If it is art and culture that you are looking for while exploring the marvelous city of Venice, in this article, part of a fantastic Venice travel guide, you will find all the most famous (and even less famous) museums to see in Venice.
Venice, the capital of northern Italy Veneto region, the city most of you had dreamt about on many occasions, with its little alleys full of mystery, its gondola rides where to play with your partner like two love birds while admiring from the water the magnificent of this historical city.
Venice is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea.
There are no roads, just canals, including the Grand Canal.
You will find the Venetian public transports "Vaporetti" and the speed boat taxi from where you will enjoy the view of Renaissance Gothic palaces.
Have a walk at any time of the day and right in the central square, Piazza San Marco, with the St. Mark's Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the Venetian's red roofs.
If you want to plan the perfect Venetian holiday, check out my "The Most Complete Guide of Venice" and see all the articles I wrote about this wonderful city.
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Venice is a city strongly dedicated to art and has infinite museums to visit.
Whether you are passionate about modern art or wish to discover the city's history, you will be spoiled for choices.
1. Palazzo del Doge:
Doge's Palace is one of the most famous palaces in Venice.
The palace has been used for many purposes, from the Doge's residence to the prison of the Venetian republic.
It is one of my favourites, with its large rooms, and magnificently decorated ceilings you will learn a lot about Venetian history.
It is situated in Piazza San Marco/St Mark Square and it was originally a fortified castle founded between the tenth and eleventh centuries.
The palace was partly demolished by a fire and was reconstructed between 1172 and 1178, as was the Piazza San Marco. During this period, the Palazzo was used as a fortress and prison.
Opening Times: Every day from 8.30 am till 7 pm.
I advise you to buy the Skip the Queue ticket here if you don't want to wait more than 1 hour before entering the palace (the queue is most of the time crazy long).
Reserve your ticket here and find the best ticket combination for your holiday.
Ticket Prices:
Museum Card, the ticket includes the visits to Marciana National Library, Palazzo Ducale, the Correr Museum and the Archeological Museum.
Do you prefer a guided tour that will teach everything about these beautiful buildings?
2. The Gallerie dell’Accademia:
This museum is one of the most famous museums in the world, and surely unmissable on your visit to Venice. It is so popular that can get very busy so book your tickets well in advance to save time and cut the queue.
The Gallerie dell'Accademia is in the Venetian district Dorsoduro sestiere. You will get there by crossing the huge wooden arch of the Ponte dell'Accademia (Accademia bridge), built by the Austrians to move their soldiers quickly around the city.
You will have a spectacular view of the Canal Grande from the top of the bridge, looking at Santa Maria della Salute, the Bacino di San Marco and the Punta della Dogana.
The Grand Canal draws an enormous curve (the Volta del Canal) at this point, so I advise you to stop and admire it (take also some stunning pictures, obviously) and then enter the biggest collection of European and Venetian paintings you will ever see.
Opening times: Tue-Sun 8.15 am -7.15 pm. Mon 8.15 am- 2 pm.
Address: Campo della Carità, 1050, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy
Do you want to see everything Venice has to offer and save money at the same time?
Check here all the activities and tours available. You won't regret it!
Carnival in Venice!
One of the most amazing cities in the world will surprise you with its elaborated masks,
expensive handmade dresses and districts water parades.
Check when Carnival will be (the date changes every year but it is usually one week from February to March) and book your amazing Venetian holiday when you will discover all the beauty that Venice has to offer.
Check rates and availability, and don't miss the opportunity to see Venice dressed up as a beautiful Venetian dame.
If you have always wanted to create your own Carnival mask, in Venice your dream can become a reality. Check out these Venice Carnival mask workshops.
Do you need help with finding a good Hotel in Venice? Check out my article
"Best Hotels in Venice with a Canal View" where I listed the best Hotels for every budget.
3. The Venice Biennale:
The Venice Biennale has been for over 120 years one of the most prestigious art and cultural foundations in the world. Established in 1895, the Biennale has a presence today of over 500,000 visitors at the Art Exhibition.
The history of the La Biennale di Venezia begins back in 1895 when the first International Art Exhibition was created. In the 1930s new festivals were born: Music, Cinema, and Theatre (the Venice Film Festival in 1932 was the first film festival in history).
Tickets from 22 Euro. You can purchase your tickets here.
Address: Giardini della Biennale.
4. The Leonardo da Vinci Museum:
The Leonardo Da Vinci Museum is located at the Scoletta di San Rocco, in front of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Inside you will have the chance to discover the master's world. You will learn about his life, works and secrets.
In more than 500 square metres, you will be able to walk through the exhibition rooms and discover Leonardo Da Vinci's life and his magnificent works.
Address: Campo San Rocco, 3052
Opening Times: Everyday 10.30am- 5.30pm (may vary by seasons).
Don't risk wasting your time waiting in a queue (it can be crazy long). Book your skip the queue ticket in advance, check the tickets museums available here.
Venice is beautiful and also a perfect place where to taste all the delicious food and wine that its region has to offer. So Why not have an unforgettable experience to remember for the rest of your life?
Very Important Question: Do you like Wine?
