Venice is one of those destinations that many love and others hate. I was always very reluctant to visit Venice because I knew it is one of the most touristy cities in the world. But you know what?

While it’s true that places like St. Mark’s Square or the Rialto Bridge are super touristy, with hundreds of tourists, Venice is magical. Its endless canals and narrow alleyways where even Google Maps gets lost make Venice a city without equal.

Often, the magic of Venice is in letting yourself get lost there, aimlessly 😊 There were still a few times that I found myself completely alone in the alleys and lanes, away from the confusion. The secret of this city is often this: knowing how to look for less touristy places that make us like Venice a little bit more.

I leave you, then, some tips to visit Venice: from how long you stay in the city, what to visit in Venice, tips on restaurants and even accommodation.

Venice is one of those cities where you have to choose carefully the season when you visit. First of all, it is important to consider the city’s most popular festivities:

• Venice Carnival, which is world famous
• Festa del Redentore, held on the 3rd Sunday in July
• Regatta Storica, usually held on the first Sunday in September

Also, remember that August is a chaotic month in Venice and you should try, as much as possible, to avoid visiting Venice at that time. Apart from the absurd amount of people on the streets, prices skyrocket and, additionally, there are several reports of the city stinking due to the impact of the heat and dry weather on the water of the canals.

But there is an extra factor to consider when planning your trip to Venice! There is a phenomenon that usually occurs in the region – acqua alta. The acqua alta is a rise in the water level of the Adriatic Sea, causing the city to flood. In fact, St. Mark’s Square becomes one of the first places to be flooded. This phenomenon is most common between the months of October and January!

Conclusion: the best months to visit Venice are May, June, September and October. You’ll avoid the most touristy month of all (August!), the acqua alta and still manage to enjoy good weather in the city 😉

Although it seems like a small city when we look at the map, Venice has a lot to see and enjoy 😉 A 1-day stay in the city allows you to get to know the main points of interest. However, I recommend at least 2 days so you won’t be rushing around.

In 2 days, besides being able to visit more places in Venice, you can truly savour your visit to the city. Also, if you opt for 2 days in Venice, you have some additional time to visit the famous islands of Burano and Murano (more details throughout the post)!

The two simplest ways to get to Venice are by train or plane. If you choose to fly, there are 2 airports serving Venice:

• Marco Polo Airport: this is the only airport that is truly in Venice.
• Treviso Airport: It is no longer in Venice, but it takes about 1h30 to get from Santa Lucia station to the airport.

On the other hand, you can choose to travel to Venice by train, and there are two stations in the city: Mestre (outside the historic centre) and Santa Lucia (inside the historic centre). Both stations have connections with other Italian cities like Verona or Padova. Find the solution that suits you best directly on the website of Trenitalia or Italo.

💡 EXTRA TIP: Your final departure station for visiting Venice should be Santa Lucia as this is the one in the historic centre.

As I mentioned above, there are two airports serving Venice:

• Marco Polo Airport
  • Option 1: ATVO bus that runs a shuttle service between the airport and Piazzale Roma. More information here.
  • Option 2: ACTV bus no. 5 which also connects the airport to Piazzale Roma, but with more stops. More information here.
  • Option 3: Alilaguna, a kind of ferry. There are several lines and you can find all the information here.
  • Option 4: boat taxi, although the most convenient option, is also the most expensive.
  • Option 5: bus to Mestre train station and from there take a train to Santa Lucia
  • Option 6: Vaporetto from the airport to Piazzale Roma

• Treviso Airport
  • First of all, you should take the train at the Venezia Santa Lucia station that heads to Treviso. When you buy the ticket, you can already put as the final destination “Treviso Airport” and so you are already buying the bus ticket that I will talk about in the next step
  • Secondly, when you arrive at Treviso train station you should take an AirLink bus to the airport. Simply present the ticket you had already bought.

Accommodation in Venice can often be stupidly expensive. The more central it is, usually the higher the price is. Thus, I chose to stay slightly out of the centre and closer to Santa Lucia station. The accommodation – Ca’ Fontanea – was quite simple, but it served its purpose perfectly: a place to rest 😊

Ca’ Fontanea is a small accommodation located in a very quiet area of the city. Although they offer the option of breakfast, I don’t think it’s worth it as there are a few cafes nearby (about 5 minutes walk).

