts valid only with cash, closed Dec-Jan, air-con, lots of stairs, pay Wi-Fi, on Fondamenta del Remedio at Castello 4423, tel. 041-522-7643, locandasilva.it, info@locandasilva.it; Sandra, Katia, and Massimo).
$$ Locanda Casa Querini rents six bright, high-ceilinged rooms on a quiet square tucked away behind St. Mark’s. You can enjoy your breakfast or a sunny happy-hour picnic sitting at their tables right on the sleepy little square (Db-€155, Tb-€180, one cheaper small double; ask for Rick Steves rate when you book direct, mention this book, and pay cash; €5 additional discount if you book on their website, air-con, free Wi-Fi, halfway between San Zaccaria vaporetto stop and Campo Santa Maria Formosa at Castello 4388 on Campo San Zaninovo/Giovanni Novo, tel. 041-241-1294, locandaquerini.com, info@locandaquerini.com; Silvia, Patrizia, and Caterina).
$ Hotel Riva, with gleaming marble hallways, big exposed beams, fine antique furnishings, and lots of stairs, is romantically situated on a canal along the gondola serenade route but may be closed in 2015. This has long been a standby in this book, but how it’ll stack up when it reopens after a major renovation remains to be seen (see website for latest prices, on Ponte de l’Anzolo at Castello 5310, tel. 041-522-7034, hotelriva.it, info@hotelriva.it, Daniella).
$ Corte Campana B&B, run by enthusiastic and helpful Riccardo, rents three quiet and characteristic rooms up a few flights of stairs just behind St. Mark’s Square. One room has a private bath down the hall (Db-€125, Tb-€165, Qb-€190, prices are soft, cash only, 2-night minimum, at least €10/night less for stays of 4 nights, air-con, pay Wi-Fi but free guest computer, on Calle del Remedio at Castello 4410, tel. 041-523-3603, mobile 389-272-6500, cortecampana.com, info@cortecampana.com).
A bit farther north of the options listed above, these are in a pleasant, somewhat less touristy neighborhood near the inviting Campo Santa Maria Formosa. For locations, see the map on here.
$$ Locanda la Corte is perfumed with elegance without being snooty. Its 17 attractive, high-ceilinged, wood-beamed rooms—Venetian-style, done in earthy pastels—circle a small, quiet courtyard (standard Db-€150, deluxe Db-€170, ask about discount with cash and this book, suites and family rooms available, air-con, free Wi-Fi, on Calle Bressana at Castello 6317, tel. 041-241-1300, locandalacorte.it, info@locandalacorte.it, Marco and Tommy the cat).
$ Alloggi Barbaria rents eight backpacker-type rooms on one floor around a bright but institutional-feeling common area. Beyond Campo San Zanipolo/Santi Giovanni e Paolo, it’s a long walk from the action, in a residential neighborhood, and only a step above a youth hostel (Db-€90-100, third or fourth person-€25 each, pay cash for best price, family deals, limited breakfast, air-con, free Wi-Fi, on Calle de le Capucine at Castello 6573, tel. 041-522-2750, alloggibarbaria.it, info@alloggibarbaria.it, Giorgio and Fausto).
To locate the following hotels, see the map on here.
$$$ Hotel Flora sits buried in a sea of fancy designer boutiques and elegant hotels almost on the Grand Canal. It’s formal, with uniformed staff and grand public spaces, yet the 40 rooms have a homey warmth, and the garden oasis is a sanctuary for well-heeled, foot-weary guests (generally Db-€260, check website for special discounts or email Sr. Romanelli for Rick Steves discount off standard prices, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, fitness room, family apartment, on Calle Bergamaschi at San Marco 2283a, tel. 041-520-5844, hotelflora.it, info@hotelflora.it).
$$$ Hotel Mercurio, a lesser value a block in front of La Fenice Opera House, offers 29 peaceful, comfortable rooms (Sb-€180, Db-€240, Tb-€290, Qb-€320, about €30 extra for a canal view, €10 discount on any room when booked direct and paid in cash, air-con, lots of stairs, free Wi-Fi, on Calle del Fruttariol at San Marco 1848, tel. 041-522-0947, hotelmercurio.com, info@hotelmercurio.com; Monica, Vittorio, Natale, and Giacomo).
$$$ Hotel Bel Sito offers pleasing yet well-worn Old World character, 34 rooms, generous public spaces, a peaceful courtyard, and a picturesque location—facing a church on a small square between St. Mark’s Square and the Accademia (Sb-€110, Db-€185, €20 extra for “superior” room with view of canal or square, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi; near Santa Maria del Giglio vaporetto stop—line #1, on Campo Santa Maria Zobenigo/del Giglio at San Marco 2517, tel. 041-522-3365, hotelbelsitovenezia.it, info@hotelbelsito.info, manager Rossella).
These two places are on opposite sides of the Grand Canal, each within a short walk of the Rialto Bridge. Vaporetto #2 brings you to the Rialto quickly from the train station, the Piazzale Roma bus station, and the parking-lot island of Tronchetto. You can also take the slower vaporetto #1 (but not from Tronchetto). To locate the following hotels, see the map on here.
East of the Rialto Bridge: $$$ Hotel al Ponte Antico is exquisite, professional, and small. With nine plush rooms, a velvety royal living/breakfast room, and its own dock for water taxi arrivals, it’s perfect for a romantic anniversary. Because its wonderful terrace overlooks the Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, and market action, its non-canal-view rooms may be a better value (Db-€320, “superior” Db-€400, deluxe canal-front Db-€490, air-con, free Wi-Fi, 100 yards from Rialto Bridge at Cannaregio 5768, tel. 041-241-1944, alponteantico.com, info@alponteantico.com, Matteo makes you feel like royalty).
West of the Rialto Bridge: $$ Pensione Guerrato, above the colorful Rialto produce market and just two minutes from the Rialto Bridge, is run by friendly, creative, and hardworking Roberto and Piero. Their 800-year-old building—with 24 spacious, charming rooms—is simple, airy, and wonderfully characteristic (D-€95, Db-€135, Tb-€155, Qb-€175, Quint/b-€185, check website for special discounts, ask about Rick Steves discount with this book and cash, air-con, free Wi-Fi in lobby, on Calle drio la Scimia at San Polo 240a, tel. 041-528-5927, pensioneguerrato.it, info@pensioneguerrato.it, Monica and Rosanna). My tour groups book this place for 60 nights each year. Sorry. The Guerrato also rents family apartments in the old center (great for groups of 4-8) for around €60 per person.
As you step over the Accademia Bridge, the commotion of touristy Venice is replaced by a sleepy village laced with canals. This quiet area, next to the best painting gallery in town, is a 15-minute walk from the Rialto or St. Mark’s Square.
The fast vaporetto #2 connects the Accademia Bridge with the train station (15 minutes), Piazzale Roma bus station (20 minutes), Tronchetto parking lot (25 minutes), and St. Mark’s Square (5 minutes). For hotels south of the Accademia Bridge, a good option is vaporetto #5.1 to Zattere (or the Alilaguna speedboat from the airport to Zattere).
