San Polo (Venice)

San Polo is one of the six sestieri (literally sixths) of the old city of Venice. The city of Venice today is divided into six districts, on the mainland and on islands. Venice proper, the island with the old town, is in turn divided into 6 sestieri, one of which is San Polo.

San Polo is located in the center of the island. It is the only sestiere without a shore on the sea. San Polo is the smallest of the six districts of the old city. Only 5,000 of the 60,000 inhabitants of the old city of Venice live in San Polo. Its area is only 0.34 square kilometers, while the entire Centro Storico of Venice (Old Town Island) is over 5 square kilometers.

From San Polo it is not far to the center of the city, the district of San Marco, on the other side of the Grand Canal. The world famous Rialto Bridge connects the two quarters of the Atstadt.

Approach San Polo

The quickest way to get to San Polo from Venice's major train station is to walk across the Scalzi Bridge. This is the large bridge over the Grand Canal in front of the train station. From the Venice bus station, do not cross the new bridge over the Grand Canal, but walk along the Grand Canal to the right. After about 15 minutes from the bus stop and from Santa Lucia train station you reach the Sestiere San Polo.

Alternatively, you can take one of the many vaporetti (public ferries) on the Grand Canal and get off at Rialto, for example.

From San Polo to St. Mark's Square you simply walk over the Rialto Bridge. The path is signposted, the signs say "San Marco". The signs on the way back to the station say "Ferrovia" (railroad).

Tip: 3-island tour for only 20 euros in 2024

For Venice almost unbelievably cheap is a guided boat trip to the 3 islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. The trip is suitable for tourists who have little time and still want to see several islands. Durning sailing you one is informed in several languages (also English) about the islands and the lagoon. The islands are visited without a guide. The boat ticket is already included at the price of 20 euros. The trip is a real bargain. The tour starts near St. Mark's Square in the old town.

>>>> More information and booking

Sights San Polo

The most important sight in San Polo is undoubtedly the Rialto Bridge, perhaps the most famous bridge in the world. It is named after the old commercial center of the city (Rialto). This is where the stores, banks, etc. used to be. Today San Polo, like large parts of the old town of Venice, is firmly in the hands of tourists. Our article about the Rialto Bridge

Not far from the famous bridge is the Rialto Market, the famous market of the lagoon city. Here, among other things, vegetables, fruits, fish and seafood are sold. The Rialto Market is also very popular with tourists. Our article about the Rialto Market

Also the church of Santa Maria dei Frari (Frari Church) is in the San Polo district. It is one of the most important and interesting churches in the lagoon city and a top Venice sight. Our article about the Frari Church

Not far from the Frari Church is the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, also one of the great sights in Venice. Here you can see a grand old building with many world famous works of art. Our article about the Scuola San Roco

Across from the Scuola is the interesting, private Da Vinci Museum. Highlights include replicas of Leonardo da Vinci's many ingenious inventions. The multi-talented artist was not only a painter and sculptor, but also one of the most important inventors in the 15th and 16th centuries. Our article about the Da Vinci Museum

When walking through the smallest Sestiere San Polo, one should not forget the second largest square in Venice, Campo San Polo. Only the world-famous St. Mark's Square is even bigger.