The Da Vinci Interactive Museum (Museo Interattivo Leonardo da Vinci) is housed in the Scoletta di San Rocco at Campo San Rocco, San Polo 3052 in Venice. The building was constructed in 1494 as the first seat of the Confraternity of Saint Roch, and retains its original staircase, entrance door, and six 17th-century paintings from the school of Tintoretto. The museum covers 500 m² with 50 interactive machines, 300 drawings and codices, and 15 multimedia screens.
This guide was updated in June 2026. The most important practical fact: the official website advertises 50% off online — buying tickets through the museum’s own site halves the admission price. Separately, last admission is 17:00 (not the 18:00 closing time), a distinction many guides overlook. You can book through GetYourGuide in advance.
Quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | Campo San Rocco, San Polo 3052, 30125 Venice, Italy (Scoletta di San Rocco, opposite the Scuola Grande) |
| Hours | Open every day, 09:30–18:00 |
| Last admission | 17:00 (one hour before closing) |
| Closed | 25 December |
| Door price (adult) | €18 |
| Online price (adult) | €9 |
| Under 3 | Free |
| Audio guide | 7 languages (earphones recommended) |
| 10% discount | Bookshop purchase discount included with ticket |
| Nearest vaporetto | San Tomà (Line 1 or Line 2) |
| Walking time from San Tomà | 5 minutes |
| Walking time from Piazzale Roma | 10 minutes |
| Walking time from Santa Lucia station | 15 minutes |
| Typical visit | 45–75 minutes |
Da Vinci Interactive Museum opening hours
The museum is open every day of the year except 25 December, from 09:30 to 18:00. The last admission is at 17:00 — one hour before closing. This is explicitly stated in the official Italian website information, but absent from most guides which only quote the 18:00 closing time. Arriving at 17:30 means no entry.
Da Vinci Interactive Museum admission prices
The official website prominently advertises 50% off for tickets purchased online — the discount is the museum’s own promotional offer, not a third-party promotion.
| Category | Notes |
|---|---|
| Adult (online) | €9 |
| Under 3 | Free |
| Bookshop discount | 10% off purchases included with any admission ticket |
Book through GetYourGuide to access the discounted online price and confirm your entry.
Why visit the Da Vinci Interactive Museum Venice?
- 🔬 50 interactive machines you can operate: All of Leonardo’s principal mechanical inventions are represented at full scale and most can be touched and operated — a hands-on visit rather than a glass-case display.
- 🎟️ Buy online for 50% off: The museum’s own website advertises a 50% online discount on all tickets. This is a first-party offer, not a third-party promotional price — and it halves the admission cost.
- 🏛️ A 1494 building with Tintoretto-school paintings: The Scoletta di San Rocco is one of the few 15th-century scuole buildings still accessible in Venice, with six original paintings and the original 18th-century entrance door. The building itself is part of the experience.
- 📜 The Royal Da Vinci Commission collection: 300 drawings displayed in rotation, from the codices transcribed by the Commission established in Rome in 1902 — the most complete Leonardo drawing collection on public display, accessible via touchscreen digitisation.
- 💰 Open every day except Christmas: With just one annual closure date, this is one of the most reliably open attractions in Venice — useful on days when other sites are closed or unpredictably timed.
How to get to the Da Vinci Interactive Museum
By vaporetto, take Line 1 or Line 2 to the San Tomà stop. From the landing stage, cross the wooden bridge (Ponte San Tomà), walk through the small square and follow signs to Campo dei Frari. The Scoletta di San Rocco is directly opposite the entrance to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, behind the Basilica dei Frari — a 5-minute walk from the vaporetto.
From Piazzale Roma (buses and car park), walk towards Fondamenta dei Tolentini and follow the route south towards the Frari — approximately 10 minutes.
From Santa Lucia railway station, cross Ponte degli Scalzi towards the church of San Simeon Piccolo, then follow the route to Campo dei Frari — approximately 15 minutes on foot.
Parking at the Da Vinci Interactive Museum
Venice’s historic centre has no car access for visitors. Arrive by vaporetto, on foot, or by water taxi. If arriving by car, park at Piazzale Roma (multi-storey, paid) or Tronchetto (car ferry parking), then take the vaporetto or walk to San Tomà.
How long to spend at the Da Vinci Interactive Museum
Allow 45 to 75 minutes. The 500 m² space covers four themed sections (earth, water, air, fire), the interactive machines, the paintings and drawings gallery, the experimental science stations, and the Royal Da Vinci Commission touchscreen collection. Most self-guided visitors complete the visit in under an hour. School groups with an in-house guide take up to 90 minutes. The bookshop is at the exit and adds time for many visitors.
Accessibility at the Da Vinci Interactive Museum
The museum occupies a historic 15th-century building. The official site and Expedia listing confirm wheelchair accessibility and stroller/pram access throughout. The Scoletta di San Rocco is a compact building and all exhibition areas are at ground level or reached via internal stairs; confirm lift or ramp provision by contacting the museum in advance for visitors with specific mobility requirements. Photography inside is permitted and actively encouraged; earphones are recommended when using the audio guide out of respect for other visitors.