To locate the following hotels, see the map on here.
$$$ Pensione Accademia fills the 17th-century Villa Maravege like a Bellini painting. Its 27 comfortable, elegant rooms gild the lily. You’ll feel aristocratic gliding through its grand public spaces and lounging in its wistful, breezy gardens (Sb-€80-160, standard Db-€145-295, bigger “superior” Db-€210-390, Tb-€340, Qb-€370, ask about best Rick Steves price on balance when booked direct and paying in cash—mention when reserving and show this book, air-con, cheap Wi-Fi in rooms, free Wi-Fi in lobby, on Fondamenta Bollani at Dorsoduro 1058, tel. 041-521-0188, pensioneaccademia.it, info@pensioneaccademia.it).
$$$ Pensione la Calcina, the home of English writer John Ruskin in 1876, maintains a 19th-century formality. It comes with three-star comforts in a professional yet intimate package. Its 27 nautical-feeling rooms are squeaky clean, with nice wood furniture, hardwood floors, and a peaceful canalside setting facing Giudecca Island (Sb-€140, Sb with view-€170, Db-€150-250, Db with view-€290-330, price depends on size, air-con, free Wi-Fi, rooftop terrace, buffet breakfast outdoors on platform over lagoon, near Zattere vaporetto stop at south end of Rio de San Vio at Dorsoduro 780, tel. 041-520-6466, lacalcina.com, info@lacalcina.com).
$$$ Hotel Belle Arti, with a stiff, serious staff, lacks personality but has a grand entry, an inviting garden terrace, and 64 heavily decorated rooms (Sb-€150, Db-€240, Tb-€270, air-con, elevator, pay Wi-Fi in common areas, 100 yards behind Accademia art museum on Rio Terà A. Foscarini at Dorsoduro 912a, tel. 041-522-6230, hotelbellearti.com, info@hotelbellearti.com).
$$ Casa Rezzonico, a tranquil getaway far from the crowds, rents seven inviting, nicely appointed rooms with a grassy private garden terrace. All of the rooms overlook either the canal or the garden (Sb-€130, Db-€170, Tb-€200, Qb-€230, ask for Rick Steves discount when you book, air-con, free Wi-Fi, near Ca’ Rezzonico vaporetto stop—line #1, a few blocks past Campo San Barnaba on Fondamenta Gherardini at Dorsoduro 2813, tel. 041-277-0653, casarezzonico.it, info@casarezzonico.it, brothers Matteo and Mattia).
$$ Hotel Galleria has nine tight, old-fashioned, velvety rooms, most with views of the Grand Canal. Some rooms are quite narrow. It’s run with a family feel by Luciano and Stefano (S-€85, D-€130, Grand Canal view D-€150, skinny Grand Canal view Db-€160, palatial Grand Canal view Db-€185, breakfast in room, ceiling fans, free mini-bar, free Wi-Fi, 30 yards from Accademia art museum, next to recommended Foscarini pizzeria at Dorsoduro 878a, tel. 041-523-2489, hotelgalleria.it, info@hotelgalleria.it).
$$ Don Orione Religious Guest House is a big cultural center dedicated to the work of a local man who became a saint in modern times. With 80 rooms filling an old monastery, it feels cookie-cutter-institutional (like a modern retreat center), but is also classy, clean, peaceful, and strictly run. It’s beautifully located, comfortable, and a good value supporting a fine cause: Profits go to mission work in the developing world (Sb-€96, Db-€160, Tb-€207, Qb-€248, groups welcome, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi, on Rio Terà A. Foscarini, Dorsoduro 909a, tel. 041-522-4077, donorione-venezia.it, info@donorione-venezia.it). From the Zattere vaporetto stop, turn right, then turn left. It’s just after the church at #909a.
$ Ca’ San Trovaso rents seven recently renovated rooms split between the main building and a nearby annex. The location is peaceful, on a small canal (Sb-€100, Db-€150, Db with bigger canal view and air-con-€170, Tb-€195, breakfast in your room, air-con in most rooms, free Wi-Fi, no common space except small roof terrace, near Zattere vaporetto stop, off Fondamenta de le Romite at Dorsoduro 1350/51, tel. 041-241-2215, mobile 349-125-3890, casantrovaso.com, info@casantrovaso.com, Anna).
$ Casa di Sara, a colorfully decorated B&B, is hidden in a leafy courtyard in a humble back-street area overlooking a canal. Their four quiet rooms and tiny roof terrace offer the maximum in privacy (Sb-€85, Db-€110, Tb-€130, air-con, free Wi-Fi, along Fondamenta de le Romite at Dorsoduro 1330, mobile 342-596-3563, casadisara.com, info@casadisara.com, Aniello).
These places are between the Accademia Bridge and St. Mark’s Square.
$$$ Novecento Hotel rents nine plush rooms on three floors, complemented by a big, welcoming lounge and an elegant living room. This boutique hotel has a tasteful sense of style, mingling Art Deco with North African and Turkish decor (Db-€270, bigger “superior” Db-€290, air-con, lots of stairs, free Wi-Fi, on Calle del Dose, off Campo San Maurizio at San Marco 2683, tel. 041-241-3765, novecento.biz, info@novecento.biz).
$$$ Foresteria Levi, run by a foundation that promotes research on Venetian music, offers 20 quiet, institutional yet comfortable and spacious rooms (some are lofts). Prices vary wildly—ask for the Rick Steves deal (generally around Db-€190, fans, elevator, free Wi-Fi, family loft rooms, on Calle Giustinian at San Marco 2893, tel. 041-786-711, fondazionelevi.it, info@foresterialevi.it).
$$ Istituto Ciliota is a big, efficient, and sparkling-clean place—well-run, well-located, and church-owned—with an Ikea-style charm, 30 dorm-like rooms, and a peaceful garden. If you want industrial-strength comfort at a good price with no stress and little character, this is a fine value. During the school year, half the rooms are used by students (Sb-€90, Db-€130, cheaper with longer stays, air-con, mini-fridges in each room, elevator, free Wi-Fi in some areas, on Calle de le Muneghe just off Campo San Stefano near the Accademia Bridge and vaporetto stop, San Marco 2976, tel. 041-520-4888, ciliota.it, info@ciliota.it).
$ Albergo San Samuele is a backpacker place that’s dumpy but in a great locale. It rents 10 basic rooms in a crumbling old palace near Campo San Stefano. Sleep here only if their price is far less than what you can get at my other listings (S-€70, D-€90, Db-€115, extra bed-€15, no breakfast, fans, free Wi-Fi, on Salizada San Samuele at San Marco 3358, tel. 041-520-5165, hotelsansamuele.com, info@hotelsansamuele.com).
I don’t recommend the train station area. It’s crawling with noisy, disoriented tourists with too much baggage and people whose life’s calling is to scam visitors out of their money. It’s so easy just to hop a vaporetto upon arrival and sleep in the Venice of your dreams. Still, some like to park their bags near the station, and if so, these places stand out. The farther you get from the station, the more pleasant the surroundings (for locations, see the map on here).
Nearby Laundry: The nearest self-service launderette is across the Grand Canal from the station (€14/load, daily 7:30-22:30, on Ramo de le Chioverete, Santa Croce 665b).
$$$ Hotel Abbazia, in the dreary hotel zone near the train station, fills a former abbey with both history and class. The refectory makes a grand living room for guests, a garden fills the old courtyard, and the halls leading to 50 rooms are monkishly wide (Db-€200, larger “superior” Db-€230—choose Venetian or modern style, ask for Rick Steves discount when you book direct, air-con, no elevator but plenty of stairs, free Wi-Fi, fun-loving staff, 2 blocks from the station on the very quiet Calle Priuli dei Cavaletti, Cannaregio 68, tel. 041-717-333, abbaziahotel.com, info@abbaziahotel.com).
$ Albergo Marin has a humdrum lobby, but its 19 rooms are a good value. It’s across the Grand Canal from the train station—close enough to be convenient, but far enough to be quiet, sane, and residential (Sb-€120, D-€110, Db-€130, big “superior” Db with fancy showers-€160, Tb-€160, discount if you pay cash, air-con, free Wi-Fi, on Ramo de le Chioverete at Santa Croce 670b, tel. 041-718-022, albergomarin.it, info@albergomarin.it, brothers Giacomo and Filippo).
