The 61st International Art Exhibition, In Minor Keys, is in its final weeks in Venice. Conceived by Koyo Kouoh and realized by her team after her death in 2025, it fills the two historic venues of La Biennale di Venezia and spills into palazzi, churches, and gardens across the city. This page covers what a visit takes: hours, tickets, the two main sites, transport, and how to divide the time. For a live itinerary, open the My Biennale visit planner.
Dates and opening hours
The exhibition runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026. From September 29 to the close, both venues open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with last admission at 5:45 p.m. (Summer hours, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with Friday and Saturday evenings at the Arsenale, ended on September 27.)
The exhibition is closed on Mondays. The one remaining Monday exception this season is November 16, 2026, the week before closing. The final day, Sunday, November 22, also carries the edition's prizes: after the International Jury resigned on April 30, 2026, La Biennale replaced the jury awards with Visitors' Lions, voted by ticket holders and presented on closing day.
Tickets and passes
Every ticket covers both the Giardini and the Arsenale. The standard single-access ticket costs €30 and allows one entry to each venue. Students and visitors under 26 pay €16. A 3-day ticket costs €40 and is valid for three consecutive days, with Monday closures left out of the count. The season accreditation, valid until November 22, costs €80 (€45 for students and under-26s); it is personal, and holders show ID at the entrance. Guided tours at scheduled times cost €10 per venue, per person.
Buy online through labiennale.org, where a small booking fee applies, and arrive with the ticket on a phone. Tickets are sold online only. Some concessions, such as disability rates, are issued at the Infopoints at the venues on presentation of documents. Prices and conditions can change; check labiennale.org for current prices before booking. The My Biennale tickets page keeps the options in one place.
The Giardini
The Giardini della Biennale, the public gardens at the eastern end of the Castello district, have been the exhibition's home since the first edition in 1895. The entrance is on Viale Trento, with a second gate from Sant'Elena. Inside stand the Padiglione Centrale (Central Pavilion), which holds part of the main exhibition, and the permanent national pavilions built between 1907 and the 1990s, among them those of the United States, France, Britain, Germany, and the shared Nordic Pavilion. The paths are shaded and level, and the pavilions are small enough to take one at a time. Allow at least half a day.
The Arsenale
The Arsenale, the former state shipyard of the Venetian Republic, is a few minutes' walk from the Giardini. The main entrance is at Campo de la Tana, off Via Garibaldi. The central exhibition continues through the Corderie, the long rope-making hall, and the Artiglierie, then opens onto the docks of the Gaggiandre, with national pavilions for countries that arrived after the Giardini was full. Expect a long, mostly linear walk with little reason to turn back. Allow at least half a day here too.
National pavilions and collateral events across the city
The 2026 edition counts 100 national participations, and many of them sit outside the two main venues, in palazzi across San Marco, Castello, Cannaregio, and Dorsoduro and on the islands of Giudecca and San Giorgio Maggiore. Further collateral pavilions occupy Forte Marghera on the mainland. The official collateral events are separate exhibitions approved by La Biennale, and most charge no admission. Each keeps its own hours, so confirm before crossing the city. The My Biennale Venice map plots venues by neighborhood, which makes it easier to group nearby pavilions into one walk.
How long to allow and how to plan two days
Two full days cover the Giardini and the Arsenale without rushing; three or four make room for the city pavilions and a museum or two. With two days, give each main venue its own morning and early afternoon, while energy is highest, and spend late afternoons on pavilions nearby in Castello. With autumn hours ending at 6 p.m., start at the 10 a.m. opening. Weekday mornings are usually quieter than weekends. The 3-day ticket costs less than two single tickets and buys flexibility for a return visit.
Getting there and getting around
Trains from Milan, Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Verona arrive at Venezia Santa Lucia. From Santa Lucia (Ferrovia) or Piazzale Roma, ACTV vaporetto Lines 1 and 4.1 stop at Arsenale, and Lines 1, 4.1, and 5.1 stop at Giardini. Line 1 follows the Grand Canal and is slow but scenic; Line 4.1 takes the outer route. From Marco Polo Airport, the Alilaguna Blu line runs to the Arsenale; the ACTV city pass does not cover Alilaguna. For two or more days of travel, a multi-day ACTV pass is usually cheaper than single fares; check actv.avmspa.it for current prices.
On foot, the walk from Piazza San Marco along the Riva degli Schiavoni to the Giardini takes roughly 20 minutes. Venice's bridges have steps, so plan routes accordingly with luggage or a stroller.
Where to eat, rest and stay near the venues
Both venues have a bar, a restaurant, a bookshop, and restrooms with changing tables, and the Giardini's benches and shade make the easiest place to pause. Via Garibaldi, the wide street between the two sites, has cafés and bacari (small wine bars serving cicchetti, Venetian snacks) at local prices. A cloakroom takes small items only; luggage and suitcases cannot be stored, so check out of a hotel after the visit, not before.
Castello puts the venues within walking distance but has fewer rooms. San Marco and Dorsoduro offer more choice at higher prices; Cannaregio, near the station, tends to cost less. Many visitors stay in Mestre or Marghera on the mainland and commute by train or bus. The city's directory of registered properties is at veneziaunica.it.
Accessibility
La Biennale offers a courtesy electric-car service within the venues, and strollers, walkers, and wheelchairs are available on request. Tours are offered for visitors who are blind or partially sighted, for deaf visitors, and for visitors with sensory disabilities. Reduced tickets for visitors with disabilities are issued at the Infopoints. Arriving by vaporetto at the Giardini or Arsenale stops avoids most of the city's stepped bridges. Contact La Biennale through labiennale.org to arrange services in advance.
Beyond the Biennale
Venice's permanent collections make a counterweight to so much new work. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, in Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal, grew from the collection Peggy Guggenheim first showed at the 1948 Biennale; see its My Biennale profile. Nearby, at the tip of Dorsoduro, Punta della Dogana shows the Pinault Collection, which also occupies Palazzo Grassi across the canal. Fondazione Prada runs exhibitions at Ca' Corner della Regina in Santa Croce. For the city's older art, the Gallerie dell'Accademia holds the great Venetian painting of Bellini, Titian, and Tintoretto. Opening days differ from the Biennale's, so check each institution's hours. More options sit on the My Biennale Venice city page.
Reading before you go
The Venice Biennale guide covers the edition, the pavilion system, and 130 years of history. The Venice Architecture Biennale page explains the alternate-year exhibition, which returns in 2027. New to the form? Start with What Is a Biennale?, then plan the rest of the year with the 2026 biennale calendar.
Read our Venice Biennale guide · Biennales in Europe · 2026 calendar