Relatively small and completely traffic free, Venice is an ideal city break destination for holiday shopping. Narrow streets and canalside paths lend themselves to small, traditional shops, often full of hand-made goods, whether sweets and pastries, masks, glassware or paintings.
Venice is also noted for upmarket swanky fashion shops devoted to Italian designers like Aramani and Biagiotti and for general food stores packed with delicious produce and local wines.
Credit cards are accepted in most stores but cash is preferred for smaller items and small shops will want cash only. By law shopkeepers must give a receipt and, if an item is defective, most shops will change it for you.
Shop basics
Most shops open about 9am and close for lunch, reopening at 3.30pm to late in the evening. Food shops open all day and many market stalls set up in local squares for the morning. Shops aimed at the tourist market tend to stay open all hours, shutting only when trade slackens.
Monday is the traditional closing day but many shops stay open, although some will shut down for a traditional two or three week break in August.
The Mercerie, which runs from San Marco to Rialto Bridge has been the main Venice shopping street since the Middle Ages and is now a tourist honeypot, along with the Calle di Fabri that runs parallel to it.
The maze of streets west of San Marco is full of small and interesting shops as is the street route from San Marco to the Accademia. Everyday needs of Venetians are catered for along the Lista di Spagna in the Cannaregio, and along the Strada Nova, near Rialto.
Luxury shops
Big name Italian fashion can be found clustered around streets near Piazza San Marco with Armani, Biagotti, Missoni and Valentino leading the pack. Exclusive fashion shops are also be found at Camp Santo Stefano. The Mercerie is the place for quality leather goods and fabrics, especially silks and velvets, while top jewellers are found around the Piazza.
Venice souvenirs
Souvenir stalls can be found everywhere selling the usual cheap trinkets, notably around San Marco near the vaporetto stop and in the Piazza. Cheap mass-produced masks are sold all over the city.
Many souvenir hunters head for Murano, renowned for glassmaking since the 13 century. Glass is the most popular souvenir item and both Venetian glass and Venetian marbled paper is a speciality here.
Venice markets
Market traders set up on many of the larger squares each morning, but the main market area is west of the Rialto Bridge. Any day of the week it is crammed with shoppers and it's a case of shuffling through the crowds.
The further west you go the more food and fish stalls are found. The neighbouring streets are full of exciting food shops selling excellent cheeses, olive oil and pasta.
Venice masks
Rialto Market
Mask window
Canal shop
