Our guide to three stunning Venice neighborhoods that are great for a stroll and for experiencing Venice and its magic of canals, small alleys and quiet corners.
One of the best things to do in Venice, or the very best thing of all, in my opinion, is aimlessly strolling around the city’s quietest districts.
First-time visitors to Venice tend to focus on St Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace and Rialto, Venice’s main landmarks, and this is normal and worth doing; they are so beautiful.
However, if you only see those and spend in Venice only the time strictly necessary to hit the most famous areas, you miss out on what makes Venice the outstanding magical place that is: Venice itself!
Even more than Florence, even more than Rome, Venice is one of those cities where what is in between landmarks is as significant, pleasant and worth seeing as the landmarks themselves.
But I hear you! You are right when you say: Ok Marta, we hear you and we want to do what you say and get lost and wander, but you know where to go, we don’t!
What are the beautiful neighborhoods in Venice for a stroll, these delightful areas with no crowds, beautiful canals and quintessential Venice feel?
This guide is my answer to you: my top three neighborhoods in Venice for a stroll and tapping into that quintessential, dreamy Venetian feel I cannot get enough of (warning: you won’t have enough of it either!).
| Good to know: While these three areas are my favorite Venice neighborhood for aimless wandering and exploring, those I go to over and over again and make me fall deeper in love with Venice every time I visit. Since the aim of this guide is to inspire you to explore, I haven’t covered them with a precise itinerary but rather presented them as an overview, hoping to pique your curiosity enough to make you go and check them out! All photos are my own, from my latest travels to Venice in October and this past Easter. |
Venice neighborhoods overview
Venice is divided into six neighborhoods, or districts called Sestieri (sestiere singular; sestieri plural)
Sestiere is a word you only find in Venice and comes from the city being divided into six parts (6 or sei in Italian); therefore, each district is a sixth of Venice, so to speak!
The six sestieri of Venice are:
- Cannaregio
- San Marco
- Castello
- Dorsoduro
- San Polo
- Santa Croce
Each of these districts has its charms; however, there are three that I find the absolute best for strolling.
For me, the best Venice areas for a wander are Cannaregio, Castello, and Dorsoduro.
Let’s have a look at each.
My favorite Venice neighborhoods for a quite wander
Cannaregio
Cannaregio is the (stunning) and large Venice neighborhood covering the northwest part of Venice.
It is one of the closest areas to the mainland and the first one many visitors see, as it is where you find the main Venice train station: Venezia Santa Lucia.
Cannaregio is a gem!
The first impression you may get from it, as you step out of Santa Lucia into the mayhem of tourists, is that Cannaregio is a passage area people have to cross to get to St Mark’s. However, all it takes is to leave behind the busy main street to find yourself surrounded by some of the most scenic corners of Venice!
In Cannaregio, you can see:
- Venice’s Ghetto, the oldest in Europe, and a wonderful area of typical Venetian architecture full of history, charm, and local feel
- Stunning piazzas (in Venice, they are called Campo) with local kids playing, making the most of the car-free nature of this city.
I know this can be surprising as we always only hear Venice described as ‘touristy’ and ‘like Disneyland’ but Venice is also a real place with real families!
- Fabulous churches such as Chiesa della Madonna del’Orto, where you can see a Tintoretto!
- Wonderful, quiet canals where the only noise is the gentle lapping of the water against the docked boats
- Lively ‘fondamenta’ such as Fondamenta della Misericordia, canal side road bustling with local restaurants and bacari (typical Venetian eateries)
- Fun hidden gems like the statues in Campo de’ Mori with a nose you should try to rub for good luck! (you’ll see exactly what I mean once you are there!)
- Fabulous Atelier Nicolao, where you can try on and rent carnival costumes for the Carnevale
Castello
Castello is maybe the most underrated of all Venice neighborhoods, yet it is one of the most beautiful and charming of all!
At the opposite end of Venice than Cannaregio, this district is big and I always think of it as divided into two parts: the more central one, which bursts with visitors as it is right beside San Marco (Riva degli Schiavoni) and the quiet part, which is the one I recommend to visit!
The quiet part of Catello is one many visitors never venture to, as the perfection is that it is too ‘far from everything’, ‘everyithing’ usually meaning Rialto and San Marco.
In reality, Castello IS everything! The area is indeed far from the station and entry point into Venice so it does take a little longer to get to.
However, once you are there, you will find Castello is like Venice in a nutshell!
In Castello, you can see:
- Fabulous, quiet campi (Venice’ squares) with laundry lines drying in the sun and cafes with outdoor tables
- Quiet, secondary canals with gently lapping waters
- The incredible Arsenale its imposing lions
- Beautiful Giardini della Biennale, a large green area (a rarity in Venice!) with also playgrounds for kids
- Wonderful churches such as San Zaccaria, San Giorgio dei Greci or Chiesa di San Giuseppe di Castello, which has a Veronese and a Tintoretto
- The quiet island of Sant’Elena and its lovely green spaces
- Libreria dell’Acqua Alta – ok, this one is not a hidden place you’ll randomly bump into, it is a famous Instagram spot, but I cannot talk about Castello without mentioning it!
Libreria dell’Acqua Alta is a bookshop with a colossal amount of books that they keep in unusual containers to protect them from the water in case of high tide, containers such as a gondola and a bathtub!
This used to be an unknown, curious place and now it has become a ‘destination’ for selfies and even donation areas at photo ops, since now people come for the photo and not for the books. Despite this however, it is a fun place to see and if you are lucky, you may find yourself not alone but still in a shop that is empty enough for you to have a browse and maybe even buy something!
Dorsoduro
Dorsoduro is a fantastic Venice neighborhood, very well known to tourists and locals alike than to the presence of some of Venice’s most important museums: Accademia and Peggy Guggenheim.
However, just like the other areas in this article, Dorsoruro is more than the backdrop to attractions and very much a place that deserves exploring.
Among the several stunning things you can see in Dorsoduro, there are:
- Stunning Punta della Dogana, the very point of Dorsoduro with the church of La Salute and stunning views over Venice city center and Giudecca island, before the Grand Canal enters the lagoon
- Delightful small campi (squares) such as scenic Campiello Barbaro and Campo Sant’Agnese
- Fab large campi such as Campo Santa Margarita, where you find local kids playing, lovely outdoor terraces for sprits and a buzzy, local feel
- The incredible squero where they build and repair gondolas
- Fun Ponte dei Pugni, with the markings of feet on it, recalling a time when fights would happen here, with different factions trying to push their opponent into the water (!)
Delicious Gelateria Nico, where to try real Venetian gelato (a local specialty, this is no standard gelato!)
- The cool and uniquely Venetian floating grocery store, selling produce from a boat
- Cute Campo San Barnaba, one of the best places in Venice to get a gondola
- The Traghetto stop to San Marco, where you can hop onto a gondola and cross the Grand Canal for just two euro!
I hope you enjoyed this overview of my favorite Venice neighborhoods for a stroll and they inspired you to stay in Venice a little longer and explore beyond the famous landmarks.
