A lot of fellow tourists ask “where to stay in Venice?” as they plan their trip over to Venice, Italy. We all know the complexity.
If you travel to Venice for the first time, you don’t know the way around, but you wish for the suitable place where you sleep tightly at night.
As an experienced tourist in Venice, I have compiled this Districts guide in hope of assisting you as you read up on what each Sestiere has to offer in Venice.
Now to the guide..
Sesti.. What?
You may have heard Sestiere be said as you look for any information about Venice. But what is this Sestieri about?
In the local lingo, it simply means district. Sestieri is the plural form of Sestiere (district).
In Venice there are in total six Sestieri (districts) over the artificial island. Each district has the distinct ambience that the others don’t embody – this guide will dive into this.
So please keep reading.
Sestieri map with colours – Photo: munav.it
Canareggio
We as tourists most likely arrive at Piazzale Roma – right in Cannaregio, which is the gateway to Venice and has the transportation depot that connects Venice to the mainland.
If you arrive in Venice by train, the railway station Venezia Santa Lucia is also located in Cannaregio. What does all this mean?
Canareggio’s convenient location to public transport makes you probably want to stay there. If you ever try to drive in to Venice, most of the the parking lots are also in Canareggio.
Please don’t drive beyond Piazzale Roma or ask the driveway to Piazza San Marco. Probably 98% of Venice is car-free area which prohibits you from driving there at all. Even a bicycle isn’t allowed there.
Anyway, despite the proximity to everything, you may also find a reasonable hotel and B&Bs in Canareggio. Just book ones away from the main road where all the signages are (see the map below).
Staying away from the always-busy-main road, you will get to relax and make yourself comfortable in your room. If you need anything, shops (on the main road) should be just a few minutes walk from your accommodation.
You get to visit not only public transportation hubs but also (off-beaten) path places in Canareggio. Those are Ghetto of Venice, Chiesa degli Scalzi and its beautiful garden, Tre Archi bridge, Teatro Italia (yes, that theatrical supermarket) and more.
If you follow the signage all the way down to Rialto and Piazza San Marco, it will take you only half an hour to get there.
I suggest looking for accommodation NOT around the red markings in the above photo. Alongside that area prices are quite-rip-off for everything. Stay there probably a few blocks away from the red and get the better offer.
By signage I mean this kind of yellow signboards that point to Venice’s major landmarks – Rialto Bridge, Ferrovia (Venezia Santa Lucia railway station), Piazza San Marco, Piazzale Roma and Accademia Bridge (and more). The red area in the above photo has a lot of these.
This is the crowded main path in Canareggio. On right, the yellow signage points to Ferrovia (the railway station of Venezia Santa Lucia).
And this is the quiet Canareggio – who told you Venice is always crowded? Just venture into narrow alleyways away from the shopping street. You never know what awaits before your eyes.
Chiesa degli Scalzi
Wonder if you’ve wanted to do grocery shopping somewhere that you had dreamt? In Venice you can just do that at Teatro Italia!
Santa Croce
Being like a small sister to Canareggio, Santa Croce is also in a proximity to all the transaportation stops and shops in Canareggio. Santa Croce has more residential buildings and museum complexes, making this area much quieter than Canareggio.
If you wanted your accommodation close to everything but to avoid noise at night, Santa Croce might be your best bet.
Points of interest in Santa Croce are Giardino Papadopoli, Fontego dei Turchi (a Veneto-Byzantine building which is now a natural scientific museum of Venice), Palazzo Mocenigo (A museum for all about textile, perfume and fashion), and a lot of churches including Church Saint Nicola of Tolentino.
Church of Saint Nicola Di Tolentino
Meet a Dino at heart of Venice – at Fontego dei Turchi!
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