Venue
Castello, Venice, Italy
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La Biennale di Venezia guide
In Minor Keys at the Giardini and Arsenale.
In short
Contemporary art lovers can still see the 61st International Art Exhibition, In Minor Keys, which runs until 22 November 2026 across the Giardini, Arsenale and palaces in Venice. With 100 national participations, allow at least two days. From 29 September venues open from 10:00, so check closing times and plan the pavilions by area.
La Biennale di Venezia has shaped the art world since its first exhibition opened in the Venice Giardini in 1895. It now alternates between contemporary art in even years and architecture in odd years, filling national pavilions, the old shipyards of the Arsenale and palaces across the city for six months at a time.
No other exhibition gathers so many countries in one place. This year's art edition hosts 100 national participations, and many of them occupy their own permanent buildings in a public park, which turns a visit into a walk across a map of the world. For artists, a Venice pavilion can define a career. For visitors, it is the closest thing the art world has to a global census.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Date: Friday, 8 May 2026 – Sunday, 22 November 2026
Starts: 6:00 PM
Where: Venice, Italy
Venue: Giardini della Biennale and Arsenale
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, Arts Festivals, Exhibition
Currency: Euro (€ EUR)
Time zone: UTC+1, UTC+2 from late March to late October
Language: Italian
Map
Close to the venue
- Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) Attraction · 1.5 km
- St. Mark's Basilica Attraction · 1.6 km
- Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square) Attraction · 1.7 km
- Torre dell'Orologio (Clock Tower) Attraction · 1.7 km
- Danieli, Venezia, A Four Seasons Hotel Hotel · 1.5 km
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Single entry per site on a standard ticket
The standard one-access ticket lets you into the Giardini once and the Arsenale once, on different days if you like. You cannot leave a site and come back on the same ticket, so finish a venue before heading out for lunch. Only the multi-day passes and accreditation allow repeat entries. If you think you will want a second look, buy the pass from the start.
Luggage restrictions and the cloakroom
Large bags, suitcases and luggage are refused at the entrances, and there is nowhere on site to store them. A free cloakroom takes small items only. If you are visiting on a travel day, drop bags at your hotel or a left-luggage office first, and carry a small daypack with water and a light layer for the halls. The Arsenale halls are long, and you will be glad of free hands.
Ticket prices, discounts and accessibility
- A full ticket costs 30 euros. Visitors over sixty-five and Venice residents pay 20, and students and under-26s pay 16 with ID.
- Children up to six enter free.
- Visitors with a certified disability pay 20 euros, and a companion enters free.
- Wheelchairs, walkers and pushchairs can be requested, and a courtesy electric car helps visitors with reduced mobility, subject to availability.
- Tours for blind visitors and in Italian Sign Language are offered, and an accessibility map can be downloaded.
Giving each exhibition site a full day
The exhibition fills two main sites, and each one is a full day if you read the labels. The Giardini hold the permanent national pavilions. The Arsenale, the old shipyard, holds the long central show and more countries. Few people do both well in a single day, so plan one site per day.
If you want to come and go, the multiple-access passes are the useful ones: 40 euros for three consecutive days or 50 for a week, with closing days excluded. Tickets are sold online, so buy before you arrive.
Leave time for the city itself. Dozens of national pavilions and collateral events are scattered through palaces and churches away from the two main sites. Pick a handful near your hotel and visit them in the gaps. Our Venice city guide covers the rest of the city.
The Biennale's 1895 origins and national pavilions
King Umberto I and Queen Margherita attended the opening day. The city council founded the exhibition, and the idea of countries building their own pavilions in a public park took hold over the following decades. About 30 permanent pavilions now stand in the Giardini, each owned by its nation and refitted for every edition.
Architecture joined in 1980. A renovation of the Arsenale in 1999 more than doubled the exhibition space, and countries without a Giardini pavilion now rent halls there by the square metre. The awards follow the same structure: a Golden Lion for the best national participation and another for the best artist in the central exhibition, with a Silver Lion for a promising young participant. The Biennale's offices sit in Ca' Giustinian, in the San Marco district.
