Orientation
VENICE
Venice’s historical center is composed of six main sestieri, or districts. Often divided along vague boundaries, these areas each consist of several islands crisscrossed by canals. Bustling, tourist-mobbed San Marco is the geographic center of the city. Cross the Grand Canal to get to San Polo and Santa Croce. Cannaregio lies to the north of San Marco, with Castello to the northeast and Dorsoduro to the south. Outside of the city proper, a set of beautiful islands—including Lido, Giudecca, Murano, Burano, and Torcello—each offer unique windows into Venice’s rich past. As a maze of narrow streets, ubiquitous canals, and footbridges, Venice can be overwhelming at first. It’s best to wander, soak in the atmosphere, and take comfort in knowing that a vaporetto (water bus) stop is never more than a few minutes away.
SAN MARCO
When you’re walking through Venice’s residential neighborhoods, it’s easy to forget that the city is populated by more tourists than locals. Cross over into San Marco, and that fact hits you with full force—palatial museums, ritzy hotels, designer shops, and tourist throngs fill this central sestiere, particularly around Piazza San Marco. While having to stop short every few seconds lest you step into the frame of another traveler’s photo is hugely annoying, don’t let that prospect scare you away from San Marco. The neighborhood may be chock-full of tourists (and tourist traps), but it’spopular and pricey for a reason. It boasts some of the most impressive museums and sights in all of Europe.
CANNAREGIO
Cannaregio is one of the largest and least touristy neighborhoods in Venice. Major avenues like Rio Terrà San Leonardo, Lista di Spagna, and Strada Nova cut across Cannaregio’s smaller side streets. Campo San Geremia and Campo S.S. Apostoli are vibrant centers of activity built around the neighborhood’s main churches. Most hotels are located along the eastern and western edges of the neighborhood(by the Rialto Bridge and Stazione Santa Lucia, respectively). The beauty of Cannaregio is that you’re never more than a 10min. walk from a lively, crowded piazza or a quiet residential quarter.
SAN POLO
San Polo is the smallest of Venice’s six sestieri, but its location in the heart of the city makes it a prime tourist destination. The Rialto Bridge markets and Frari Church are among San Polo’s highlights. Many tourists favor this neighborhood for shopping and dining, and San Polo’s high-quality restaurants set the city standard. Despite heavy tourist traffic, there are relatively few hotels. However, those that are available tend to be reasonably priced despite their prime location. It’s surprisingly easy to get lost in this sestiere, especially if you think the signs that read “San Marco” are actually leading you toward the square—in many cases, they’re not. Stick to wider streets with more tourists; if you try to take shortcuts, you’ll probably end up walking in circles.
SANTA CROCE
Though a small neighborhood, Santa Croce is incredibly diverse and easily accessible from western Cannaregio, San Polo, and Dorsoduro. Piazzale Roma, the main stop for most buses and taxis coming into Venice, defines the neighborhood’s western side. Visitors who only experience the generic restaurants and hotels around this transportation hub will leave unimpressed, but the small area bordering San Polo has some of the best value restaurants and hotels in Venice.
DORSODURO
Unlike some of the other sestieri, Dorsoduro possesses the ideal combination of local flavor, proximity to major sights, great nightlife, and exceptional restaurants. The intersection of San Polo, Santa Croce, and Dorsoduro is the heart of Venice. Dorsoduro has its fill of unique side streets, but remains an easily navigable neighborhood (at least by Venetian standards), with more fabulous art galleries and cool shops than any other district. Granted, if you want to stay here, you’ll probably pay 25% more than you would for a comparable room in Santa Croce or Cannaregio, but with a little luck and a some haggling you can still find a bargain.
CASTELLO
Castello gets a lot of spillover traffic from San Marco, but as you head farther north and east, its charming local character begins to shine through. Residents proudly proclaim that eastern Castello represents the true, vanishing Venice, but most visitors are more interested in the western end, where crowded thoroughfares like Salizada San Lio and Salizada San Provolo offer excellent restaurants and easy access to the city center. If lost, navigate using landmarks like Santa Maria Formosa, a prominent church at the center of a big square of the same name, and Rio dei Greci and Rio di San Lorenzo, a canal that cuts through the heart of the neighborhood.
LIDO
Once the world’s most popular beach resort, Lido has been largely forgotten by tourists. As a result, visitors can bike along Lido’s long coastline, stroll on tree-lined streets, and sunbathe on sandy beaches without having to push past massive crowds. Lido feels the least stereotypically Venetian of the city’s islands—its main promenade, Gran Viale, feels more like a California beach town-boulevard than an Italian street.
GIUDECCA
Giudecca—separated from Dorsoduro by the wide Giudecca Canal—is the most accessible of the lagoon islands. The vaporetto #2 makes several stops on the island, at Zitelle, Redentore, and Palanco. Giudecca was the epicenter of Venice’s early 20th-century industrial boom. It fell into disrepair after WWII, but the island is now on the upswing with the development of high-end accommodations. The island’s industrial past is still on display: the Molino Stucky Hilton, its most prominent landmark (and one of Venice’s premier hotels), is located in a former granary and mill.
MURANO
Known as“The Glass Island,” Murano has been the center of Venice’s glass industry since the 13th century, when concerns about fires in the city center led politicians to ban glass production there. Though the large brick buildings, open kilns, and occasional abandoned workshops give the island a gritty industrial feel, Murano also features tree-lined streets, unique churches, and the Museo del Vetro, which houses beautiful exhibits of the island’s signature industry. Travel times to Murano vary; expect it to take 20-40min. by boat from the city center. Vaporetto lines #41, 42, and LN are generally the best options for getting here.
BURANO
Burano is a small island known for its handmade lace, fishing industry, lush parks, and brightly painted buildings. According to legend, the apparently directionally challenged fishermen of Burano painted their houses ostentatious colors so they could readily identify them when returning to the island. Though you can shop for Burano-style lace in Venice proper, a wide selection of shops as well as a museum dedicated to the craft can be found on the island itself. Burano is also home to the beautiful Church of San Martino, with its infamous leaning campanile, just down the street from P. Galuppi.
TORCELLO
Torcello is something of a ghost town, but it’s worth visiting for its abundant greenery and tranquil charm. Walking from the vaporetto stop to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta along the island’s quiet central canal, it’s hard to believe that this place was once home to 20,000 people. Torcello is difficult to access directly from thecity center, but if you make the trip out to Burano, take the 5min. vaporetto ride (on line T) to the treasure island, so to speak, of the Venetian lagoon.