$ Hotel S. Lucia, 150 yards from the train station, is oddly modern and sterile, with bright and spacious rooms and tight showers. Its 13 rooms are simple and clean. Guests enjoy their sunny garden area out front (S-€60, D-€90, Db-€110, Tb-€130, discount if you pay cash, breakfast-€5, air-con, free Wi-Fi, closed Nov-Feb, on Calle de la Misericordia at Cannaregio 358, tel. 041-715-180, hotelslucia.com, info@hotelslucia.com, Gianni and Alessandra).
$ Hotel Rossi, sitting quietly at the end of a dead-end street, rents 14 tired, well-worn rooms that are cheap in every sense (S-€59, D-€83, Db-€98, Tb-€118, air-con, free Wi-Fi in common areas, a short walk from the station and a block off the main street at Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 262, tel. 041-715-164, hotelrossi.ve.it, into@hotelrossi.ve.it).
While still walkable from the station, these listings are just outside the chaotic station neighborhood, in a far more pleasant residential zone close to the former Jewish Ghetto. The nearest Grand Canal vaporetto stop is San Marcuola.
$$ Locanda Ca’ San Marcuola is a peaceful, characteristic, good-value oldie-but-goodie renting 14 fine rooms a few steps from the Grand Canal (Db-€140, €10 more for slightly bigger room overlooking small canal, air-con, elevator, pay Wi-Fi, next to San Marcuola vaporetto stop on Campo San Marcuola, Cannaregio 1763, tel. 041-716-048, casanmarcuola.com, info@casanmarcuola).
$ Locanda Herion, tucked down a sleepy lane just off a busy shopping street, rents 15 beige-tiled, homey rooms (Db-€130, larger rooms available at higher rates, discount if you book direct, air-con, pay Wi-Fi in lobby, a few shared terraces, on Campiello Augusto Picutti, Cannaregio 1697a, tel. 041-275-9426, locandaherion.com, info@locandaherion.com).
$ Hotel Henry, a tiny family-owned hotel, rents 15 simple, flowery, nicely maintained rooms with few public spaces. It’s in a sleepy residential neighborhood near the Jewish Ghetto, a 10-minute walk from the train station (D-€80, Db-€95, Tb-€130, Qb-€160, ask for best Rick Steves price when you show this book and pay cash, breakfast-€10, air-con, free Wi-Fi, on Calle Ormesini at Campiello Briani, Cannaregio 1506e, tel. 041-523-6675, alloggihenry.com, info@alloggihenry.com, Manola and Henry).
Big, Fancy Hotels that Discount Shamelessly: Several big, plush, $$$ places with greedy, sky-high rack rates (around Db-€300-350) frequently have steep discounts (often around Db-€220-250, and as low as Db-€120 or less off-season) if you book through their websites. All of the ones I’ve listed here are on the map on here, except Hotel Giorgione. If you want sliding-glass-door, uniformed-receptionist kind of comfort and formality in the old center, these are worth considering: Hotel Giorgione (big, garish, shiny, near Rialto Bridge—see map on here; hotelgiorgione.com); Hotel Casa Verardo (elegant and quietly parked on a canal behind St. Mark’s, more stately, 22 rooms, casaverardo.it); Hotel Donà Palace, Hotel all’Angelo, and Hotel al Ponte dei Sosperi (three sister hotels sitting like Las Vegas in the touristy zone a few blocks behind St. Mark’s Basilica, with stiff service and renting a total of 100 overpriced rooms that are getting a bit long in the tooth, all on Calle Larga San Marco, donapalace.it); and Hotel Ca’ Dei Conti (5 minutes northeast of St. Mark’s Square, palatial and perfectly located but €500 rooms are worth it only when deeply discounted, cadeiconti.com).
Other Options: If all my other listings are full, try one of the following $$ hotels. Rates for these places vary widely with the season and demand (generally around Db-€160-190 for a standard double room in high season): Hotel Violino d’Oro is a beautiful boutique hotel (Via XXII Marzo, San Marco 2091, tel. 041-277-0841, violinodoro.com). Its sister hotel, Hotel Anastasia, is more modest, with limited reception staff (San Marco 2141, tel. 041-277-0776, hotelanastasia.com). Hotel American Dinesen offers 30 plush rooms with all the comforts (near Peggy Guggenheim Collection at Fondamenta Bragadin, Dorsoduro 628, tel. 041-520-4733, hotelamerican.com). Hotel La Fenice et des Artistes has 68 classy but unpretentious rooms on a sleepy square (near opera house at Campiello della Fenice, San Marco 1936, tel. 041-523-2333, fenicehotels.it). Hotel dei Dragomanni is modern, stylish, and pricey (facing Grand Canal at San Marco 2711, tel. 041-277-1300, hoteldragomanni.com).
$ Foresteria della Chiesa Valdese is ramshackle, chilly, and run-down yet charming. It rents 70 beds—mostly in tight (6-10-bed) dorms, but with nine fine doubles and some larger private rooms sleeping up to six. It comes with generous public spaces and classic paintings on the walls and ceilings. Its profits support the charity work of the Methodist Church. They take reservations for the rooms, but only accept walk-ins for the dorms (dorm bed-€35, Db-€105-140, Tb-€120-140, Qb-€155-170, Quint/b-€185-220, €5/person less for multi-night stays; includes breakfast, sheets, towels, and lockers; must check in and out when office is open—8:30-19:30, no air-con, elevator, near Campo Santa Maria Formosa on Fondamenta Cavagnis at Castello 5170, see map on here, tel. 041-528-6797, foresteriavenezia.it, info@foresteriavenezia.it).
$ Venice’s youth hostel, on Giudecca Island with 260 beds and grand views across the Bay of San Marco, is a godsend for backpackers shell-shocked by Venetian prices. Though the facility was recently renovated, at heart it’s a classic hostel—big rooms stacked with bunk beds (€27 beds with sheets and breakfast in 8-20-bed dorms, €2 extra the first night for nonmembers, free Wi-Fi, lockers, towels-€5, room lock-out 10:00-13:30, office open 24 hours, Fondamenta Zitelle 86, tel. 041-523-8211, ostellovenezia.it, info@ostellovenezia.it). Take vaporetto #4.1 from the bus or train stations (from the Tronchetto parking lot, take vaporetto #2) to the Zitelle stop, then walk right along the embankment to #86.
While touristy restaurants are the scourge of Venice, the following places are popular with actual Venetians and respect the tourists who happen in. First trick: Walk away from triple-language menus. Second trick: For freshness, eat fish. Most seafood dishes are the catch-of-the-day. (But remember that seafood can be sold by weight—per 100 grams or etto—rather than a set price.) Third trick: Eat later. A place may feel really touristy at 19:00, but if you come back at 21:00, it can be filled with locals. Tourists eat barbarically early, which is fine with the restaurants because they fill tables that would otherwise be used only once in an evening.
If you want a meal with a canal view, it generally comes with lower quality or a higher price. But if you’re aiming for a canalside memory, these two next-door neighbors offer good value: Ristorante alla Conchiglia and Trattoria da Giorgio ai Greci (both have a few tables next to one of the smaller canals frequented by gondoliers). While tourist traps, they are lit up like Venetian Christmas trees after dark, and you can’t argue with their setting (several blocks behind St. Mark’s on Fondamenta San Lorenzo near the Ponte dei Greci bridge).
Unique to Venice, cicchetti bars specialize in finger foods and appetizers that can combine to make a quick and tasty meal. The selection and ambience are best on workdays (Mon–Sat lunch and early dinner).
For locations, see the map on here.
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Rialto Bridge” map, here.)
