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Free Things to Do in Venice

There are also places in Venice that you can visit for free. We are not talking about the obvious ones, such as St. Mark's Square or the Rialto Bridge, but about museums, churches hiding works of art, or parks and gardens.

1. State Museums

On the first Sunday of every month, access to state museums in Venice (and generally across Italy) is free. This means you can visit the Accademia Galleries, the Oriental Art Museum at Ca' Pesaro, the Giorgio Franchetti Gallery at Ca' d'Oro, Palazzo Grimani, the Archaeological Museum, and the Marciana Library for free.

These same museums in Venice can also be visited free of charge on April 25th (Liberation Day) and June 2nd (Republic Day).

2. Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is among the most important tourist attractions in Venice. Built in 1630 at one end of the Grand Canal, the church has been a city landmark for nearly 400 years.

Entry into the Basilica is free. You can admire the interior architecture, the beautiful polychrome marble floor, the marble altar with the Byzantine icon considered miraculous, as well as the painting "The Descent of the Holy Spirit" by Titian, created in 1550 (in the third chapel on the left).

For access to the sacristy (which holds other works by Titian and Tintoretto), as well as for ascending the interior balustrade or the dome, you will need to purchase a ticket.

3. Wagner Museum

The composer Richard Wagner died in Venice in 1883. He was staying in Ca' Vendramin Calergi, a palace on the Grand Canal where he spent the winter. Today, this 15th-century palace houses, in addition to the Municipal Casino, a museum dedicated to the great composer. It is the largest private collection dedicated to Wagner, after the one in Bayreuth.

The museum can be visited for free, with a guided tour, but only with a reservation made via email or phone +39 338 41 64 174.

If you are following Wagner's footsteps, also visit Caffè Lavena in St. Mark's Square. Attention! The prices at the tables are very high, but those directly at the bar (standing) are decent - see also the article What to Eat in Venice. After all, you can also just peek inside to see Wagner's favourite café.

4. San Pantalon Church

Leaving aside its unfinished façade, the San Pantalon Church in Venice hides a curiosity: its ceiling holds what some consider to be the largest canvas painting in the world. It appears to be a fresco, but it is in fact an oil painting, composed of 40 pieces joined together, covering a total surface area of 443 m2.

The work depicts "The Martyrdom and Glory of St. Pantaleon" and was created by Giovanni Antonio Fumiani, who worked on it for 24 years, between 1680 and 1704. Optical illusions are present, making the figures appear much larger than they are.

The BBC included the ceiling of the San Pantalon Church among the ten most beautiful in the world.

In the same church, you can see other works, such as Paolo Veronese's last painting ("St. Pantaleon healing a child", 16th century), Paolo Veneziano's "Virgin with Child" (14th century), Antonio Vivarini and Giovanni d'Alemagna's "Coronation of the Virgin" (15th century), and paintings by Jacopo Palma il Giovane and Pietro Longhi.

5. Banksy's Mural

Not far from the San Pantalon Church is a work dating from a completely different period. On the wall of an old house, towards the Rio de Ca' Foscari canal, is the mural "The Migrant Child", painted by the famous street artist Banksy in 2019. The work (located right near water level and currently quite faded and damaged) depicts a child in a life vest attempting to signal for help with smoke.

6. Santo Stefano Church

The Santo Stefano Church is another attraction you can see for free in Venice. Rebuilt in the 14th century, it is one of the most beautiful Venetian Gothic churches. Inside, the three naves are separated by columns of white and red Verona marble. The wooden choir with intarsia dates from 1488, and the ceiling is distinctive, shaped like a ship's hull. In Venice, you will only encounter this type of ceiling in the churches of San Giacomo dall'Orio and San Polo. It is also found at the Chiesa degli Eremitani in Padua (for reference, see also the article about the attractions to visit in Padua) and the San Francesco Church in Treviso (check also the article Things to Do in Treviso).

In the central nave is the funeral monument of Admiral Francesco Morosini, who reconquered the Peloponnese at the end of the 17th century, earning the nickname Peloponnesiacus and being elected Doge. In his honour, the Senate placed a bronze bust in one of the halls of the Doge's Palace while he was still alive - a unique case in Venetian history.

The Romanesque-style bell tower, separate from the church, was built in the 15th century and is one of the tallest in the city. It is also the most inclined, with a difference between the top and the base of nearly 2 m (you can observe this very clearly from Campo San Angelo).

Works by Tintoretto are kept in the sacristy (access to the sacristy is ticketed).

7. The Venice Arsenal

Spanning 48 hectares at the less touristy eastern end of Venice, the Arsenale was once the largest shipyard in Europe. Today, a part of it is used for the Biennale or for certain events, but there are also areas you can see for free.

The entrance portal to the Arsenal (in Campo de l'Arsenal) is one of the first examples of Renaissance architecture in Venice. It is guarded by stone lions, and the one on the left has curious Runic inscriptions on both sides. The statue was brought from Athens in 1687 as spoils of war by Admiral Francesco Morosini (the one who later became Doge). Initially, it guarded the entrance to the port of Piraeus, where it had been since the 1st or 2nd century. It was so well known that the port was also called the "Port of the Lion". The mystery of the Runic inscriptions was only solved in the 19th century by a Danish scholar who recognized the runes engraved in the 11th century, on the order of Harald III Sigurdsson, the future King of Norway. After the death of his half-brother, he was exiled to Constantinople, where he became commander of a mercenary unit and conquered Athens, likely to suppress an uprising. The Runic inscriptions on the stone lion refer to this event.

Inside the Arsenal, in the industrial area, there is also a monumental modern sculpture, 15m high and 20m long. It is called "Building Bridges" and was created by the artist Lorenzo Quinn in 2019: six pairs of hands form a bridge over the water, as a message of peace and unity. Each pair of hands symbolizes a universal value: "Friendship", "Faith", "Help", "Love", "Hope", and "Wisdom". Access is a bit more difficult - you can get there by entering through the Tesa 105 Bar, or, easier, you can see it from the vaporetto (Line 4.1).

8. Parks and Gardens

Parks and gardens can offer moments of relaxation, especially on warm summer days or simply when you want to take a break from visiting tourist attractions. Entry is free, but some parks are only open during certain hours.

Right next to the crowded St. Mark's Square, on the waterfront side, you will find the Giardini Reali ("Royal Gardens"), where exotic and Mediterranean plants grow. The gardens were established in 1807, following Napoleon's decision to transform the Procuratie Nuove into a royal palace. Full public access has been allowed since 1920.

In the Castello district, in a less crowded area of Venice, is the Giardini Napoleonici, a park with alleys, greenery, and statues, dating back to 1810. A little further away, on Sant'Elena island, is the Parco delle Rimembranze, set up in memory of the heroes of the Second World War. It is said that a tree was planted for every soldier who fell on the battlefield.

9. San Michele Cemetery

The San Michele Cemetery occupies almost the entire small island of San Michele, located very close to Venice. It was established in the 19th century and is divided into three sections: Catholic, Evangelical, and Greek Orthodox. Some of the funerary monuments are true works of art, and among the famous figures buried here are the composer Igor Stravinsky and the poet Ezra Pound. The San Michele Monastery is also located on the same island.

Access to the cemetery is free, but to reach the island you will have to pay for a vaporetto ticket or pass.