Giardini della Biennale — Attraction in Venice

Amid the bustling canals and throngs of visitors that define Venice, the Giardini della Biennale offers a breath of calm. This leafy enclave, tucked along the Bacino di San Marco, isn’t a destination for grand botanical wonders, but its quiet charm and historical roots make it a worthy detour for those seeking respite.

Originally marshland transformed by Napoleon into public gardens, the space now serves dual purposes: a peaceful retreat and a cultural hub. Its winding paths lead visitors past 30 pavilions, each representing a different nation and showcasing architectural flair from icons like Carlo Scarpa and Alvar Aalto. Though the structures truly come alive during the Venice Biennale Art Festival—when global creativity takes center stage—they retain a quiet magnetism year-round.

The gardens’ unpretentious beauty is amplified by quirky details: feral cats lounging in sunlit corners, the stoic gaze of Garibaldi’s statue at the entrance, and a serene coastal walk that skirts the water’s edge. These elements stitch together a patchwork of tranquility, a stark contrast to the nearby chaos of St. Mark’s Square.

Yet, for all its understated appeal, the Giardini della Biennale remains a “nice-to-have” rather than a must-see. If your Venice itinerary is packed, you won’t miss a life-changing experience by skipping it. But for those with moments to spare, it’s a gentle reminder that even in a city overrun by tourism, pockets of stillness—and a few curious...

We completed the architecture show and it was a waste of time and arguably a complete scam for €25, it should be €5 or free for. Half of the walls in each “exhibit” were completely blank, no joke. Others, like the Egypt exhibit, provided such little valuable information or insight into architecture. It consisted of a wooden boat like structure covered in thin linen that probably took a total of 1 hour to put together. Another example, the bodies of water exhibit consisted a bunch of white cutouts of paper that were supposed to be shaped like lakes around the world. In reality, it legitimately looked like a 5 year old cut out tiny pieces of sticky white paper, carelessly plastered it all over the walls with such little care that were a plethora of bubbles. The “lakes” looked like a poorly placed bumper sticker on a blank wall. Another exhibit was scaffolding that was painted with color… real exciting…It was so bad and uninformative that we truly want our money back. I spent this time to write this review to...

Worse customer service experience.

People at the ticket office desk can't be bothered to tell you that Monday, the exhibition is closed.

I bought my ticket on a Sunday, then I was advised to see the event over 2 days.

I could only go Sunday and Monday! So I missed out one whole part of the event, due to the ticket offices gross negligence.

There was no opening times information at the ticket office. No opening times information on the paper ticket. No paper information about general terms and conditions in English.

I was told tickets are non refundable, but I can't see anywhere stating it's non refundable in English.

Was advised it's all on the website.

But I wasn't told at the ticket office all the information including opening times was on the website.

And I didn't have internet access the day I purchased the ticket.

They refuse to give me a refund, because they know I have no rights in Italy.

Really disgusting...