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While all six sestieri (neighborhoods) in Venice are undoubtedly Venetian, each has its own distinct charms and flavor. The city layout has remained more or less unchanged since the Romans arrived in the Lagoon to establish one of their castrum (camps).

Venice has a famously confusing system when it comes to numbering its streets. Each sestiere (neighborhood) has its own numbering. Building numbers don't stop at the end of a street but continue throughout the entire sestiere. You will consequently see houses with very high numbers.

And, to make things more confusing, when addresses are listed, the building number is rarely included - simply the street name, the neighborhood name, and the district number. It adds to the sense of achievement when you finally find the place you are looking for – honest. Here’s our guide to the best neighborhoods in Venice, including where to stay, play and explore.

1. San Marco

Best neighborhood for iconic Venetian scenes

San Marco is where you can find the picture book Venice. Named after the city’s patron Saint and the true heart of the city ever since its foundation, San Marco has it all. Want stunning, world-famous landmarks? The Basilica and its Campanile, as well as the Palazzo Ducale, are just a short walk away. Want to do some shopping before heading back home? You can check out Calle Larga XXII Marzo, the high-end shopping street of Venice, or head to the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, once the palace warehouse of German merchants coming to the Lagoon and today one of the city center’s main shopping malls.

San Marco is the place to be if you like to be surrounded by centuries-old buildings and luxury, as well as people – it’s the most famous area of an already famous city. It’s also an excellent choice if you want to avoid public transport and use your legs as much as you can, as all the major sights are within walking distance.

Where to stay:  ($$) is a classic hideaway with floor-to-ceiling silk draperies, subtle rococo flourishes and the odd heirloom furniture piece. Angle for a room overlooking the gondola stop. Or try  ($$$), a high-end hotel set in a 1525 doge’s palace on the Grand Canal and lavished with rare marble, Rubelli silk damask, precious artworks and antiques.

2. San Polo

Best neighborhood for straddling two worlds

Just on the other side of the Canal Grande, San Polo is close enough to San Marco to enjoy its polished palaces and chic vibes, but it’s also separate enough to feel like its own city within a city – perhaps because San Polo is the smallest of all the six sestieri. You can have it both ways in San Polo – stay close to the Canal Grande and enjoy the landmarks on both sides of the water as well as above it, like the Rialto Bridge; or you can lose yourself in the alleyways and little calles (streets) off the main road, discovering picturesque corners and authentic pieces of Venetian history.

San Polo will also welcome you with open arms if you’re looking to live the gourmand life. You can’t miss the Rialto Market, divided into fruits and vegetables and fresh seafood – stalls are there almost every morning, Sundays excluded, until around midday. San Polo is also where you can get a good pre-dinner aperitivo and then enjoy some post-dinner nightlife.

Where to stay:  ($) is hidden down a quiet lane just around the corner from Rialto Market and offers exceptional value. Rooms are spacious with timber ceiling beams and huge smart TVs. Or splash out at  ($$$), the 1920s home of composer Gustav Mahler's widow, Alma, complete with a lush, walled garden, an elegant lounge and six tastefully appointed rooms hung with artwork. 

3. Dorsoduro and Giudecca

Best neighborhood for searching for Venice’s hip side

The southernmost of the sestieri, Dorsoduro, which includes the island of Giudecca, has some of Venice’s most interesting museums and most populated universities. Dorsoduro is home to the famous Ca’ Foscari University, widely known in Italy as being one of the best for the study of languages, as well as the Venice Architecture Institute. It goes without saying then that the area is a top choice for students, and as a result, the whole of Dorsoduro brims with eateries and nightlife.

Dorsoduro has reinvented itself as Venice’s own Soho. Visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and Pinault’s Punta della Dogana, and keep an eye out for the smaller galleries sprouting up in the neighborhood all the time. The district has long been a favorite with foreign second-home buyers, meaning that Dorsoduro doesn’t have the same Venetian feel as nearby San Polo. However, it has beautiful boutique hotels, fine eateries and world-renowned modern and contemporary art. This is an excellent neighborhood for art lovers, but it’s also ideal for winter breaks as it’s the sunniest part of the city.

