Do you want to visit Venice and spend as little as possible?
Then follow this Top 10 free tours, museums and activities to do in Venice that we’ve created for you to enjoy without breaking the bank.
Of course, you will have to pay an entrance fee to visit the pavilions of the Venice Architecture Biennale. But there are many other works of art, both human and natural, that you can enjoy for free, or for a small fee.
Table des matières
The island of San Giorgio Maggiore
The island of San Giorgio has some of the most beautiful views of the Serenissima, overlooking the Doge’s Palace and the Grand Canal, and the historic basilica, built in 1555 by Andrea Palladio, is a must-see monument.
The visit to the building is completely free, and its interior, rather austere, has two works by Tintoretto – The Last Supper (Ultima Cena) and
The Manna (La Raccolta della manna) – as well as paintings by Carpaccio and Palma. An elevator will take you to the top of the bell tower for only 5 euros, saving you the long lines that surround the Campanile of San Marco (which will cost you 8 euros to climb).
The view from the bell tower of the basilica is no less than that of the tall brick monument in the center of town.
The monastery and the gardens of the basilica belong to the Cini Foundation, which regularly organizes free exhibitions in the Stanze del Vetro, a magnificent glass building dating from the 1950s.
During the Biennale, a stunning installation of golden pillars rises near the vaporetto stop, created by German architect Heinz Mack.
Open daily from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm. Vaporetto San Giorgio.
The Venier Casino
In the 18th century, at the time of the famous Giacomo Casanova, more than 100 casini were scattered throughout the City of the Doges, sumptuous but intimate salons where the aristocracy met, danced, flirted and, above all, played.
The most exquisite of them can still be visited, nowadays hosting the premises of the Alliance Française de Venise.
The Casino Vernier was built in 1750 and occupies the second floor of a relatively plain building overlooking the narrow Barateri Canal.
As you climb the ancient staircase and push open the heavy door, nothing will have prepared you for the opulent décor of the main hall: the Casino, with its marble floor, is adorned with lush moldings, frescoes and Murano mirrors. Today it is mainly used as a venue for art exhibitions.
4939 Ponte dei Bareteri, San Marco. Open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 1 pm, then from 3 pm to 6 pm. Vaporetto Rialto .
The Scala Contarini del Bovolo
Aptly named the “snail staircase”, this little palace must probably rank among the top hidden sites to hunt down in Venice, lost in narrow streets not far from the Rialto.
From Campo San Bartolomeo, at the foot of the Rialto bridge, follow the yellow signs for the Accademia to Campo Manin, where a small sign, quite difficult to notice, indicates the direction of the Scala.
After wandering to the right and left, you will suddenly find yourself in a tiny courtyard dominated entirely by an imposing spiral staircase covered with arches.
The palace itself, built for the Contarini family in the 14th century, was quite common from the outside before this remarkable Gothic staircase was added to its façade in 1499.
4299 Corte dei Risi, San Marco. Vaporetto Rialto
The “Chiesa dei Gesuiti
Although officially called the “Church of Santa Maria Assunta”, this grandiose Baroque building is more famous for the Jesuit order that ordered its construction in 1715, giving it its popular nickname.
Not only is the entrance completely free, but the gesuiti also has an important collection of paintings and sculptures in trompe l’oeil.
In the main church you can admire works by Titian and Tintoretto, who lived nearby, while the sacristy houses no less than 20 paintings by Palma the Younger.
Next door is a former Jesuit monastery which, after having been used as a school, hospital and military barracks, has recently been restored and transformed into student housing. The cloister and a café are now open to the public.
Campo dei Gesuiti, Cannaregio. Open daily from 10 am to noon, then from 4 pm to 6 pm. Vaporetto Fondamente Nove.
The Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute
Overlooking the entrance to the Grand Canal and known by its nickname “La Salute”, this is one of the favorite religious buildings of the Venetians.
Built in 1681 to mark the survival of the Serenissima from a deadly plague epidemic, the monumental baroque façade and dome of the Salute, designed by architect Baldassare Longhena, form an iconic silhouette on the Venetian skyline.
You’ll also see major works of art, including paintings by Titian and Tintoretto, as well as a bridge stretched between the two banks of the Grand Canal, allowing the faithful to cross the water to celebrate the DellaSalute festival.
Fondamenta della Salute, Dorsoduro. Open every day from 9 am to noon, then from 3 pm to 5:30 pm. Vaporetto Salute.
Orsoni’s color factory
Tucked away on a quiet street in Cannaregio, near the old Jewish Ghetto, this is the oldest mosaic factory in Venice, where beautiful glass tiles are produced, as well as the gold leaf used on some of the most famous monuments – St. Paul’s Cathedral, Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, the Sacred Heart of Paris and St. Mark’s Basilica.
You can call ahead to schedule a free tour of the workshop, which includes an explanation of how the traditional glass mosaic is made, followed by a visit to the “library of colors,” a collection of thousands of pieces of glass, displaying a myriad of different colors and shades.
1045 Corte dei Vedei, Cannaregio, +39 041 2440002, orsoni.com. Vaporetto Guglie
The Marcian Library (Biblioteca Marciana)
Few tourists dream of spending their vacation visiting a hospital, but the Ospedale Civile in Venice is unlike any other.
Housed in the huge 15th century Scuola Grande di San Marco, its wedding cake-like facade overlooks Campo San Giovanni e Paolo, and once you cross the large entrance hall, with its marble floor, you can admire an ancient cloister, and lush gardens.
Recently the second floor, the Sala San Marco, has been opened to the public, who will discover a vast medical library, housing a rather terrifying collection of ancient medical instruments and anatomical illustrations, but also excellent reproductions of masterpieces by Bellini, Donato and Tintoretto, originally painted to decorate the Sala, but which are now on display at the Accademia.
Ospedale Civile, Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo, Cannaregio. Open Thursday through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. Vaporetto Fondamente Nove.
The cemetery of San Michele
From the vaporetto stop at Fondamente Nove, it will only take you a few minutes to reach the red brick walls and tall cypress trees that surround the Venetian Cemetery, located on the island of San Michele.
While most tourists prefer to continue to the next stop, the island of Murano and its glassblowers, it is worthwhile to stop at San Michele.
The church on the island is magnificent. It was built, all in Istrian marble, by the Renaissance architect Mauro Codussi, in 1469, and has beautiful cloisters and peaceful gardens, although unfortunately most of its paintings have left it to join the collections of museums.
The cemetery is a much more recent creation, at the beginning of the 19th century, and although it is the burial place of some celebrities, such as Ezra Pound and Joseph Brodsky, Diaghilev and Igor Stravinsky, you will also see some amazing statues, overhanging the graves of gondoliers, as well as a Protestant section, with the graves of travelers of the Grand Tour, who ended their journey in Venice.
Island of San Michele. Open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Vaporetto Cimitero .
The house of Tintoretto
Although there is a plaque on the façade, unfortunately it is not possible to visit the large palace where Jacopo Tintoretto lived and painted his masterpieces.
However, this remote corner of Cannaregio is worth a visit for the unique Venetian sights it houses.
The corner of the Fondamenta dei Mori is marked by a recognizable white statue, sporting a metal nose, of the Greek merchant Rioba, while at the entrance to Tintoretto’s house is another flamboyant statue of a Moorish merchant wearing a turban.
On the first floor of the house is the Bottega del Tintoretto, a printing workshop run by the amiable local artist Roberto Mazzetto, open to visitors.
Other Moorish statues adorn the Campo dei Mori, and above a bridge leading to the Madonna dell’Orto church at the back of the house is a strange fresco of an Arab merchant dragging a huge camel.
Tintoretto is buried in the Madonna dell’Orto, which houses several of his paintings, but entrance is charged.
3400 Fondamenta dei Mor. Vaporetto Orto
St. Mark’s Basilica
Although it is easy to think that all the tourist sites in Venice charge an entrance fee, it is surprising to see that the most famous of the Serenissima, St. Mark’s Basilica, does not charge its visitors.
Dominating Piazza San Marco with its fairy-tale facade – although you should expect at least part of it to be under renovation.
The basilica is the ultimate symbol of Venice’s past glory, and its domed interiors are marked by intricate mosaics that are breathtakingly beautiful.
Be aware, however, that once inside, you’ll have to shell out a few euros if you want to visit the Museum of San Marco, the Treasury or admire the lavish altarpiece, the Pala d’Oro.
Piazza San Marco, basilicasanmarco.it. Open Monday to Saturday, 9:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Vaporetto San Marco Vallaresso.
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