Practical information
The Grand Canal takes the form of an inverted “S” and crosses Venice from the Santa Lucia station situated in the Cannareggio quarter, up to the church Santa Maria della Salute situated in the Dorsoduro quarter (the Grand Canal stops exactly at the tip of Dorsoduro, at the ancient customs situated at the east of the Salute). It is 3.8kms long and 30 to 70metres wide and can reach up to 5metres in depth. The Grand Canal separates the Cannareggio, San Marco and Castello quarters situated to its left (when moving in the direction Santa Lucia to San Marco) from the quarters San Polo, Santa Croce and Dosoduro situated on its right. The venetians call it the Canal Grande or Canalazzo. Four bridges cross the Grand Canal : the Calatrava bridge, the Scalzi bridge and the very famous bridges of Accademia and Rialto. Even if it’s often blocked by boats and taxis, even if it’s saturated with tourists, the principal artery of the town is still the most beautiful road in the world.
Interest touristic 
Don’t hesitate in taking a vaporetto down the Grand Canal from the Santa Lucia station to Saint-Marc square. Magnificent palaces abound on both sides of the principal artery of the town (the richest families possessed a palace on the Grand Canal in order to facilitate commerce). Don’t hesitate to repeat this trip at different moment through the day (there and back) because the view of the palaces changes constantly in the different light. By night, for example, it’s just as impressive but more romantic…
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