Open Travel Guide
History of Venice

Venice History & Heritage Guide 2026

Explore the rich history, historical sites, and museums of Venice.

By Updated

Venice has 6+ historical sites covered in this guide, led by Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale), St. Mark's Basilica and Jewish Ghetto of Venice. Each entry below includes the practical details — what it costs, when to go, and how to plan around it.

Venice travel guide — where to stay, what to do, and where to eat in Venice, Veneto, Italy.

Historical timeline

Key moments that shaped Venice.

  1. 1

    Traditional founding date of Venice, attributed to refugees from Aquileia and Padua fleeing Barbarian raids

    421 CE
  2. 2

    First Doge (Duca) elected; beginning of the Venetian Republic (Serenissima)

    697
  3. 3

    Relics of St. Mark brought from Alexandria to Venice; construction of first St. Mark's Basilica begins

    828
  4. 4

    Fourth Crusade: Venice sacks Constantinople; golden horses from the Hippodrome taken to St. Mark's

    1204
  5. 5

    Marco Polo travels to China; Venice at the center of East-West trade

    1271-1295
  6. 6

    Black Death kills 60% of Venice's population

    1348
  7. 7

    Fall of Constantinople to Ottomans threatens Venetian trade; slow economic decline begins

    1453
  8. 8

    Establishment of the world's first Jewish ghetto in Cannaregio

    1516
  9. 9

    Battle of Lepanto — Venice leads Christian coalition against Ottoman fleet

    1571
  10. 10

    Napoleon ends the Venetian Republic after 1,100 years; Venice ceded to Austria

    1797
  11. 11

    Venice joins the newly unified Kingdom of Italy

    1866
  12. 12

    Great flood — acqua alta reaches 194cm; international campaign to 'Save Venice' launched

    1966
  13. 13

    Venice and its lagoon inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site

    1987
  14. 14

    MOSE project (mobile flood barriers) construction begins; completed 2020

    2003
  15. 15

    MOSE barriers operational; first successful protection against major acqua alta events

    2020

Historical sites

Places where Venice's past comes alive.

Venetian Republic, Gothic / Renaissance (14th-16th c.)

Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale)

Where: San Marco

Admission: Adult: €30 (~$33) | Child: €15
Byzantine / Venetian Romanesque-Gothic (11th-15th c.)

St. Mark's Basilica

Where: San Marco

Admission: Adult: Free (Treasury €3, Museum €7) | Child: Free
Venetian Republic (1516-1797)

Jewish Ghetto of Venice

Where: Cannaregio

Admission: Adult: €12 museum + synagogue tour (~$13) | Child: €8
Venetian Republic, medieval to early modern (12th-16th c.)

Arsenale di Venezia

Where: Castello

Admission: Adult: Free exterior | Child: Free
Byzantine / Veneto-Byzantine (7th-12th c.)

Torcello Cathedral (Santa Maria Assunta)

Where: Torcello Island

Admission: Adult: €5 (~$5.50) | Child: €3
Venetian Republic and Neoclassical (14th-19th c.)

Museo Correr

Where: San Marco

Admission: Adult: €30 combo (includes Doge's Palace, ~$33) | Child: €15

Museums

Curated collections that tell Venice's story.

Museum

Museo Storico Navale

Hours: Mon-Thu 8:45AM-1:30PM, Fri-Sun 8:45AM-5PM

Admission: Adult: €5 (~$5.50) | Child: €2

Museum

Ca' Rezzonico — Museo del Settecento Veneziano

Hours: Wed-Mon 10AM-6PM

Admission: Adult: €10 (~$11) | Child: €7

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