Waymark
City walk Venice — San Marco & Rialto, Italy

Venice on Foot: San Marco, Rialto and the Ghetto

A single day walking north through Venice — from the basilica and the Doge's Palace over the Rialto to the quiet canals of Cannaregio.

Venice on Foot: San Marco, Rialto and the Ghetto
Photo: Matthias Süßen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Duration
1 day
Distance
4 km
Walking time (est.)
1 h
Difficulty
Easy
Best season
April–June and September–October

Walking

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    Getting there and back

    Start
    Piazza San Marco
    Finish
    Venetian Ghetto, Cannaregio

    One-way: plan your trip back

    Directions to the start Back from the finish

    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:

    Elevation profile

    Highest point
    12 m Day 1
    Lowest point
    1 m Day 1
    Total descent
    6 m

    Point at the profile, or focus it and use the arrow keys, to see that spot on the map.

    Terrain heights along a straight line between each day’s stops, not along the footpath, so a pass or a switchback the path takes can be missing. Descent and walking times use the same line.

    Elevation data: Terrain Tiles (Mapzen, AWS Open Data)

    Day by day

    DayDistanceAscentDescent (est.)Walking time (est.)
    Day 1 Hardest daySan Marco to Cannaregio
    Distance4 kmAscentNot recordedDescent (est.)6 mWalking time (est.)1 h

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    Day 1

    San Marco to Cannaregio

    Piazza San Marco → Venetian Ghetto, Cannaregio 4 km 1 h
    Navigate this day

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

    Drinking water

    Water
    Drinking water 100 m from stop 1
    Drinking water 120 m from stop 1
    Drinking water 180 m from stop 4
    Drinking water 100 m from stop 5
    Drinking water 40 m from stop 6

    Places mapped by volunteers on OpenStreetMap; opening times and taps change, so check before relying on one. © OpenStreetMap contributors

    Segments

    1. 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.

    2. St Mark's Basilica
      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.

      About this place

      The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark, commonly known as St Mark's Basilica, is the cathedral church of the Patriarchate of Venice; it became the episcopal seat of the Patriarch of Venice in 1807, replacing the earlier cathedral of San Pietro di Castello. It is dedicated to and holds the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of the city.

      Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Zairon · Public domain
    3. The Doge's Palace
      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 Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0
    4. The Bridge of Sighs
      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 Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0
    5. To the Rialto Bridge
      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 Photo: kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0
    6. Cannaregio and the Ghetto
      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 Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0

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