This year's edition carries a sad story. In Minor Keys was conceived by the curator Koyo Kouoh, who died in May 2025, and the Biennale completed it as she had planned, with her family's support. Knowing that changes how you walk through the Arsenale. You are seeing a show finished by others in her name.
Getting there
Flying in
Venice Marco Polo is the main airport. The Alilaguna water bus takes about 90 minutes to San Marco for €18 one way; the ATVO express bus 35 or ACTV bus 5 reaches Piazzale Roma in about 20 minutes for €10. A private water taxi takes around half an hour and costs about €150.
By vaporetto
From Piazzale Roma or the railway station, ACTV lines 1, 2, 4.1, 5.1 and 6 serve the Giardini stop (line 6 from Piazzale Roma only). For the Arsenale take line 1 or 4.1.
Fares
A single ride costs €9.50 and is valid for 75 minutes, so a travel card pays off quickly: €25 for one day, €35 for two, €45 for three.
Where to stay during the festival
Castello is the obvious district: the Giardini sit at its eastern end and both main sites are within walking distance. Cannaregio is quieter, Mestre on the mainland is cheaper, and the Lido works if you like a boat ride each morning.
Venice
Danieli, Venezia, A Four Seasons Hotel5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$1,300.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Air conditioning
- Restaurant
8 Rooms available
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Weather and what to pack
Venice's 1991–2020 normals give an average October high of 18.5°C and a low of 10.5°C, falling to 12.9°C and 5.7°C in November, with about 72 mm of rain in each month. May, when each edition opens, averages 22.0°C by day.
Late autumn is also the season of acqua alta, the high tides that can flood the lowest parts of the city, around San Marco especially. The MOSE barriers now hold back most of the big tides, but low-lying pavements can still be wet.
Worth packing
- Comfortable shoes for long days on pavement and in pavilions
- A light waterproof and a compact umbrella in autumn
- Waterproof footwear or overshoes in November
- A warm layer for the open-air walk between pavilions in the Giardini
- A water bottle; refill fountains are common in the city
Car hire in Venice
Airport transfer to La Biennale di Venezia
Met at arrivals at Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) and driven door to door to Giardini della Biennale and Arsenale.
- Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) → Giardini della Biennale and Arsenale
- 25 km · 2 hours
Restaurants and food in Italy
Places to eat in Italy before or after the celebrations.
Cantina Do Mori
Sestiere San Polo 429, 30125 Venice, Italy
Cuisine:VenetianCicchetti
- Dine-in
- Bar
- Counter seating
L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele
Via Cesare Sersale 1/7, 80139 Naples, Italy
Cuisine:Neapolitan pizzaPizzeria
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina
Via dei Giubbonari 21, 00186 Rome, Italy
Cuisine:RomanItalian
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Counter seating
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Need help?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Timing & weather
Usually not. The exhibition closes every Monday, with an exception for Monday 16 November 2026, when the venues open as normal.
No. During the 2026 exhibition it stays closed on the Mondays when the Biennale opens and on every Tuesday, though you can still see the building from outside.
The pre-opening is planned for 6 and 7 May 2027, ahead of the public opening. These days are generally reserved for press and accredited professionals.
From 30 September 2026 it opens Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, with last admission at 4.45 pm, and closes on Mondays and Tuesdays.
General
They are separate exhibitions that take turns. Art is shown in even-numbered years and architecture in odd-numbered years, both using the Giardini and the Arsenale.
It is possible, since the two are only about ten minutes apart on foot, but most visitors find one site per day more rewarding. The standard ticket allows the two visits on separate days.
Yes. In 2026, 46 of the national participations are housed elsewhere in Venice, alongside 31 collateral events. Each keeps its own access rules and hours, so check before you cross town.
They are the Biennale's top prizes. One goes to the best national participation and one to the best artist in the main exhibition, and a Silver Lion rewards a promising young participant.
It is a fortress on the mainland in Mestre, used by the Biennale for special projects. It keeps the same hours as the main venues while the exhibition is open.
The main info point sits at the Arsenale vaporetto stop on Riva Ca' di Dio, served by line 1. Staff there can help with tickets, maps and accessibility requests.
Booking
Plan to buy online. Tickets are sold online as a rule, and only certain discounted tickets are available at the information points.