Panoramic Viewpoints of Venice

Panoramic Viewpoints of Venice

The charm of Venice from a bird’s eye view

When someone starts talking about Venice, the first thing we usually picture in mind is its canals and gondola rides listening to the sounds of romantic music. However, if you dare to go a bit higher and look at the red tiled roofs, the silhouettes of ancient buildings over the Venetian Lagoon, narrow streets and busy channels, the city will mesmerize you and reveal its new side.

Bell towers

Campanile di San Marcо – the bell tower of St. Marc’s Basilica

In the past times, this bell tower served as a beacon for the sailors; nowadays, it’s the tallest building in Venice. When climbing here, visitors can enjoy a spectacular view of the city and the Venetian Lagoon. The tower is 98 meters (321.5 feet) high and situated on Piazza San Marco. You can see it even standing at a huge distance, so there won’t be any problems with finding it. The admission fee is 6-8 euro, but the impressions from the visit are worth it!

Campanile di San Giorgio Maggiore – the bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore

This church is located on the island of San Girogio Maggiore (Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore). Its bell tower is 75 meters (246 feet) tall. The visitors can enjoy the water surface of the lagoon, the outlines of the whole island and the buildings on the shore. San Marco Square will be as on the palm of your hand. The admission fee is about 4-6 euro, it includes an elevator ride to the top. As a result, such a visit won’t be tiresome at all. Nothing will distract you from contemplating the beauty of the Floating City.

The rooftops

Fondaco dei Tedeschi — the palace of the 12th century

Nowadays, there is a shopping mall in the building of the palace, with a small viewpoint on its top. Here, you can enjoy the views of the Grand Canal and its shining surface in the sunny weather. Admission is free of charge, so it’s highly recommended to plan and book your visit in advance (as you guess, the amount of people willing to visit this viewpoint is enormous). Only 70 visitors at once can be admitted to the rooftop, and the length of one visit is only 15 minutes.

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

“Bovolo” from Italian means “snail”, that’s why an open spiral staircase fully corresponds to its name. The admission fee is 7 euro. From the top of the stairs, you can enjoy the ancient tiled roofs of the houses and San Marco bell tower, proudly guarding the city.

Autorimessa Communale

Cars are not in demand in Venice at all. Usually, the travelers who come to Venice, use public transportation or book transfer in Venice. Anyway, for people who arrive at Venice by car, there’s an opportunity to park not far from Piazzale Roma. Modern multi-level parking is built for the visitors and their cars. If climbing to the top of it, you can see the Grand Canal and the Constitution Bridge.

Summer terraces of the restaurants

Here’s a special choice of rooftops for everyone who wants to enjoy the sights of Venice without any fuss and hurry:

Settimo Cielo Restaurant

This restaurant has an open terrace on the 7th floor of Bauer Hotel. What can be better than enjoying the exquisite dishes made by famous chefs with a view on the Grand Canal and Della Salute church. It’s a splendid opportunity to learn Venice better.

Terraza Danieli

The terrace of this restaurant is located in Danieli hotel. Sitting with a glass of wine and eating a delicious dinner, watching the sunset reflection playing in the waters of the lagoon – this evening will stay in your heart forever.
Skyline Rooftop Bar is a bar on the rooftop of Hilton Molino Stuky Hotel, which is considered to be one of the most prestigious places in Venice. The reflections of the lights in the channel’s water, the outlines of San Marco bell tower in the evening sky, and the sounds of live music. The views of the night city are truly mesmerizing.

The bridges across Grand Canal

The shores of the main channel in Venice are connected by four bridges. Each of them is unique on its own. We recommend to cross each of them, stand in the middle and look closer at the waters of the Grand Canal to feel its vivid life.

Ponte della Constituzione

This is the youngest of all bridges, it was built only in 2008. The bridge is situated not far away from the sea port. When standing in the middle of it, you can enjoy the splendid views of the old buildings along the channel’s shores.

Ponte di Rialto

The first pedestrian bridge across the Grand Canal that was built in 1591. Standing in the middle, you can see the mesmerizing views of the channel itself with the endless flow of boats and vaporetto.

Ponte dell Accademia

Behind this bridge, the channel flows into the San Marco basin. The waters of the channel look hypnotizing from this bridge, and the outlines of Santa Maria delle Salute church are visible in the distance.

Ponte degli Scalzi

This is the closest bridge to the railway station. Santa Maria di Nazareth Church, Palazzo Flangini and Palazzo Calbo Crotta are the best sights visible from this bridge.