These restaurants are located beyond Campo Santi Apostoli, on or near the Strada Nova, the main drag going from Rialto toward the train station.
Trattoria da Bepi, bright and alpine-paneled, feels like a classic, where Loris carries on his mother’s passion for good, traditional Venetian cuisine. Ask for the seasonal specialties: The seafood appetizer plate and crab dishes are excellent. There’s good seating inside and out. If you trust Loris, you’ll walk away with a wonderful dining memory (€7-12 pastas, €14-20 secondi, Fri-Wed 12:00-14:30 & 19:00-22:00, closed Thu, half a block off Campo Santi Apostoli on Salizada Pistor at #4550, tel. 041-528-5031).
La Cantina is an elegant enoteca, both rustic and sophisticated—you won’t find a menu here. Rather than cook (there’s no kitchen), Francesco and Andrea prepare wonderful gourmet cold plates of meat, cheese, and fish. Though it’s not cheap (meat-and-cheese plates-€15/person, seafood plates-€30/person), you’ll enjoy the very best ingredients paired with fine wines. You can sit inside and watch the preparation scene, or enjoy the parade of passersby from great seats right on the Strada Nova. For a budget alternative, have a cicchetto at the bar with a glass of fine wine (€1.50 for ham-and-cheese cicchetti, €2.50 for seafood, Mon-Sat 10:00-22:00, closed Sun, facing Campo San Felice on Strada Nova near Ca’ d’Oro, Cannaregio 3688, tel. 041-522-8258).
Vini da Gigio has an enthusiasm for good food and a traditional Venetian menu, with a classy but un-snooty setting that’s a pleasant mix of traditional and contemporary (€13-18 pastas, €19-24 secondi, Wed-Sun 12:00-14:30 & 19:00-22:30, closed Mon-Tue, 4 blocks from Ca’ d’Oro vaporetto stop on Fondamenta San Felice at #3628a—behind the church on Campo San Felice, tel. 041-528-5140).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Rialto Bridge” map, here.)
The next few places hide away in the twisty lanes between the Rialto Bridge and Campo Santa Maria Formosa. Osteria da Alberto is a tad farther north of the others, in Cannaregio.
Osteria di Santa Marina, serving pricey, near-gourmet cuisine in a dressy dining room, is highly regarded by Venetians. The presentation is impressive, but you feel there’s more pretense than love of food. Cheap-eating tricks are frowned upon in this elegant, borderline stuffy restaurant (€16 pastas, €27-30 secondi, €75-80 fixed-price meals, Mon-Sat 12:30-14:30 & 19:30-22:00, closed Sun, reserve for dinner, eat indoors or outdoors on the pleasant square, between Rialto Bridge and Campo Santa Maria Formosa at Campo Marina 5911, tel. 041-528-5239, osteriadisantamarina.com).
Rosticceria San Bartolomeo is a cheap—if confusing—self-service diner. This throwback budget eatery has a surly staff: Don’t take it personally. Notice that the different counters serve up different types of food—pastas, secondi, fried goodies, and so on. You can get it to go, grab one of the few tiny tables, or munch at the bar—but I’d skip their upper-floor restaurant option (€7-8 pastas, great fried mozzarella al prosciutto for €1.60, fruit salad, €2 glasses of wine, prices listed on wall behind counter, no cover and no service charge, daily 9:00-21:30, San Marco 5424, tel. 041-522-3569). To find it, imagine the statue on Campo San Bartolomeo walking backward 20 yards, turning left, and going under a passageway—now, follow him.
Osteria al Portego is a friendly neighborhood eatery. Carlo serves good meals and excellent €1-3 cicchetti—best enjoyed early, around 18:00 (from 19:00 to 21:00, their six tables are reserved for those ordering from the menu; the cicchetti are picked over by 21:00). The cicchetti here can make a great meal, but consider sitting down for a dinner from their fine menu. Reserve ahead if you want a table (€13 pastas, €1 glasses of house wine, daily 10:30-15:00 & 18:00-22:00, near Campo Santa Marina at #6015 on Calle de la Malvasia, tel. 041-522-9038). From Rosticceria San Bartolomeo (listed above), continue over a bridge to Campo San Lio, turn left, and follow Calle Carminati straight 50 yards over another bridge.
Osteria da Alberto, up near Campo Santa Maria Novo, is one of my standbys. They offer up excellent daily specials, €11-18 seafood dishes, €9-12 pastas, and a good house wine in a woody and characteristic interior (although it’s set along a canal, you can’t see it from the dining area). It’s smart to reserve at night—I’d request a table in front (Mon-Sat 12:00-14:30 & 18:30-22:30, closed Sun; on Calle Larga Giacinto Gallina, midway between Campo Santi Apostoli and Campo San Zanipolo/Santi Giovanni e Paolo, and next to Ponte de la Panada bridge at #5401; tel. 041-523-8153, osteriadaalberto.it, run by Graziano and Giovanni).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Rialto Bridge” map, here.)
As with market neighborhoods anywhere, you’ll find lots of hard-working hole-in-the walls with a line on the freshest of ingredients and catering to local shoppers needing a quick, affordable, and tasty bite. This area is very crowded by day, nearly empty early in the evening, and packed with young Venetian clubbers later.
Most of these places are informal, serving cicchetti and/or light meals. At each place, look for the list of snacks and wine by the glass at the bar or on the wall. When you’re ready for dessert, try dipping a Burano biscuit in a glass of strawberry-flavored fragolino or another sweet dessert wine. Most bars are closed 15:00-18:00 and offer glasses of house wine for under €1, better wine for around €2.50, and cicchetti for €1-2.
My listings below include a strip of trendy places fronting the Grand Canal, a stretch of dark and rustic pubs serving regional tapas, a few little places on the market, a venerable old Venetian diner, and a couple of solid places for pasta and pizza. Most of these eateries are within 200 yards of the market and each other.
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Rialto Bridge” map, here.)
Just past the Rialto Bridge, between Campo San Giacomo and the Grand Canal, this strip of five popular places has some of the best canalside seating in Venice. I call this the “Bancogiro Stretch” (Bancogiro is the strip of old banking buildings they front).
Each place has a unique character and formula. Unless otherwise noted, all of these are open daily; while you can get a drink anytime, dinner is typically served only after 19:00 or 19:30. During meals, they charge more and limit table seating to those ordering full lunches or dinners; but between meal times you can enjoy a drink or a snack at fine prices. After dinner hours, the Bancogiro Stretch—and especially in the surrounding alleys that house low-rent bars—becomes a youthful and trendy nightspot. Before or after dinner, this strip is one of the best places in town for a spritz.
Here’s the rundown (in the order you’ll reach them from the Rialto Bridge): Bar Naranzaria serves Italian dishes with a few Japanese options (€12-14 pastas, €17-23 secondi). Caffè Vergnano, your cheapest option—especially during meal times—is just a café with no cover (€10-12 salads, pizzas, and pastas—and a busy microwave oven). Osteria al Pescador is a more serious restaurant (€13-18 pastas, €23-27 secondi). Bar Ristorante Bancogiro is really good, with romantic dining upstairs (no canal views), a passion for the best cheese, and good cicchetti options at the bar (€15-18 pastas, €22-26 secondi, nice €15 cheese plate, closed Mon, tel. 041-523-2061). The more modern Bar Ancòra seems to be most popular with the local bar crowd, with a live piano player crooning lounge music during busy times (€13 pastas, €17 secondi, cicchetti at the bar).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Rialto Bridge” map, here.)