It is important to take your time when choosing your accommodation as there are no cars in town, only vaporettos (more tips to follow!). If you’re not on a tight budget, opt for central accommodation (near Rialto or St. Mark’s Square). Otherwise, I recommend looking for accommodation with a Vaporetto station nearby. Venice is deceiving and walking distances are much longer than you can imagine!

If you are looking for an even cheaper solution, you can try to find accommodation outside the “historical” part of Venice. Here you will have to take the train to Santa Lucia to get to the centre, but in many cases it can be worth it.

Here are some options for different budgets:

• Central accommodation (€€€): Lanterna Di Marco Polo | Residenza Ca’ San Marco | Locanda Ca’ Zose 
• Accommodation less central but in the “historic centre” of Venice (€€): Locanda Ca’ Lucrezia | Ca’ Dei Leoni | Hotel Adriatico
• Accommodation outside the “historic centre” of Venice, being necessary to use the train to Santa Lucia to reach the centre (€): Venice Terminal Apartments & Suites | ao Hotel Venezia Mestre 2

As I have already mentioned, Venice is much bigger than it seems and you quickly have large distances to cover on foot. So, using the Vaporetto lines (the name given to the ferry in Venice) is very practical. Basically, vaporettos are the means of transport for the locals. There are also taxi services (also by boat), but honestly, they are too expensive and not worth it compared to the Vaporetto.

A single Vaporetto trip (valid for 75 minutes) costs 7,5€ so I recommend buying the daily or multi-day pass. Although the price is high (24h = 21€; 48h = 30€; 72h = 40€; 7 days = 60€), it is worth it. The Vaporetto service can also be used for trips to Murano and Burano!

You can consult the most up-to-date information on vaporettos prices as well as the existing lines here.

💡 EXTRA TIP: I recommend buying a physical ticket at the ticket office just outside the Santa Lucia train station. There is an option to buy the pass through an App, but the truth is that not all Vaporetto stations are ready yet (since you need to validate the ticket before boarding). I chose this option and I confess that I really regretted it. The city is not yet ready for this… so go for the old-fashioned way 😉

Quite honestly, making an itinerary for Venice can seem a bit daunting. There are so many things to visit that a person can get lost at times. But don’t worry the aim of this post is to help you plan your trip to Venice.

And, for that very reason, before we start with the itinerary itself, I leave you here a map version of the itinerary with what to visit in Venice:

Like many European cities, Venice also once had a Jewish quarter. This was where the Jewish inhabitants of Venice were obliged to live, starting in the 16th century.

Although it is interesting to visit this area of Venice in any circumstance, I believe you can get much more out of it if you opt for a walking tour in this area. You can check out this 2-hour tour in the Jewish ghetto of Venice from GetYourGuide or alternatively search for a free walking tour on sites like FreeTour or GuruWalk.

We move on to the second point of this Venice itinerary and one of the city’s landmarks. The Rialto Bridge allows us to cross from one bank of the Grand Canal to another. This is the oldest bridge over the Grand Canal, dating back to the 16th century.

It is one of the most touristy spots in Venice, so be prepared for the crowds, unless you choose to get up early. Also of note is that inside the bridge there is a small market with various shops. Make sure you don’t miss this iconic part of the bridge!

Close to the Rialto Bridge, I suggest you stop and admire the church of St. Bartholomew. It is located on a narrow street and unless you go with your eyes on the sky, you will hardly notice it when you pass by.

However, I suggest you move a few metres away to admire its bell tower.

We move on to one of the biggest secrets of this Venice itinerary – the Fondaco rooftop. Located in the T Fondaco shopping centre, a visit to this rooftop is completely free.

From the rooftop, you will get one of the best views of Venice and, more specifically, of the Grand Canal. However, although the visit is free, it must be booked in advance online.

