Scala Contarini del Bovolo tickets

Tickets and booking

The staircase belongs to IPAV, Venice's public welfare institution, and visits are run by the Fondazione Venezia Servizi alla Persona under the "Hidden Jewels of Venice" banner. Full price is €9; €7 reduced for ages 12 to 26, over-65s and members of FAI, Touring Club Italiano or TGS Eurogroup. Children under 12, City of Venice residents, disabled visitors with a companion and licensed guides go free. Eligibility is checked at the desk, so carry ID.

When the palace's exhibition rooms are closed, there's a single €7 ticket for all paying visitors.

Booking isn't required but strongly advised. Visits are reserved by date and time, and it's a narrow tower. Groups over 10 must book. If you qualify for free entry and still want a fixed time, you can reserve online for a €1 booking fee.

Tiqets and GetYourGuide also sell entry, at more than the official price — useful if you already manage the rest of your trip there, or if the official calendar is full.

Hours

• Winter (to the end of February): daily 9:30am–5:30pm, last entry 5pm.
• Summer (1 March–31 October): daily 10am–6pm, last entry 5:30pm.
• Closed 25 and 26 December; closes at 4pm on 24 and 31 December; opens at 2pm on 1 January.

The climb

Eighty single-block stone steps turn anticlockwise inside a 26-metre cylindrical tower, open to the courtyard through arches all the way up. No lift, so it's not an option for wheelchair users, and with a big backpack or a toddler on your hip it feels narrower than it is. At the top is the Belvedere terrace, with the whole city around you: roofs, roof terraces, bell towers.

It's lower than St Mark's Campanile but much closer to the rooftops, and far less crowded. If you don't want to pay for the Campanile, or want a photo nobody else on your tour has, this is the one.

Finding it

It's hidden in a courtyard — Corte Contarini del Bovolo, San Marco 4303 — about halfway between the Rialto and St Mark's, but off the main routes. Keep the map open from the nearest square and expect to doubt yourself until the last corner; that's normal.

Carnival note: photos in costume or with a professional photographer need a special €15 ticket, not sold online.