Tits, fists, sighs and the devil – a guide to the best – and most colourfully named – bridges in Venice
Exploring the many bridges in Venice isn’t just about sightseeing – it’s about uncovering many stories about the city’s distant past. And the bridges’ names reveal many of the secrets of La Serenissima – many of which you’d never guess.
Venice was a medieval melting pot, the lavish centre of a maritime empire that stretched across the Adriatic and eastern Mediterranean. In 1600 it had almost three times the population it has today. But as well as being a city of incredible wealth, it also had a much seamier side, with plenty of debauchery and a penchant for a mass punch-up.
In this guide I’ll show you the city’s famous landmark bridges, along with lesser-known bridges tucked away in the labyrinth of narrow streets and canals. These latter bridges may not look remarkable – but their stories do so much to bring a very different Venice back to life.
Where To Stay – Hotels Near The Best Bridges In Venice
***** – Hotel Danieli – luxury waterfront five-star in a stunning Venetian Gothic palazzo, a minute’s walk from the Ponte della Paglia and Bridge of Sighs viewpoint. Well worth the splurge of a lifetime
***** – Baglioni Hotel Luna – The Leading Hotels of the World – 5-star luxury a few steps from St Mark’s Square, some rooms with astonishing views over the lagoon
**** – Palazzo Bembo – gorgeous 14th-century palace overlooking the Grand Canal, a few steps from the Rialto Bridge
**** – Ca’ Pisani Hotel – Art Deco styling in a 14th-century Dorsoduro palazzo, very close to the Accademia
*** – Rosa Salva Hotel – excellent 3-star a two-minute walk from St Mark’s Square, and the same people run the superb pasticceria (cake shop) next door
Rialto Bridge – Ponte di Rialto
Rialto is one of the most famous Venice landmarks, and one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe. It’s also the oldest bridge on the Grand Canal, connecting the busy Rialto Markets on the San Polo side to the west with the sestiere of San Marco to the east.
The ornate stone Rialto bridge, designed by Antonio da Ponte, replaced much simpler, humbler structures, and was completed in 1591. The bridge rises from either side to a high central arch, with an arcade of shops on either side of the bridge. It’s one of just four bridges in Europe with shops built on it – the others are Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Pulteney Bridge in Bath, England and the Kramerbrucke in Erfurt, Germany.
The Rialto was one of the most important building projects in Venice at the time, with Andrea Palladio, Jacopo Sansovino and Michelangelo all consulted about possible designs.
The best time to visit the Rialto bridge is for a winter sunset. It’s one of the best places to watch a sunset in Venice, especially between November and February, when the sun sets behind the gondolas and palaces along the Grand Canal.
Getting there: Vaporetto to Rialto
See Also: Grand Canal Venice – Complete Guide With Photos
Bridge of Sighs – Ponte dei Sospiri
The second most famous bridge in Venice connects the courts of the Doges’ Palace with the New Prisons (Prigioni Nuove) of the Venetian Republic across the Rio di Palazzo.
It was completed in 1603 to a design by Antonio Contin, and despite its grim function, it’s undoubtedly one of the most beautiful bridges in Venice, inspiring namesakes elsewhere including in Cambridge and Oxford in England.
Its name traditionally comes from prisoners’ sighs of sadness as they glimpsed either the city or San Giorgio Maggiore church and the lagoon through the narrow windows before entering the Prison to begin their sentences.
You can walk across the Bridge of Sighs as part of the standard Doge’s Palace Museum route. As for seeing the exterior of the Bridge, there are just two options. The Ponte della Paglia next to the waterfront is very busy.
If you want to avoid the crowds the Ponte de Canonica – accessed via St Mark’s Square – is better, especially around dusk. From there, the Bridge of Sighs frames the Ponte della Paglia and, in the distance, the façade of San Giorgio Maggiore. It’s one of the most beautiful views in Venice.
Getting there: Vaporetto to San Marco (San Zaccaria) or San Marco (Vallaresso)
Ponte della Paglia – Bridge of Straw
This elegant stone footbridge is one of the busiest in Venice. The current bridge was completed in 1847, replacing an earlier bridge from the 14th century.
The bridge links the Molo waterfront and the Doges’ Palace (Palazzo Ducale) with the Riva degli Schiavoni, which stretches the length of the Castello sestiere. It’s also by far the more popular of two viewpoints of the Bridge of Sighs so you’ll rarely have the place to yourself – unless you turn up very early in the day, or towards dusk, when it’s generally quieter.
But when the summer day trippers are in town and the overcrowding and overtourism are at their worst, it’s one of the worst clog points in Venice.
