12 Best museums in Venice

Among the things to see and do in Venice, you can't miss a gondola ride to visit the jewels of this unique city. But then it is worth taking the time to appreciate its renowned museums such as the Doge's Palace, the Palazzo Ca D'Oro, the Peggy Guggenheim or the Palazzo Grassi.

In this publication you will find the ranking of the best museums in Venice updated, according to the opinion of regular travellers and specialists from Traveler, National Geographic and TimeOut.

Buying a ticket to the Doge's Palace is a must for anyone visiting Venice. It was the seat of government and residence of the Doge between the 14th and 18th centuries, when Venice was one of the richest and most powerful cities in Europe.

After hundreds of years of restoration, the palace has now become a conglomerate of buildings such as the institutional Chamber, the courtyard and loggias and the Armoury rooms. There is plenty to see inside the Doge's Palace which, in its opulence, shows the glamour and style of every era, while portraying the political and social history of Venice.

You can combine your visit to the Doge's Palace with the entrance to St. Mark's Basilica and the Bridge of Sighs, as well as the visit to St. Mark's Square, as they are all located in the same area.

Interesting details

• Address: Piazza San Marco, 1, 30124.
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday between 09:00 and 18:00.
• Price: from €30 with skip-the-line access, as well as other rooms.

This museum makes the list of things to do in Venice with kids. Located 2 minutes from the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Frari, it houses perhaps the most complete collection of works by the renowned Renaissance genius.

When you buy your tickets to the Leonardo da Vinci Museum you will have access to the 500 m2 of the museum, divided into six rooms where the impact of Da Vinci is represented in all its facets. The intention of the Leonardo museum is to arouse curiosity by allowing you to interact with the machines.

This could be the best Da Vinci museum to date, as in addition to digital replicas of the master's great paintings, there are also his plans, sketches and a collection of 60 machines of his invention built to scale and perfectly functional.

Interesting details

• Address: Campo S. Rocco, 3052.
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday between 10.30 am and 6 pm.
• Price: from €10 with skip the line access.

Another of the impressive buildings you get to see when taking a cruise on the Grand Canal is the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, where the museum dedicated to the successful gallery owner Peggy Guggenheim is located.

Buy tickets for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is to enjoy an important collection of modern and contemporary art. Visitors can enjoy works by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Vasili Kandinski, Max Ernst, Constantin Brâncuși and Alberto Giacometti.

The museum retains the feel of a private home, yet reveals the secrets of the family and its impact on the emergence of some of the greatest exponents of 20th century art. As the Guggenheim heiress herself stated in her autobiographical book, she was an "art addict".

Interesting details

• Address: Dorsoduro, 701-704.
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00, except Tuesdays when it is closed.
• Price: from 22€.

Palazzo Ca' d 'Oro is one of the most beautiful buildings in Venice. It is located just after the Rialto Bridge, on the Cannaregio side of the Grand Canal, which means that if you decide to go by gondola, vaporetto, water taxi or any other boat, this will be one of your fixed views.

The façade is painted in vibrant shades of yellow and green, in a Venetian Gothic style, and looks like something out of a fairy tale.

The interior has undergone several alterations since its construction in 1428 to restore it to its original splendour. It now houses the Giorgio Franchetti Art Gallery where exquisite works by artists such as Titian, Jan Van Eyck, Mantegna and Van Dyck cover the walls.

Details of interest

• Address: Cannaregio 3932.
• Opening hours: Mondays between 08:15 and 14:00. Tuesdays to Saturdays between 8.15am and 7pm. Sundays and public holidays between 09:00 and 19:00.
• Price: from 6€.

This is a confraternity transformed into a gallery to exhibit 24 years of the works of Jacopo Comin, known to all as Tintoretto, an innovative painter between two eras who had to take refuge in art between 1564 and 1588, until the plague ended his life.

The Scuola di San Rocco is one of the city's emblematic buildings where "Tintorettos" such as the St. Roch cures the plague-stricken (1549) or the famous works following the lives of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, as well as the decoration of the Sala dell'Albergo, denote the drama of one of the best decorated museums in Venice.

On the two floors of this building, three rooms open their doors to the public, and what you find there is so valuable that it is considered the Sistine Chapel of Venetian painting.

Interesting details

• Address: San Polo, 3054, a, 30125.
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday between 9.30am and 5.30pm.
• Price: admission is free.

Before visiting St. Mark's Basilica in the heart of Venice, it is worth stopping by the Palazzo Pesaro Orfei, better known today as the Fortuny Museum or Fortuny Palace.

During your visit to this former residence of the eclectic Spanish designer and artist Mariano Fortuny, you will find many styles of art represented: ornamental, naturalism, symbolism and, of course, Venetian Gothic art. The collection includes works by Picasso, Matisse, Marc Chagall and Modigliani, all friends of the family.