What to see at the Da Vinci Interactive Museum
The interactive machines section is the centrepiece. Around 50 full-scale working reconstructions of Leonardo’s inventions are on display — the armoured vehicle, the aerial screw (helicopter prototype), the revolving bridge, the rolling mill, the geodesic dome, the hydraulic saw, and numerous mechanisms illustrating the principles of physics, mechanics, and engineering. Each is built from Leonardo’s original codex drawings and can be touched and operated by visitors of all ages. Multilingual explanations accompany each machine.
The paintings and drawings gallery presents Leonardo’s major works in life-size backlit reproductions using high-resolution technology. The Vitruvian Man, the Annunciation, the Madonna del Garofano, and portraits are among the works on show alongside anatomical drawings and engineering sketches. The reproduction technology allows visitors to see detail invisible in normal viewing conditions.
The experimental science stations cover Leonardo’s discoveries in anatomy, geometry, physics, and mechanics through models, workshops, and multimedia films. The anatomy section focuses on his medical illustrations, which represent a significant advance in the accurate depiction of the human body.
The Royal Da Vinci Commission collection is the museum’s most distinctive scholarly feature. In 1902, the Royal Da Vinci Commission was established in Rome under the Ministry of Education to bring together Leonardo’s dispersed heritage. The museum holds 300 drawings displayed in rotation, together with the transcribed and translated codices. The codices are consulted via touchscreen digitisation — the originals being too fragile for direct handling.
Practical tips for visiting the Da Vinci Interactive Museum
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Buy online for 50% off | The museum’s official website and booking partners offer a 50% online discount. There is no reason to pay the full door price for advance visits. |
| Last admission is 17:00, not 18:00 | The museum closes at 18:00 but stops admitting visitors at 17:00. Arriving at 17:30 means no entry. |
| Bring earphones | The audio guide in 7 languages is designed for use with earphones. The museum recommends this out of respect for other visitors. |
| The building is its own attraction | The Scoletta di San Rocco (1494) contains the original 18th-century staircase and door, and six paintings from the Tintoretto school. Look up and around as well as at the exhibits. |
| Book in advance | Online booking secures the discounted price and avoids a potential queue, particularly during peak summer. |
Da Vinci Interactive Museum FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the last admission time? | 17:00 — one hour before the 18:00 closing time. Not 17:30 or 18:00 as some listings suggest. |
| Is it closed on any days? | Only 25 December. The museum is open every other day of the year. |
| Are under-3s free? | Yes — children under 3 enter free. Strollers and prams are permitted inside. |
| Which vaporetto stop should I use? | San Tomà (Line 1 or Line 2), then a 5-minute walk. The museum is opposite the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, behind the Basilica dei Frari. |
Things to do near the Da Vinci Interactive Museum
The Scuola Grande di San Rocco is directly opposite the museum entrance — one of the great decorative interiors of Venice. Tintoretto spent 23 years painting its walls and ceilings, creating one of the largest individual painting commissions in Western art. Separate admission charged.
The Basilica dei Frari (Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari) is around 2 minutes’ walk east. Venice’s principal Franciscan church holds Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin over the high altar — one of the most important paintings in Italy — and his Madonna di Ca’ Pesaro in the left nave. Admission charged; free for worship.
Palazzo Mocenigo is a 10-minute walk north and houses the Museum of Fabrics and Costumes, one of Venice’s most undervisited museums. The 18th-century palace is preserved with period furnishings; admission is separate and modest.
The Rialto market area is around 15 minutes’ walk north. The Pescaria (fish market, Monday–Saturday morning) and the Erberia (produce market) are among the most authentic commercial spaces in Venice, occupying a site that has been a market for over 1,000 years.
Campo Santa Margherita is 5 minutes south-west — Venice’s largest square and its liveliest everyday space, surrounded by bars, cafés, and restaurants popular with local students. Free to visit at any time; tables outside most venues from morning onwards.
Similar museums to visit near Venice
The Museo Leonardo da Vinci, Rome (Palazzo della Cancelleria) is a comparable interactive Leonardo exhibition in a more historically significant building. Rome is around 4 hours from Venice by high-speed train. The Rome exhibition also features interactive machines and is described in a separate guide in this series.
The Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Milan is the world’s largest science museum dedicated to Leonardo, with over 180 machine reconstructions. Milan is around 2.5 hours from Venice by high-speed train.
Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), Venice is a 20-minute vaporetto ride east on Line 1 and covers the history of the Venetian Republic with works by Tintoretto and Veronese. An essential companion to a Venice visit.
The Museo Galileo, Florence is Italy’s national museum of the history of science and holds the most important collection of Renaissance scientific instruments in the world, including Galileo’s telescopes. Around 2 hours from Venice by high-speed train.
The Correr Museum, Venice is on Piazza San Marco (included in the Doge’s Palace combined ticket) and covers the history and art of Venice from the 9th to the 18th century. Around 20 minutes by vaporetto from San Tomà.
More Veneto travel
Other Veneto travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- A guide to Treviso for first time visitors.
- What you need to know before visiting the San Nicolo church in Treviso.
- A guide to Padua for first time visitors – including the Palazzo Bo, Cappella degli Scrovegni and Orto Botanico.
- A guide to Vicenza for first time visitors.
- Exploring Palladian architecture in Vicenza, including the Basilica Palladiana and Teatro Olimpico.
- A guide to Verona for first time visitors – including the Torre dei Lamberti.
