Are you looking to explore the history of Venice through the ages? There are a number of historical destinations in Venice including the time-honored buildings, monuments, palaces, and parks where you can learn about the glorious past of Venice. The presence of these historical sites and museums will take you on a walk through Venice ‘s rich history.
If you are willing to have an in-depth historical information about Venice, we recommend that you take a wonderful guided tour to cover the major historical attractions. Also, check the opening and closing time for each so that you can organize your time. Make sure that you go through the complete list of historical places in Venice for a great trip!
Top Historical Places in Venice
Let's witness the history of Venice with these top historical places - monuments and landmarks:
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Doge's Palace
(25673 Votes)
The Palace, like its accompanying basilica, was built large to showcase Venice’s indomitable power. The city was ruled from this seat for over a hundred years, and despite its obvious wealth, there’s barely any fortification to the palace, as if the Doge was unconcerned of harm. The architecture is distinctly Venetian, and departs from the styles of most medieval palaces. Highlight...Read more -
Church Of San Giorgio Maggiore
(15497 Votes) This 16th-century Benedictine basilica sits on the island that shares its name. It’s beautiful: classical renaissance, white marble, with a proud bell tower, right in the middle of a blue lagoon. The first church here was built in the late 8th century. Palladio designed the current building, but died before he could see his completed project in 1610. The monks by and large controlled dec...Read more -
Almost no famous European town is complete without it’s own dark history of Jew bullying. Well, this particular district is Venice’s claim to that fame. Until Napoleon Bonaparte conquered the Venetian Republic in 1797, the Jews spent 270 years living under severely oppressive laws, despite which they managed to establish a position of great influence within the city. Now, the elega...Read more
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Scuola Grande Di San Rocco
(17923 Votes) So there’s two deals happening here: one is a dedication to the evergreen Tintoretto, and the other is a church. Tintoretto was actually commissioned to paint for the church, and most of the works here are by him, or his assistants, including his son. And they are incredible. The church too has a nice history, and is once of the finest architectural accomplishments in the city (it has it...Read more -
Basilica Of St. Mary Of Health
(7470 Votes) They decided to build this Baroque church when the prayers against’ the plague were apparently heard and delivered. It took nearly half a century to build, but at the end of it, they had one of the largest churches in the city, and is considered a minor-basilica. Highlights include: Marian symbolism Baroque high altar Tintoretto’s Marriage at Cana A number of great works by Titian,...Read more -
Ca' Rezzonico
(11369 Votes) As often happens when attempting to construct palaces in Europe, the builders died (1649) before completing the project. It’s subsequent owner left the building only his name. After being used as a rental for the rich and noble through the 19th and 20th century, the city of Venice finally acquired the building to house art. Throughout it’s history though, its tenants did their best...Read more -
The Castello district of Venice is one of the oldest parts of the city of Venice. The place is famous for the Church of San Pietro di Castello and the Arsenale, the ship-building yards of the Venetian fleet. Visitors can find a great place relax in the shade of a tree in Public Gardens in Castello. This area is one of the earliest sub-divisions of the city. It still retains that charm o...Read more
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Galleria Dell' Accademia
(5764 Votes) The museum, which houses pre-19th century paintings, was also one of the first institutions in the world to study art restoration. The building itself dates back to 1343, and is the oldest Scuola Grandi (Great Schools) of Venice. The collection here is predominantly Venetian, and the arrangement is very general. That said, practically all of the Venice’s greatest painters from that era a...Read more -
Torcello Island
(4066 Votes) Oh man. Torcello’s story is tragic. The island boomed in the centuries after Attila the Hun devastated the Roman Empire. The urban refugees of those wars made their home here, and thanks to the salt marshlands, quickly formed terrifically powerful city – more so than Venice! The Byzantine Empire symbolically adopted the island, but it was too far away to really interfere in its wor...Read more -
Scala Contarini Del Bovolo
(1136 Votes) A.k.a Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, this small but exceedingly beautiful palace is famous for two things – the external spiral staircase, and the innumerable elegant arches that decorate the galleries and the arches. The staircase itself climbs up to an arcade with a brilliant panoramic view of roofs, steeples, and the domes of San Marco. The architecture is a mix of Renaissance, Gothic ...Read more -
Ca' Pesaro
(1157 Votes) This 17th century Baroque marble palace houses one Venice’s 11 civic museums. The architecture by Longhena is sufficiently impressive, with a balanced and powerful Sansovinian influence. Pretty frescoe decorate the ceilings. Once, the building held a magnificent collection of the Pesaro family acquisitions – this has since been auctioned off to London. The city council now hosts th...Read more -
Ca' D' Oro
(2941 Votes) Marino Contarini wanted to build Venice’s most beautiful palace in 1420, so he commissioned Giovanni Bon and his son Bartolomeo to make his House of Gold. And so was born a building of floral Gothic, Byzantine and even Moorish influence. It’s one of the most photograph buildings on the Grand Canal. The name isn’t casual – the façade is actually decorated in gold ...Read more -
This square may be Dorsoduro’s most popular meeting point. On all sides you’ll find palaces and houses from the 14th and 15th centuries. Set among them and into them are a collection of charming shops, bars, restaurants, and a fish market. It’s where the locals come to shop, to lunch out, to stroll. Most of the outlets stay open till late at night, so the nightlife is great t...Read more
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Madonna Dell'orto
(821 Votes) This 14th century brick Gothic church is awesome for two secrets – it’s as beautiful as anything you’ve ever seen, and that this was the parish church of famed Venetian painter Tintoretto. And yes, he’s buried here, along with his wife and his two children. Two of his paintings, the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple and the Last Judgment, watch over his final res...Read more -
An island on the Venetian lagoon that hosts an Armenian Catholic monastery, headquarters of the Mechitarist order. The monastery is one of the world’s most resourceful centres of Armenian culture. Originally, there was a leper colony here (the name derives from St. Lazarus, patron saint of lepers). In the 18th century, Armenian monks restored the buildings, founded a printing press and e...Read more