The 100-yard-long stretch starting two blocks inland from the Rialto Market (along Sotoportego dei Do Mori and Calle de le Do Spade) is beloved among Venetian cicchetti enthusiasts for its delightful bar munchies, good wine by the glass, and fun stand-up conviviality. These four places serve food all day, but the spread is best at around noon (generally open daily 12:00-15:00 & 18:00-20:00 or 21:00; two of the places I list are closed Sun). While each place offers a fine bar-and-stools scene, you might instead choose to treat one like a restaurant, order from their rustic menu, and grab a table. Scout these four places in advance (listed in the order you’ll reach them, if coming from the Rialto Bridge) to help decide which ambience is right for the experience you have in mind. Then pick one, dig in, and drink up.
Bar all’Arco, a bustling one-room joint, is particularly enjoyable for its tiny open-face sandwiches (closed Sun, San Polo 436; Francisco, Anne, Matteo).
Cantina Do Mori has been famous with locals (since 1462) and savvy travelers (since 1982) as a convivial place for fine wine. They serve a forest of little edibles on toothpicks and francobolli (a spicy selection of 20 tiny, mayo-soaked sandwiches nicknamed “stamps”). Go here to be abused in a fine atmosphere—the frowns are part of the shtick (closed Sun, San Polo 430).
Osteria ai Storti, with a cool photo of the market in 1909, is run by Alessandro, who speaks English and enjoys helping educate travelers, and his sister Baby—pronounced “Bobby” (€8 pastas, €12-13 secondi, daily except closed Sun off-season, around the corner from Cantina Do Mori on Calle San Matio—follow signs, San Polo 819).
Cantina Do Spade is expertly run by Francesco, who clearly lists the cicchetti and wines of the day (also good for sit-down meals, 30 yards down Calle de le Do Spade from Osteria ai Storti at San Polo 860, tel. 041-521-0583).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Rialto Bridge” map, here.)
Pronto Pesce is the perfect place to sample fish while watching the market action. Umberto and his staff speak English and like to explain what’s good. They serve a €10 mixed-fish plate with bread (daily from 13:00 until it’s sold out) that locals plan their day around. Consider their “express plates” of pasta (€12-15, served daily 12:45-14:15), fish risotto specials, artful fish hors d’oeuvres, and many other fresh fish tidbits. This fancy hole-in-the-wall is fun for a quick bite—eat standing up or take it to go (Mon 11:30-15:00, Tue-Sat 10:00-15:00, closed Sun, generally open in the evenings only for groups, facing the fish market on Calle de le Becarie o Panataria, San Polo 319, tel. 041-822-0298).
Al Mercà (“At the Market”), a few steps away and off the canal, is a lively little nook with a happy crowd, where law-office workers have lunch and young locals gather in the evening for drinks and little snacks. The price list is clear, and I’ve found the crowd to be welcoming to tourists interested in connecting (stand at the bar or in the square—there are no tables and no interior, Mon-Sat 9:30-14:30 & 18:00-21:00, closed Sun, on Campo Cesare Battisti, San Polo 213).
Ristorante Vini da Pinto is a cheap, tourist-friendly eatery with a basic menu and forgettable food at decent prices. It has good service and relaxing outdoor seating (€8-12 pastas, €9-19 secondi, €13 fixed-price meal, open long hours daily, facing the fish market, San Polo 367a, tel. 041-522-4599).
Trattoria alla Madonna is a big, bustling, classic Italian eatery with old-school formal waiters, a huge menu, and about a hundred tables. Tour groups find it efficient, and local families have come here for lunch after church for generations. There’s no romance—just solid, reliable, traditional food from a menu that hasn’t changed since World War II (€11-13 pastas, €13-16 secondi, closed Wed, tucked away on Calle de la Madona, 2 minutes west of Rialto Bridge, San Polo 592, tel. 041-522-3824).
Farther West, Toward Ca’ Pesaro: Trattoria Pizzeria al Nono Risorto is unpretentious, inexpensive, youthful, and famous for serving good pizza in a nice setting. You’ll sit in a gravelly garden under a leafy canopy, surrounded by Italians enjoying huge €8-10 salads, €9-12 pastas and pizzas, and €12-18 grilled meat or fish dishes (Thu 19:00-22:30, Fri-Tue 12:00-14:30 & 19:00-22:30, closed Wed, reservations smart on weekends; from Rialto fish market, get out your map and walk 3 minutes away from the Rialto to Campo San Cassiano—it’s just over the bridge on Sotoportego de Siora Bettina at #2338; tel. 041-524-1169).
Between the Rialto Bridge and Frari Church: Antica Birraria la Corte is an everyday eatery on the delightful Campo San Polo. Popular for its €8-11 pizza, calzones, and wonderful selection of hearty €10-13 salads, it fills the far side of this cozy, family-filled square. The interior is a sprawling beer hall, making it a joy to eat on the square, where metal tables teeter on the cobbles, the wind plays with the paper mats, and children run free (€11-13 pastas, €12-20 secondi, daily 12:00-14:30 & 18:00-22:30, Campo San Polo 2168—see map on here, tel. 041-275-0570).
While my first listing is a serious restaurant, the other places listed here are cheap-and-cheery options convenient to your sightseeing. For locations, see the map on here.
Ristorante Antica Sacrestia is a classic restaurant where the owner, Pino, takes a hands-on approach to greeting guests. His staff serve creative €33-50 fixed-price meals and a humdrum €20 menù del giorno. (Be warned: These meals seem designed to overwhelm you with too much food. You will not leave hungry.) You can also order à la carte; try the delightful €21 antipasto spread, which looks like a lagoon aquarium spread out on a plate. The entrance courtyard is a great place to sip a drink if you have to wait for a table. While the food isn’t high cuisine, the service is animated, and the experience is memorable. My readers are welcome to a free sgroppino (lemon vodka after-dinner drink) upon request (€13-18 pastas and pizzas, €20-30 secondi, Tue-Sun 11:30-15:00 & 18:00-23:00, closed Mon, behind San Zaninovo/Giovanni Novo Church on Calle Corona at Castello 4463, tel. 041-523-0749).
“Sandwich Row”: On Calle de le Rasse, just steps away from the tourist intensity at St. Mark’s Square, is a handy strip I call “Sandwich Row.” Lined with sandwich bars, it’s the closest place to St. Mark’s to get a decent sandwich at an affordable price with a place to sit down (most places open daily 7:00-24:00, €1 extra to sit; from the Bridge of Sighs, head down the Riva and take the second lane on the left). I particularly like Birreria Forst, a pleasantly unpretentious café that serves a selection of meaty €3 sandwiches with tasty sauce on wheat bread, or made-to-order sandwiches for €4 (daily 9:30-22:00, air-con, rustic wood tables, Castello 4540, tel. 041-523-0557), and Bar Verde, a more modern sandwich bar with fun people-watching views from its corner tables (big €4-5 sandwiches, splittable €9 salads, fresh pastries, at the end of Calle de le Rasse at #4526, facing Campo Santi Filippo e Giacomo).
Ristorante alla Basilica, just one street behind St. Mark’s Basilica, is a church-run, indoor, institutional-feeling place that serves a solid €14 fixed-price lunch (including water). It’s not self-serve—you’ll be seated and can choose a pasta, a secondi, and a vegetable side dish off the menu (Tue-Sun 11:45-15:00, closed Mon, air-con, Calle dei Albanesi 4255, tel. 041-522-0524).
Picnicking: Though you can’t picnic on St. Mark’s Square, you can legally take your snacks to the nearby Giardinetti Reali, the small park along the waterfront west of the Piazzetta.
For a (marginally) less touristy scene, walk a few blocks north to the inviting Campo Santa Maria Formosa. For locations, see the map on here.