There is a limited capacity to visit the rooftop of about 40 people and we can only be on the rooftop for 15 minutes. Reservations can be made up to 21 days in advance. I promise it’s well worth it 😉

Built in the 15th century, Saint Mary of Miracles church leaves no one indifferent to its Renaissance style. If you have the chance to visit its interior, don’t hesitate as it is quite beautiful.

If you follow any travel accounts on Instagram, then you’ve probably heard of this point on the itinerary. The Acqua Alta Bookshop is nothing more than a bookshop that, to fight the destruction of its books with the acqua alta phenomenon, decided to stack several books next to the water channel.

Additionally, we can also find a life-size gondola inside the bookshop with several books inside. The bookshop has become quite popular on social media because, apart from its funny story, it gives some really cool photos for Instagram 😊

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: Visiting the bookshop is free of charge. However, taking into account the popularity it has gained on social networks, sometimes there are long queues to visit it inside. I confess that I found it cute to include in my list of places to visit in Venice and I would probably visit it again. However, it is by no means the most important point of this itinerary and if you are tight on time, I suggest you remove it from your itinerary.

Completed in the 15th century, this basilica is one of the most imposing religious monuments in Venice. After all, it was here that many of Venice’s doges were buried.

One of the ideas we most associate with Venice is the gondola ride. There are several gondola stations scattered around the city and many gondoliers waiting for the next customer. Look for a place that has prices displayed (the price is pretty standard and is around 80€ for a gondola, regardless of the number of people up to a maximum of 5/6 people). If you’re very good at negotiating, you can always try your luck 😉

💡 EXTRA TIP: I know that the gondola option is not for all budgets, so I leave you here a cheaper option. This option is cheaper because it is done on the Grand Canal instead of the small channels and involves sharing the gondola with unknown people. If this doesn’t bother you and you’d like to save a few bucks, this is one of GetYourGuide’s most popular tours.

After a morning well spent, I suggest a trip by Vaporetto to the island of Murano, which is very close to the centre of Venice (about 30 minutes away).

You can take the Vaporetto from S. Marco San Zaccaria D station and take line 7 to Murano Faro A. However, there are other Vaporetto lines that stop in Murano, such as: 3, 4.1, 4.2, 7, 12, 13 and 18.

Murano is known for the manufacture of its glass. If you are interested in learning more about this industry, you can visit some of the factories or even the Murano Glass Museum. When you arrive in Murano, there will certainly be some people trying to sell visits to the factories. While this is a totally valid option, you can also book a tour in advance directly on GetYourGuide.

However, Murano has more to know 😊 My advice is to let yourself get lost in the much quieter streets of Murano. Anyway, these are some of the main points of interest on this island:

• Church of San Donato
• Church of San Pietro Martire
• Campo Santo Stefano

From Murano, we head to the second most famous day trip from Venice – Burano. The island of Burano is a dream for those who like to photograph streets and colourful little houses. It is impossible not to love this island! I promise you will come back from there loaded with photos. I also recommend you to visit one of the most famous little houses: Casa di Bepi Suà.

💡 EXTRA TIP: Next to the Murano Lighthouse (at Murano Faro A station), you can take the Vaporetto line 12 towards Burano, the journey takes about 30 minutes.

But Burano is not only about its colourful houses. Take the opportunity to visit Piazza Galuppi, the Chapel of Santa Barbara, the San Martino Vescovo Church, Tre Ponti and the Burano bell tower (which is a little inclined like the one in Pisa).

I suggest staying in Burano until sunset as this is one of the most amazing places in Venice to watch this moment. The return trip to Venice is done using line 12 again and takes about 1 hour, depending on which Vaporetto station you end your journey at.

The second day of this itinerary in Venice starts at a less touristy spot – Scala Contarini Del Bovolo. It is actually a palace that became famous because of its spiral staircase.

It is possible to climb this staircase, where at the top we are treated to a view of Venice and some of its main attractions, such as St. Mark’s Basilica or the Campanile.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: This monument can be visited for 8€. I recommend you buy the ticket in advance, and it is necessary to choose the time of the visit. You can buy the ticket here.

La Fenice Theatre is the main theatre in Venice and still hosts several opera and contemporary music performances, among others. Dating back to the 18th century, the theatre has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.

