Attraction
St Mark’s Basilica
Venice's cathedral on Piazza San Marco, a Byzantine-influenced church consecrated in 1094 with gold-ground mosaics, the Pala d'Oro altarpiece and the original bronze horses.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Peggy Guggenheim's former Grand Canal home, now a museum of 20th-century art with works by Picasso, Pollock, Magritte, Dalí, Kandinsky and Brâncuși.
At a glance
- Type
- Modern art museum
- Area
- Dorsoduro, Venice, Italy
- Opening
- Open 6 days a week (closed Tuesday) · 10:00–18:00
- Official site
- guggenheim-venice.it
Good to know
- Timed tickets online
- Sculpture garden
- Bistrot
- Accessible spaces
- Stroller friendly
Why we recommend it
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is the most important museum of twentieth-century European and American art in Italy, and it has the bonus of being set in a former private home on the Grand Canal. The American collector Peggy Guggenheim bought Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in 1949. Designed in the eighteenth century by Lorenzo Boschetti, the palace was never finished, which is why it sits so unusually low among its taller neighbours. She lived here for thirty years and began opening her collection to visitors in 1951; after her death in 1979, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation reopened it as a museum.
The rooms are domestic in scale, which makes the art feel approachable. The collection covers Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, with works by Picasso, Braque, Léger, Duchamp, Kandinsky, Klee, Mondrian, Miró, Dalí, Magritte, Max Ernst, Giacometti, Brâncuși, Calder and Jackson Pollock, whose early career Peggy supported. Long-term loans from the Gianni Mattioli Collection add a strong group of Italian Futurist works. Temporary exhibitions run alongside the permanent collection.
Outside, the Nasher Sculpture Garden was completed in 1995 together with extra exhibition rooms and a café, and Peggy Guggenheim's ashes rest in a corner of the garden. The terrace facing the Grand Canal is one of the best places in the city to watch boat traffic. The Museum Bistrot by AcquolinA serves lunch and lighter dishes.
The museum opens daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:00, and closes on Tuesdays and on 25 December. Timed tickets can be bought online, and booking a slot is sensible in high season. Allow around two hours. The museum suits modern art fans, couples and families, and it is a good counterweight to a day of Renaissance churches. It welcomes visitors with disabilities, strollers are allowed, and guided tours can be arranged in advance by email. Because the rooms are small, the museum can feel crowded at peak times, so an early slot or a visit later in the afternoon is more comfortable. Combining it with the Accademia and the Salute makes an easy half-day in Dorsoduro.
From Piazzale Roma or the railway station, take vaporetto Line 1 or 2 to Accademia, or Line 1 to Salute. The Gallerie dell'Accademia and Santa Maria della Salute are each a few minutes' walk away.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection FAQs
What are the opening hours?
Daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:00. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and on 25 December.
Should I book tickets in advance?
Yes, if you can. Tickets are sold online with an entry time slot, and they can also be bought at the ticket office while available.
Which artists are in the collection?
Highlights include Picasso, Braque, Duchamp, Kandinsky, Klee, Mondrian, Miró, Dalí, Magritte, Max Ernst, Brâncuși, Calder and Jackson Pollock.
Is there a café?
Yes. The Museum Bistrot by AcquolinA serves lunch and lighter dishes.
Is the museum accessible?
The museum provides accessible spaces and information for visitors with disabilities, and strollers are allowed.
How long should I allow?
Around two hours, including time in the sculpture garden and on the Grand Canal terrace.
How do I get there by vaporetto?
Take Line 1 or 2 to Accademia, or Line 1 to Salute, then walk a few minutes through Dorsoduro.
Can I book a guided tour?
Yes. Guided tours can be requested by email through the museum's booking office.