11 best museums in Venice – list, prices 2021, photo, description, map
It is not at all necessary to look for the inscription “Museum” on the buildings of Venice. The whole extraordinary city is a huge museum of palaces, churches, monuments, cathedrals, reflected in the numerous channels of the city, creating an atmosphere of mysterious infinity. It seems that it consists of thousands of architectural masterpieces hiding unique works of art. You can't see everything in one trip to Venice. It is necessary to correctly draw up a plan for acquaintance with the Museums of Venice, to collect as much preliminary information as possible. And then ancient Venice will become closer, clearer.
Academy Gallery
The attraction is considered the best art museum in Venice. Here is the largest collection of paintings in Venice from the 14th to the 18th century. It is located on the south side of the Grand Canal of the Dorsoduro district at Campo della Carita 1050.
The decision to establish the Academy of Arts was made in 1750. His goal was the desire to make Venice a place of artistic education, education of the country's population in the image of Rome, Florence, Milan, Bologna. The talented youth of Italy studied painting and architecture here. For the first time in the country, within the walls of the Academy, groups were created to train professional restorers.
The attraction has been called the Royal Academy of Fine Arts since 1807. In the 19th century, the school received the status of a museum. From this period, the museum's funds began to increase, uniting in their reserves the work of all the famous masters of Italy. Works by Titian, Giovanni Bellini, Carpaccio, Vittore are housed in expositions located in several buildings allocated for the museum.
These are the premises of an ancient monastery of the 16th century, the church of Santa Maria della Carita. The main funds of the museum grew rapidly due to donations from patrons. Initially, all museum elements were located in 5 halls. Now, 25 exhibition spaces have been allocated for the museum's expositions.
The museum is open to visitors according to the following working hours: Monday from 8.15 to 14.00. Tuesday – Sunday from 8.15 to 19.15. The Gallery is closed on public holidays. On Valentine's Day, two tickets for the price of one are valid. All women can visit the Gallery free of charge on 8 March. You can get on the Grand Canal to the Ponte dell'Accademia stop.
Venice: St Mark's Basilica Skip-the-Line
Ticket Opera La Fenice: Skip-the-Line Ticket with Audio Guide
Short Boat Trip to Murano, Torcello and Burano
Venice: Shared Gondola Ride
Doge's Palace
A well-known monument of the Italian Gothic of the 15th century, an important building in Venice adorns St. Mark's Square. It strikes with the unexpected beauty of architectural techniques. From its original image of 1309, created by Filippo Calendario, the building served as the residence of the Doge. It held meetings of the Grand Council, the Senate, the Supreme Court, the secret police of the state. Numerous offices, offices, services of the maritime department functioned.
The beauty of the facade, stairs, walls, ceiling, decorated with gilding, frescoes creates a stunning effect that attracts visitors. Now the palace houses the Museum, open to tourists since 1923. You can see all the ceremonial halls, the cells of the prison, reminiscent of deep wells, listen to the history of creation, the purpose of the following places of the Palace:
Golden staircase. It was built in 1559, providing the passage of important guests listed in the Golden Book. The staircase is decorated with interesting gilded figures.
Ladder of the Giants. The most important events, such as the Doge's wedding, took place on a staircase built of Carrara marble, decorated with majestic statues of Mars, Neptune. During celebrations, the staircase became a throne.
Paper door. Through it you can go into the courtyard of the building, to the arched Foscari Gallery. The door is made in the form of a pointed arch, decorated with Gothic elements in the form of a winged lion, a statue of Justice. In ancient times, clerks worked here, drawing up various documents for the townspeople.
Hall of the Great Council. It is considered the largest hall in the country. After reconstruction, you can see the doge's throne, huge chairs of six members of the small Council, preserved portraits of all the doges. The entire wall is occupied by the famous painting “Paradise”. It is considered the largest painting in the world. From the windows of the hall offers a beautiful view of the lagoon.
Election Hall. Otherwise, it is called the hall of fate. It confirmed the verdicts, elections of officials were held.
Compass Hall. Here the terrible decisions of the Inquisition were announced, there was a “Lion's Mouth” for denunciations.
Hall of the Council of Ten. It met a tribunal of ten members, conducting investigations into cases of state criminals under the leadership of the Doge. Above the hall were prison cells.
You can also see the halls of Scarlatti, the Map, the College, the Senate, the Prison. For visits, the Palace is open daily from 8.30 to 19.00 (from April to November).
Адрес: Doge's Palace, San Marco 1, Venice, Italy.
Marchian Library
It is impossible not to notice the beautiful Renaissance building, decorated with arches, columns, sculptures. Behind the openwork arcades of the walls lurk the treasures of the National Library of Venice. Thanks to start-up capital in the form of a rich collection of books created by Cardinal Bessarion in 1469, gifts from aristocratic families, gifts from monasteries, the general fund of the library became the largest in Venice. Now on its shelves there are about 13,000 manuscripts, 2,883 early printed books, 24,055 editions of the 16th century, the era of the beginning of book printing.
