San Marco
400 m from Piazza San MarcoThe centre around St Mark's, with grand hotels, designer shops and the opera house. Everything is close, but it is crowded and expensive.
- Population
- ≈ 250,000
- Language
- Italian
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Best time
- Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct
- Nearest airport
- VCE, 8 km
Start in the square: Piazza San Marco
Piazza San Marco, 30100 Venice
Piazza San Marco is the only square in Venice called a piazza; all the others are campi. Long arcades with old cafés frame three sides, and the basilica and the tall brick bell tower close the fourth. At high tide, water sometimes covers the paving.
Within a short walk
- St Mark's BasilicaPiazza San Marco, 328, 30124 Venice100 m
- Doge's PalacePiazza San Marco, 1, 30124 Venice200 m
- Rialto BridgePonte di Rialto, 30125 Venice500 m
- Santa Maria della SaluteCampo de la Salute, 30123 Venice500 m
- Gallerie dell'AccademiaCampo della Carità, Dorsoduro 1050, 30123 Venice800 m
- Santa Maria Gloriosa dei FrariCampo San Rocco, 30125 Venice1 km
- La FeniceCampo San Fantin, 30124 Venice300 m
- San Giorgio MaggioreSan Giorgio, 30142 Venice700 m
- Ca' d'Oro[[Cannaregio]] 3932 (Calle Ca' d'Oro), 30121 Venice800 m
Where to stay in Venice
Cannaregio
1.6 km from Piazza San MarcoThe north of the city, near the railway station, with the old Jewish Ghetto and canal-side bars. More local and better value.
Castello
800 m from Piazza San MarcoThe east, towards the old shipyards and the Biennale gardens, with washing lines over quiet streets. Calm, and a short walk to St Mark's.
Dorsoduro
1 km from Piazza San MarcoThe south, with the Accademia and modern art museums, student bars on Campo Santa Margherita and a sunny waterfront for evening walks.
San Polo
600 m from Piazza San MarcoA small area around the Rialto market, full of narrow lanes and wine bars serving small snacks. Very central.
Lido
5.7 km from Piazza San MarcoA long island facing the sea, with sandy beaches, bikes and even cars. Fifteen minutes by water bus; good for a summer stay.
Things to do in Venice
St Mark's Basilica
Piazza San Marco, 328, 30124 Venice
A cathedral under five domes, with golden mosaics on the walls and ceilings. Cover shoulders and knees, and book a time slot in summer.
Doge's Palace
Piazza San Marco, 1, 30124 Venice
The seat of the Venetian Republic, with vast painted council halls. The Bridge of Sighs leads from the palace to the old prisons.
Rialto Bridge
Ponte di Rialto, 30125 Venice
A stone bridge with shops across the Grand Canal. The food market is just beyond it; come in the morning, when the fish stalls are open.
Santa Maria della Salute
Campo de la Salute, 30123 Venice
A white domed church at the entrance to the Grand Canal, built to give thanks for the end of a plague. Paintings by Titian hang in the sacristy.
Gallerie dell'Accademia
Campo della Carità, Dorsoduro 1050, 30123 Venice
The best collection of Venetian painting, from Bellini to Titian and Tintoretto, in a former convent and school next to the wooden bridge.
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
Campo San Rocco, 30125 Venice
A huge brick Gothic church with Titian's Assumption above the high altar and the painter's own tomb. Quieter than the churches near St Mark's.
La Fenice
Campo San Fantin, 30124 Venice
The opera house has burned down and been rebuilt more than once, most recently after a fire in 1996. Tours by day, opera and concerts at night.
San Giorgio Maggiore
San Giorgio, 30142 Venice
A white church by Palladio on its own island across from St Mark's. Take the lift up the bell tower for one of the best views of the city.
Ca' d'Oro
[[Cannaregio]] 3932 (Calle Ca' d'Oro), 30121 Venice
A Gothic palace on the Grand Canal with a lace-like front, once covered in gold leaf. Inside is an art collection with a loggia over the water.
Ca' Rezzonico
Dorsoduro 3136, - Venezia, 30123 Venice
An 18th-century palace showing how wealthy Venetians lived, with furnished rooms and ceilings painted by Tiepolo.
Getting there
Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)
30012 Tessera
8 km from the city centre
Treviso Airport (TSF)
31100 Treviso
26 km from the city centre
Venezia Santa Lucia railway station
Fondamenta Santa Lucia Venezia, 30121 Venice
Main railway station, 1.5 km from Piazza San Marco
When to go
Average daytime high and night-time low per month (2005–2024). Highlighted months are the most comfortable for sightseeing.
