Mercerie

Three streets of serious shopping
Word to the wise: Keep an eye on your wallet - the tightly-packed streets are a pickpockets paradise.

A trio of tiny, interconnecting streets between Piazza San Marco and Ponte di Rialto, the Mercerie are packed with a mix of big-name designer stores - Cartier, Rolex, Versace, Gucci - and tacky souvenir kiosks. These narrow passageways were once the centre of day-to-day trade in Venice and they still teem with people today partaking in a much more modern take on the age old pursuit.
It can get quite claustrophobic at times, but there are plenty of bars to dive into for a respite. You'll pay more here than in other areas of the city, but that's the premium for shopping on these historic streets.