Italy, Venice

Where to Stay in Venice, Italy

Venice is divided into six neighbourhoods (‘sestieri’ in Italian); Cannaregio, Castello, Santa Croce, San Polo, San Marco and Dorsoduro. Each of the neighbourhoods has its own charm and unique characteristics. Before you set off on your trip, you’re probably wondering where to stay in this seemingly complicated city! When deciding on your Venice accommodation, a good first step could be choosing which neighbourhood (sestiere) seems most suited to you. I’ve put together this post as a guide to each of the neighbourhoods in Venice. It includes the atmosphere, price range and points of interest of each – a summary of what makes each one so special. I hope you find it helpful when deciding where to stay in Venice, Italy!

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Cannaregio

Cannaregio is one of the largest neighbourhoods, and is located in the north of the city. It covers all the area north of the Grand Canal between the railway station and the Rialto Bridge. Cannaregio is one of my personal favourite neighbourhoods in Venice. It has the perfect balance of vibrant, busy streets such as Fondamente Misericordia and Strada Nuova, and peaceful residential areas where locals live. These areas are great for exploring the true nature of Venice, away from the hustle and bustle of the city’s main tourist hotspots. Cannaregio has many points of interest, including the Jewish quarter and its synagogues. There are also many beautiful buildings such as Ca’ D’oro and the Santa Maria Assunta church.

Cannaregio is a great area to stay for your trip to Venice as it has a lot of affordable accommodation options. The Venezia Santa Lucia train station and main transport hub Piazzale Roma are within walking distance from this neighbourhood. Depending on which side of Cannaregio you stay in, it can take a fair bit of walking to reach the main sights of the city, such as St. Mark’s Square. However, if walking doesn’t bother you too much, staying in Cannaregio is well worth it for the money you’ll save. Not to mention the additional parts of the city you’ll discover whilst exploring the city’s northern neighbourhood.

Castello

Castello is the largest neighbourhood of Venice, located in the east of the city. Like Cannaregio, parts of Castello are very quiet and residential where lots of locals live. On the other hand, Castello also contains some very touristy areas. One of the busiest is the waterfront which runs from the Doge’s Palace all the way to the public gardens at St. Elena. The gardens in Castello are the biggest open space in the city, and lots of people use them to run and exercise. Castello also contains the Arsenale, the enormous former shipyards and armories of Venice. This is an important part of the city’s history as it’s where the Venetian Republic used to construct its ships. Castello is also the area in which the city hosts the Biennale – the annual arts and architectural festival which is world-renowned.

Similarly to Cannaregio, the neighbourhoods of Castello are where you will experience a more authentic Venice. The further east you stay in the neighbourhood, the further you’ll have to walk to reach the main tourist centre. However, this can be great for enjoying the best of both worlds. When you’ve had enough of the tourist crowds, you can dip away and wander off the beaten path through this charming neighbourhood.

Santa Croce

Santa Croce is located in the west of the city, on the opposite side of the Grand Canal to Cannaregio. This neighbourhood is one of the least touristy as it contains much of the city’s transport connections to the main land, as well as industry. Santa Croce is the only part of the city that can be accessed by car, as it contains Piazzale Roma, the main transport hub of Venice. There is also the man-made island of Tronchetto here, with an enormous car park, as well as the docks for cruise ships visiting the city. Though Santa Croce is largely considered the least attractive part of the city, the eastern parts of the neighbourhood are nicer. There are lots of beautiful streets, canals and churches to see here.

Accommodation in the Santa Croce neighbourhood tends to be cheaper, as it’s located further away from the majority of the main tourist attractions. To reach the heart of the city from here, you can either walk or take the vaporetto along the Grand Canal. Read the full Venice transport guide here. If you don’t mind walking, Santa Croce can be a great option for where to stay in Venice. Better yet, the money you save can go towards other aspects of your trip such as food, drink and entrance fees. Being so close to the train station is also convenient if you plan to visit one of the other nearby cities. Read the full blog post on the best day trips from Venice here.

