# San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice > San Giorgio Maggiore is a small island facing Piazza San Marco, with a white church by Andrea Palladio and a tall bell tower. The tower offers arguably the best view of San Marco and the Doge's Palace, with barely a queue. The church is free; the tower lift is paid. It's one water-bus stop away; allow an hour. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/san-giorgio-maggiore - City: [Venice](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice), Italy - YesGo score: 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - Entry: Free; tower paid - With kids: Fine with kids - Church: Free - Bell tower: Paid, by lift - Opening hours: Daily, by day - Highlights: View of San Marco, Palladio, Tintoretto - Time needed: About an hour - Vaporetto: Line 2 from San Zaccaria — one stop - Coordinates: 45.42775, 12.34417 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1566** — Andrea Palladio began the church (source: English Wikipedia) - **1610** — church and façade completed (source: English Wikipedia) - **Tintoretto** — his Last Supper and Gathering of the Manna in the chancel (source: English Wikipedia) - **1951** — the Giorgio Cini Foundation moved into the monastery (source: English Wikipedia) - **Labyrinth** — a hedge maze in the garden honours Jorge Luis Borges (source: English Wikipedia) ## A short history A **Benedictine monastery** stood on San Giorgio from the 10th century, among the most powerful in Venice. In **1566** the monks commissioned **Andrea Palladio** to build a new church, and he created the white façade like an ancient temple, with columns and pediments beneath a dome, that you see from every point of the San Marco waterfront. It was completed by **1610**. In **1951** industrialist **Vittorio Cini** restored the monastery for the **Giorgio Cini Foundation**, a cultural centre with a library, exhibitions and concerts. Today the island is a quiet place of gardens, cloisters and city views, minutes by boat from the San Marco crowds. ## Palladio's church The interior is bright and calm — white walls, grey columns, clear Palladian proportions. In the **chancel** hang two late works by **Tintoretto**: a dramatic diagonal **Last Supper** set in a tavern with angels swirling in the lamp smoke, and the **Gathering of the Manna**; the choir has carved wooden monks' stalls. Entry is free, and the lift to the bell tower starts behind the altar. ## The bell tower and view The roughly 60-metre **bell tower** has a lift to an open deck over the whole city: **Piazza San Marco, the Campanile and the Doge's Palace**, the Grand Canal with the Salute, the Giudecca, the Lido and the lagoon islands. Many prefer it to the St Mark's Campanile — from here you see the whole famous ensemble, Campanile included. Queues are rare, making it a great alternative in high season; the bells are loud on the hour. Back at ground level, the landing frames a rare water-level view of the Riva degli Schiavoni, the Doge's Palace, the Campanile and the Salute in one line — magical as the lights come on. There's a small café beside the church, and the foundation hosts exhibitions, including during the Biennale. ## What to see - **Palladio's façade** — best seen from San Marco. - **The bell tower** — the view of San Marco and the Doge's Palace. - **Tintoretto's Last Supper** — in the chancel. - **Cini Foundation cloisters** — on a guided tour. - **Borges labyrinth** — a hedge maze in the garden. - **The landing** — views of the Riva degli Schiavoni. > **The monastery and the labyrinth** The Cini Foundation runs tours of the former monastery: two cloisters, one by Palladio, Longhena's grand staircase, the library and a box-hedge labyrinth honouring Borges. Tours follow a schedule for a separate fee — check the foundation's website. ## How to get there 1. Vaporetto 2 from **San Zaccaria** — one stop, about 3 minutes. 2. San Zaccaria is by the [Doge's Palace](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/doges-palace) and [Bridge of Sighs](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/bridge-of-sighs). 3. Line 2 continues to the [Giudecca](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/giudecca). 4. There's no bridge — the boat is the only way. ## Is San Giorgio Maggiore worth it? Yes — one of Venice's best viewpoints without the queues, and a peaceful island a couple of minutes from San Marco. Come late in the day and go up the tower an hour before sunset, then watch the waterfront lights come on, with Palladio's free church and its Tintorettos as a bonus. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Take vaporetto 2 from San Zaccaria - [ ] Go up the tower before sunset - [ ] Find Tintoretto's Last Supper - [ ] Check Cini Foundation tours - [ ] Photograph San Marco from the landing ## Views in Venice: compare and choose Viewpoints in Venice rated by YesGo. - [St Mark's Basilica](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/st-marks-basilica) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Paid - [Bridge of Sighs](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/bridge-of-sighs) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 15 min · Free outside - [Rialto Bridge](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/rialto-bridge) — YesGo score 56/100 (Yes, go) · 20 min · Free - [Piazza San Marco](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/piazza-san-marco) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Santa Maria della Salute](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/santa-maria-della-salute) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Grand Canal](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/grand-canal) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free; water bus paid - [St Mark's Campanile](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/st-marks-campanile) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid - [Accademia Bridge](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/accademia-bridge) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free - [San Giorgio Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/san-giorgio-maggiore) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free; tower paid - [Burano](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/burano) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Free - [Torcello](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/torcello) — YesGo score 30/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · Free; cathedral paid ## San Marco from the water The Doge's Palace, the water bus to San Giorgio Maggiore and its tower, then the Giudecca. 1. [Doge's Palace](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/doges-palace) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Paid 2. [San Giorgio Maggiore](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/san-giorgio-maggiore) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free; tower paid 3. [Giudecca](https://yesgo.io/italy/venice/giudecca) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free ## Don't mix it up San Giorgio Maggiore isn't the Salute — the dome at the mouth of the Grand Canal — nor San Giorgio dei Greci, the Greek church in Castello. ## Tips - Line 2 — one stop. - Tower with no queue. - Best light before sunset. - The church is free. ## Questions ### How do I get to San Giorgio Maggiore? Vaporetto line 2 from San Zaccaria — one stop. ### Is there a lift in the bell tower? Yes, for a small fee. ### Which view is better — the Campanile or San Giorgio? San Giorgio shows the whole San Marco ensemble including the Campanile, with hardly any queue. ### Who built the church? Andrea Palladio, starting in 1566. ### What's inside the church? Tintoretto's Last Supper and Gathering of the Manna in the chancel. ## How we checked History and description from English Wikipedia. Tower prices and hours weren't confirmed — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, San Giorgio Maggiore; San Giorgio Maggiore (church) --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.