Why Venice Is Best Explored on Foot

The most authentic way to experience Venice is to venture off the beaten path—and the best part is: it won’t cost you a cent for expensive boat tickets. Even if you’re a day-trip tourist arriving from the Adriatic and only have a few hours to spare, a stroll through the historic alleys is the ideal way to the true heart of the city on the lagoon to experience. In this guide, I'll show you a route that takes you to the top attractions without ever having to board a vaporetto.

The San Marco district forms the historic and tourist center of the city. It is largely bounded by the Grand Canal. To the east, it extends to a line running from the Rialto Bridge to the Doge's Palace, including the Bridge of Sighs.

Most of the city's top attractions are located here: St. Mark's Square, St. Mark's Basilica, the Campanile, Café Florian, the Doge's Palace, the Piazzetta, the Clock Tower, the Bridge of Sighs, the Old Town, gondolas, and the Rialto Bridge.

If you're only visiting Venice for a short time, you'll usually stick to this area. The interesting tour we suggest here takes you past the most important sights and also shows you the typical sights of Venice, such as narrow alleys, canals, bridges, and squares.

Start in the city center

We recommend that you start the tour in the center of San Marco: at St. Mark's Square.
In St. Mark's Square itself, you'll see St. Mark's Basilica, the Campanile, the Clock Tower, the northern and southern Procuraties, the cafés, and the Correr Museum.
(To find out how to get into the cathedral for free when the lights are on, the organ is playing, and you can sit down and relax, read here: Valuable Tips and Tricks.)

Stand with your back to St. Mark's Basilica. In front of you is the long side of St. Mark's Square. Now walk straight across St. Mark's Square to the far end. Here you'll find the Correr Museum, and to the left is the passageway to the Accademia. Walk through this small passageway.

Passageway at St. Mark's Square

At the far end of St. Mark's Square are the Correr Museum and the private apartments of the Austrian Empress Sissi. Walk through the left archway, as shown in the picture.

The first sights and our insider tip

The map is from https://www.OpenStreetMap.org – © OpenStreetMap contributors

For the first third of the route, always follow the yellow trail markers indicating the Toward the Accademia. The loop route through the city center recommended here takes you to the Accademia Bridge, which connects the San Marco district to the Dorsoduro district across the Grand Canal. From there, the route continues to the Rialto Bridge and back to St. Mark's Square.

The Venice Tourist Office

Here in the passageway, on the left-hand side, you’ll also find the city’s tourist office. But don’t expect too much. Generally speaking, tourist offices throughout Italy don’t offer as extensive a selection of maps and brochures as you might be used to in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. You’ll also notice pretty quickly that not all tourists in Venice come from German-speaking countries. The languages spoken here are, of course, Italian and English. This also applies to the maps and brochures you’ll find here. You’ll rarely encounter anyone in Venice who speaks German. The exceptions are the tour guides, who usually speak perfect Standard German.

Restroom
By the way, after you go through the passageway, there's a public restroom on the right that's well-marked.

The Upscale Shopping District: World-Renowned Brands

Here, in the first part of the tour—between St. Mark's Square and the Accademia Bridge—you'll find numerous internationally renowned brand-name stores on both sides of the street, offering high-end clothing, shoes, accessories, and more.

With a little spare change in your wallet, you can take home a lovely souvenir of your stay here in Venice. Since these shops seem to have been around for „decades,“ they must be profitable—despite the many tourists who pass by here every day.

Our insider tip: Right on the Canal Grande

Biennale Building: After walking through St. Mark’s Square, you’ll find signs pointing to the Biennale Building at the third alley that turns left. Follow these signs all the way to the Grand Canal. If I had to give you just three tips for truly special moments in Venice, this one would definitely be among them: Walk down the third alley to the left until you reach the Grand Canal. Right on the ground floor of the Biennale Building is a restaurant/café with a small terrace right on the Grand Canal. This is a real hidden gem in Venice. Virtually no one knows about it. You’ll be thrilled.

The Venice Stock Exchange

In the early days (17th century), goods—mostly imported items such as precious metals, currencies, and government bonds—were traded in the Rialto district. Later, stock exchange meetings were even held in the Doge’s Palace. The Venice Stock Exchange was closed in 1997, along with the other Italian city stock exchanges. As of now, there is only one Italian stock exchange: „EuroSIM-Dekret.“.

A Side Trip to La Fenice

The „La Fenice“ in Venice is not only the most prestigious, but also the largest and best-known opera house in Venice. It is even one of the most famous opera houses in the world. Many famous world premieres have taken place in this historically significant theater, and even today it impresses with its exceptional acoustics and state-of-the-art stage technology.
Homepage: http://www.teatrolafenice.it/site/index.php

A typical cityscape: alleys, canals, bridges

On this tour, you'll pass through a typical Venetian neighborhood with narrow alleys, spacious squares, underpasses, bridges, and along canals with reflections on the water, etc.
Of course, none of this is as spectacular as St. Mark's Basilica or the Doge's Palace, but you should definitely take pictures of these sights as souvenirs.

The rest of the tour

The map is from https://www.OpenStreetMap.org – © OpenStreetMap contributors

Keep following the signs toward the Accademia. Just before you reach the Accademia, you'll come to a large, open square: Campo Santo Stefano. It's the perfect place to take a short break.

Campo Santo Stefano

Venice is a peaceful city. This is mainly because there is no car traffic here to disturb people’s peace and safety. No noise, no crowds, no honking, no danger, and no bad smells. No pushy drivers who park illegally. You’ll enjoy it. Families who live here can let their children play safely in the squares.

