Palazzo Grassi Museum

Address: Campo San Samuele, 3231, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy

Website: https://www.palazzograssi.it/en/

Hours: Tue-Sun 10:00am-6:00pm, closed Mon (hours may vary for exhibitions)

Admission: Permanent collection €14-€16 (adult); reduced rates available; check site for current ticketing

Palazzo Grassi is an 18th-century palace on Venice’s Grand Canal that has been converted into a contemporary-art exhibition space. The building is notable for its classical façade on the canal and for hosting large temporary exhibitions.

Exhibition galleries inside the palazzo present rotating shows of modern and contemporary art and the building is managed as a private museum space. The interior has been adapted from historic palatial rooms to gallery layouts suitable for major loaned exhibitions.

Originally constructed in the 1700s for the Grassi family, the palazzo has had multiple owners and uses over the centuries and was re-established as a major exhibition venue in the early 21st century. Its conversion has made it one of the principal private contemporary-art sites in Venice.

Situated on the Grand Canal near the Punta della Dogana and the central Dorsoduro district, the palazzo is accessible by water transport and is part of Venice’s main cultural axis.

• Current use: A historic 18th-century palace on the Grand Canal that has been reused as a contemporary-art exhibition space in the 21st century.
• Location: Located within Venice’s central canal ring, the building is reached by vaporetto and is close to the Punta della Dogana and other major museums of the city.

What to See#

• Exhibition galleries: Large interior galleries adapted for temporary contemporary-art exhibitions operated by the Pinault Collection since the building’s conversion to a museum space.
• Grand Canal façade: The grand 18th-century façade facing the Grand Canal, which marks the palace as an architectural landmark on Venice’s principal waterway.

Palazzo Grassi sits on the Grand Canal near the Ponte dell’Accademia area. From Venezia Santa Lucia train station, it’s a 15-20 minute walk along the canal or a short vaporetto ride (Waterbus line 1 or 2, alight at San Samuele). The nearest vaporetto stop is San Samuele.

• Buy timed-entry tickets online to avoid lines during high season (April-October).
• Walk along the Punta della Dogana side afterward for an alternate view of the Grand Canal and the Doge's Palace across the water.
• Inside, the rooms feel intentionally spare - take time with one or two works rather than rushing through.