In more than a million first printed volumes, the works of ancient scientists, philosophers (Aristotle, Euclid, Aeschylus) are stored, which have great scientific value, which has become a world heritage. Among them, 13 volumes containing anatomical illustrations made by hand, donated in 1619, are considered an invaluable treasure. 216 old manuscripts handed over in 1734.
Collection of 360 manuscripts with the real testament of the famous Marco Polo, rare notes of old operas. Now it houses one of the largest collections of classical texts in the world. In many ways, this was helped by the law of 1603, which ordered that a copy of any book published in Venice be provided to the library.
You can see beautiful bookcases, feel the atmosphere of secrets hidden behind the covers of old publications with a single ticket to the museums of San Marco.
The library is located at Piazzetta S. Marco, 7, 30124 Venezia. Works from 8.00 to 19.00 from Monday to Friday. The working hours of some departments of the library may be different.
Ca – Rezzonico
The modern Museum of Venice of the 18th century is located in an old house inherited from the famous Rezzonico family. According to the traditions of the dialect of the country, the term Ka meant “house” or “kaza”. There are many such palaces in Italy. Often they were erected according to the same type of shop for trading in goods delivered through the canals. The main hall, where customers came to pick up their goods, was located on the lower floor. The living quarters of the owners were arranged on the second floor.
The servants lived on the top floor. The foreground of the building looked at the canal, there was a well in the courtyard. The end of the construction of the palace dates back to 1756. By this time, an expensive decoration of the building was completed by famous artists of Venice. Gradually, the palace turned into a rich museum with exhibits of art objects exhibited in a natural, historical setting. These are the famous paintings by Tiepolo, Giovanni Domenico, Francesco Guardi, Pietro Longhi.
On all three floors, objects that surrounded the life of wealthy Venetians in the 18th century are exhibited. Now the Throne, Ballroom, Lazzarini, Receptions, Tiepolo halls have been restored and opened to visitors. In them you can see beautiful carved furniture made of expensive wood species, crystal chandeliers, mirrors, ceiling frescoes, luxurious ornaments inherent in the current era.
You can get to the Museum, located at Dorsoduro, 3136, fondamenta Rezzonico, by vaporetto route number 1, going along the Grand Canal. The stop is called Ca' Rezzonico. From April to the end of October, the museum is open from 10 am to 6 pm.
Oriental Museum in Ca Pesaro
The Museum is located in the house of the noble Piesaro family, built according to the project of the architect Baldassare Longhena in the Venetian Baroque style in 1710. The snow-white, beautiful palace is located in the historic site of Santa Croce. Since the beginning of the 20th century, a collection of paintings, sculptures of the 19th and 20th centuries has been placed in it, giving the status of the International Gallery of Modern Art. Rich expositions include works by Chagall, Miro, Matisse, Klee, Klimt, Malyavin and other famous masters.
On the top floor is the Museum of Oriental Arts. It exhibits items from China, Japan, Indonesia. There are many interesting enamel and porcelain figurines, paintings, swords, daggers and other weapons among them.
Located at 2070 Santa Croce, fondamenta Ca'Pesaro. Opening hours from April to the end of October from 10 am to 18 pm. The day off is Monday.
Museum of Natural History
In an old building erected in the 13th century for representatives of a wealthy family of merchants, visitors with children can now find real wonders of nature for themselves. Exhibits of skeletons of huge dinosaurs that once roamed freely on our planet cause extraordinary delight and surprise in them.
The idea of combining scientific collections as the Venice Museum of Natural History originated in 1923. In the empty palace, thematic halls dedicated to representatives of the local fauna and flora are equipped. Rich herbariums, collections of insects, minerals, found fossils, sea plants, and animals are housed in spacious halls.
The building has a library with scientific publications of the relevant profile. The huge aquarium is filled with almost all existing species of invertebrates, fish, revealing the ecosystem of the Adriatic. In the hall of ethnography you can get acquainted with the life and customs of the population of Venice. The Museum has a section of Earth Sciences, interesting sections Botanical, Zoological. There is a laboratory for the repair, restoration of damaged exhibits, conservation of fossils and mollusks.
Located at 1730 Santa Croce, Salizzada del Fondaco dei Turchi. The institution starts at 10 am and ends at 6 pm. Closed on Monday.
Museum of Fortuny
The ancient Gothic-style palace is considered the decoration of the San Marco quarter of Venice. Once the building of the city was the tallest. Until the end of the 19th century, the house belonged to the Pesaro family. Then the artist, designer Mariano Fortuny bought it, making it a place to create amazing works. These were paintings, scenery for theaters, photographs, items of original textile design. All works became a legacy for the future museum, created in 1956, dedicated to Fortuny.
The museum's collection consists of 150 paintings, photographs taken in various ways of shooting. Elements built on complex lighting effects, collections of fabrics, costumes, ornaments, Renaissance velvets designed by the artist. Models of long dresses made of pleated silk, designed by the master, are still popular at international auctions. The atmosphere, the charm of the era is felt with special force in the Museum.
