Island Guide
Across the water from Venice. Eight minutes by vaporetto, a lifetime quieter.
In 30 seconds
Giudecca is a separate island south of central Venice, a five to ten-minute vaporetto ride from the Zattere or San Zaccaria. The fondamenta facing north gives the best view of San Marco you can book from a hotel bed. Quiet nights, resort hotels, and the Palladian church of the Redentore.
Best for: views, resort-style hotels, quiet nights, couples, travellers who want Venice from a slight distance. Skip if: you hate being on the wrong side of a scheduled boat timetable, or you are here for two nights and want the postcard at the door.
The island
Giudecca is a long crescent of eight smaller islands, now stitched together by stone fondamente and small bridges. It sits across the Canale della Giudecca from Dorsoduro and San Marco, close enough that on a clear day you can count the bells of the Salute from the Zitelle vaporetto stop. Historically an industrial island with the Mulino Stucky flour mill as its icon, and before that a retreat island with gardens and monasteries.
Palladio’s Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore stands on the main fondamenta. Built as a thanksgiving for the end of the 1575 to 1577 plague, it still hosts the Festa del Redentore in July, when a temporary pontoon bridge links Giudecca to central Venice and a fireworks show closes the bacino. On any given weekday evening, the Giudecca fondamenta is closer to a Venetian promenade than a tourist attraction. You can walk from the Redentore to the Palanca stop in fifteen minutes and pass six bars where Venetians still drink.
Vaporetto: Zitelle, Redentore, Palanca and Sacca Fisola serve the main fondamenta. Lines 2 and 4.1 run day and night between these stops, the Zattere, San Zaccaria, and Piazzale Roma. The 2 goes on to Rialto and the station. Five to ten-minute hop from door to door.
Where to book
Four hotels on Giudecca, from the Hilton in the old Stucky mill to a boutique by the Redentore.
Resort · Rooftop pool · Best view
Hilton Molino Stucky Venice
The restored flour mill at the west end of the island, with three restaurants, several bars, a spa, and a rooftop swimming pool that looks straight at San Marco. The biggest hotel in Venice and a reliable choice when the budget is set and the occasion matters. A shuttle boat runs to St Mark’s through the day.
- Giudecca, 810, restored 1895 flour mill
- Rooftop pool with San Marco view, spa, shuttle boat
- Closest vaporetto: Palanca or Sacca Fisola
- Skip if you want a small owner-run stay
Boutique · Editor’s pick · Redentore
Maison Boutique Al Redentore
A small boutique near the Redentore church, the size most readers want on Giudecca. Warmly decorated rooms, short walk to the Redentore vaporetto, the main fondamenta thirty seconds from the door. Better value than the big resorts for travellers who do not need the pool.
- Calle Cape, 866/T, short walk to the Redentore
- Small boutique feel, fondamenta around the corner
- Closest vaporetto: Redentore or Palanca
- Skip if you need a spa or a restaurant on site
Relaxed 4 Star · Private landing
Giudecca Hotel Venice
A relaxed four-star on Calle Ferrando with elegant rooms, some with canal views, a private landing dock and a lobby bar. Simpler than the Hilton and much quieter. Worth a look when the Stucky rates creep past the point of good sense.
- Calle Ferrando, 409
- Private landing, lobby bar, canal-view rooms
- Closest vaporetto: Redentore
- Skip if you need a pool or a gym
Hostel · Design · Value
Generator Venice
A refurbished waterfront granary on Fondamenta Zitelle, now a design hostel with private rooms and dorms, a bar and a TV lounge. The genuine budget option with a San Marco view. The vaporetto stop is thirty seconds away.
- Fondamenta Zitelle, 86
- Dorms and private rooms, bar, lounge
- Closest vaporetto: Zitelle
- Skip if you want a private bathroom in the cheapest beds
What is walking distance
- Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore. Palladio’s domed church, built to commemorate the end of the 1577 plague. Open to visitors, free to enter the main church.
- Giudecca fondamenta. The main waterfront promenade, running from Sacca Fisola to Zitelle. Walk it at dusk for the San Marco view.
- Canale della Giudecca. The working canal that separates the island from Dorsoduro. You are crossing it every time you leave the hotel.
- Le Zitelle. Another Palladian church, further east, named for the young women housed in the adjoining convent.
- Sacca Fisola. A quieter residential island at the west end, attached to Giudecca by a bridge. Good for an evening walk when you want to be the only person on the fondamenta.
Insider Tip
Take the 21:00 line 2 from San Zaccaria back to Redentore after dinner, not the earlier boat. You get the whole San Marco facade lit, and the vaporetto is half empty. Check the last run times before you sit down to dessert, the frequency drops after 23:30 on some lines.
Who this is wrong for
- Two-night first-timers. You lose time to the vaporetto in both directions. Pick San Marco.
- Travellers without a timetable instinct. Missing the last boat on a Sunday night means walking round the long way, and there is no long way. It means a water taxi.
- Family with small children. Two boat transfers a day with a pushchair adds up. Look at Santa Croce.
If it were our trip
For a long weekend with a specific view in mind, Hilton Molino Stucky. The rooftop pool with San Marco behind it is genuinely the thing the booking is about. For a longer stay that pairs Venice with quiet, Maison Boutique Al Redentore. Either way, pair Giudecca with a couple of nights in Dorsoduro so you get a walking Venice and a sitting one.
Staying on Giudecca?
Read the vaporetto vs water taxi guide so you are not caught out after dinner.
Vaporetto vs taxi Compare sestieriCommon questions
How long is the vaporetto from Giudecca to St Mark’s?
Five to ten minutes, depending on stop. Line 2 from Redentore to San Zaccaria is about eight minutes. Line 4.1 from Palanca to San Zaccaria is about seven.
Do the vaporettos run all night?
Line 2 runs to around midnight, line N runs overnight. Check the ACTV timetable the day you arrive because the last runs change seasonally.
Does Giudecca flood during acqua alta?
Parts of the fondamenta can flood with very high tides, though the island is slightly less vulnerable than St Mark’s. Check comune.venezia.it and read our acqua alta guide.
When is the Festa del Redentore?
The third weekend of July. A temporary pontoon bridge links Giudecca to the Zattere, fireworks close the bacino on the Saturday evening. If you want to be on the island for it, book nine to twelve months ahead.
Is there anywhere to eat on Giudecca?
Yes. A handful of trattorias on the main fondamenta and a few bars. Dinner options are fewer than in Dorsoduro or San Polo, so book the restaurant you care about in advance.
Should I pay for a water taxi back after dinner?
Only if you have missed the last vaporetto. A water taxi from San Marco to Giudecca is around eighty to ninety euros at night. The public boat is two euros.