Venice's Top 11 Free Sights (2020)

Tourist photo

ABOVE: A tourist grabs a shot of the Piazza San Marco. INSET BELOW: A wedding gondola on the Grand Canal, and the Santa Maria della Salute Church.

By Durant Imboden

Wedding gondola on Grand Canal Venice, Italy has a reputation for being expensive, but don't be discouraged: Many of the city's most interesting sights are free. By spending the bulk of your time on the places and experiences that are discussed in this article, you'll have money left over for the things that really matter to you--whether your tastes run to cultural attractions like the Doge's Palace and the Accademia art gallery or to restaurants, bars, hotels, and shopping.

Salute church Most of the sights on the next 11 pages won't cost you a single euro. In a few cases, you can pay for options (such as an inexpensive traghetto ride across the Grand Canal) or you'll need to buy a waterbus ticket to get where you need to go.

Tips:

For more sightseeing advice, click the "Related articles" links on each page or go to our main site's Venice Sightseeing Articles Index.
The Association 360 Gradi offers free walking tours twice a day year-round.

To begin planning your tour of Venice's Top 11 Free Sights, click here or use the navigation menu below:

Next page: Piazza San Marco

Top 11 Free Sights in Venice:

Introduction

1. Piazza San Marco

2. Basilica di San Marco

3. Venice Waterfront (St. Mark's Basin)

4. Grand Canal

5. Rialto Bridge

6. Rialto Food Markets

7. Venetian Ghetto

8. Canali, Campi, Calli (canals, squares, back streets)