Venice: How much of the Arsenal area of Castello is accessible?

So, to be clear, you are not concerned about accessibility (there are no mobility limitations), but how much of the area is open/walkable/available to the public?

Because the Venice Arsenale is still an active military base for the Italian navy, access to most of it is off limits to the general public. During the Biennale—a six-month exhibition that will be held next year from May 9 through November 22–many parts of the Arsenale that are normally off limits to the public will be open and accessible. Unfortunately, the Darsena Grande and most other areas of the Arsenale will only be accessible during that timeframe.

I was at the Biennale this year in September and saw most sections of the Arsenale. Because the Venetians built it as a fortress, there are 18 to 50-foot tall curtain walls that do a good job of blocking views of the Arsenale’s interior sections from the perimeter. As a photographer, I was thankful we were there during the Biennale so we had views of most of its 60 acres.

Outside the dates of the Arsenale’s Biennale, you will be able to visit the nearby Naval History museum and walk up to the Arsenale’s iconic two entrance towers and griffin statues.

If it's still the same as when I visited 2 years ago, the northern part of the Arsenale (and the waterfront along the Darsena Grande) is easily accessible year-round. You can get there by taking the vaporetto to the Bacini–Arsenale Nord stop, then continue toward Tesa 105 Bar. You can also walk there via the metal catwalk that spans the northern waterway into the Arsenale - quite spectacular - location on Gmaps.

From there, if you walk east, you’ll find the giant sculpture of six pairs of hands on top of a dock. There’s plenty of space to wander around.

(later edit) It looks like this is still the case according to this city guide, and it even seems you can now visit the interior of the submarine I saw during my walk ... I need to go back! :)

I believe the north Arsenale and the sculpture of the giant hands is accessible to the general public. However, the south Arsenale, which includes the Darsena Grande, is only accessible to the general public during the Biennale.

On the way back to St. Mark’s square from the Arsenale, you’ll find an incredibly beautiful park called “Giardini Napoleanici.” A glass and iron greenhouse built during the 1890’s is now a cafe that makes a great coffee stop before making your way back to Cannaregio.

on the south side of the Arsenale there is a vaporetto stop with the same name. Served by the number 1 Vaporetto, which stops all the way along the Grand Canal from S Marco all the way to Ferrovia and P Roma. Late at night the N night vaporetto makes the same stops.

As far as restaurants- both Canneregio and Castello have many that are good and really not expensive. Seafood, of course, is a speciality there.
A good app to have for Venice is CheBateo?. Vaporetto runs even through the night. Also, have an excellent paper map of Venice with you. I recommend the one printed by Touring Club Italiano-pocket size. GPS connections in Venice can be tricky. We’ve been 3 times and just this last time, Google Maps decided we were in an entirely different part of the island on one of our quests!

On her blog, Laurel Barton (a poster on this forum), recapped a recent visit to the Arsenale. Here's the URL (sorry, I don't know how to post an actual link):

https://events.veneziaunica.it/en/things-to-do-in-venice/itineraries/castello-naval-art-and-traditions.

Wow! Thank you all VERY much for the kind and useful replies. All this is EXACTLY what I wanted to know.

A few last-minute questions based on the answers that I have received so far:

1. So, I can see the Arsenale from near the Naval Museum near the south side of the port? Does one have to purchase an entry, or can one see the Arsenale from outside the Museum? (On my map of Venice, it looks like the museum -- which confusingly enough, is itself marked as "Arsenale!" -- is across a small canal (called the "Rio di Arsenale!") from the Arsenale port itself, but there seems to be a footbridge connecting the canal and the port, assuming that it is open.

2. Alternatively, one reply mentioned a "Tesa 105 Bar" near the Bacini–Arsenale Nord vaporetto stop on the north shore of Castello that also has a view of the Arsenale, and it looks to be rather extensive, along a walkway above the water. Perhaps that would be the best viewpoint in case we don't have time to go to the Naval Museum?

3. Our search for the Arsenale is part of a larger visit to eastern Castello that we have planned for our first full day in Venice. Is this itinerary doable, given that we'll be visiting in mid-January and the days are shorter?
   Here is our plan:
   After breakfast, we shall take a leisurely stroll from our hotel near Santa Lucia Station, across Ponte degli Scalzi, San Polo, and the Rialto Bridge, and into St. Mark's Square (we printed directions, but allotted time for inevitably getting lost). The entry time of the last of the Square's attractions -- the Correr Museum -- is 14:30. Then, after the Correr, we want to walk along the Riva degli Schiavoni (and its various name changes!) all the way to the Parco delle Rimembranze at the far southeastern tip of Castello and possibly have an outdoor snack there before eventually finding our way north to the "Tesa 105" view on the Arsenale. (I gather that the Parco delle Rimembranze is not connected to the Biennale and is open year-round.) That leads to the next question:

4. How do we most efficiently get from the Parco delle Rimembranze to "Tesa 105"? The walk between the two spots looks to have many dead ends, and by that time in the day it should be getting dark in mid-January. (I have not been to Venice before, but I imagine that its narrow, short streets might have limited nighttime visibility. During the day, it will be fun to get lost, but not after dark!) That being the case, should we take a vaporetto (which one?) from the Sant'Elena stop to the Bacini stop instead of walking? Or would it be easier to walk, and if so, by which route?

Many thanks in advance!

To quickly answer your questions, Ivan:

1. The Naval Museum is part of the Arsenale, but you can't peek into the rest of the complex from inside the museum - probably only via the submarine tour (which tbh I haven’t done yet). In fact, there's no entry for visitors from the south, but you can still admire the twin towers guarding the ancient entrance and the statue of a lion with Viking runes (yeah, interesting story!)
2. I'd say this is your best bet at seeing inside the complex.
3. .
4. The fastest route is by vaporetto from Sant'Elena: line 4.1 is quicker because line 5.1 detours to Lido first. Take a look at the waterbus network map.

Many thanks! That is exactly what I needed to know.