Getting there: The nearest vaporetto stop is San Marco (San Zaccaria), while San Marco (Vallaresso) is only five minutes away along the waterfront.
Ponte dei Pugni – Bridge of Fists
This simple stone bridge over the Rio San Barnaba is one of the most picturesque of Venetian bridges, with churches a short distance away on each side, and a gorgeous greengrocer boat selling fruit and vegetables to locals and visitors alike. But like the Ponte delle Tette below, its backstory is the most compelling reason to pay a visit.
The Ponte dei Pugni is the most famous of several ‘fighting bridges’ in Venice. Two rival clans – the Castellani and Nicolotti – regularly met at the Ponte dei Pugni for a mass fist-fight, which would then spread along the walkways either side of the canal to the Campo San Barnaba 100 or so metres away.
These mass brawls – which began around 1600 – were a toned-down version of what went before – which usually involved sharpened sticks and other weapons. Marble footprints on the bridges mark where the ‘champions’ of each clan would begin the fight. As these fights progressed, so other members of the clans piled in.
The fights at Ponte dei Pugni were held between September and Christmas each year, so for most of the time, anyone knocked into the canal would be soaked in the freezing, sewage-infested water.
Getting there: The nearest vaporetto stop is Ca’ Rezzonico
Ponte delle Tette – The Bridge of Tits
The most colourful bridge name in Venice translates as the ‘Bridge of Tits’. This otherwise plain, unremarkable stone bridge crosses the Rio di San Canciano in the San Polo sestiere, and in the 15th century Venice’s courtesans were confined to this small area a few minutes’ walk from the Rialto Bridge and Markets.
Although they were only allowed to ply their trade within a small area, Venice’s female prostitutes didn’t exactly have to be discreet. The authorities even suggested that they parade topless along the bridge, or display their breasts in the windows of their bordellos.
Why all this openness in such conservative Christian times? Women weren’t the only ones working the streets of Venice: men were too. And it was hoped that all these naked ladies’ bodies would tempt gay men into sins of the flesh deemed more tolerable than sleeping with other men.
Some of you may also have come across the Ponte Tetta bridge during your wanderings around the sestiere of Castello. However this bridge doesn’t have quite the same bawdy history as its counterpart in San Polo. The bridge, canal (Rio Tetta) and house (Palazzo Tetta) are named after a family from Dalmatia who settled there in the early 17th century.
Getting there: The nearest vaporetto stops are Mercato Rialto or Rialto – both around 5-6 minutes’ walk away.
Scalzi Bridge – Ponte degli Scalzi
The Ponte degli Scalzi is a two-minute walk from the train station, linking the Baroque Scalzi Church (the Church of the Barefoot Carmelites) and sestiere of Cannaregio to the north with the sestiere of Santa Croce to the south.
The stone bridge we see today was built in 1934, replacing an earlier Austrian construction. It’s well worth the short walk over the bridge at some point during your trip to Venice for the superb view down the Grand Canal towards San Geremia church.
And if you plan on walking around Venice rather than using the vaporetti (waterbuses) one of the quicker routes from the station to San Marco is via the Scalzi bridge through the Santa Croce and San Polo districts.
Getting there: It’s a 2-minute walk from Santa Lucia train station, and next to the Ferrovia vaporetto stop.
Calatrava Bridge – Ponte della Costituzione
The Ponte della Costituzione (Constitution Bridge) was the fourth bridge across the Grand Canal, opened in 2008. The work of Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava, it links the bus station at Piazzale Roma with Venezia Santa Lucia, the city’s railway station. It’s a great short cut, taking around 400 metres off the previous walk between the two.
Calatrava’s bridge has been widely criticized. Some don’t like it because it’s modern, and at odds with the centuries-old architecture throughout Venice. Others have complained about the lack of wheelchair access – this was remedied with a lift, but this has recently been removed.
And there have been many falls on the bridge, usually as a result of people slipping on the surface, some of which includes glass. At the time of writing (2025) the walking surface is being replaced with stone.
In its defence, arriving in Venice is one of the best travel experiences you’ll have in your life – as long as you’re not in the middle of a huge crowd! I’ll never forget the first time I stepped out of Santa Lucia station, seeing the green dome of San Simeone Piccolo and the Grand Canal busy with all kinds of boats and barges. Well, the view along the Grand Canal from the Calatrava Bridge is even better. My advice: if you’re concerned about the slippery surface of the bridge, just catch the vaporetto – which leaves from next to the bridge – instead.
