Venice in Two Days
If you are only staying in Venice for two days and you want to discover the best points of interest, check out our 48-hour itinerary of Venice.
This 48-hour itinerary is perfect for those who would like or have already booked a weekend getaway in Venice. We have written it as if you arrived on a Friday afternoon and left on Sunday at approximately the same time.
If you are going to Venice any other day of the week, we suggest taking a look at the opening hours of the attractions you would like to visit, since these could vary slightly.
Arrival
You will probably get to Venice either by train from a nearby city in Italy or by plane, by which you will need to take the bus to Piazzale Roma.
Once you arrive in Venice, we recommend taking a vaporetto (water bus) to get an idea of this beautiful and surprising city. The boat will lead you down the Grand Canal towards your hotel.
If you prefer the convenience of booking a transfer to the hotel so that you don't have to worry about anything and you can make the most of your time, you can do so by clicking the following link:
- Book your transfer from the airport to a hotel in Venice here
Despite not having a lot of time to explore Venice’s museums and palazzos the day you arrive, you will have more than sufficient time to discover some of the city’s most emblematic landmarks.
We suggest heading to Piazza San Marco as a starting point for a brief visit to Venice. St Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) is probably one of the most famous squares, along with St Peter’s Square in the Vatican City. The Piazza houses remarkable buildings like St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. You'll enjoy visiting these two buildings during the following day.
After walking around St Mark’s follow the signs (or use a map) to Rialto Bridge, the oldest and most magical of Venice’s bridges. Stroll through the neighborhood’s narrow streets with small canals and enjoy the city’s unique atmosphere and architecture.
Then, after a short walk around the city center, it will probably be time to stop and have a Spritz, the most common aperitif in the north of Italy before enjoying a delicious Italian meal.
If you want to start your trip to Venice in style, you can take a look at the dinner cruise on the Venetian Galleon.
The next day we recommend getting up early to make the most of the first whole day in Venice.
Day 1
The day starts around 9:30 am in St. Mark's Square, where you can visit the Doge's Palace to enjoy its pleasant rooms, the creepy prison and the charming Bridge of Sighs.
When you leave the Palazzo Ducale, head to the most important religious edifice in Venice, the Basilica di San Marco. As well as visiting the temple’s interior, you can also climb to its balcony where you will get a stunning view of St Mark’s Square.
To visit the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica without missing any detail, we recommend you book this guided tour in English:
If you prefer to combine the visits with a tour of the center of Venice accompanied by a guide, you can take a look at this other option:
Straight after visiting the Basilica, we recommend exploring the Campanile. This structure is the Cathedral’s bell tower and is the symbol of Venice, thus it is one of the most photographed buildings in the Serenissima. You will get an incredible bird’s eye view of the whole of Venice from its observation deck.
Walking towards the sestiere San Polo, you will reach the Ponte di Rialto. Cross it to reach the Rialto Market, a bustling and colorful market.
Walking south towards the Dorsoduro district, you will reach Campo Santa Margherita, a very lively square that is usually surrounded by the university atmosphere of the area. There you will find some of the most recommended places to eat a good pizza for an unbeatable price.
If you continue south you will reach the Galleria dell'Accademia, one of the largest art galleries in the world. Walking a little further south you will reach the impressive Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute.
After visiting it, take the vaporetto to the Cannaregio district, located north of the Grand Canal.
Getting off at the "Ferrovia" stop, you can stroll around the area and cross the Ponte delle Guglie to reach the Jewish ghetto, a place surrounded by a melancholic atmosphere.
Taking the Fondamenta della Misericordia street, you can leave the rush behind and walk southward without worrying about the destination, simply enjoying the magic that surrounds the city of Venice, with its fairytale houses surrounded by small canals.
Walking through the city you'll probably reach St. Mark's Square again, where you can have a drink on the terrace of one of the most famous places like Café Florian or Café Quadri to enjoy its cozy atmosphere without missing the beautiful views of the square.
After a coffee, you can go back to the Grand Canal to take a gondola and enjoy a romantic walk at sunset.
The most popular option is this 20-minute ride through the canals of Venice:
If you prefer the most complete option to enjoy a serenade during the ride, you can choose this option:
After a good dinner and homemade ice cream, enjoy strolling through the illuminated streets before going to sleep until the next day.
Day 2
If you would like to discover Venice’s museums in depth, you can make the most of the second day to do so. Otherwise, if you are not a great fan of museums, we suggest taking a water boat to some of the most interesting islands in the Venetian Lagoon.
If you prefer the second option, the day begins bright and early in the vaporetto stops: Fondamenta Nuovo or San Zaccaria. Here, take the Vaporetto LN line to get to the island of Torcello. Torcello offers various attractions like the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in 639, and its Campanile. To get a great view of the island and the Lagoon, we recommend climbing to bell tower's observation deck.
After visiting Torcello, take the same water bus LN line to the island of Burano, one of the prettiest and most colourful enclaves. If you are hungry, we recommend having spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams), an Italian classic, which is very popular in Burano.
Next, be sure to check out the island of Murano, which is globally renowned for its glass-making trade.
If you don't want to worry about which vaporetto to take and you just want to enjoy your holiday, we recommend you to book the excursion to Murano, Burano and Torcello:
Before saying goodbye to this magical city, we suggest heading to Piazza San Marco to see it one last time and enjoy its grandeur. When the sad time comes to leave the city you have several options: If your flight departs from Treviso Airport, you can take a vaporetto to Piazzale Roma to catch the bus.
If your flight departs from Marco Polo Airport, you can either take the same water bus to Piazzale Roma and from there a bus, or you can take an Alilaguna vaporetto directly to the Airport.
If you'd prefer the convenience of booking a transfer to the airport, you can do so by clicking on this link:
- Book your transfer from Venice to the airport here
Staying in Venice for more than 2 days?
If you are fortunate enough to stay longer in Venice and have followed our itinerary, there are still many other attractions to visit in the city, plus some great day trips.
These are our recommendations:
