Preview: 11388 Venetian Neighbourhood | Your 5,682-Piece Brick Holiday to the Floating City
Pack your virtual bags for a brick-built holiday in Italy's floating city, complete with a working canal, an astronomical clock tower, a glassblowing studio, a 3D-printed street piano, and 17 lively minifigures.
Grab an espresso and leave the road map at home—because where we are going, there are no cars allowed! Billund is whisking builders away on a grand Italian holiday. After soaking up the coastal sun in Italian Riviera (21359) and tossing a coin into Rome's Trevi Fountain (21062), our LEGO travel itinerary now arrives at the crown jewel of the Adriatic: Venetian Neighbourhood (11388).
Real-life Venice is famous for resting on 118 tiny islands stitched together by more than 400 footbridges, and this massive 5,682-piece LEGO Icons set captures that magic right on your tabletop. Designed as a sprawling waterfront getaway, it invites you to wander down quiet cobblestone alleys, peek inside centuries-old workshops, and watch gondolas drift past your window. The canals open early for LEGO Insiders on 1 November 2026 ahead of the general launch on 4 November 2026, priced at $799.99 AUD.
Fast Facts & Launch Details
Sightseeing Stop One: Clock Towers, Palazzos, and Secret Glassmakers
Every great holiday starts with a landmark, and your eyes will immediately travel up the 48-centimetre astronomical clock tower. Modelled after the famous 15th-century Torre dell'Orologio in St Mark's Square—which historically tracked not just the hour, but the zodiac and moon phases for Venetian sea captains—this tower gives the skyline breathtaking height.
Down by the water's edge, you can check into a grand luxury villa or step inside a glowing artisan glassblowing workshop. Here is a fun piece of Venetian trivia while you build: back in 1291, the Venetian Republic ordered all glassmakers to move their furnaces to the nearby island of Murano. Why? Partly to stop their fiery kilns from burning down Venice's wooden buildings, and partly to stop rival cities from stealing their top-secret glass recipes! Just like classic modular sets such as Tudor Corner (10350), every roof and floor lifts right off so you can explore the workshops and rooms inside.
Gondola Rides and a Rare 3D-Printed Street Piano
No trip to Venice counts until you have glided under an arched bridge in a gondola. Fun fact: since the 16th century, Venetian law has required every gondola in the city to be painted black, after wealthy nobles started an outrageous competition to see who could build the flashiest gold-covered boat! Here, your brick-built gondola sails smoothly through the central canal while sightseers wave from the bridge above.
Back on the quayside, the set hides a massive surprise for LEGO collectors: an official 3D-printed street piano! LEGO has only released 3D-printed elements a handful of times in its history, making this miniature instrument a genuine treasure. You can almost hear the piano notes echoing off the canal walls as evening settles over the piazza.
Carnival Masks and Piazza Performers: Meet the 17 Locals
What truly turns this build into a holiday adventure is the bustling crowd of 17 minifigures included in the box. Instead of an empty museum piece, you get a living, breathing Italian neighbourhood packed with characters ready to tell a story.
Alongside striped-shirted gondoliers, musicians, and keen tourists, you will spot costumed carnival-goers wearing traditional masks. Venice's world-famous Carnevale dates all the way back to 1162, when citizens danced in the streets wearing disguises so that humble bakers and wealthy dukes could party together as equals. Scattering these 17 characters across the balconies, bridge steps, and canal boats is half the fun of finishing the build.
Rearrange the Canals to Suit Your Home
Measuring 63 centimetres wide and 31 centimetres deep, this diorama commands serious shelf presence—roughly the width of two-and-a-half standard modular buildings side by side. Better still, the designers built the neighbourhood in clever modular sections that easily separate and click into different layouts.
If you want a wide waterfront promenade stretching across a credenza, or prefer to angle the buildings and canal to tuck neatly into a study corner, you can remix the streetscape whenever you feel like a change of scenery. Paired with the 3D view in the LEGO Builder app, putting together all 5,682 bricks feels like a slow, relaxing holiday across several weekends.
Early Verdict: Book a First-Class Ticket or Wait for a Deal?
Bits & Studs concludes that Venetian Neighbourhood (11388) is an absolute showstopper—and easily one of the most charming travel sets Billund has ever produced. At $799.99 AUD for 5,682 pieces (around 14 cents per piece), you are getting a gigantic architectural build, 17 minifigures, and a rare 3D-printed piano element, all for a whole lot less than a return airfare to Italy!
If you are planning to board on day one when Insiders early access opens on 1 November, keep an eye out for November's Gift with Purchase offers to maximise your $800 spend alongside your 3,600 Insiders Points. Which part of this Venetian holiday are you most excited to build first—the clock tower, the glassblowing studio, or that 3D-printed street piano? Tell us in the comments below!
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