Langoustines on a stall at the Rialto market

Rialto Market

Best time: Early morning, Tuesday to Saturday for the fish
Getting there: Across the Rialto Bridge from San Marco; vaporetto Rialto Mercato

Why it’s in the log

Venice's market moved to the Rialto in 1097, and the area became the commercial heart of the city. Two markets are still there every morning: the Erberia for fruit and vegetables, and the Pescheria, the fish market, with cuttlefish, eels, crabs and prawns.

The writer Pietro Aretino, who lived across the Grand Canal from it, wrote in 1550 that it gave him "the most beautiful street and the liveliest view in the world". Go early, while the restaurants are buying, and then find a bacaro nearby for a glass and cicchetti.

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Bar

Harry's Bar

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Mentioned alongside

City

Venice

No cars, no exceptions — everything moves on foot or by water, and the crowds thin out one bridge from San Marco.

Part of

Markets

The Best Old Markets Still Trading

Nine markets that have outlasted empires: a Kyoto fish street from the 8th century, Venice's Rialto since 1097, and Istanbul's covered bazaar from the 1450s.