Getting there: Vaporetto to Piazzale Roma (or Ferrovia)
Accademia Bridge – Ponte dell’Accademia
Travelling from the station to San Marco, the Accademia Bridge is the last of the four Grand Canal bridges in Venice. Linking Dorsoduro and the Accademia art gallery with the Campo San Vidal and (a little further on) Campo Santo Stefano on the San Marco side, it’s surprising that the first bridge on the site was only built in 1854.
That original steel bridge was replaced in 1934 by the present wooden bridge, which was designed by Eugenio Miozzi, who was also responsible for the Scalzi bridge at the opposite end of the Grand Canal around the same time.
The Accademia Bridge is the end point of one of my favourite walks in Venice, which begins around a mile away on St Mark’s Square. This backstreet route takes you past some of the finest churches in Venice, including the exuberant Baroque Santa Maria del Giglio, and some of the loveliest squares in the city.
And as for the Dorsoduro side of the Grand Canal, head along the nearby Rio di San Trovaso for one of the highlights of Venice off the beaten path. The Squero di San Trovaso is where gondolas are taken for repair – a rare skill these days!
Getting there: Vaporetto to Accademia
Ponte dei Tre Archi – Three Arched Bridge, Cannaregio
If you’re planning a trip to Murano, Burano or Torcello, you may well pass along the Cannaregio Canal through the residential northwestern district of the city. Along the way you’ll pass beneath the Ponte dei Tre Archi – the Bridge of Three Arches – the sole such surviving bridge left in Venice.
It’s one of the early works of Venetian Baroque architect Andrea Tirali. He was also responsible for the markedly leaning campanile of San Martino church on the island of Burano – luckily the bridge has proved more stable!
Cannaregio is a fascinating part of the city to visit. The Renaissance church of San Giobbe (St Job) is very close to the bridge, and the Venetian Ghetto is a few minutes’ walk away via the opposite bank of the Canal.
Getting there: Vaporetto to Crea or Tre Archi
Ponte del Diavolo – Devil’s Bridge (Torcello)
The last of our Venetian bridges is in the far north of the lagoon, on the fascinating island of Torcello.
The path from the Torcello vaporetto stop to its two churches and museum passes this centuries-old bridge. It’s one of only two left in Venice without handrails or parapets, that looks as it would have done in the Middle Ages.
There are many bridges around Europe named after the Devil, and many of them have similar backstories. In this case, a local girl had fallen in love with an occupying Austrian soldier, shortly after the Venetian Republic had lost its independence for the first time in over a thousand years.
Her family were strongly opposed to the relationship, and the soldier was murdered, possibly by her family. Devastated, she meets a witch at the bridge, who promises her that her soldier will be brought back to life – albeit in exchange for the souls of seven dead children, one of whom would have to be brought to the bridge on December 24th for the following seven years.
The Austrian soldier was brought back to life, but the witch couldn’t keep her promise to the Devil, as she too was murdered. Legend has it that the Devil appears there on the same day each year in the guise of a black cat. If you haven’t heard this story before, you’ll have heard elements of it elsewhere!
Bridges In Venice – Final Thoughts
There are 435 bridges in Venice, and despite spending over two months exploring the city I’ve probably still got around 150 to cross. The best thing to do in Venice is wander the back streets of the city – perhaps with a rough plan – and explore from there. For more Venice inspiration, take a look at some of my other Venice articles and itineraries:
Grand Canal Venice – complete photo guide to the most beautiful street in the world
Sunrise in Venice – the best places to catch dawn in La Serenissima
Sunset in Venice – photo tips on the best places to watch the sunset in the Floating City
Venice landmarks – 34 essential sights not to miss to see, as well as the best
Churches in Venice – from exotic Byzantine to florid Baroque, and Gothic and Renaissance wonders aplenty
Best Area To Stay In Venice – guides to all six sestieri in Venice, plus mainland Mestre and beyond
17 Photos of Venice – a visual taster of this extraordinary city
Day Trip To Venice – not the best way to appreciate Venice – but here’s how to make the very best of it
Weekend in Venice – how to plan and enjoy a weekend break in La Serenissima
3-Day Venice Itinerary – getting the most of a 3-day stay in Venice, including a day trip into the Venetian Lagoon
Best Day Trips From Venice – from lagoon boat trips to stunning Padua, across the Veneto region and beyond.
I have also written many articles on architecture in Europe, including several articles on bridges around the continent. Check out some of these guides to bridges in other cities in Europe:
The 8 Most Beautiful Bridges In Prague
Charles Bridge Prague – perhaps the most beautiful bridge in the world