An independent guide to the historic home of the Casino di Venezia on the Grand Canal and to its Ca' Noghera venue on the mainland: walking and vaporetto routes, what to know before you go in, and what to see beyond the gaming rooms, from the Wagner Museum to the waterside garden.
Original drawing, not a photo: bricole are the timber markers that line the lagoon's channels and guide boats to the shore.
The Casino di Venezia has two venues: the Renaissance palace of Ca' Vendramin Calergi on the Grand Canal, in the Cannaregio district, and Ca' Noghera on the mainland near the airport. This page focuses on the first, because you can reach it on foot or by vaporetto, and because the palace is worth seeing in its own right.
Public gaming in Venice begins in 1638, when the Republic opened the Ridotto in a wing of Palazzo Dandolo at San Moisè, a short walk from St Mark's Square. It was a gaming house run directly by the state, meant to bring under control a habit that bans had failed to stop, and it was open mainly during Carnival.
The Ridotto closed in 1774. One of its rooms survives in a 1746 painting by Francesco Guardi, now at Ca' Rezzonico, the museum of 18th-century Venice. The Casino di Venezia sees itself as heir to that tradition and, according to its website, moved to Ca' Vendramin Calergi from the 1950s onwards.
Ca' Vendramin Calergi was designed by the Lombard architect Mauro Codussi for the Loredan family and is one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture in Venice. Over the centuries it passed to the Calergi, Grimani and Vendramin families, to the Duchess of Berry in the mid-19th century, and in the early 20th century it was home to Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata. After the Second World War it became city property.
From the Grand Canal you can pick it out by its rows of large arched windows, a Codussi signature. Inside, according to the casino, there are the Wagner Restaurant, the ballroom on the piano nobile and a garden overlooking the canal, as well as the gaming rooms.
In 1882, having finished the score of Parsifal, Richard Wagner rented the palace's entire mezzanine floor and moved in on 16 September. He spent the winter there with his family and died there on 13 February 1883. Since 13 February 1995 some of those rooms have been a museum, run by the Associazione Richard Wagner di Venezia: see the article Beyond the tables.
The easiest way to get there depends on where you are. Pick your starting point below.
Pick a starting point to see how to get there, with the source of each detail. Walking times are approximate and marked with ≈.
Diagram, not to scale. Use a map app for the exact path: Venetian street names change often.
Everything below comes from the official Casino di Venezia website, checked on 25 September 2026. Hours and conditions change, so always check before you set off.
Ca' Vendramin Calergi. The website lists slots and tables from 8:15 pm to 3:15 am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the ticket desk closing at 2 am. Other sources give different hours, so check the official website.
Ca' Noghera. Slots from 11 am to 3 am Sunday to Thursday and until 4 am on Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays; tables from 3:30 pm. Open every day except 24 and 25 December.
Only adults with an original identity document may enter the gaming rooms. An ID card, driving licence or passport is accepted; a photocopy or a photo on your phone is not.
Entry is by ticket: the types and conditions are listed on the official website.
Women may dress informally. Men are asked to dress neatly: casual is fine as long as it is appropriate. Beach shorts, vests, sandals and flip-flops are not allowed. At Ca' Noghera men may wear shorts above the knee with a polo or shirt and trainers.
Bulky coats, suitcases, large bags, umbrellas and hats must be left at the cloakroom. Animals are not allowed. The management may refuse entry at its discretion.
According to the casino, Ca' Vendramin Calergi has French- and American-style tables and slot machines, the Wagner Restaurant, the ballroom and the garden on the Grand Canal. Ca' Noghera has the Marco Polo Restaurant.
Casino switchboard: +39 041 5297111. Ca' Noghera is at Via Paliaga 4/8, 30173 Tessera (Venice).
The historic venue is Ca' Vendramin Calergi, Cannaregio 2040, on the Grand Canal. The second venue, Ca' Noghera, is at Via Paliaga 4/8 in Tessera, near Marco Polo airport.
About 10 minutes on foot from Santa Lucia station and about 15 from Piazzale Roma, or by vaporetto to San Marcuola (line 1 from Ferrovia, lines 1 and 2 from Piazzale Roma). The casino's own water shuttle also leaves from Piazzale Roma.
An original ID document: ID card, driving licence or passport. Entry is for adults only.
Yes: neat clothing for men, informal is fine for women, no beachwear.
Yes, by appointment only with the Associazione Richard Wagner di Venezia, by noon the day before. The museum is closed in August.
