A mall with a canal through the middle
The Grand Canal Shoppes opened with The Venetian in 1999 and expanded into the Palazzo in 2008, and the whole thing is organised around a quarter-mile indoor canal on the resort's second level. Gondolas glide under bridges, the ceiling is a painted late-afternoon sky, the streets are cobbled and the facades are reproductions of Venice, right down to a Rialto-style bridge and a St. Mark's Square with a campanile. Roughly 160 stores and restaurants line the canal and the arcades off it, with a further stretch on the Palazzo side. It is a fraction less crowded than the Forum Shops, more pleasant to sit in, and the closest thing on the Strip to a European shopping street, if the European street had air-conditioning and a Sephora.
The stores
The mix sits a notch below the luxury malls and a notch above Miracle Mile. Along the canal are the aspirational mid-range names (Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Coach, Sephora, Lululemon, Ted Baker), watch and jewellery boutiques, an unusually good spread of shoe and accessory shops, and Bauman Rare Books, which is worth a browse even if you never buy a first edition. The Palazzo wing carries the more upscale tenants, historically the luxury fashion and jewellery houses, though that stretch has turned over in recent years and is worth checking before you visit. Speciality stores include a Venetian-mask shop, a sock store, art galleries and a couple of confectioners aimed at the walk-past trade. It is a good mall for accessories and gifts and a weak one for department-store basics; for those, Fashion Show is across the road.
The gondola ride and the street performers
The gondola is the Grand Canal Shoppes' signature. Indoor rides run along the canal under the painted sky; outdoor rides use the lagoon in front of The Venetian facing the Strip. Both last around 12 to 15 minutes, gondoliers sing, and as of 2026 a shared ride runs roughly $35 to $45 per person with private two-person gondolas around double that; children need a paid seat, and tickets are sold at the booth near St. Mark's Square and online, where booking ahead matters on weekends. Around the square, the resort's "Streetmosphere" performers, opera singers, living statues and costumed characters, appear through the afternoon and evening for free. It is one of the better romantic things to do on the Strip and an easy win with children.
Where to eat along the canal
The dining is strong. Around St. Mark's Square and the canal you will find Yardbird (Southern fried chicken, big brunch), Sugarcane (Latin-Asian small plates), Buddy V's Ristorante (the Cake Boss's Italian), Grand Lux Cafe (the Cheesecake Factory group's huge menu, open very late), Smith & Wollensky steakhouse and a busy cluster of canal-side cafes where the point is the seat, not the food. Canal-side tables are the mall's best people-watching, and a coffee there costs less than a gondola. Inside The Venetian proper, one level down, are Delmonico, Bouchon and the rest of the resort's restaurant row. As of 2026 expect mall mains around $20 to $40; book Yardbird for weekend brunch. See best brunch for more.
Hours, entrances and parking
Store hours are typically 10 am to 11 pm Sunday to Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday as of 2026, with bars and restaurants later; the gondola runs from mid-morning to late evening with the outdoor route weather-dependent. The mall is on the second level of The Venetian: take the escalators from the casino, or enter from the Strip up the grand staircase by the outdoor gondola lagoon. From the Palazzo casino, escalators rise to the Palazzo wing. A pedestrian bridge links The Venetian to Treasure Island and onward to Fashion Show Mall, and Wynn Plaza is directly across the Strip. The Venetian charges non-guests for self-parking as of 2026, with the garage on the Koval Lane side; check the current rates in our parking guide. Rideshare pickup is at the resort's designated area near the main entrance.
Who it suits
The Grand Canal Shoppes suit couples, families with young children and anyone who wants a mall that is also a walk. The gondola, the singers and the square give a non-shopper something to do while a shopper shops, and the canal-side cafes make a good meeting point. It suits mid-range budgets best: you can furnish a whole holiday wardrobe here without stepping into a luxury boutique. It is less good for serious luxury buying (the Palazzo wing is thin compared with Crystals or Wynn) and for basics. Guests at The Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn, Encore, Treasure Island and Resorts World have it as their nearest mall, and anyone staying further south can combine it with a Sphere visit, since the Sphere walkway starts from the same resort.
Tips
- Book the gondola online for a Friday or Saturday evening; same-day slots vanish by the afternoon.
- Ride outdoors at dusk if the weather allows: the Strip lights come on and the photos are better than the indoor canal.
- Check the performer schedule posted in St. Mark's Square; the opera sets are short and easy to miss.
- Grand Lux Cafe is the answer to "everything is booked and it is 11 pm".
- The mall loops: follow the canal one way and the shop-lined arcades back to avoid retracing.
- Combine it with Fashion Show and Wynn Plaza for a full north-Strip shopping day on foot.
- Sales tax of roughly 8.375% is added at the register, gondola tickets included.
