Accommodation and arrival

Accommodation

Accommodation in Venice can seem limited, and hard to find, but if you are well-prepared and get organised early, there are a lot of options available. Seeing as Ca’ Foscari University does not have a single centralized campus - instead, its offices and classrooms are distributed throughout the historic center of Venice - student accommodation can be found in various areas of the city. Some students may also choose to reside on the mainland (Mestre), where housing options are often more affordable. Students are responsible for securing their own accommodation independently; housing is not included in the course fees.

Below you can find a partial list of accommodation facilities in Venice and Mestre that you can contact.

---

Arrival

As you prepare for your Summer School experience, here are some practical details to help you get started and navigate your first days in Venice. 

How the Summer School works 

Our summer courses run from Monday to Friday, typically between 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Some curricular activities — such as workshops, guided visits, or on-site sessions —might follow a different schedule, but you’ll always be informed in advance, and will find the full schedule on the website closer to the beginning of the summer session. 

All course materials, readings, and useful documents will be made available to you in a shared Google Drive folder, on our online e-learning platform Moodle, or by email directly. You’ll receive access to the Google Drive folder shortly before the start of the program once we have officially enrolled you. 

Enrolment 

In order to enrol you, we will need you to register your personal data in our system. We will contact you around early June with all relevant information and instructions. 

Your first day 

On your first day, we will host a quick Orientation session to go over your schedule, classes, activities, and more. A few days before the program begins, you’ll receive a detailed email with all the necessary information: where to meet on the first day, your complete class schedule, and other useful tips. Make sure to check your inbox (and spam folder!) so you don’t miss it. 

Where classes are held 

All classes take place in the historic center of Venice, in different university buildings depending on the day's schedule. Exact classroom locations and times will be clearly indicated in the program you’ll receive.

---

Living in Venice

Whether by water or by wandering, moving around Venice is a pleasure, with something to look at around every single corner. Make sure you take advantage of our cultural programme to come into contact with its historical monuments, majestic churches, and world-renowned museums, as well as the real-life day-to-day Venice as seen through the eyes of our expert teachers and local guides. 

The Venetian summer is also full of festivals, local celebrations, events, and exhibitions. We will provide you with an overview of what’s on during Orientation so you can truly immerse yourself in the city and have a truly unique summer study experience.

Moving around 

Venice is a city like no other—built on water, walkable, and with a unique public transport system based on boats, known as vaporetti. While it’s entirely possible (and often enjoyable) to explore the city on foot, the public transport system can be very useful—especially in the summer, when heat and humidity can be intense. 

A single vaporetto (water bus) ticket can be quite costly and is valid for 75 minutes. If you plan to use public transport frequently, it's worth considering a Venezia Unica card (the public transport card), which allows you to purchase discounted tickets or monthly passes. When going to the dedicated offices to buy it, remember to bring your certificate of enrolment to obtain the student discount! The student rates (as long as you are under 26) are very convenient compared to the standard ones.