If the answer is Yes! Check out the wine tasting available in Venice here.
With so many different wines to choose from, you will try only the best ones!
If you are a cooking lover like me, always looking to try different recipes, try this fabulous Cooking class and tasting here.
You will feel so satisfied that you will tell all your friends about it.
5. Museo Correr:
Museo Correr is a museum located in the ex-Royal Palace in Piazza San Marco and combines the Napoleonic Wing and the Procuratie Nuove.
It was founded out of the art collection that Teodoro Correr left to the city in 1830. You will admire the neoclassical rooms, with sculptures by Antonio Canova, urban history, and daily life.
An indispensable stop for anyone visiting Venice, you need to consider the time necessary to see all the rooms of this important museum, furnished with ancient furnishings and beautiful tapestries and statues.
You can visit the Correr museum, the Doge's palace, and the Captain's palace with just one ticket.
Opening Time: Sun - Thu 10:30am - 5:00pm, Fri - Sat 10:30am - 7:00pm.
Address: In St. Mark Square
Museum Card: The ticket includes the visits to Marciana National Library, Palazzo Ducale, the Correr Museum, the Archeological Museum and many more.
6. Grimani Palace Museum:
This national museum is an almost unknown jewel.
It is not a palace as many others in Venice, it is unique not only for its sixteenth-century architecture and decorations but above all for the fascinating environment of the Tribuna, which alone is worth a visit.
Address: Ruga Giuffa, 4858
Opening Time: Tue-Sun 10am - 7pm. Closed on Mondays.
Do you want to know more about Venice?
Check out all my articles in the "Most Complete Guide of Venice" and get all the information you need to make your next travel a success.
7. Glass Museum:
On the Murano island, in the ancient residence of the bishops of Torcello, there is this very interesting museum that contains the world's most extensive historical collection of Murano glass, with precious pieces produced between the 15th and 20th centuries, many of them world-famous masterpieces.
Check this Amazing Tour available: Murano Glassblowing & Burano Lace-making Excursion.
I highly recommend it! It is an amazing opportunity to see the most visited islands of Murano and Burano.
I loved the Glassblowing exhibition when they show you how fast and easily they create wonderful glass statues, it is a must-see in Venice!
Have you ever dreamed about making your own glass?
Venice offers also this activity: A Workshop on lampworking and hot glass bead making.
What better souvenir than the one you made?
8. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection:
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is the most important museum in Italy for European and American art of the twentieth century created by the American collector Peggy Guggenheim.
The collection includes masterpieces of Cubism, Futurism, European abstraction, Surrealism, and American Abstract Expressionism, with works, among others, by Picasso, Pollock, Kandinsky, Miró, de Chirico, Dalí. It is located in Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal, in the American patron's home.
In addition to the permanent collection, there is a splendid sculpture garden and temporary exhibitions are periodically organized.
Check tickets prices and Book your ticket in advance here.
Travel Tip:
State Museums in Italy are visitable for free on the first Sunday of each month.
Here is the List of the Free Venetian Museums:
Giorgio Franchetti Gallery at the Ca’ d’Oro
Accademia Galleries
Archaeological Museum of Venice
Oriental Art Museum at Ca’ Pesaro
Grimani Palace Museum in Santa Maria Formosa
Monumental Rooms at the Marciana National Library
One more reason to plan your holiday in Venice on the first weekend of every month, enjoy Italian culture and art for free.
Keep in mind queues might be crazy long in those days.
9. The Venetian Arsenal:
The Venetian Arsenal is a complex of former shipyards and armouries collected together in the city of Venice.
Owned by the state, the Arsenal was responsible for the bulk of the Venetian republic's naval power during the middle part of the second millennium AD.
When the city of Venice received part of the Arsenale in 2013, they created the Ufficio Arsenale to define the future strategy and the redevelopment and promotion of the site.
Tip:
The Arsenale Nord can be reached with lines 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 5.2 (ACTV stop "Bacini - Arsenale Nord") or on foot from Campo de La Celestia, via the walkway along the northern border wall of the Arsenale.
The North Arsenal is normally open to the public from Monday to Friday, from 08.00 to 15.00. The opening to the public concerns the public spaces and the ground floor of the Tesa 105. The other Tese of the northern Arsenale and the Torre di Porta Nuova are open to the public only for specific events.
During the opening months of the Art and/or Architecture Biennale, access to the North Arsenal extends to seven days a week and a boat is available to connect to the South Arsenal (Garden of the Virgin).
10. Ca' Rezzonico:
Ca' Rezzonico is a palace on the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro Sestiere.
It is an especially important example of the 18th century Venetian baroque and rococo design and internal decor, and displays paintings by the best Venetian painters of the period, including Giambattista Tiepolo and Francesco Guardi.
It is now a public museum dedicated to 18th-century Venice and one of the 11 venues managed by the Fondazione Musei civici di Venezia.
Aren't you going to feel hungry after walking so much through Venetian Art and Culture?
Guess what? I got you covered! Check down below.
Check Out
"15 Delicious Food and Drinks to Try in Venice" to have an idea about which delicacies you will enjoy and then check out "Best Places to have an Aperitivo or light lunch in Venice and Best Bacari". (Bacari are places where to eat and drink something local in Venice).