Osteria alle Testiere is my top dining splurge in Venice. Hugely respected, Luca and his staff are dedicated to quality, serving up creative, artfully presented market-fresh seafood (there’s no meat on the menu), homemade pastas, and fine wine in what the chef calls a “Venetian Nouvelle” style. With only 22 seats, it’s tight and homey, with the focus on food and service. They have daily specials, 10 wines by the glass, and one agenda: a great dining experience. This is a good spot to let loose and trust your host. They’re open for lunch (12:30-14:30), and reservations are a must for their two dinner seatings: 19:00 and 21:30 (€20 pastas, €26 secondi, plan on spending €50 for dinner, closed Sun-Mon, on Calle del Mondo Novo, just off Campo Santa Maria Formosa at Castello 5801, tel. 041-522-7220; you can also reserve online at osterialletestiere.it).
Osteria al Mascaron is where I’ve gone for years to watch Gigi, Momi, and their food-loving band of ruffians dish up rustic-yet-sumptuous pastas with steamy seafood to salivating foodies. The seafood pastas seem pricey at €26-36, but they’re meant for two (it’s OK to ask for single portions). The €16 antipasto misto plate—have fun pointing—and two glasses of wine make a terrific light meal (€16-20 main dishes, Mon-Sat 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-23:00, closed Sun, reservations smart Fri-Sat; on Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa, a block past Campo Santa Maria Formosa, at #5225; tel. 041-522-5995, osteriamascaron.it).
Fast and Cheap Eats: The veggie stand on Campo Santa Maria Formosa is a fixture. For döner kebabs (€3.50) and pizza to go (€2/slice), head down Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa to Peter Pan, at #6249 (daily 11:00-24:00).
All of these recommendations are within a 10-minute walk of the Accademia Bridge (for locations, see the map on here). Dorsoduro is great for restaurants and well worth the walk from the more touristy Rialto and San Marco areas. The first two listings are near the Accademia (and best for lunch). The next two are in Zattere, overlooking the Giudecca Canal. And the last four (best for dinner) are near Campo San Barnaba.
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near Accademia Bridge” map, here.)
Bar Foscarini, next to the Accademia Bridge and Galleria, offers decent €8-15 pizzas and €8-10 panini in a memorable Grand Canal-view setting. The food is decent but forgettable, and pricey drinks pad your tab, but you’re paying a premium for this premium location. On each visit to Venice, I grab a pizza lunch here while I ponder the Grand Canal bustle. They also serve a €10 breakfast (Wed-Mon 7:00-22:30, until 21:00 Nov-April, closed Tue year-round, on Rio Terà A. Foscarini at #878c, tel. 041-522-7281, Paolo).
Enoteca Cantine del Vino Già Schiavi, with a wonderfully characteristic cicchetti-bar ambience, is much-loved for its €1 cicchetti, €3.50 sandwiches (order from list on board), and €1-2 glasses of wine. You’re welcome to enjoy your wine and finger food at the bar or out on the sidewalk. This is primarily a wine shop with great prices for bottles to go—and plastic glasses for picnickers (Mon-Sat 8:00-20:30, closed Sun, 100 yards from Accademia art museum on San Trovaso canal; facing Accademia, take a right and then a forced left at the canal to the second bridge—it’s at #992, tel. 041-523-0034).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near Accademia Bridge” map, here.)
Terrazza del Casin dei Nobili takes full advantage of the warm, romantic evening sun. They serve finely crafted, regional specialties with creativity at tolerable prices. The canalside seating is breezy and beautiful, but comes with the rumble of vaporetti from the nearby stop. The interior is bright and hip (good €8-10 pizzas, €13-15 pastas, €14-18 secondi, daily 12:00-23:00 except closed Thu off-season; from Zattere vaporetto stop, turn left to #924; tel. 041-520-6895, Ruggiero and Eleonora). On Wednesday and Sunday evenings in summer, there’s live music nearby on the Zattere promenade.
Ae Oche Pizzeria is playful, with casual tables on the canal and a sprawling pizza-parlor interior. It’s a hit with young Venetians for its fun atmosphere and good prices (daily 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-23:00, a couple of hundred yards from the Zattere vaporetto stop, Dorsoduro 1414, tel. 041-520-6601).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near Accademia Bridge” map, here.)
This small square is a delight—especially in the evening. As these places are within a few steps of each other—and the energy and atmosphere can vary—I like to survey the options before choosing (although reservations may be necessary to dine later in the evening).
Ristoteca Oniga is all about fresh fish, with a chic-and-shipshape interior, great tables on the square, and the enthusiastic direction of Raffaele. The menu is accessible and always includes a good vegetarian dish (€12-14 pastas, €18-22 secondi, Wed-Mon 12:00-14:30 & 19:00-22:30, closed Tue, reservations smart, Campo San Barnaba, Dorsoduro 2852, tel. 041-522-4410, oniga.it).
Osteria Enoteca Ai Artisti serves well-presented quality dishes either in its tight little wine-snob interior or at a few petite, romantic canalside tables. They serve good wines by the glass from their prize-winning list (€13-15 pastas, €20-25 secondi, closed Sun, Fondamenta de la Toletta, Dorsoduro 1169a, tel. 041-523-8944).
Pizzeria al Profeta is a casual place popular for great pizza and steak. Its large interior seems to stoke conviviality, as does its leafy garden out back (€8-10 pizzas, Wed-Mon 12:00-14:30 & 19:00-23:00, closed Tue; from Campo San Barnaba, walk to the end of Calle Lunga San Barnaba; Dorsoduro 2671, tel. 041-523-7466).
Enoteca e Trattoria la Bitta is dark and woody, with a soft-jazz bistro feel, tight seating, and a small, forgettable back patio. They serve beautifully presented, traditional Venetian food with—proudly—no fish. Their helpful waitstaff and small, handwritten daily menu are clearly focused on quality, with local ingredients and a “slow food” ethic. As it has an avid following, they do two dinner seatings (19:00 and 21:00), reservations are required, and service can be intense (€10-11 pastas, €16-27 secondi, dinner only, Mon-Sat 18:30-23:00, closed Sun, cash only, just off Campo San Barnaba on Calle Lunga San Barnaba, Dorsoduro 2753a, tel. 041-523-0531, Debora and Marcellino).
Cannaregio, along the fish’s “back,” offers the classic chance in Venice to get off the beaten path. I’ve listed restaurants both near the Jewish Ghetto and near a main thoroughfare (see map on here; these zones are about a 10-minute walk apart). Also listed here are a few convenient, last-resort options next to the train station.
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Train Station” map, here.)
This sleepy neighborhood—more residential than touristic—features a grid layout with straight and spacious canalside walks (part of an expansion from the 1400s). Although it lacks the higgledy-piggledy feel of the older part of town, it’s worth the long walk for a look. Rather than come here just for a meal, I’d make time to explore and then grab a bite while in the neighborhood. Cannaregio is most peaceful at sunset.
Osteria L’Orto dei Mori is a chic place serving nicely presented, creative Venetian cuisine. You can eat in the elegant, modern interior or on a great neighborhood square with 10 tables surrounded by a classic scene of wellhead, bridges, and canal (€14 pastas, €19-23 secondi, smart to reserve for dinner, Wed-Mon 12:30-15:30 & 19:00-24:00, closed Tue; on Campo dei Mori, facing a bridge on Fondamenta dei Mori, Dorsoduro 3386; tel. 041-524-3677, osteriaortodeimori.com).
Osteria Ai 40 Ladroni (“The 40 Thieves”) is a characteristic, unpretentious old standby with a few tables on the canal, a rustic interior, and a convivial garden out back. The action is near the bar (€9-12 pastas, €10-15 secondi, they’re proud of their mixed seafood antipasti, Tue-Sun 12:00-14:30 & 19:00-22:00, closed Mon, on Fondamenta de la Sensa near the start of Calle del Capitello at Dorsoduro 3253, tel. 041-715-736).
