Venice is truly one of a kind! There is no other city in the world quite like Venice. The beautiful canals and the floating gondolas make Venice a very romantic and picturesque city. One of my favorite parts about Venice is that there is a beautiful sight at every turn. I loved walking around aimlessly and discovering new and hidden spots in this Italian city. Luckily for you, I’ve saved all these spots! Find out the best Instagram spots in Venice and where to find them.
Map of the Best Instagram Spots in Venice, Italy
Venice is a labyrinth and you can easily get lost and its narrow streets and many canals! I recommend using Google Maps and saving all of these Instagram spots for your Venice trip. If you only have one day in Venice, then check out my one-day Venice itinerary to maximize your time to see these spots!
The best way of seeing Venice is by foot! Maybe you’ll even discover some beautiful photo spots that aren’t on my list.
Where to Stay in Venice
As mentioned earlier, Venice is a very walkable city! There’s not a bad location to stay in Venice but it depends on your priorities. If you want to stay closer to the train station, I would look for hotels near Piazzale Roma. If you want to stay closer to the main attractions, I would look for hotels near San Marco. Check out my hotel recommendations below!
Hotel Recommendations in Venice:
- Gritti Palace: This 5-star hotel is located on the Grand Canal and housed in a beautiful 15th-century palace and is a landmark of Venetian architecture. The hotel offers several dining options, including a Michelin-starred and the Gritti Terrace, which offers panoramic views of the city.
- Belmond Hotel Cipriani: This luxury hotel is located on the island of Giudecca, just a short boat ride from St. Mark’s Square. It offers beautiful views of the lagoon and a pool surrounded by lush gardens.
- Ca’Sagredo Hotel: This impressive hotel is located in a beautiful 15th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal. It offers luxurious rooms, a rooftop terrace, and a restaurant with stunning views of the water.
- Hotel Londra Palace: This elegant hotel is located near St. Mark’s Square and offers beautiful views of the lagoon. It has a rooftop terrace and a restaurant serving traditional Venetian cuisine.
- Hotel Santa Chiara: This newly renovated hotel is located near Piazzale Rome and Santa Lucia train station. This is an affordable option that offers updated rooms with free Wi-Fi and breakfast included in the price.
- Hotel Al Codega: This hotel is located in a quiet alley just a few minutes walk from St. Mark’s Square. It offers comfortable rooms with traditional Venetian decor and a breakfast buffet included in the price.
- Hotel Abbazia: This hotel is located near the Santa Lucia train station and the Grand Canal. It offers comfortable and spacious rooms with free Wi-Fi and a buffet breakfast included in the price.
- Hotel Scandinavia: This hotel is located near the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal. It offers comfortable rooms with free Wi-Fi and a buffet breakfast included in the price.
Best Instagram Spots in Venice
1. Rialto Bridge
The Rialto Bridge is one of the most iconic bridges in the world! Did you know that it is one of only four bridges that crosses the Grand Canal?
I suggest getting here early in the morning as the bridge becomes quite crowded during the day. I suggest arriving around sunrise to have the bridge to yourself. There are several great viewpoints to capture a photo of yourself with the bridge. The one in the picture below is on the side of Palazzo dei Camerlenghi.
2. Grand Canal from Rialto Bridge
The view of the Grand Canal from Rialto Bridge is one of the most spectacular sights I’ve ever seen! It is absolutely stunning. You would be remiss to not stop here for a few minutes and admire the view. If you come here at sunrise, you can see boats and people scurrying around as they get ready to welcome visitors for the day.
The sunset from here is vibrant but it gets very crowded around that time. I would still suggest seeing the sunset from here, but don’t expect to capture an empty photo!
3. St. Mark’s Square
Welcome to one of the most famous squares in the world! St. Mark’s Square is a bustling square that is typically full of people. It is surrounded on all four sides by shops, restaurants, cafes, and St. Mark’s Basilica. If you want to capture a photo without a crowd, I suggest coming here very early in the morning.
Check out my one-day Venice itinerary to find out the best times you need to be at these Venice Instagram spots!
4. Canal view from St. Mark’s Square
The canal view from St. Mark’s Square is stunning! Here you’ll find a view of gondolas on the Grand Canal with the Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore in the background. It certainly makes a stunning shot!
5. Hotel Santa Chiara
You can get a beautiful photo of the Grand Canal and passing boats right in front of Hotel Santa Chiara. It is close to the main bus and ferry station in Venice, Piazzale Roma, so it is easy to capture a photo here. I actually stayed at this hotel and loved my stay here.
Hotel Santa Chiara is newly renovated with free wifi and air-conditioning (which isn’t common in many Venice hotels so be sure to check). I loved the complimentary breakfast as well! If you stay here, you can take the private boat to their sister hotels, Locanda Vivaldi and Palazzo Stern.
By staying at any of one of these hotels, you have access to all three!
6. Libreria Acqua Alta
Libreria Acqua Alta is a unique bookstore that you definitely want to check out while you’re in Venice. It is home to lots of vintage books…and cats. It’s a great spot to browse around for books and there are great photo opportunities in this bookstore. There is a parked gondola and cool stacks of books in the back!
Make sure to check the hours of the bookstore before going as you need to enter the bookshop in order to take a photo with the stack of books. I initially thought it was outside the bookstore and went before it opened and had to come back later!
7. Bridge of Sighs
This beautiful arched bridge actually has a sad history. It is named for the sighs of prisoners crossing it on their way to prison. There are two great spots to take a photo with the Bridge of Sighs. There is a bridge in front of the Bridge of Sighs that you stand or sit on and there is also a ledge below that allows you to capture a photo with the bridge.
8. Scala Contarini del Bovolo
You can get a great view of Venice from Scala Contarini del Bovolo! It is also famous for its external multi-arch spiral staircase. I highly recommend booking tickets online in advance as it does sell out.
To capture a great photo here, go to the top level and have your photographer stand like the photo below and stick your head out of one of the arches.
9. Burano Island
You cannot miss this colorful fisherman’s village when you’re visiting Venice! The island of Burano is just an hour away from Venice and you can easily take a day trip here.
There are public ferries from Venice to Burano and I suggest using Google Maps to find out which ferries to take to Burano as there are multiple departure points in Venice.
Burano is actually famous for its lace so be sure to check out the lace shops on the island! I also suggest stopping in Murano which is another island near Venice. Murano is famous for its glass-blowing.
You can also do a tour from Venice to both Burano and Murano if you want to visit both islands. You can check out the tour here!
10. Hotel San Moise
There are so many beautiful canal views in Venice, but I actually want to share the exact locations of the best ones! I remember when I was researching for photo spots in Venice that the locations were very generic and most descriptions just said Venice canal…which of course was not helpful!
I made it a point to remember where each of these locations was so I can share exactly where to find them. The first one below is right near Hotel San Moise. Navigate yourself to the hotel and you’ll find this dock in the corner in front of the hotel. If you visit in the afternoon and early evening, you’ll find gondolas coming through here! This spot isn’t very crowded so you can come here any time of the day. I visited right before sunset!
11. Ponte Bernardo
It is so easy to stumble upon beautiful viewpoints in Venice and this spot was one of them! I was walking from my hotel to St. Mark’s Square when I found this bridge. The view was so beautiful here that I had to stop and snap a few photos!
12. Hotel Splendid Venice
I cannot get over how colorful the buildings are here! I was ironically crossing another bridge when I saw this viewpoint and ran over to the bridge in the photo below. In the photo, Hotel Splendid Venice is the building on the left (to give you a point of reference).
Check out these activities and tours in Venice!
LIKE THIS POST? SAVE IT ON PINTEREST!
