1 · The short answer
La Biennale di Venezia alternates between art and architecture. The 61st International Art Exhibition, titled In Minor Keys, is open from 9 May to 22 November 2026, so there are still weeks left to see it this autumn. The next edition is Biennale Architettura in 2027; the Biennale has announced it but not yet its dates, and architecture editions have usually opened in May and run into November.
Ringo Light's Italy plan covers Venice and the rest of Italy: unlimited data at full speed, delivered by email, installed with one scan. In a city with no cars, where you navigate by vaporetto stop and narrow alley, a working map and live boat times do more for your day than anything else on your phone.
Dates: Biennale Arte 2026, the 61st International Art Exhibition, In Minor Keys: 9 May to 22 November 2026. Biennale Architettura 2027 is announced; its dates are not yet published. Organiser's page
Ringo Light's Italy plan covers the whole of Italy: unlimited data at full speed, 2 weeks for $14.99 or 30 days for $26.99, nothing renews. The plan is at ringoesim.com/italy, and every brand's price for Rome is compared on one day in Best eSIM for Rome.
Get Ringo Light for Venice, from $14.99.
Installed once, next to your own SIM. Your eSIM arrives by email in seconds.
We sell data eSIMs for now to fund the full Ringo service. Ringo is self funded. Every plan bought here pays for the build of one plan that works everywhere.
2 · The Giardini, the Arsenale and the rest of the city
The Biennale has two main venues in the Castello district at the eastern end of Venice. The Giardini is a park of national pavilions, each built by a country, with the Central Pavilion holding part of the main exhibition. The Arsenale, the former shipyards a short walk away, holds the rest of the main exhibition in the Corderie, the long rope factory, and further pavilions in the halls and sheds beyond.
Many countries without a pavilion in the Giardini show in palazzi and churches across the city, alongside official collateral events. A ticket covers the Giardini and the Arsenale; check the Biennale site for the current ticket rules and opening hours, which change between summer and autumn. Buy online and keep the ticket in your phone wallet to skip the ticket desk.
3 · Signal in brick halls and narrow streets
Venice is hard on phones in its own way. Thick masonry walls, narrow calli between tall buildings and the brick sheds of the Arsenale all weaken signal indoors, and maps can lose your position in the alleys. Coverage outdoors along the main waterfronts is good, and Italian networks cover the city well.
Download the Biennale map and the offline map of Venice before you set out, and save the address of each pavilion you want to see outside the main venues. During the opening days in May the Giardini is crowded and uploads slow down; in autumn the venues are calmer and your phone behaves better.
4 · Venice's other shows
- ✓Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi. The Pinault Collection's two Venice venues, with exhibitions timed to the Biennale.
- ✓Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Modern art in Peggy Guggenheim's palazzo on the Grand Canal, in Dorsoduro.
- ✓Fondazioni and palazzi. Foundations such as Fondazione Prada and many national and collateral shows open in historic buildings for the Biennale season.
- ✓The Lido. In late summer, the Venice Film Festival takes over the Lido, also run by La Biennale.
5 · Getting there and getting around
Venice Marco Polo Airport connects to the city by bus to Piazzale Roma or by the Alilaguna water bus; trains arrive at Venezia Santa Lucia on the Grand Canal. From there, the ACTV vaporetto is the way around. Giardini and Arsenale stops serve the two venues; several lines run along the waterfront from San Marco.
Buy vaporetto tickets in the AVM Venezia app or at the stop, and check boat times on your phone, especially in the evening when services thin out. Walking from San Marco to the Giardini along the Riva takes about twenty minutes and is one of the best walks in the city.
6 · Around the Venice Biennale
The Biennale fills the east of the city, and the major private collections are a vaporetto ride away.
7 · Frequently asked questions
8 · Sources
- La Biennale di Venezia: www.labiennale.org/en, official dates, tickets and venues
- Pinault Collection, Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana: www.pinaultcollection.com/en/palazzograssi
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection: www.guggenheim-venice.it/en/
- AVM Venezia (ACTV): actv.avmspa.it/en, vaporetto tickets and times
- Ringo Light: prices from the catalogue our checkout charges, on the day you read this.
Read next: best esim for italy