Five in-depth pieces: four routes to the two venues and one on what to see beyond the gaming rooms.
If you arrive by train, this is the easiest option. According to the casino, it takes about ten minutes to walk from Venezia Santa Lucia station to Ca' Vendramin Calergi. The station and the palace are on the same side of the Grand Canal, in Cannaregio, so there is no need to cross the main canal or buy a ticket.
The walk follows the district's busiest streets, the ones leading from the station towards Rialto. The landmark to keep in mind is the San Marcuola vaporetto stop: the palace is right next to it, facing the canal. The small bridges over Venetian side canals have steps, so with heavy luggage or a pushchair the vaporetto may be easier.
In the evening the main streets stay lit and busy. Set your destination in a map app before you leave, because Venetian streets change names often and the signs on walls do not always match the apps.
Source: Casino di Venezia website, Contacts page (25/09/2026).
Piazzale Roma is where cars and buses arrive: beyond it there are no wheels, and drivers leave their cars in one of the garages nearby. From here there are three ways to reach Ca' Vendramin Calergi.
On foot it takes about fifteen minutes, according to the casino: you cross the Grand Canal towards the station and carry on along the Cannaregio side. Alternatively there is the casino's own water shuttle, which leaves from Piazzale Roma; the timetable is on the official website under transport services.
The third option is the public ACTV vaporetto: lines 1 and 2 leave Piazzale Roma roughly every ten minutes and stop at San Marcuola. Buy your ticket before boarding, at a ticket office or in Venice's public transport app; current fares and timetables are on the ACTV website.
Source: Casino di Venezia website, Contacts page (25/09/2026).
Line 1 runs the whole length of the Grand Canal and stops at almost every landing. It is slow, but it is the most beautiful way to arrive: you pass the palace façades, go under the Rialto Bridge and follow the Cannaregio bank to San Marcuola.
If you are at Rialto or near St Mark's, take line 1 towards Piazzale Roma and get off at San Marcuola; from Ferrovia the same line runs roughly every ten minutes, according to the casino. Always check the direction at the landing stage, because the same line stops on both banks at different points.
From Rialto you can also walk along the Cannaregio side: our estimate is about 15–20 minutes, and about 30–35 from St Mark's Square. After dinner the vaporetto service changes and some lines switch to night routes, so check the ACTV timetable before relying on it for the way back.
Source: Casino di Venezia website for lines and frequency; walking times from Rialto and St Mark's: our estimate.
Ca' Noghera is the Casino di Venezia's second venue. It is not in the historic centre but on the mainland at Tessera, near Marco Polo airport. According to the casino, it is about five minutes by car from the airport.
Without a car there are two options. The ACTV public bus from the airport stops at Ca' Noghera about once an hour. From Mestre, the casino's own shuttle bus leaves from in front of the railway station; the timetable is on the official website. If you are staying in Mestre or landing in the evening, it is often more convenient than the Grand Canal venue.
Compared with Ca' Vendramin Calergi, Ca' Noghera opens every day from the morning, except 24 and 25 December, and has a more relaxed dress code: men may wear shorts above the knee with a polo or shirt. The entry rules are the same: adults only, with an original ID.
Source: Casino di Venezia website, Contacts page (25/09/2026).
Ca' Vendramin Calergi is more than a gaming hall. On the mezzanine floor, where Richard Wagner spent his last winter, there has been a museum since 1995, entrusted by the city to the Associazione Richard Wagner di Venezia. Since 2003 the neighbouring rooms have also housed the Josef Lienhart collection: rare documents, scores, signed letters, paintings and records. According to the association, it is the largest private collection devoted to the composer outside Bayreuth.
The museum can be visited by advance, confirmed booking only, made by noon the day before, on certain mornings and afternoons of the week. It is closed in August. According to the Veneto Region, admission is free, with a voluntary donation. Current days and contacts are on the museum page of the casino's website.
According to the casino, the palace also has the Wagner Restaurant in its colourful rooms, the ballroom on the piano nobile and a garden overlooking the Grand Canal. For access conditions and bookings, see the official website.
Sources: Casino di Venezia website, Wagner Museum and Ca' Vendramin Calergi pages; Veneto Region museum catalogue (25/09/2026).
Play responsibly. Gambling can be addictive and is forbidden to under-18s. An evening at the casino is entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it.
Italian national gambling helpline, anonymous and free (in Italian):
800 558 822Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4 pm.
Play responsibly.