Bridge of Sighs Building

Address: Piazza San Marco, 1, 30124 Venice (Doge’s Palace) - Bridge of Sighs connects the Palace to the former prison

Website: https://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en/

Admission: Free to view from outside; interior access is via Doge’s Palace / prison tours (see website)

The Bridge of Sighs is an enclosed white limestone bridge in Venice that connects the Doge’s Palace to the adjoining New Prisons across the Rio di Palazzo. It was built in the early 17th century as a covered passage for prisoners moving between the palace and prison.

The small ornate bridge is a frequent subject of paintings and photographs and is viewed from the outside of the Doge’s Palace and from the nearby Ponte della Paglia. A famous legend later developed that prisoners paused on the bridge to sigh at their last view of Venice before imprisonment, a romanticised association rather than a documented historical practice.

Structurally it provides a short, secure link between the judicial rooms of the palace and the prison complex, forming part of the broader civic and penal architecture of Venetian governance in the early modern period.

• Date and Function: Constructed in the early 17th century, the bridge connects the interrogation rooms in the palace with the new prison complex and was designed as an enclosed passageway.
• Best Views: A popular viewpoint for visitors is from the outside of the Doge’s Palace and the nearby Ponte della Paglia where the bridge’s exterior and the canal can be photographed.

What to See#

• Bridge Structure: The bridge itself is a small, enclosed limestone structure that links the Doge’s Palace with the neighbouring historic prison block across the Rio di Palazzo.
• Viewing Points: The adjacent viewpoints on the **Ponte della Paglia** and from the facade of the Doge’s Palace offer the most popular public vistas of the bridge and the canal.

The Bridge of Sighs is in Venice city center beside the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Square. Arrive in Venice at Santa Lucia station, then take a vaporetto along the Grand Canal (lines 1 or 2 serve the San Marco/San Zaccaria area) or walk from Rialto; from the San Marco area it is a very short walk to the bridge.

• For the classic photo of Venice's Bridge of Sighs, head to the Ponte della Paglia on the Riva degli Schiavoni either at first light or after dusk to avoid daytime tour-bus crowds and capture reflections in quieter conditions.
• Buy a timed-entry ticket for the Doge's Palace - that lets you see the interior side of the bridge and the old prison route without waiting in the often long exterior queues.
• Many visitors miss the view from a passing vaporetto or a gondola beneath the adjacent arches; if you want that perspective, take a short vaporetto run on the canal or time a private boat for sunset rather than competing with the main crowds at midday.