Address: Museo Fortuny, San Marco, 3780. Open daily, except for a public holiday on Tuesday from 10 am to 6 pm.
The history of life in Venice is associated with the sea. Its wealth, culture, traditions were formed through the use of sea routes, gifts of local nature. Numerous types of ships and sea vessels were built in the country. In the life of the Doges, a special place was occupied by floating palaces, on which their events were held, for example, the ship “Bucintor”, used for “betrothal to the sea” by the last ruler of Venice.
The boat, distinguished by rich gold decorations, original sculptures (now only a small part of them have survived), is considered the pride of the museum, founded in 1919. Here you can learn the history of the Venetian fleet, see a collection of unique exhibits.
Among them are ship models, originals of archival documents, weapons, awards, old uniforms, headdresses from all over the world, portraits of famous admirals, samples of torpedoes. The museum's cabinets contain an amazing collection of thousands of shells. The total number of exhibits exceeds 25 thousand copies.
The museum is located to the left of the Arsenal of Venice. A simple building with an anchor at the entrance has 5 floors, 42 exhibition halls, a pavilion of ships called “Oar Workshop”. It houses the largest ships.
Address: Castello, 2148, campo San Biagio. Opening hours: Monday-Thursday from 8.45 am to 13.30. On Friday, you can view the exhibits from 8.45 to 17 hours. Saturday and Sunday open from 10 am to 5 pm.
Museum Correr
The story is connected with the name of the famous aristocrat Teodoro Correro. With his gift to the city in the form of a rich collection of paintings, valuable art exhibits, and his own house, the formation of the funds of the famous museum began, which occupied an area of 33 halls on three floors of the building. On its basis, since the period of 1830, permanent exhibitions have been created, reflecting the diversity of aspects of the life of the population at different times. Among them, the following exhibitions are of interest:
It is located in the building of the Procuration of Piazza San Marco, opposite the cathedral. You can visit from 10 am to 7 pm from April to the end of October. From November to March, the museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm.
Lace Museum
In 1981, an interesting museum was opened on the island of Burano, located 9 km from Venice, bringing together exhibits that are considered a symbol of the country along with the famous gondolas. The works of the masters of the Venetian lace school, which has been operating since 1872, were created on the basis of the ancient traditions of weaving amazing lace.
Preserving the knowledge of a unique business, educating its followers has become the task of the museum. The value of handmade lace makers all over the world was correlated with the price of gold. Now only in the museum you can see real Venetian lace, woven from gold and silver threads in the period from the 16th to the 20th century.
Looking at the products, you begin to believe the ancient legend that their fisherman's wife came up with a drawing resembling seaweed. They made openwork patterns with a needle, not a hook, bobbins. By the way, on the top floor of the museum there is an exhibition of numerous tools used to create lace.
The fund contains a sample of lace, made without a base and resembling a weightless cobweb. The expositions are located on three floors of the building that served as a lace school at Piazza Galuppi, 187, 30142 Burano.
In summer it is open from 10 am to 6 pm. During the winter months, the working day is one hour shorter. You can get to the island by water tram vaparetto 42, 43, 41.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
The museum, created by the efforts of the collector Peggy Guggenheim, is considered a popular attraction in Venice. Behind the walls of the palace, built in the 18th century, exhibitions of paintings by contemporary artists were organized for 30 years.
It was one of the pleasures of a wealthy heiress who appreciated and understood art, published magazines, and provided financial support to talented craftsmen. The bohemian life of the secular society of that time without the energy of Peggy would be boring, uninteresting. She was the last representative of the privileged society of Venice, who was granted the right to have a gondola.
After her death in 1979, a collection of 300 paintings by famous artists of the 20th century became the property of the museum. In the future, the fund was replenished with gifts from wealthy families. Among the paintings from the Peggy Guggenheim collection are works by Picasso, Dali, Kandinsky, Mondrian, etc.
It is located in the Venier dei Leoni Palace, standing on the Grand Canal at Dorsoduro, 701, calle San Cristoforo.
You can get acquainted with the exposition daily from 10 am to 18 pm. Day off on Tuesday.
Murano glass museum
The glory of the glassblowers of the island of Murano has been known since the distant 1290s. Fearing fires, the city authorities moved the fire hazardous production to the island of the Venetian lagoon. Kept in secret, the process of creating amazing glass figurines, various products, was passed down through generations of glassblowers.
Unique technologies made it possible to create ultra-thin products from natural quartz crystals. Smalts (enamelled glass), products with gold threads (aventurines), imitation of precious stones, colored glass.
In the complex, created in 1851, you can not only see the masterpieces of Murano glass, but also get acquainted with the processes of its creation, listen to an interesting lecture on the history of glassmaking. Buy an original souvenir, vase, panel. Opens at 10 am, runs until 6 pm.
They get by vaporetto 41, 42, 52, 51 from the railway station.