Occupying one of the Grand Canal's most imposing buildings, a 16th-century German trading house, this branch of the DFS chain is worth visiting whether you're in the market for a handbag with a four-digit price tag or not. Four floors of colonnaded galleries rise up to line the vast central void, leading to sublime views from the rooftop.
Fondaco dei Tedeschi
Venice
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.3 MILES
With a profusion of domes and more than 8000 sq metres of luminous mosaics, Venice's cathedral is unforgettable. It was founded in the 9th century to…
0.36 MILES
Holding pride of place on the waterfront, this pretty Gothic confection may be an unlikely setting for the political and administrative seat of a great…
22.3 MILES
Padua's version of the Sistine Chapel, the Cappella degli Scrovegni houses one of Italy's great Renaissance masterpieces – a striking cycle of Giotto…
0.63 MILES
Venice's historic gallery traces the development of Venetian art from the 14th to 19th centuries, with works by all of the city's artistic superstars. The…
0.68 MILES
In medieval times this part of Cannaregio housed a getto (foundry), but it was as the designated Jewish quarter from the 16th to 19th centuries that the…
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
0.53 MILES
Baldassare Longhena's magnificent basilica is prominently positioned near the entrance to the Grand Canal, its white stones, exuberant statuary and high…
0.6 MILES
Baroque dreams come true at this Baldassare Longhena–designed Grand Canal palazzo (mansion), where a marble staircase leads to a vast gilded ballroom and…
0.57 MILES
After losing her father on the Titanic, heiress Peggy Guggenheim became one of the great collectors of the 20th century. Her palatial canalside home,…
Nearby Venice attractions
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A superb feat of engineering, Antonio da Ponte’s 1592 Istrian stone span took three years and 250,000 gold ducats to construct. Adorned with stone reliefs…
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German traders only had to walk a block from the trading floor of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi to pray for an upswing in the market for their goods. Through…
3. Chiesa di San Giacomo di Rialto
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Steps away from the Rialto Bridge, the most distinctive feature of 12th-century St James' Church is the 15th-century clock set into the facade facing the…
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Rubbed for luck for centuries, this 1541 statue is now protected by an iron railing. Il Gobbo (The Hunchback) served as a podium for official…
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Giandomenico Tiepolo sure knew how to light up a room. Duck into the atmospheric gloom of San Lio's baroque interior and, as your eyes adjust, look up at…
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A dream made real, San Salvador was conceived in the 7th century when Jesus appeared to a sleeping Bishop Magnus and pointed out on a lagoon map the exact…
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Flanking the Grand Canal, this porticoed complex was designed by Jacopo Sansovino in the mid-16th century.
8. Chiesa di San Giovanni Elemosinario
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Hunkering modestly behind T-shirt kiosks is this soaring brick church, built by Scarpagnino after a disastrous fire in 1514 destroyed much of the Rialto…