The Biennale Architettura 2027, the 20th International Architecture Exhibition, runs from 8 May to 21 November 2027 at the Giardini and the Arsenale in Venice, curated by Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu; allow at least a full day for the two venues and book tickets on the official La Biennale website. Here is how to fit it into a stay in Venice, Italy without losing the rest of the city.
What is the Biennale Architettura?
La Biennale di Venezia added a dedicated architecture exhibition in 1980, with Paolo Portoghesi as its first director; architecture had already been part of the Art Biennale since 1968. Today the architecture exhibition is held in odd-numbered years, alternating with the Art Biennale. National pavilions stand in the Giardini, the public gardens in Castello, while the main international exhibition extends through the vast spaces of the Arsenale.
For 2027 the curators are the Chinese architects Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu. The exhibition is titled Do Architecture — For the Possibility of Coexistence Facing a Real Reality. Check labiennale.org for the participants, the collateral events across the city and the opening days and times. Tickets, reduced options and accessibility information are also published there, and they are not included in the guide fee.
Why is the Arsenale worth seeing in itself?
The Arsenale was the shipyard of the Venetian Republic. Construction began, according to tradition, around 1104, and over the centuries it became the industrial heart of Venice, where galleys were built, armed and repaired. Dante described its winter work, with pitch boiling to caulk the ships, in the Inferno. The monumental land gate, the Porta Magna, dates from around 1460; the marble lions beside it were brought from Piraeus in 1687.
Walking through the Arsenale during the Biennale lets you see brick halls and docks that are not otherwise easy to visit. It is also a good starting point to understand how Venice worked as a productive city, not only as a monument.
How do you plan a Biennale day?
- Plan the Giardini and the Arsenale as two separate half days if you can; walking between them takes time, and June days can be hot.
- Check the official opening days and times before you go: they vary during the exhibition.
- Bring water, a hat and comfortable shoes; many spaces are large and partly outdoors.
- Look for national pavilions and collateral events in palaces around the city: they are a good excuse to discover quieter neighborhoods.
- June weekends are access fee dates in 2027, as are 1–6 June. Day visitors should check the rules on cda.ve.it.
Official information: La Biennale – Architecture 2027, Venice access fee.
Combine the Biennale with our industrial Venice private tour, which explores the Arsenale area, Giudecca and the Molino Stucky. Request a free, no-obligation tailor-made quote – reply within 24 hours.
