Located adjacent to the Ponte Rialto, the Fondaco Tedeschi is a centuries-old building that has always been a marketplace. Its interior is stunning with a 6-story open atrium and beautiful merchandise displays. We visited to take advantage of their rooftop terrace observation deck. It's free, but reservations are required. Every 15 minutes, a new group is allowed out on the rooftop to enjoy the views. We were there on a beautiful September evening, just at 6pm, to enjoy views of the Grand Canal as well as views well beyond the island. Lots of orange rooftops but you can pick out certain known buildings. Mostly it was just relaxing after a day filled with art and history.

Nice and free view of Venice from above! Make sure to book tickets online. No food allowed inside and only 15 min time limit as it gets busy. It is inside a mall, on the very top floor

This used to be the headquarters of German merchants in Venice but is now one of the largest shopping centers and has high end merchandise and souvenirs. There is a terrace at the top which gives an excellent vantage point for the Rialto Bridge and Grand Canal. The terrace on the fourth floor requires reservations but it is free to go for a 15 minute time slot and must be reserved online. They seem to regularly sell out of time slots but you can book 21 days in advance. We lucked out with a good view of the canal and the Rialto Bridge from a shoe store in the northeast corner. The shopping centre is free to enter and there is no pressure to buy but when we visited there was only one entrance opened to the public as far as we could figure out.

You have to book a date and time slot to visit the rooftop terrace, don’t take a chance and turn up, you won’t get in. We booked in advance and was it worth it… absolutely! Considering it is free when everything else in Venice you pay for, it really is a breathtaking view of the city. Take as many photos/videos as you want in your 15 min slot and you will take home beautiful memories of that view. Oh and it is housed in a gorgeous department store which in itself is impressive with all the mood lighting. Highly recommend

I counted down the days until we could reserve our tickets, and am glad I did because they sold out the same day! We arrived with our tickets at the appointed time, but a rude security guard almost didn’t seem to want to let us in. The terrace view of Venice was lovely, and as we dodged the selfie stick toting crowd, we were finally able to get a few photos of our own. As we left, I asked the rude guard where the nearest restroom was. He lied and told me there wasn’t one, that I would have to leave the store and ask at a restaurant. Since I knew the waiting room to go out on the terrace used to sell drinks and refreshments, I knew there had to be a bathroom nearby, and located one by the elevator within 2 minutes. Why lie? Why be so angry and rude? Downstairs there were many delightful shops and I saw quite a few souvenirs I wanted to purchase, but the rude guard left a bad taste in my mouth, and I decided to spend my euros elsewhere!

Great views across the Grand Canal from this 4th floor roof terrace - located in a store next to the Rialto Bridge. Booking system which allows only small numbers of people timed entry. You MUST book in advance (see web site - 2 weeks in advance) - 15 min slots

We had several great views from above during our recent trip to Venice, including from the top of Torcello cathedral, the campanile of St. Mark's, the roof of the Torre dell'Orologio, and the campanile of San Giorgio Maggiore, and the view from the rooftop of T Fondaco dei Tedeschi was definitely the best! We booked around 6-7am Venice time 6 weeks on the dot prior to our visit date to ensure a spot as close to 6pm as possible, as we were coming during a very crowded time in Venice. The view was worth it - it sits right at a bend in the Grand Canal and affords a panoramic spectrum over the whole lagoon. The time slots were managed efficiently, and 15 minutes were more than sufficient to enjoy the view and get some nice photos. It was not really crowded due to this ticket management system - although many people without reservations were turned away.

When I told the Mr. I had reservations for us to take in the view from the rooftop of T Fondaco Del Tedeschi, he was skeptical that it was worth the time or effort. Once we stepped out on the rooftop for our allotted fifteen minutes, he knew exactly why we were there. We oohed and aahed as we took in the views from first one side and then the other. HIGHLY recommended activity when in Venice. The views are free, but honestly, I'd pay money to see it.

A lovely and very unusual department store. Too late to book a visit to the roof terrace before my visit to Venice, so while in neighbourhood, we went to have a look. It is an amazing building and a pot of tea and cake in the afternoon looking all around and up the different floors. Where situated, it was the quietest place to pass time on a very hot day in Venice.