Where to stay: The guest room at ($), an 18th-century granary, comes with Persian rugs, vintage furniture and water views. A beautifully renovated two-bedroom apartment is also available here.  ($$) is a peaceful 17th-century garden villa just off the Grand Canal, with old-school parquet floors, antique desks, kind staff and excellent breakfasts.

4. Castello

Best neighborhood for immersing yourself in art

While Dorsoduro can boast some incredible collections, one might say that the true art hotspot of the city is Castello. Facing right onto the Lagoon and with a quieter vibe than its packed neighbor San Marco, Castello is the domain of the . From the Giardini della Biennale with their famous thirty pavilions, each belonging to a different country that uses them to display their works of art every two years, to the spaces within the Arsenale, you can feel the mark left by the Biennale everywhere you walk in Castello.

But history hangs heavy here as well; the Arsenale, where specialized artisans crafted all kinds of ships, is what made Venice a maritime powerhouse and helped it dominate the seas for more than a millennium. To break from sightseeing, rest for a bit at the Parco delle Rimembranze, also known as the Sant’Elena pinewood, right on the tip of the sestiere and looking out onto the Lido.

Where to stay:  ($), where Alice and Marco offer a warm welcome to their 3rd-floor apartment (no lift) overlooking the Scuola Dalmata. Family antiques furnish the three guest rooms. Or try, ($$), a well-located, welcoming and unpretentious B&B with three simple but smart rooms. For something completely differemt, stay in the 13th-century palace, . It has four extravagant apartments kitted out with top-quality fabrics and custom-made modern pieces. One has its own rooftop terrace.

5. Cannaregio

Best neighborhood for feeling like a local

Cannaregio is the largest and most populous Venetian sestiere. It’s pretty close to Venice’s train station, , and so it bustles with activity: commuters arriving from the mainland into Venice for their workday, people going to and from the more central areas of the city. Unlike San Marco, though, Cannaregio’s vibe remains more local and informal. It’s a great place to enjoy the more famous landmarks during the day but then retire to a quieter area (well, as quiet as Venice can be) for the night.

This sestiere is also where the old Jewish quarter used to be, and the Jewish community and their heritage are still a huge part of the neighborhood – from the two active synagogues to museums and several kosher eateries.

Where to stay:  ($) is a charming little B&B with period furnishings, canal views and a private front garden. It’s also a short walk from superb neighborhood wine bars. A similarly charming spot is ($), a friendly, family-run inn on the Cannaregio Canal. Rooms include bed crown canopies, gilt mirrors, Murano chandeliers and terrazzo flooring. If you're traveling solo but want to meet others, try Combo Venezia ($), a modern, upbeat hostel in a converted convent. Slumber in dorms, twins or apartments (some with canal views) and chill with the other guests in the beautiful old cloister. 

6. Santa Croce

Best neighborhood for day tours

Santa Croce is the only sestiere of Venice where cars and buses are allowed to move around before roads end and canals begin. It’s where the Santa Lucia train station is located and the main entryway into the city for anyone who arrives using the bridge connecting Venice to the mainland. It’s a great choice if you're also planning to leave the Lagoon for some day excursions to other parts of Veneto or maybe some of the beach locations both North and South of the city.

Santa Croce might not look quite as pretty as the other sestieri, but there are plenty of things to keep you interested: the Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia within the old Fondaco dei Turchi; the vibrant square of San Giacomo dell’Orio; and the Palazzo Mocenigo, Venice’s museum of fashion history as well as possible haunting grounds of the ghost of philosopher and writer Giordano Bruno.

Where to stay:  ($$) is a smart, homely B&B set in a family home with handsome antiques and terrazzo flooring. Or, try  ($$$), a beautifully-appointment B&B passion project of an American interior designer and Italian architect. Most rooms sport Grand Canal views.