Cannaregio

What you gain

• ↑The Venetian Jewish Ghetto (established 1516, the first ghetto in the world) is one of the most historically significant and least visited major sites in Venice: the five synagogues, the Jewish Museum, and the campo where the community was locked in at night for 280 years constitute a heritage site of extraordinary importance in a neighbourhood that is genuinely quiet
• ↑Strada Nova is the principal shopping street of the Venetians themselves: the fruit stalls, bakers, hardware shops, and neighbourhood bars between Santa Lucia station and the Rialto create the most authentic commercial streetscape in Venice — entirely different from the souvenir-dominated streets of San Marco
• ↑Cannaregio's northern lagoon-facing fondamenta — particularly Fondamenta della Misericordia — is the finest bacaro bar strip in Venice: these waterside bars serve local residents in the evening with a cicheti and Aperol spritz culture that is almost entirely free of the tourist markup that applies everywhere near San Marco

What you sacrifice

• ↓Cannaregio is the furthest main sestiere from San Marco and the Frari: while the walk is manageable (20–30 minutes), those staying in Cannaregio will spend more time walking to the major sites than those based in Dorsoduro or San Polo
• ↓The proximity to Santa Lucia train station creates a higher foot traffic zone near the station end of Cannaregio — the streets between the station and the Rialto are busy and not the quietest parts of the sestiere