- 8°Jan
- 9°Feb
- 13°Mar
- 17°Apr
- 21°May
- 26°Jun
- 29°Jul
- 29°Aug
- 25°Sep
- 19°Oct
- 14°Nov
- 9°Dec
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 8 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 19 | 14 | 9 |
| Low °C | 4 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 5 |
| Rain mm | 57 | 70 | 70 | 67 | 99 | 68 | 65 | 80 | 91 | 87 | 103 | 77 |
| Rain days | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
| Daylight h | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
The year in Venice
The biggest events that come back every year, starting with the next one.
Spring to NovemberCulture
Venice Biennale
A big international exhibition, art one year and architecture the next, in the Giardini park, the old shipyards and palaces all over town.
Late OctoberSport
Venice Marathon
Runners start on the mainland, follow the Brenta canal past old villas and cross the lagoon bridge to finish inside the city.
21 NovemberHoliday
Festa della Salute
Venetians cross a temporary bridge over the Grand Canal to light candles at the Salute church, as they have since a plague ended in 1631.
The two weeks before LentFestival
Carnival of Venice
Masks and costumes fill the squares and lanes, with masked balls in the palaces. Prices rise and the centre gets very crowded at weekends.
May or June, on Pentecost SundaySport
Vogalonga
Thousands of rowing boats, canoes and gondolas set off from St Mark's on a long course around the lagoon, with no motorboats on the water.
Third weekend of JulyFestival
Festa del Redentore
On Saturday night, boats crowd St Mark's Basin for fireworks, and a bridge on boats leads across the water to the Redentore church.
Late August to early SeptemberFilm
Venice Film Festival
The oldest film festival, on the Lido, with stars arriving on the red carpet. Some tickets for public screenings go on sale.
First Sunday of SeptemberSport
Regata Storica
A parade of richly decorated boats with rowers in Renaissance costume, followed by races down the Grand Canal.
Practical information
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- 1 EUR = 1.11 USD = 0.84 GBP (ECB, 29 October 2026)
- Language
- Italian
- Plugs
- Type C and F and L, 230 V
- Emergency number
- 112, 113, 115, 118
- Time zone
- UTC+1 (summer UTC+2)
- Country calling code
- +39
- Traffic drives on the
- Right
Public holidays in the next 12 months
Shops and museums may close or keep Sunday hours on these days.
- All Saints Day (Tutti i Santi)1 Nov 2026
- Immaculate Conception (Immacolata Concezione)8 Dec 2026
- Christmas Day (Natale)25 Dec 2026
- St. Stephen's Day (Santo Stefano)26 Dec 2026
- New Year's Day (Capodanno)1 Jan 2027
- Epiphany (Epifania)6 Jan 2027
- Easter Sunday (Pasqua)28 Mar 2027
- Easter Monday (Lunedì dell'Angelo)29 Mar 2027
- Liberation Day (Festa della Liberazione)25 Apr 2027
- International Workers Day (Festa del Lavoro)1 May 2027
- Republic Day (Festa della Repubblica)2 Jun 2027
- Assumption Day (Ferragosto o Assunzione)15 Aug 2027
- St. Francis of Assisi's Day (San Francesco d'Assisi)4 Oct 2027
Venice FAQ
When is the best time to visit Venice?
Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct, when the average daytime high is between 17 and 26 °C.
Which airport is closest to Venice?
Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), about 8 km from the city centre.
What currency is used in Venice?
The euro (EUR).
What plugs are used in Venice?
Type C and F and L, 230 V.
What are the biggest yearly events in Venice?
Venice Biennale (Spring to November), Venice Marathon (Late October), Festa della Salute (21 November), Carnival of Venice (The two weeks before Lent), Vogalonga (May or June, on Pentecost Sunday), Festa del Redentore (Third weekend of July), Venice Film Festival (Late August to early September), Regata Storica (First Sunday of September).
Nearby cities
All guides in Italy →Emilia-Romagna · 131 kmBolognaPopulation ≈ 390,000
Veneto · 105 kmVeronaPopulation ≈ 260,000
Friuli Venezia Giulia · 115 kmTriestePopulation ≈ 200,000
Veneto · 35 kmPaduaPopulation ≈ 200,000
Last updated 29 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.