The foundations of this palace date back to the 15th century. However, the Fortuny Museum opened its doors to the public in 1975, twenty years after the widow of the great Catalan painter donated it to the capital of Veneto. Visitors can admire Fortuny's designs as well as his personal art collection.

Interesting details

• Address: San Marco, 3958, 30124.
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday between 10.00 am and 6.00 pm, except Tuesdays when it is closed.
• Price: from 10€.

The Correr Museum is not just a museum, it is a place of inspiration and learning where the origins of the city that conquered the Mediterranean are told. It houses large art collections to portray its history from the 13th to the 19th century and different rooms:

• The Napoleonic Wing: it served as the abode and office of some Austrian sovereigns, as well as of the Procurators of St. Mark, the highest office during the Venetian Republic.
• The Neoclassical Rooms: display works by the famous sculptor Antonio Canova.
• The Imperial Apartments of the Royal Palace: where the lifestyle of the Venetian empresses is laid bare.
• Finally, the architect Vincenzo Scamozzi portrayed the life of the Venetian nobility in the "Procuratie Nuove".

Visitors will be amazed by this remarkable building which, located in Venice's St. Mark's Square, houses a vast collection of art, coins and historical objects.

Interesting details

• Address: Piazza San Marco, 52.
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday between 10.00 am and 5.00 pm.
• Price: from 25€.

We continue with our family-friendly stops in Venice, now with a museum dedicated to the pioneer of the Venetian comedy revolution in the Middle Ages: Carlo Goldoni.

The Casa Goldoni museum offers a fascinating insight into the life and work of the famous playwright, as well as the opportunity to explore the theatres and social life of 18th century Venice.

Meet Brighella, Balanzone, Colombina and Pantaleon, the puppets of Arlecchino Servitore di Due Padroni. And for those who wish to personalise their experience and take home a souvenir, you will have the opportunity to make your own Venetian puppet or mask in the museum's atelier.

Details of interest

• Address: Rio Terà dei Nomboli, 2794.
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday between 10:00 and 16:00, except Wednesdays when it is closed.
• Price: from 5€.

The 18th century was the richest period in Venice's history, as well as a time of great extravagance. An example of this is the Ca' Rezzonico.

The palace took over 100 years to build and was finally completed in 1735. It is now home to the Venetian Museo del Settecento, which houses some of the art city's most exquisite works.

The museum's collection includes works by Giambattista Tiepolo and Pietro Longhi, whose frescoes are part of the construction of the building itself. In between, its spacious ballroom was created by Iginio Massari and the chandelier comes directly from the Murano and Burano glass workshop of Giuseppe Briati.

Interesting details

• Address: Sestiere Dorsoduro, 3136.
• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, except Tuesdays when it is closed.
• Price: from 10€.

The Galleria del l'Accademia is one of the must-see stops for art lovers on the Grand Canal. Its collection of paintings spans the 13th to 17th centuries with works from the Byzantine, landscape and Gothic periods.

Its collection consists mainly of works by Venetian masters such as Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Paolo Veronese, Bosch, Titian, Giovanni Bellini and Canaletto.

The oil paintings focusing on religious expressions stand out in this gallery, which has been restoring and exhibiting them since 1784. One of its main attractions is the contrasts between chaos, religion and the social vision of royalty and the progeny during the buoyant Veneto.

Interesting details

• Address: Calle della Carità, 1050.
• Opening hours: Mondays between 08:15 and 14:00. From Tuesday to Sunday between 8.15am and 7.15pm.
• Price: from 12€.

As you walk to the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute you will marvel at the enormous sculptures in front of the majestic Palazzo Grassi.

Built in 1772 for the Bolognese nobles of the Grassi family, this neoclassical palace houses a provocative art collection of business magnate François Pinault, husband of Salma Hayek. This palazzo-museum connects to one of Venice' s finest bridges and Punta Della Dogana, the former customs house at the tip of Dorsoduro.

Rotating temporary exhibitions are one of its hallmarks and often feature a selection of contemporary and modern art with internationally renowned artists, making it one of the must-see museums in Venice according to Traveler.

Details of interest

• Address: Campo San Samuele, 3231.
• Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 19:00. Closed on Tuesdays.
• Price: from €18.

The International Gallery of Modern Art Ca' Pesaro is an imposing 17th century Baroque building facing the Grand Canal, where its original frescoes have been preserved, making its architecture worth a visit.

The Pesaros shared the same hobby as Peggy Guggenheim, they were great art collectors, and commissioned works by Titian, Gustav Klimt, Auguste Rodin, Tintoretto, Medardo Rosso and many other prominent Italian artists.

Its central hall displays works by Giorgio de Chirico, Joan Mirò and Kandinsky, collector's items that the city has acquired at every Venice Biennale since 1950. More than 100 years of modern art are spread over three floors with large windows to appreciate the works in natural light.

Interesting details

• Address: Santa Croce, 2076.
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 17:00. Closed on Mondays.
• Price: from 14€.