Although its exterior is not exactly eye-catching, the same cannot be said of its interior, which leaves no one indifferent. I didn’t visit inside, but it is possible to do so by buying a ticket at one of the Theatre’s official ticket offices.

The time has finally come to visit one of Venice’s most iconic landmarks. Get ready again for hundreds of people as this is the most popular place in the city.

When visiting St. Mark’s Square, there are places you can’t miss. The first is the famous St. Mark’s Basilica – which is truly impressive both inside and out!

The ticket bought on-site to visit the inside of the Basilica costs only 3€. However, the queues are usually long and can take some time. So, I suggest you opt for the skip-the-line option and buy your tickets in advance directly on the official website. If there’s one case where skipping the line pays off it’s this one 😉

💡 EXTRA TIP: There are different types of tickets (to see the Pala d’Oro and the Loggia dei Cavalli for example) and all have different prices. See what you are really interested in visiting before you book your visit.

Right next to the Basilica, I suggest you climb St. Mark’s Campanile. The visit here costs 10€ (on site) or 12€ if you choose to skip the line. The effort to climb is minimal (as there is a lift) and there are views over Venice that you will hardly find anywhere else.

Don’t miss also the beautiful Clock Tower, which is part of the arcades surrounding almost the entire St. Mark’s Square. It is also possible to visit this tower, but only by guided tour. You can check more details here.

It is also impossible not to notice the Doge’s Palace, given its size. This is where the doge used to live. I ended up choosing not to visit inside because I found the price too high (25€) for the photos I saw online of the interior. However, if you are interested in visiting, you can buy the ticket here.

💡 EXTRA TIP: If you would like to see the most famous room of the Doge’s Palace, but don’t want to spend so much money, I suggest a cheaper option. The Scuola Grande di San Rocco has a room that is also quite impressive and for only 10€.

Another place that is also a must-see in Venice is the famous Bridge of Sighs. Although this bridge is very romantic at first sight, the truth is that it was used by prisoners who supposedly sighed when they saw Venice one last time!

For the perfect photo of the Bridge of Sighs, I suggest you head to the Paglia Bridge.

This point of the itinerary is optional for those who have more free time 😊 This way, and in case you have some time available, I suggest a passage by the small island that can be seen from St. Mark’s Square.

The island San Giorgio Maggiore has little to visit, but there is a tower which you can climb and get another perspective on Venice.

Probably the church of Santa Maria della Salute has already caught your attention while you were in St. Mark’s Square and, for that reason, it’s time to go there! The visit to the Basilica is free and it is open every day of the week.

💡 EXTRA TIP: The simplest way to get to the Basilica from St. Mark’s Square is to take a Vaporetto (the journey takes no more than 10 minutes) towards Salute station. Of course, this option only pays off if you have the pass which allows you unlimited travel.

Our time in the city may be ending, but there are still a few spots to visit in Venice. The Accademia Bridge, although not as charming as the Rialto Bridge, is another of the 4 bridges connecting the Grand Canal.

Right next door they find the Gallerie Dell’Accademia – a gallery museum of pre-19th century art.

Although in aesthetic terms it is not outstanding, I also recommend a brief walk across this bridge as it is a historical site where various combats between fighters from rival clans took place.

We end this list of places to visit in Venice with another church. Located in the San Polo district, the Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari Church is another of the city’s great religious monuments and has existed since the 14th century. Admission is paid!

There is no shortage of good restaurants in Italy, so I have some recommendations for you:

• Rossopomodoro (€€): The pizzas are Neapolitan style and easily cater for more than 1 person. 1 pizza and another smaller dish or starter for 2 people should be more than enough😊
• Osteria del Lovo (€€€): a little expensive, but perfect for a special occasion.

• Dal Moro’s ou Pasta & Pasta (€): an excellent low-budget option with pasta for take-away. It is a very popular option in the city.
• Gelatoteca Suso (€): the BEST ice cream I’ve ever had in my life 🥰 It’s usual to have a queue, but believe me it’s worth the wait. I just wanted to order all the flavours.
• I Tre Mercanti (€): their speciality is tiramisu and, indeed, it is divine!

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