Where To See The Best Art In Venice?

There is so much art to see and experience in Venice that it’s hard trying to narrow them down. That’s why we’ve come up with this quick list of art pieces you can’t miss!

Venice is a jewel-box of a city with stunning Renaissance art and architecture that has lured both tourists and art aficionados from all over the world. Also, deemed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this history-soaked town takes pride in the abundance of art attractions like Venetian Doge’s Palace, eye-catching Byzantine churches and dramatic gothic monuments. To ease your work we’ve short-listed the places to marvel Venice’s best masterworks.

• 1). Explore the exquisite Doge’s Palace

  A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the Doge’s Palace is an impressive structure that was once a residence to governors of the Venetian Republic. Today, the visitors are enchanted by Venetian-Gothic large ogival windows, a gigantic colonnade of inlaid marbles and intricately carved statues. One of Europe’s most recognisable building, built in the 14th century, the facade overlooking the Piazzetta dates from the first half of the 15th century. Now a museum, the Doge’s interior was specially decorated, meaning all the paintings you see before you were designed for those walls, lighting and perspectives, rather than being added later on like other museums. These invaluable paintings were done by legendary painters, including the likes of Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto. The Palace’s history, along with its iconic beauty and interior paintings make this one of Venice’s top attractions.

  Visiting the Palace: Doge’s Palace is open 8:30 am – 9 pm Sunday to Thursday and 8:30 am – 11 pm Friday to Saturday during the months of April – October. Whilst it’s open 8:30 am – 7 pm from November through to March. Christmas Day and New Year’s day the Palace is still open but with reduced hours (10:30 am – 7:00 pm). Tickets cost 25 euros.

• 2). Admire the treasures at Correr Museum

  The Correr Museum is perfect for both art lovers and those who want to discover Venice’s civic history. Located in St. Mark’s Square the museum houses Venice’s reclaimed treasures, including ancient maps, statues, cameos and 4 centuries of artistic masterpieces. The museum is named after the man who bequeathed his art collection to the city – Teodoro Correr – an avid art collector who left much of his belongings, including his palace to the city of Venice. Of particular interest in the Museo Correr are the fine marble sculptures by Antonio Canova, from Love and Psyche to Daedalus and Icarus. The Museum also features an extraordinary collection of religious art, including 14th-century sad-eyed saints piece by Paolo Veneziano, which can be found in room 25. From frescoes and sculptures to a large library designed by Jacopo Sansovino in the 16th century, the grandeur of this building is almost as breathtaking as the intricate masterpieces that lie within. Flashback through Venice’s rich, cultural history on a visit to the Correr Museum.

  Visting the Correr Museum: From April to October, the Museum is open 10 am – 7 pm. From November to March opening times vary to 10:30 am – 5 pm Sunday – Thursday and 10:30 am – 7 pm Friday – Saturday. Tickets cost 25 euros.

• 3). Marvel the extraordinary magnum opuses at Peggy Guggenheim Collection

  If you’re looking for something a bit more contemporary the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is a modern art museum on the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro sestiere. One of Europe’s premier museums that displays an assortment of eccentric artworks treasured by Peggy Guggenheim, a self-described ‘art addict of contemporary Italian art’. The museum shelters incredible panoply of surrealist, futurist and abstract expressionist art. It also has a stockpile of works from the avant-garde European and American artists, including Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Alexander Calder. One of the most visited attractions in Venice the collection is principally based on the personal art collection of Peggy, former wife of Max Ernest. She collected the artworks between 1938 and 1946 buying works in the succession of WWII. Since then the collection has been added to, now housed in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, an 18th-century palace that doesn’t do the collection justice on the outside, but surprised and delights visitors as soon as they enter.

  Visiting the Peggy Guggenheim Collection: The museum is open every day from 10 am – 6 pm, but is closed on Tuesdays and Christmas Day. A standard adult ticket costs 15 euros, with student tickets available at 9 euros if person can show a valid student ID.

• 4). Witness the evolution at Murano Glass Museum

  Murano Glass Museum housed in Palazzo Giustinian is a 17th-century palace built in a late-Gothic architectural style. The museum showcases the products and the techniques of the art glass from Roman times to the present. In the halls of the museum, you’ll be amazed to see the skilful and intricate artworks from glass vases to exquisite jewellery and chandeliers. Founded in 1861 following the darkest period of Murano glassmaking and the fall of the San Marco Republic (1797). Antonio Colleoni who was then mayor of the island and Abbot Zanetti, an enthusiast regarding the art of glassmaking, were able to get the town council to approve the idea of setting up archives to map out of the history and life of the island. With many glass items donated, the museum expanded fast and in 1923 the Glass Museum became part of the Venetian Civic Museums. Its collections were put in order and continue to expand to this day thanks to donations made by Venice’s glassmakers. An unusual and fascinating visit that looks at the history of Venice in a new light.

  Visiting the Murano Glass Museum: From April to October, the Glass Museum is open 10:30 am – 6 pm. And from November to March it’s open from 10:30 am – 4:30 pm. A full price ticket costs 12 euros, and a reduced ticket (applicable to children aged 6-14, students and visitors over 65) costs 9.50 euros.

To see some of the art mentioned above, book onto one of our tours today! Such as our Doge’s Palace Tour with Skip the Line Tickets.

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