Venice, in the season of art and cinema

Biennale Arte 2026 and the Venice International Film Festival bring art, cinema and conversation to every corner of the city. An invitation to experience Venice at its most compelling, with Orient Express Venezia as a place from which to explore it differently. 

 

There are moments when Venice seems to move at a different tempo. From 9 May to 22 November, Biennale Arte 2026 brings contemporary art to the Giardini, the Arsenale and locations across Venice. Then, from 2 to 12 September, the 83rd Venice International Film Festival turns the Lido towards cinema, gathering filmmakers, actors and audiences from around the world.These are more than dates in the cultural calendar.

They change the way the city is crossed, read and discussed. An exhibition becomes a reason to take another bridge. A screening continues over dinner beside a quiet canal. A morning at the Arsenale can lead into Castello; an afternoon in a gallery towards an entirely different part of Venice.The events may provide the occasion to come. Venice gives the journey its depth.

Venice during Biennale Arte 2026

The Venice Biennale has always had an unusual relationship with its surroundings. Its exhibitions do not simply take place in Venice. They become part of the city. For Biennale Arte 2026, In Minor Keys unfolds between the Giardini, the Arsenale and locations throughout Venice from May to November. It is an opportunity to discover contemporary art while moving through one of the world's most extraordinary urban landscapes.

But experiencing the Biennale in Venice is also about what happens between exhibitions.

The vaporetto crossing. A doorway left unexpectedly open. The changing light on the façades. A table found away from the busiest streets. Venice encourages detours, and perhaps rewards them more than almost any other city. This is where the Biennale becomes more than an event. It becomes another way of reading Venice.

Venice International Film Festival 2026

September changes the mood once again. During the Venice International Film Festival 2026, the attention of the film world turns towards the Lido. Premieres and screenings bring a new energy to the lagoon, while Venice itself becomes part of the experience surrounding them.

The journey between Venice and the Lido creates its own rhythm. Mornings can begin among the calli before continuing across the water for a screening. Evenings return to Venice, where the pace shifts once the day's programme is over.

For travelers wondering where to stay during the Venice Film Festival, remaining in Venice rather than on the Lido offers a different perspective on the event. Cinema becomes part of the stay, rather than its entire purpose.

Discover another side of Venice

Biennale and Film Festival inevitably attract visitors towards some of Venice's best-known cultural landmarks. Yet this is also a city where some of its most memorable moments happen away from an itinerary.,In Cannaregio, Venice gradually becomes quieter.

Historic palazzi face narrow canals. Small bridges open onto unexpected perspectives. The city's everyday life remains visible between galleries, workshops, churches and bacari. Walking becomes less about reaching somewhere and more about noticing what appears along the way.

For those visiting Venice for the Biennale or the Film Festival, this contrast matters. After the intensity of an exhibition, a premiere or a day spent crossing the city, another Venice waits only a few streets away. One that asks for a little more time.

Stay at Orient Express Venezia

At the meeting of two canals in Cannaregio, Orient Express Venezia offers a natural starting point for experiencing the city during its great cultural moments. Set within Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, a 15th-century Venetian palace reimagined by architect and artistic director Aline Asmar d'Amman, the hotel brings different periods of Venice into conversation.

Original architecture and frescoes meet contemporary craftsmanship. Courtyards and gardens create quieter moments within the palace, while its location places guests within Venice rather than simply beside its landmarks. From here, the city can be approached without a prescribed route. Set out towards the Biennale. Cross Venice towards the lagoon. Spend the afternoon between exhibitions. Return before heading out again as evening begins.

Orient Express Venezia becomes less a pause between experiences than part of the way Venice itself is experienced.

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Where to stay in Venice for the Biennale and Film Festival

Choosing where to stay in Venice during the Biennale or Venice Film Festival is ultimately a question of perspective.

Staying in the city allows its cultural programme to become part of something broader: mornings along quiet canals, afternoons between Giardini and Arsenale, journeys across the lagoon and evenings that continue long after the exhibitions and screenings have ended.

At Orient Express Venezia, the experience begins and ends inside one of the city's historic palazzi, in a part of Venice that invites exploration beyond the most familiar paths.Come for the art. Cross the lagoon for the cinema. And leave enough time for everything Venice places in between.

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