Rialto Bridge
Venice, Italy
Ca' d'Oro, Venice
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Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Paid
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Opening hours
- Usually Tuesday–Sunday, by day
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Highlights
- Façade, loggia, Mantegna, mosaic courtyard
- Museum
- Galleria Giorgio Franchetti
- Time needed
- About an hour
- Vaporetto
- Ca' d'Oro (line 1), at the door
Key facts
1428–1430built for Marino Contarini
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English WikipediaGoldfaçade details were once gilded and painted
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English Wikipedia1894Baron Giorgio Franchetti bought and restored it
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English Wikipedia1916Franchetti gave palace and collection to the state
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English WikipediaMantegnahis St Sebastian is the museum's star
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English WikipediaA short history
The palace was built in 1428–1430 for the wealthy merchant Marino Contarini, who wanted the finest house on the Grand Canal. Masters Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon carved its façade, and the capitals, crenellations and medallions were covered with gold leaf and costly blue paint — hence Ca' d'Oro, the "Golden House".
The gilding faded and the palace passed through many hands into decline. In 1894 collector Baron Giorgio Franchetti bought it, restored its original look, laid the courtyard's mosaic floor himself, and in 1916 gave it with his collection to the state as the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti.
The façade over the water
The façade is the summit of Venetian Gothic: asymmetrical, with two tiers of lacy white marble loggias, pointed arches, quatrefoils and crenellations along the roof — stone that looks woven. It's best seen from the water on line 1, or from the opposite bank by the Rialto Market. From the first-floor loggia inside you get a classic Grand Canal view — boats, water buses and the Pescheria fish market across the water.
The Franchetti Gallery
The star is Andrea Mantegna's St Sebastian, one of his last works, given its own chapel by Franchetti. Nearby are Carpaccio, Giovanni Bellini, Titian, Van Dyck and Dutch masters, Renaissance bronzes and medals, and sculpture by Tullio Lombardo.
Don't miss the fragments of frescoes by Titian and Giorgione that once decorated the façade of the nearby Fondaco dei Tedeschi — a glimpse of how colourful 16th-century Venice was. On the ground floor lies the mosaic courtyard with its wellhead and marble staircase. The museum entrance is from a lane off the Strada Nova, the busy 19th-century street linking the station and the Rialto in Cannaregio, Venice's most lived-in district.
What to see
- Gothic façade — lacy loggias over the Grand Canal.
- The loggia — views of the canal and Rialto Market.
- Mantegna's St Sebastian — in its own chapel.
- Mosaic courtyard — with wellhead and stair.
- Titian and Giorgione frescoes — from the Fondaco dei Tedeschi.
- Carpaccio and Van Dyck — in the galleries.
How to get there
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Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Rialto Bridge is about 5 min away on foot.
- Grand Canal is about 11 min away on foot.
- Gondola ride is about 12 min away on foot.
More tips
- Vaporetto 1 to Ca' d'Oro, at the entrance.
- From the Rialto Bridge, 10 minutes along the Strada Nova.
- From Santa Lucia station, 15 minutes on foot.
- Along the Grand Canal — visible from the water.
Is the Ca' d'Oro worth it?
Yes, to step inside a real Venetian palace on the Grand Canal: the museum is small and quiet, and its loggia over the water and the Rialto Market is one of the city's very best. Short on time? Just admire the façade from the water bus — one of the loveliest sights on the whole Grand Canal.
Before you go
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You are ready for the visit
Down the Grand Canal to San Marco
The Ca' d'Oro, the Rialto Bridge, the Grand Canal by water bus and Piazza San Marco.
- Ca' d'Oroyou are here1 h · Paid
- 5 min walk from the previous stopRialto Bridge20 min · Free
- 15 min walk from the previous stopGrand Canal1 h · Free; water bus paid
- 22 min walk from the previous stopPiazza San Marco30 min · Free
4 places · about 3 h 32 min with walks · 42 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
How to do it right
- See the façade from the water.
- The loggia faces the Rialto Market.
- Mantegna is the star.
- Line 1 to the door.
Questions
What is the Ca' d'Oro?
A 15th-century Gothic palace on the Grand Canal, the "Golden House", now the Franchetti Gallery.
Why is it called the Golden House?
Its carved façade details were once covered in gold leaf.
What can you see inside?
The loggia over the canal, Mantegna's St Sebastian, Carpaccio, Van Dyck and the mosaic courtyard.
How do I get there?
Vaporetto line 1 to the Ca' d'Oro stop.
How long do you need?
About an hour.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- English Wikipedia, Ca' d'Oro
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