Venice on Foot: San Marco, Rialto and the Ghetto

Venice has no cars, so every visit is a walk whether you plan one or not. The trick is direction: start in the crowded ceremonial centre early, then move steadily north and watch the city empty out around you.

This route does exactly that. It opens in Piazza San Marco with the basilica and the palace of the doges, crosses the Grand Canal at the Rialto, and ends in Cannaregio and the Venetian Ghetto, where laundry hangs over the canals and the tour groups thin to nothing.

Getting there. Trains and buses arrive at Santa Lucia station and Piazzale Roma at the top of the Grand Canal — from there it is about a 40-minute walk to San Marco, or a vaporetto ride down the canal. Marco Polo airport connects by bus or by boat across the lagoon.

Permits & tickets. St Mark’s Basilica charges a small entry fee and takes timed bookings; the Doge’s Palace needs a ticket, usually sold as part of a civic museums pass. The Rialto Bridge, the Piazza and the Ghetto squares are free. Day visitors may also need to pay Venice’s access fee on certain dates — check the current rules before travelling.

Good to know:

Go early. San Marco before about 9am is a different place from San Marco at noon.
Acqua alta can flood the Piazza in autumn and winter; raised walkways appear when it does.
The basilica enforces a dress code — covered shoulders and knees — and turns away large bags.

Day 1

San Marco to Cannaregio

Piazza San Marco → Venetian Ghetto, Cannaregio 4 km

Navigate this day

A steady line north through Venice, from the ceremonial centre to the quiet northern sestiere.

Segments

Piazza San Marco 0.3 km Map

Piazza San Marco → The Piazzetta

Paved square

Start in the principal square of Venice, known locally simply as la Piazza — the only one in the city that carries the title. The Piazzetta extends it towards the lagoon between two columns; the campanile stands where the square meets it. Come at opening time and the arcades are almost empty. About 30 minutes.
St Mark's Basilica 0.1 km Map

Piazza San Marco → Basilica interior

Paved square

The cathedral church of the Patriarchate of Venice, holding the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the city's patron. Inside, gold mosaics cover the domes and the uneven marble floor rolls underfoot. The loggia upstairs holds the original bronze horses and looks straight down the Piazza. About an hour.
The Doge's Palace 0.2 km Map

St Mark's Basilica → Doge's Palace

Paved square

Next door stands the Venetian Gothic palace that housed the government, the courts, a jail and the residence of the elected doge. First built in 810 and rebuilt from 1340, it has been a museum since 1923. The council chambers upstairs are painted floor to ceiling. Allow about 90 minutes.

About this place

The Doge's Palace is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace included government offices, a jail, and the residence of the Doge of Venice, the elected authority of the former Republic of Venice. It was originally built in 810, rebuilt in 1340 and extended and modified in the following centuries. It became a museum in 1923 and is one of 11 museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.
Read more on Wikipedia
The Bridge of Sighs 0.2 km Map

Doge's Palace → Ponte della Paglia

City alleys and bridges

The enclosed white limestone bridge linking the palace to the New Prison across the Rio di Palazzo. You cross it from inside the palace and see it from outside on the Ponte della Paglia — the classic view, and one of the most photographed spots in Venice. About 20 minutes.

About this place

The Bridge of Sighs is a bridge in Venice, Italy. It connects the Doge's Palace with the New Prison across Rio di Palazzo.
Read more on Wikipedia
To the Rialto Bridge 1 km Map

Piazza San Marco → Rialto Bridge

City alleys and bridges

Thread north through the alleys of San Marco to the oldest of the four bridges over the Grand Canal, connecting San Marco to San Polo. It began as a pontoon crossing in 1173 and has been rebuilt repeatedly; the stone arch you walk today dates from the late 16th century. The market on the far side is best in the morning. About 45 minutes.

About this place

The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. Connecting the sestieri (districts) of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times since its first construction as a pontoon bridge in 1173, and is now a significant tourist attraction in the city.
Read more on Wikipedia
Cannaregio and the Ghetto 1.5 km Map

Rialto Bridge → Campo di Ghetto Nuovo

City alleys and bridges

Walk north-west into Cannaregio, where Venice becomes a neighbourhood again. The route ends in the Venetian Ghetto, instituted by decree in 1516 as the quarter where Jews were compelled to live — the place that gave the word 'ghetto' to every other language. Its tall, crowded houses, synagogues and museum still surround a quiet campo. About an hour.

About this place

The Venetian Ghetto was the area of Venice in which Jews were forced to live by the government of the Venetian Republic. The English word ghetto is derived from the Jewish ghetto in Venice. The Venetian Ghetto was instituted on 29 March 1516 by decree of Doge Leonardo Loredan and the Venetian Senate. It was not the first time that Jews in Venice were compelled to live in a segregated area of the city. In 1555, Venice had 160,208 inhabitants, including 923 Jews, who were mainly merchants.
Read more on Wikipedia