Grand Canal (Canal Grande)

The Grand Canal winds through the heart of Venice in a reverse-S curve about 3.8 km long, from the lagoon near Santa Lucia railway station and Piazzale Roma to the basin of San Marco. It is 30 to 90 metres wide and about 5 metres deep on average, and it divides the city's historic centre into two halves.

The canal probably follows the course of an ancient river through the lagoon. Through the centuries of the Venetian Republic it was the city's main trade route, and wealthy merchant families built their houses along it, often combining warehouses on the ground floor with living quarters above. Palace building slowed after the Republic fell in 1797, and many palaces later passed into public ownership as museums, offices and universities.

More than 170 buildings line its banks, most from the 13th to the 18th century, showing Venetian Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical styles. Among the best known are the Gothic Ca' d'Oro, Ca' Foscari, the Baroque Ca' Rezzonico and the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, home of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Near the mouth, the domed church of Santa Maria della Salute by Baldassarre Longhena, begun in 1631, is one of the city's landmarks. Until the 19th century the Rialto Bridge was the only crossing; today the Scalzi, Accademia and Ponte della Costituzione bridges also span the canal.

The Historical Regatta, with a parade of historic boats and races, is held on the first Sunday of September. On 21 November a temporary pontoon bridge is built across to the Salute church for the Festa della Madonna della Salute.

The cheapest way to see the canal is from vaporetto line 1, which stops along its whole length. Traghetti, simple gondola ferries, cross at several points for a small fare, and private gondola rides are also available. Early morning and evening give the best light and calmer water.

Which bridge is the newest? The Ponte della Costituzione, designed by Santiago Calatrava, opened in 2008 to link the railway station with Piazzale Roma. The Rialto crossing is much older: Nicolo Barattieri built a pontoon bridge there in 1181, long before the stone bridge seen today.

Several palaces along the banks are linked to the great architects of Venice. Baldassarre Longhena designed both Ca' Pesaro and Ca' Rezzonico but died before either was finished, and Giorgio Massari completed Ca' Rezzonico and designed Palazzo Grassi in the second half of the 18th century. Palazzo Balbi, at the bend of the canal, was begun in 1582 under Alessandro Vittoria, and Mauro Codussi designed Palazzo Corner Spinelli. The Fondaco dei Turchi dates from the 13th century but was heavily restored in the 19th, and the Fondaco dei Tedeschi stands near the Rialto. The Festa della Salute on 21 November gives thanks for the end of the plague of 1630 to 1638, which led the city to build the Salute church.