Timon Enoteca Osteria, while nothing earthshaking, has a relaxing canalside setting with nice wines and cicchetti (a block past the Jewish Ghetto on Fondamenta Ormesini near the corner with Calle de la Malvasia at Dorsoduro 2754, tel. 041-524-6066).
Osteria al Bacco is simple and rustic, with a typical Venetian menu and a couple of canalside tables (€10 pastas, €16 secondi, closed Mon, on Fondamenta Capuzine near the corner with Calle Girolamo at Dorsoduro 3054, tel. 041-721-415).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Train Station” map, here.)
Just a few blocks closer to the Grand Canal from the options listed above, the following places are a few steps from the main drag connecting the train station to the Rialto/San Marco area, near the San Marcuola vaporetto stop.
Pizzeria Vesuvio serves some of the best and most popular pizza in town. A neighborhood favorite, it has classy indoor seating and pleasant tables outside (€6-9 pizzas, daily 9:30-23:30 except closed Tue off-season, on Rio Terà Farsetti, Cannaregio 1837, tel. 041-795-688).
Enoteca Cicchetteria Do Colonne is a local dive with a loyal following and a good spread of cicchetti and sandwiches. It’s handy for a drink and a snack. While the food is mediocre, the scene—both at the bar and at the tables outside—feels real and is fun (daily 10:00-22:00, on Rio Terà del Cristo, Cannaregio 1814, tel. 041-524-0453).
(See “Hotels & Restaurants near the Train Station” map, here.)
There are piles of eateries near the station. The buffet in the station itself is quite good, with peaceful garden seating out back in summer, big €3-4 sandwiches, and slices of pizza for €3. A block away is a small branch of the efficient and economic Brek, a popular self-service cafeteria chain (€6 pastas, €7-12 secondi, daily 11:30-22:00, head left as you leave the station and walk about 50 yards past the bridge along Rio Terà Lista di Spagna to #124).
On Giudecca Island, with a View of St. Mark’s Square: I Figli delle Stelle Ristorante offers a delightful dining experience with an excuse to ride the boat from St. Mark’s Square across to the island of Giudecca. Simone and his staff artfully serve Venetian classics with a dash of Rome and Puglia and a passion for fish and lamb. While they have inside seating, the reason to venture here is to sit canalside with fine views of Venice across the broad Giudecca Canal and all the water traffic. Reserve ahead to specify “first line” seating along the water, “second line” seating a few steps away, or a table inside (€15 pastas, €22 secondi, daily 12:30-14:30 & 19:00-22:30, 50 yards from Zitelle vaporetto dock—from San Marco ride line #4.2 or #2, Giudecca 70/71, tel. 041-523-0004, ifiglidellestelle.it).
On Fondamente Nove, with a Lagoon View: Ristorante Algiubagió, though not cheap, is a good place to eat well overlooking the northern lagoon. The name is a combination of the owners’ four names—Alberto, Giulio, Barbara, and Giovanna—who strive to impress visitors with quality, creative Venetian cuisine made using the best ingredients. Reserve a table on the lagoon facing the island of San Michele or in their classy cantina dining room (€16-19 pastas, €20-28 secondi, €35-54 fixed-price meals, daily 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-22:30, between the two sets of vaporetto docks on Fondamente Nove, Cannaregio 5039, tel. 041-523-6084, algiubagio.net). This is a convenient place to eat if you’re taking the vaporetto out to the islands in the lagoon.
You’re legally forbidden from picnicking anywhere on or near St. Mark’s Square except for Giardinetti Reali, the waterfront park near the San Marco vaporetto docks. Though it’s legal to eat outdoors elsewhere around town, you may be besieged by pigeons.
Venice has one main produce market and several convenient supermarkets:
Outdoor Market near the Rialto: The fruit and vegetable market that sprawls for a few blocks just past the Rialto Bridge is a fun place to assemble a picnic (best Mon-Sat 8:00-13:00, liveliest in the morning, closed Sun). The adjacent fish market is wonderfully slimy (closed Sun-Mon). Side lanes in this area are speckled with fine little hole-in-the-wall munchie bars, bakeries, and cheese shops.
Neighborhood Deli near the Rialto: One tiny alimentari just around the corner from the Rialto market sells a flavorful concoction of cheese, Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, and hot peppers that they call intruglio. It goes great with a fresh roll (€2.70). It’s at the end of my favorite strip of cicchetti bars, near the fruit and vegetable market at the San Polo end of the Rialto Bridge (Mon-Sat 9:00-20:00, Sun 11:00-19:00, San Polo 414, see map on here).
Neighborhood Deli near the Accademia Bridge: A small deli hides along the main route between the Accademia and St. Mark’s Square (at #2512, on the zigzag bridge near the Church of Santa Maria Zobenigo/del Giglio—see map on here).
Produce Stands: Many squares have a dedicated produce stand. To find the one nearest St. Mark’s Square, face St. Mark’s Basilica, then walk along its left side, heading east down Calle de la Canonica. Cross the bridge and turn left at Campo Santi Filippo e Giacomo. There are also stands on Campo Santa Maria Formosa and Campo Santa Margherita.
Supermarket near St. Mark’s Square: A handy (but often mobbed) Co-op supermarket is between St. Mark’s and Campo Santa Maria Formosa, on the corner of Salizada San Lio and Calle del Mondo Novo at #5817. It has a great selection of picnic supplies, including packaged salads for €3 (daily 8:30-20:30).
Other Supermarkets: The largest supermarket in town is the Co-op at Piazzale Roma, next to the vaporetto stop at #504-507 (daily 8:30-20:00). It’s an easy walk from the train station, as is the Billa supermarket on Campo San Felice (daily 8:00-23:00, along the Strada Nova between the train station and Rialto area, Cannaregio 3660). Another Billa supermarket is convenient for those staying in Dorsoduro: It’s at #1492, as far west as possible on the Zattere embankment, by the San Basilio vaporetto stop and the cruise-ship docks (Mon-Sat 8:30-23:00, Sun 8:30-21:00).
You’ll find good gelaterie in every Venetian neighborhood, offering one-scoop cones for about €1.50. Look for the words artigianale or produzione propria, which indicates that a shop makes its own gelato. All of these are open long hours daily.
The popular, inventive, upscale Grom ice-cream chain has three branches in Venice: on Campo San Barnaba at #2761 (beyond the Accademia Bridge); on the Strada Nova at #3844, not far from the Rialto; and on Campo dei Frari at #3006, facing the Frari Church (all open long hours daily). A competing gourmet gelato shop, Gelatoteca Suso, serves up delectable flavors such as fig and nut (next to recommended Rosticceria San Bartolomeo on Calle de la Bissa, San Marco 5453). Il Doge, on the big and bustling Campo Santa Margarita, has a wide range of homemade flavors, as well as Sicilian-style granita (slushy ice flavored with fresh fruit; Dorsoduro 3058a, tel. 041-523-4607).
On St. Mark’s Square, two venerable cafés have gelato counters: Gran Caffè Lavena (April-Oct daily until 24:00, no gelato Nov-March, at #134) and Todaro (on the corner of the Piazzetta at #5, near the water and just under the column topped by St. Theodore slaying a crocodile).
From Venice by Train to: Florence (hourly, 2 hours, often crowded so make reservations), Milan (hourly, 2.5-3.5 hours), Cinque Terre/Monterosso (5/day, 6 hours, change in Milan), Rome (roughly hourly, 3.5 hours, also 1 night train, 9 hours with change in Verona).