San Polo

San Polo is located in the centre of Venice, right next to the Rialto Bridge, and is the city’s smallest neighbourhood. It is also one of the oldest neighbourhoods, and the Rialto Market has existed there since 1097. As well as the shop-lined Rialto Bridge, the neighbourhood has a lot of other shops of all kinds. There are also many bars and restaurants in this area, frequented by locals and tourists alike. This neighbourhood is very beautiful to walk through, and has a lot of great attractions. Aside from the Rialto Bridge and markets, there is also the main square, Campo San Polo. This is the second largest square in the city after St. Mark’s Square. During the winter months, they even construct a temporary ice rink in this square! Read the full post on things to do in Venice during winter here.

San Polo is a great area to stay in Venice as it’s in a good central location. It is a comfortable distance from amazing tourist attractions in all directions. To the north is the Rialto Bridge, which leads to the heart of the city, St. Mark’s Square. To the south you’ll find Dorsoduro, the city’s student hub and all of its exciting nightlife. To the east, the train station and transport hub Piazzale Roma is within walking distance, making it straightforward to reach the Italian mainland. Luckily, San Polo offers a wide price range of accommodations, depending on their proximity to Rialto and the Grand Canal. So you should be able to find the perfect place, no matter your budget!

San Marco

The San Marco neighbourhood is the most popular area of the city. It is named after the city’s patron saint, and is home to some of the city’s most iconic landmarks. This includes St. Mark’s Square, the Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, and St. Mark’s bell tower. This neighbourhood stretches from the Rialto Bridge down to the Accademia Bridge, and across to the waterfront of St. Mark’s Basin. Understandably, this is the most visited area by visitors to the city due to all of it’s wonderful attractions. However, this also makes it by far the most crowded neighbourhood. This is particularly true during peak periods, such as the summer months and during Carnival!

Accommodation in the San Marco neighbourhood can be fairly pricey due to it being the heart of the city. However, the high prices are arguably worth it for this incredible location. Aside from the main points of interest surrounding St. Mark’s Square, this neighbourhood also has plenty more to keep you busy. The world famous Teatro La Fenice offers opera, musical and ballet performances. Not to mention the restaurants, bars, designers stores and luxurious hotels which line the streets of this neighbourhood.

Another lesser-known fact about this neighbourhood is that St. Mark’s Square is one of the most low-lying parts of the city. Several times a year the city floods during a particularly high tide known as ‘high water’ (l’acqua alta). St. Mark’s Square is always one of the first parts of the city affected. It’s truly amazing to see the reflection of the iconic Basilica and bell tower reflected in the flooded square. Read the full blog post here: High Water in Venice – What Happens When the City Floods.

Dorsoduro

Dorsoduro is the neighbourhood occupying the southern part of the city. It encompasses the entire south of the main island, and also includes the island of Giudecca. This area is where many of the city’s university buildings are located. As a result, there is a large student population here, which makes the neighbourhood very vibrant and lively. You’ll find many bars and restaurants in this area, particularly in the main square Campo Santa Margherita. It’s also where much of the city’s nightlife takes place, due to it’s younger residents. The prices of food and drink in Dorsoduro tend to be much more affordable than other neighbourhoods, such as San Marco. However, Dorsoduro is not made up of solely students and nightlife, it also has many other highlights. The main attractions of Dorsoduro include the Accademia Bridge and Accademia gallery, the magnificent Santa Maria della Salute church, and the lookout point at the Punta della Dogana.

Dorsoduro is another great neighbourhood where it is affordable to stay, and is a particularly good choice if you enjoy nightlife as much as sightseeing. When staying in Dorsoduro, you can easily walk across the Accademia Bridge (a great sight in itself) to reach St. Marks Square and Rialto. To the west, Santa Croce is a short walk away, along with the train, bus and tram stations. Alternatively, you can take the vaporetto from Dorsoduro, to reach Castello and Cannaregio. Why not spend an afternoon exploring these more secluded parts of the city? Then head back for dinner before an evening of bar hopping.

I hope this guide on the city’s neighbourhoods helps you plan where to stay in Venice on your own visit. Thanks for reading!

Abbey x