So you will know where to go for a quick and delicious bite between visiting a museum and admiring a church.
Are you looking for a Food Tasting Tour?
Why not try all the best Venetian food with a Guide who will explain to you everything about it:
Book your reservation here: Walking Tour with Venice Street Food Tasting.
11. The Punta della Dogana:
Punta della Dogana is a contemporary art museum with the Palazzo Grassi exhibiting artworks from the François Pinault Foundation, one of the world's largest collections of modern art.
This museum is based in the old customs house which is just beside the Salute ferry terminal at the endpoint of the Dorsoduro neighbourhood and a short walk from the Ponte dell'Accademia.
It is a truly local neighbourhood without all of the hustle and bustle of the Rialto Bridge and St Marks. It is such a brilliant place to kick back with a coffee in a Venetian cafe and relax.
Address: Dorsoduro, 2.
Open on Saturday, Sunday and Monday From 10 am to 7 pm.
Tip: the entrance fee is 18 Euro per adult for a Punta della Dogana/Palazzo Grassi combined ticket.
Do you want to see everything Venice has to offer and save money at the same time?
Check here all the activities and tours available. You won't regret it!
12. Palazzo Grassi:
Palazzo Grassi is the historic home of the Grassi family in Venice located on the Grand Canal, between the Palazzo Moro Lin and the Campo San Samuele, is what you would expect of a grand palazzo with its central courtyard and baroque staircase.
In May 2005, the French entrepreneur François Pinault bought the Palazzo Grassi for 29 million euros. The restoration of the building was assigned to the Japanese architect Tadao Ando.
Price: Palazzo Grassi + Punta della Dogana 15 euros.
Address: Campo San Samuele, 3231
Opening times: Wed-Mon 10 am -7 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.
13. The Marciana National Library:
The Marciana National Library is one of the largest Italian libraries and the most important in Venice. It contains one of the most valuable collections of Greek, Latin and oriental manuscripts in the world and is located on the lower part of Piazza San Marco.
Address: Piazza San Marco, 7.
Opening Times: Mon-Fri 8 am-7 pm. Sat 8 am 1.30 pm Closed on Sundays.
Museum Card: ticket includes the visits to Marciana National Library, Palazzo Ducale, the Correr Museum and the Archeological Museum.
Looking for the perfect Venice Accommodation?
14. The Scuola Grande di San Rocco:
The Scuola Grande di San Rocco is a lay confraternity established in 1478. The popularity of the cult of St. Roch made it the richest School in the city.
Because of its popularity, it was decided to build a new monumental headquarters and engage Tintoretto to decorate it with his most celebrated pictorial cycle, illustrating episodes from the New and Old Testaments. It is the only one of the historic Scuole Grandi to have survived the fall of the republic.
It is a unique place, where over 60 paintings are kept in their original setting in a building that has barely experienced any modification since its construction.
The confraternity is still active today, carrying out its traditional charitable duties as well as looking after its extraordinary artistic patrimony.
Address: Campo San Rocco 3052
Opening Times: Every day from 10.30 am - 6 pm. Ticket 10 Euro.
15. The National Archaeological Museum of Venice:
The National Archaeological Museum of Venice is located next to the Correr Museum and the Marciana Library in St. Mark Square and is home to an important collection of ancient sculptures.
It has several original Greek, bronze, ceramic, jewels and coins, as well as the archaeological collection given by the Correr Museum containing Egyptian and Assyrian and Babylonian antiquities.
This museum is of a collector nature and includes a complete collection of works of the 16th century acquired by well-known Venetian families.
Open April 1st to October 31st from 10.00 am to 7.00 pm.
Open November 1st to March 31st from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.
Museum Card: 12 Euros (The ticket includes the visits to Marciana National Library, Palazzo Ducale, the Correr Museum and the Archeological Museum)
Check Out "The Most Complete Guide of Venice" and read all my articles about this wonderful city.
16. The Jewish Museum of Venice:
The Jewish Museum of Venice is situated in the Campo of the Ghetto Novo, between the two most ancient Venetian synagogues and it was founded in 1953 by the Jewish Community of Venice.
The precious objects in the exposition are important examples of goldsmith and textile manufacture made between the 16th and the 19th centuries. Besides, the museum offers a wide selection of ancient books and manuscripts and some objects used in the most important moments of the cycle of civil and religious life.
Address: Campo di Ghetto Nuovo, 2902.
Opening Times: Thursdays: 2 pm – 6:30 pm Fridays and Sundays: 10 am – 5:30 pm
Do you want to see everything Venice has to offer and save money at the same time?
Check here all the activities and tours available. You won't regret it!
17. PALAZZO CONTARINI DEL BOLOVO:
The Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is a very charming little palace, known for its external spiral arch staircase. It is located near Campo Manin, between Campo San Bartolo and Campo Santo Stefano.
It is possible to visit the inside of this wonderful palace by purchasing your tickets here or if you are on a tight schedule, just passing by and having a look at it from the outside will give you the opportunity to take stunning pictures.
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