Note that these departures are operated by Trenitalia; a competing private rail company called Italo offers additional high-speed connections to major Italian cities (including Padua, Bologna, Florence, and Rome). While Italo is often cheaper (particularly if you book long in advance), it doesn’t accept rail passes (italotreno.it).
International Destinations: Interlaken (5/day, 6-8.5 hours, 2-5 changes, no pleasant overnight option), Luzern (7/day, 6.5-7 hours, change in Milan and Arth-Goldau), Bern (3/day, 6 hours, change in Milan or Brig), Munich (4-6/day, 7 hours, change in Verona; 1 direct night train, 9 hours; most trains reservable only via bahn.de), Salzburg (5/day, 6-7 hours, 1-2 changes, 1 direct night train, 7 hours), Paris (2/day, 10-12 hours with change in Milan; 1 direct night train, 13.5 hours, reserve up to 4 months in advance, no rail passes accepted, thello.com), Ljubljana (2/day, 6.75 hours—buy ticket at train station, take bus from Piazzale Roma to Villach in Austria, then transfer to train; faster by direct DRD bus from Mestre—1/day, 3.75 hours, drd.si; also possible by private shuttle—see goopti.com), Vienna (4/day, 8-9 hours—same bus-to-train connection system as Ljubljana; 1 direct night train, 11 hours).
Marco Polo is Venice’s main airport. Some budget flights, including Ryanair, use the smaller airport in the nearby city of Treviso.
Venice’s small, modern airport is on the mainland shore of the lagoon, six miles north of the city (airport code: VCE). There’s one sleek terminal, with a TI (daily 9:00-20:00), car-rental agencies, ATMs, a bank, and a few shops and eateries. For flight information, call 041-260-9260, visit veniceairport.com, or ask your hotel.
You can get between the airport and downtown Venice one of four ways:
• Alilaguna boats—Slowest trip, medium cost
• Water taxis—Fastest trip, most expensive
• Airport shuttle buses to Piazzale Roma (Venice’s bus station)—Faster than Alilaguna, slower than water taxi, least expensive, requires change to vaporetto to reach most hotels
• Land taxi or private minivan to Piazzale Roma—Medium speed, medium cost, requires change to vaporetto to reach most hotels
Each of these options is explained in detail here. An advantage of the Alilaguna boats is that you can reach most of this book’s recommended hotels very simply, with no changes—except hotels near the train station, which are better served by the bus to Piazzale Roma.
Both Alilaguna boats and water taxis leave from the airport’s boat dock, an eight-minute walk from the terminal. Exit the arrivals hall and turn left, following signs along a paved, level, covered sidewalk (easy for wheeled bags).
When flying out of Venice, allow yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. Water transport can be slow. Plan to arrive at the airport two hours before your flight, and remember that getting there can easily take up to two hours. Alilaguna boats are small and can fill up. In an emergency, you can always hop in a water taxi and get to the airport in 30 minutes.
These boats make the scenic (if slooooow) journey across the lagoon, each shuttling passengers between the airport and a number of different stops on the island of Venice (€15, €27 round-trip, €1 surcharge if bought on boat, roughly 2/hour, 1-1.5-hour trip depending on destination). Alilaguna boats are not part of the ACTV vaporetto system, so they aren’t covered by city transit passes. But they do use the same docks and ticket windows as the regular vaporetti.
There are two Alilaguna lines—blue and orange—which take about the same amount of time to reach St. Mark’s Square. From the airport, the blue line (linea blu) heads first to Fondamente Nove (on the “back” of Venice’s fish, 40 minutes), then loops around the “tail” of the fish to San Zaccaria and San Marco (about 1.5 hours) before continuing on to Zattere and the cruise terminal (almost 2 hours). The orange line (linea arancio) runs down the Grand Canal, reaching Guglie (handy for Cannaregio hotels, 45 minutes), Rialto (1 hour), and San Marco (1.25 hours). For a full schedule, visit the TI, see the website (alilaguna.it), call 041-240-1701, ask your hotelier, or scan the schedules posted at the docks.
From the Airport to Venice: You can buy Alilaguna tickets at the airport’s TI, the ticket desk in the terminal, and at the ticket booth at the dock. Any ticket seller can tell you which line to catch to get to your destination. Boats from the airport run roughly twice an hour (blue line from 6:10, orange line from 8:00, both run until about midnight).
From Venice to the Airport: Ask your hotelier what dock and what line is best. Blue-line boats start leaving Venice as early as 3:40 in the morning for passengers with early flights. Scope out the dock and buy your ticket in advance to avoid last-minute stress.
Luxury taxi speedboats zip directly between the airport and the closest dock to your hotel, getting you to within steps of your final destination in about 30 minutes. The official price is €115 for up to four people; add €10 for every extra person (10-passenger limit). You may get a higher quote—politely talk it down. A taxi can be a smart investment for small groups and those with an early departure.
From the airport, arrange your ride at the water-taxi desk or with the boat captains lounging at the dock. From Venice, book your taxi trip the day before you leave. Your hotel will help (since they get a commission), or you can book direct with the Consorzio Motoscafi water taxi association (tel. 041-522-2303, motoscafivenezia.it).
Buses between the airport and Venice are fast, frequent, and cheap. They take you across the bridge from the mainland to the island, dropping you at Venice’s bus station, at the “mouth” of the fish on a square called Piazzale Roma. From there, you can catch a vaporetto down the Grand Canal—convenient for hotels near the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square. If you’re staying near the train station, you can walk from Piazzale Roma to your hotel.
Two bus companies run between Piazzale Roma and the airport: ATVO and ACTV. ATVO buses take 20 minutes and go nonstop. ACTV buses make a few stops en route and take slightly longer (30 minutes). They are equally good; just jump on whichever one’s leaving next (either bus: €6, runs about 5:00-24:00, 2/hour, drops to 1/hour early and late, check schedules at atvo.it or actv.it).
From the Airport to Venice: Both buses leave from just outside the arrivals terminal. Buy tickets from the TI, the ticket desk in the terminal, ticket machines, or the driver. ATVO tickets are not valid on ACTV buses and vice versa. Double-check the destination; you want Piazzale Roma. If taking ACTV, you want bus #5.
From Venice to the Airport: At Piazzale Roma, buy your ticket from the ACTV windows or ATVO office before heading out to the platforms. The newsstand in the center of the lot also sells tickets. ACTV buses leave from platform A1; ATVO buses leave from platforms near the center of the lot and are well-signed.
It takes about 20 minutes to drive from the airport to Piazzale Roma. A land taxi can get you from the airport to Piazzale Roma for about €40. Treviso Car Service offers a private minivan service between the airport and Piazzale Roma or the cruise port (minivan-€55, seats up to 8; car-€50, seats up to 3; mobile 348-900-0700 or 333-411-2840, tourleadervenice.com, info@tourleadervenice.com). They also offer transfers to Treviso airport (see next).
Several budget airlines, such as Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Germanwings, use Treviso Airport, 12 miles northwest of Venice (airport code: TSF, tel. 042-231-5111, trevisoairport.it). The fastest option into Venice (Tronchetto parking lot) is on the Barzi express bus, which does the trip in just 40 minutes (€7, buy tickets on board, 1-2/hour, barziservice.com). From Tronchetto, hop on the People Mover monorail to Piazzale Roma for €1. ATVO buses are a bit more frequent and drop you right at Piazzale Roma (saving you the People Mover ride), but take nearly twice as long because they make more stops (€7, about 2/hour, 1.25 hours, atvo.it; buy tickets at the ATVO desk in the airport and stamp them on the bus). Treviso Car Service offers minivan service to Piazzale Roma (minivan-€75, seats up to 8; car-€65, seats up to 3; for contact info, see on opposite page).