The gondola parking lot

Bacino Orseolo is where most of the San Marco area gondolas park

The gondolas at the Bacino San Orseolo in front of the Hotel Cavaletto

The gondolas at the Bacino San Orseolo in front of the Albergo Cavalletto & Doge Orseolo.

If you want to see the biggest gondola parking lot in Venice, it's surprisingly easy to find but surprisingly often missed—odd, since it lies just north of the northwest corner of Piazza San Marco, just north of the Museo Correr, cupped in the curving yellow walls of the Albergo Cavalletto & Doge Orseolo (making for some sweet views from the hotel's red-awninged windows).

This magic spot is called the Bacino Orseolo, a small basin—really just a wide spot in the canal—where dozens of boats bouncing gently in the water. Gondoliers park their here rides in the evenings and then stand around in their striped shirts, swapping war stories.

Tips & links

Details

Bacino Orseolo
Fondamenta Orseolo (Just north of the NW corner of Piazza San Marco—through the very last exit along the piazza's northern edge, between Calle Cavaletto and the Museo Correr.)
Vaporetto: San Marco
Always open
Free

How long does the Bacino Orseolo take?

Planning your day: Budget all of 5 minutes. You just kind of look at it, snap a few pictures, and move on. Venice itineraries

Nearby sights, dining, hotels

Sights nearby
Museo Civico Correr
★★★ Piazza San Marco
★★★ St. Marks' Basilica
★★★ Palazzo Ducale
★★★ Grand Canal
★ Campanile di San Marco

Where to eat nearby
★★★ Bistrot de Venise (meal)
★ Da Aciugheta (meal/pizza)
★★ Osteria a la Campana (light meal)
★★ Vino Vino (light meal)
Rosticceria Teatro Goldoni (light meal/snack)

Hotels nearby
Hotel Danieli (splurge)
Hotel ai do Mori (moderate)
Hotel Violino d'Oro (moderate)

» More hotels in San Marco from Booking.com

Venice links & resources

Sights & experiences
Lodging
Transport

Tourist info
Turismovenezia.it

Other useful sites
Agendavenezia.org [events]
Veneziaeventi.com [events]
Veneziadavivere.com [events]
Veniceforvisitors.com [guidesite]
Venezia.net [guidesite/events]
Veneziatoday.it [news/events]

Hotel
B&B
Apt
Hostel
Residence
Farm

Public
Air
Train
Car
Tour
Bus
Ship

Public transit
Actv.it (vaporetto [public "water buses"]; traghetti; land buses)
Motoscafivenezia.it (water taxis)
Alilaguna.it (airport ferry)

Maps
Amazon.com (print maps)
Maps.venicexplorer.net (address locator)
Smu.insula.it (route finder)

Venice airports
Veniceairport.it (Venice Marco Polo airport)
Trevisoairport.it (Treviso airport ~30 min. away; used by some low-cost airlines)

Airport transfers: By sea (to downtown Venice)
Alilaguna.it (public ferry: €15)
Viator.com (shared boat: €30; private boat: from €34)
Motoscafivenezia.it (water taxi: €100)

Airport transfers: By land (to Piazzale Roma)
Atvo.it (shuttle bus: €6)
Actv.it (city bus: €6)

Venice rail station
Venezia Santa Lucia: Grandistazioni.it, Fondamenta S. Lucia (in the NW corner of the city)
Vaproetto to San Marco: 1, 2, N

Driving/parking
Asmvenezia.it (Piazzale Rome garage: most central, €23–29; S. Giuliano lot: farthest, €12)
Veniceparking.it (Tronchetto garage: fairly central, €21)

Car resources
Emergency service/tow: tel. 803-116
Highway agency: Autostrade.it (traffic info, serivce areas, toll calculator, weather)
Italian automotive club (~AAA): Aci.it
ZTLs: Ztl-italia.blogspot.com (lightly outdated, but handy, links to cities' traffic-free zones)