Best areas for students in Venice

The island of Venice is divided into six main “sestieri” (neighbourhoods or districts): Dorsoduro, Santa Croce, Cannaregio, San Polo, San Marco, and Castello. However, the city also encompasses other areas located inland, among which there are also good options for living as a student. Andiamo!

Dorsoduro

Dorsoduro is one of the best student neighbourhoods in Venice. In fact, it’s one of the student areas of the Italian city. It includes part of the southwest of the island and the island of La Giudecca. It’s one of the safest and less touristy areas in Venice, which allows for a quieter life but with leisure options.

Most of the buildings of the Ca’ Foscari University are located here, so it's a very good location for those who want to be close to it. It also has some faculties of the Iuav University of Venice.

Dorsoduro has a variety of restaurants, cafes, and bars. In addition, young people and students usually meet in Campo Santa Margherita. It's a square with many bars, restaurants, and a fun atmosphere every day of the week.

There are many interesting places to visit in this neighbourhood, such as museums, art galleries, and historic buildings, including:

• The Accademia Gallery (Gallerie dell’Accademia): key museum of Venetian art.
• The Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Collezione Peggy Guggenheim): one of the main museums of modern art in Italy.
• The Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute: one of the most emblematic churches in Venice.
• Punta della Dogana: a contemporary art centre.

In Dorsodouro you’ll also find one of the most frequented libraries by students, called CFZ (Cultural Flow Zone), of the Ca' Foscari University.

Although Venice doesn’t have many traditional parks, in Dorsoduro there are pleasant squares like the Campo Santa Margherita (mentioned above), which functions as a social meeting and relaxing spot for students.

To enjoy the outdoors, we also highlight the promenades on the Canal of La Giudecca, offering incredible and picturesque views of the city.

From Dorsoduro you can easily walk to San Marco and other important sestieri (neighbourhoods). It also has good connections with vaporetto (lines 1 and 2), with stops such as Accademia, Zattere, and Ca’ Rezzonico. The main train station of the island, called Santa Lucia, is just a few minutes walk away.

Santa Croce

This neighbourhood is one of the least touristy on the island of Venice, despite having a very central location. Because it has less tourist flow, it has slightly lower prices of food and accommodation. It’s north of Dorsoduro.

It should be noted that the western part of this neighbourhood is more industrialised, and the rest is made up of quiet, small streets (although in the Grand Canal area there are more impressive palaces).

Living in Santa Croce is ideal for students looking for tranquility while being close to the universities, since you can reach several buildings of the Ca’ Foscari University in a short time and the Iuav University of Venice.

Being a less touristy area, this neighbourhood has small bars and cafes frequented almost exclusively by locals, perfect for blending into authentic Venetian life.

Compared to other neighbourhoods, Santa Croce doesn't have a wide variety of cultural or historical sites to visit. However, it does have a few worth exploring. Among them are:

• The Giancarlo Ligabue Natural History Museum (Museo di Storia Naturale Giancarlo Ligabue) in the beautiful building called Fontego dei Turchi
• The International Gallery of Modern Art (Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderna Ca' Pesaro)
• Several churches, like the Chiesa di San Giacomo dell'Orio

Although Venice lacks large parks, Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio is one of the few tree-lined squares, widely used by locals and students to rest or study outdoors.

An important fact is that Santa Croce is next to the main train station of the city, Santa Lucia, and is home to the bus station that connects Piazzale Roma with the airport. In addition, there are several docks of vaporetto in the areas of San Stae and Riva de Biasio.

Cannaregio

This neighbourhood is located north of the island of Venice, north of Santa Croce and on the other side of the Grand Canal. This is the largest district of the city, and it's also the most populated. It's one of the areas with the best rental prices on the island of Venice.

The atmosphere in Cannaregio is relaxed but very lively, especially near Fondamenta della Misericordia, where there are many student bars. It’s also worth noting that there are a large number of supermarkets, bars, and local trattorias that are much cheaper than in the tourist neighbourhoods.

Among the historical sites which can be visited in Cannaregio there’s the former Jewish ghetto (Ghetto Ebraico), a must-see historical area, with museums and synagogues. In addition, the neighbourhood has buildings and palaces with incredible architecture, like the Palazzo Labia, and historical churches, such as the San Geremia Church (Chiesa dei Santi Geremia e Lucia).

As expected, in Cannaregio there are no parks or many green spaces either, but the Fields (“Campos”, such as the Campo del Ghetto Novo) are open places where students usually meet to spend their free time or study.

Cannaregio is home to Santa Lucia, the city's main train station, so it has very good transport links to the rest of the city. It also has several piers with vaporetto stops such as Guglie, Orto, and Fondamenta Nuove (ideal for reaching islands like Murano and Burano).

Mestre

Mestre is one of the best neighbourhoods for students in Venice. It’s the only one we mention in this article that’s not located on the island, but on the mainland part of the city. It’s a more modern and affordable area, where many students who are looking to save on accommodation live.

In this neighbourhood is the Scientific Campus of Ca’ Foscari University, so it’s ideal, above all, for those who are going to study there.

Mestre has a more multicultural environment, with a large number of markets and supermarkets with cuisine from different parts of the world. It also has a wider variety of restaurants and bars.

As far as nightlife, in Mestre there are some nightclubs and many of the Erasmus parties are organised in this area.

Mestre is home to the San Giuliano Park, one of the largest urban parks in Europe, ideal for running, cycling, or simply relaxing outdoors with spectacular views of the Venetian Lagoon. Also noteworthy is the Alfredo Albanese Park, another large green space perfect for picnics and sports activities.

If you’re wondering about the transport connection between Mestre and the island of Venice, there’s quite a frequency of buses, trams, and trains. Even at night! In fact, you can reach the historic city centre in about 15 or 20 minutes. Mestre also has better infrastructure for bikes than the island of Venice.

FAQ about neighbourhoods in Venice