The Grand Canal in Venice seen from the Accademia Bridge, with the Salute church in the distance
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Venice in 1 day

  • 1 day
  • 7.6 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

One day in Venice goes a long way if you forget the vaporetto and walk. This plan strings our three routes together: the essentials in the morning, the Venice of merchants and the Ghetto in the afternoon, and the legends as the light fades. It's a full day, built for people who arrive early and leave late, and by evening you'll have the city's map in your head.

One day in VeniceCanals, merchants and legends

Start early with “From St Mark's to the Frari”, before the tour groups arrive: the square almost empty, the Bridge of Sighs, then Rialto and its market, which is only really alive in the morning. For lunch, sarde in saor and cicchetti standing up in a bacaro by the market. In the afternoon, “Merchants, doges and the world's first ghetto” takes you from Rialto up into Cannaregio, to the Ghetto and Campo dei Mori. Rest on the Fondamenta della Misericordia, then at dusk walk “Curses, executioners and rooftop escapes”, from Ca' Dario to the Gobbo di Rialto. Seppie al nero for dinner close by.

  1. Morning

    From St Mark's to the Frari: the Venice you can't miss

    Mixed · 2.4 km · 2 h 5 min

    1. St Mark's Square and BasilicaThe only "piazza" in Venice, with a basilica built to house a body stolen from Alexandria.
    2. Bridge of SighsAn elegant Baroque bridge that was really a corridor between the judges and the jail.
    3. Rialto BridgeFor nearly three centuries it was the only bridge across the Grand Canal, and its wooden predecessors collapsed more than once.
    4. Rialto MarketFor centuries the lagoon's fish and the islands' vegetables have been sold here, with a stone tablet setting the minimum size of the fish.
    5. Campo San PoloThis vast campo saw bull-baiting and festivals, and the murder of the Medici who had killed his cousin.
    6. Frari BasilicaA Gothic brick church that holds Titian's tomb and the painting that made him famous.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Sarde in saor and cicchetti at Cantina Do Mori. Calle dei Do Mori, San Polo 429, Venecia

  3. Afternoon

    Merchants, doges and the world's first ghetto

    History · 3 km · 2 h 20 min

    1. Fondaco dei Tedeschi and Campo San BartolomeoGerman merchants lived, ate and stored their goods here, under the watchful eye of the Republic.
    2. Campo Santi Apostoli and the palace of Marino FalierThis palace was home to the only doge ever sentenced to death for betraying the Republic.
    3. Ponte delle GuglieFor centuries, anyone arriving in Venice from the mainland came in along this canal and passed under this bridge.
    4. The GhettoIn 1516 Venice forced its Jews to live on this enclosed island, and the place's name went on to travel the world.
    5. Scuola Grande and Fondamenta della MisericordiaA gigantic confraternity hall that never got its marble facade and ended up as a basketball court.
    6. Campo dei MoriThree turbaned stone merchants keep watch over this campo, and one of them has an iron nose.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Early evening

    Curses, executioners and rooftop escapes

    Mysteries & legends · 2.2 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Ca' DarioThe loveliest palace on the Grand Canal has a reputation for being cursed, but the archives tell another story.
    2. Columns of St Mark and St TheodoreVenice's gateway from the sea was also, for centuries, the place of public executions.
    3. The Leads and Casanova's escapeFrom this bridge you can see the prison Giacomo Casanova escaped from across the rooftops in 1756.
    4. Santa Maria FormosaA church born, so tradition says, of a vision, and a stone face that horrified John Ruskin.
    5. Corte del MilionThe Polo family's houses stood here, and here was born the legend of the traveller nobody recognised on his return.
    6. The Gobbo di RialtoLaws were proclaimed from this stone, and here ended the run of those sentenced to a flogging.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Seppie al nero with polenta at Trattoria alla Madonna. Calle de la Madona, San Polo 594, Venecia

The map

Venice in 1 day, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Venice in 1 day

  • On certain high-season days, mostly spring and summer weekends and holidays, Venice usually charges an access fee to visitors who don't stay overnight. Check the calendar and pay online before you arrive; if you're sleeping in Venice you pay the tourist tax at your hotel instead and are exempt, though you should still register.
  • Don't sit down to eat on bridges, church steps or canal edges: it's banned and you can be fined. A bench in a campo or the counter of a bacaro is the better move.
  • With one day, walk: St Mark's, Rialto and Cannaregio are all less than half an hour apart on foot. Save the vaporetto for getting in from the station or car park, and maybe for reaching the start of the sunset route.

Questions

Venice in 1 day: your questions

Can you see Venice in one day?

You can see the essentials: St Mark's, Rialto, the Frari, the Ghetto and a walk at sunset. What you won't have time for is the big museums or the islands. If you can, stay one night: Venice without the day-trippers feels like a different city.

How far will I walk in one day in Venice?

The three routes add up to about 7.6 km: 2.4 for the essentials, 3 for history and 2.2 for mysteries. Add the links between them and you're looking at 9 to 10 km. It's flat, but there are dozens of stepped bridges, so wear comfortable shoes and travel light.

Do you have to pay to enter Venice?

Only on certain set days, and only if you're visiting for the day without staying overnight. The calendar and rules change every year, so check the city council's official website before you go. Residents of the Veneto region and anyone staying in Venice are exempt.

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