The large, open square (Campo Santo Stefano) offers you a welcome opportunity to take a short break. And if you’re convinced that you’re a person of style and class, then we recommend a quick stop at „Le Café.“.

Place to Stop for a Break: Le Café

Many cafés, especially in the city center, are very, very small due to a lack of space and are NOT particularly spacious. Often, there are just a few tables and chairs crammed into a corner, where you can barely squeeze in. And there’s a constant stream of people coming and going at the counter.
The café (bistro) Le Café at Campo Santo Stefano is an exception. Here, in the middle of the large, open square, there are numerous outdoor tables and chairs with umbrellas.
Walk into the café, head to the counter, and let the staff inspire you to choose a little something sweet to enjoy—whatever you're in the mood for. Pair it with an espresso or a cappuccino.
You don't need to know the names of the dishes. You'll be eating them with your fingers anyway, so you might as well point at them with your fingers when you order.
This tip is useful if you DON'T eat three large meals a day and then struggle through the day with a heavy stomach, but instead want to enjoy small, light meals more often.

A detour to the Accademia Bridge

Pictured: the Grand Canal with the Church of La Salute in the background.

After visiting Campo Santo Stefano, take a short detour to the bridge over the Grand Canal at the Accademia.

You've surely seen pictures of Venice like the one above. From the Accademia Bridge, you can now take your own photos. To do so, walk back and forth across the bridge until you find the best subjects and perspectives in both directions along the canal.

Dorsoduro
Be sure to also read the description of a walking tour through the Dorsoduro district. This interesting tour also takes you past the Church of La Salute.

The Church of San Vidal: Vivaldi's Four Seasons

The plan is from https://www.OpenStreetMap.org
© OpenStreetMap contributors

Just before the bridge over the Grand Canal, the Church of San Vidal is located directly to the right of the path. This is where the Vivaldi concerts take place in the evenings. The entrance is clearly marked; you’ll see it right away. The Interpreti Veneziano often perform „The Four Seasons,“ arguably Vivaldi’s best-known and most beautiful concerto. In my opinion, the Interpreti Veneziano who perform here are the best. They play almost every day. You’ll find posters with the current schedule all over the city.
If we had to give you just three tips for your stay in Venice, a visit to „The Four Seasons“ would be one of them. Website: https://www.interpretiveneziani.com/en/

Campo Manin

Daniele Manin, a Venetian, was a revolutionary leader under whose leadership the Republic of Venice gained independence from Austria. A plaque marking his birth hangs on the red house that the bronze statue faces. The revolution was part of a series of uprisings throughout Italy and was directed against the ruling royal houses of the time. Daniele Manin believed that an armed uprising was sometimes not only a right but, under certain circumstances, also a duty. How modern his view is.

The rest of the tour

From Campo Manin, if you’re interested, take a short detour to the Scala (spiral staircase) Bovolo. Then, at the end of Campo Manin, in front of the new „Crédit Agricole Friul Adria“ building, turn left and continue until you reach the Canal Grande.

A detour to the Scala del Bovolo

The Scala (a spiral staircase in the new Renaissance style) requires a small admission fee. From the top, however, you have a magnificent view of the city’s rooftops and skyline. A series of loggias that open upward in rounded arches was unusual for an outdoor staircase at the time and also quite elaborate. The staircase is topped by a dome. Viewing it from the outside through a fence and taking photos is, of course, free.

The Grand Canal

View from the rooftop terrace of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi

The Grand Canal does NOT have a continuous promenade along its banks. Only just before the Rialto Bridge is there a path running along both the right and left sides of the canal. Therefore, you should take the first opportunity after Campo Manin to head toward the Grand Canal. After all, you’ve seen plenty of narrow alleys and canals with bridges on this tour by now.

Venice City Hall

If you walk along the narrow path on the banks of the Grand Canal toward the Rialto Bridge, the first buildings you’ll pass are the city’s two town halls. Ca‘ Loredan is on the left in the picture; Ca‘ Farsetti is the building on the right. Ca‘ Loredan (short for Palazzo Corner Piscopia, Loredan) is the seat of Venice’s city administration. It is the city’s city hall. The large council chamber is on the ground floor. The building on the right in the picture, the Ca’ Farsetti, also houses the City Hall of Venice. The second floor and the mezzanine are built in the Renaissance style.

American movie star George Clooney got married at Ca‘ Farsetti in 2014.

The Rialto Bridge

The Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal in Venice is one of the city's most famous landmarks. The bridge got its name, "Rialto," from the Rialto district in San Polo, which was once Venice's most important commercial center.

In Italian, the bridge is called „Ponte di Rialto“ and is the main link between the San Polo and San Marco districts. Rivus altus—high bank—shortened to Rialto. On both sides of the Grand Canal, in San Polo and San Marco, there is a short stretch of waterfront promenade.
The Rialto Bridge is just a 9-minute walk from the city center, St. Mark's Square.

And then to the fish market in the morning

If you're only in town for a short time and take this tour in the morning, you can still make a quick detour to the fish market if you're interested. Cross the Rialto Bridge and then continue straight ahead. First you’ll come to the fruit and vegetable market, and behind it is the fish market. The fruit, vegetable, and fish markets are already located in the San Polo district.

Back to St. Mark's Square

It's only a 9-minute walk from the Rialto Bridge back to St. Mark's Square. This route, right in the heart of the city, is extremely well-marked. You won't need a map. Just go with the flow.

The closer you get to St. Mark's Square again, the more familiar the brand names of the luxury stores on either side of the narrow alleys become.

If you're interested, be sure to check out our other guides: Explore Venice on foot.