The Grand Canal in Venice seen from the Accademia Bridge, with the Salute church in the distance
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Venice in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 7.6 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days let Venice open its grand interiors to you: Tintoretto's canvases, the paintings of the Accademia and the palace that ran the Republic. Day one moves from St Mark's to Dorsoduro and ends with legends; day two heads north to Cannaregio and finishes facing the lagoon. A full weekend, with time for a spritz between sights.

Day 1Tintoretto and the cursed palace

Start early at St Mark's with “From St Mark's to the Frari”: the Bridge of Sighs, Rialto and Campo San Polo. Break in a bacaro between the market and San Polo for sarde in saor and a few cicchetti. When you finish at the Frari, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco is next door, and the Accademia is a short walk away. Cross the Accademia Bridge and you're at the start of “Curses, executioners and rooftop escapes”, with Ca' Dario across the water and Casanova in the Leads. Dinner is seppie al nero near Rialto.

  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

    Scuola Grande di San Rocco

    The headquarters of one of Venice's great confraternities, which Tintoretto filled with canvases for more than twenty years, including a vast Crucifixion in the Sala dell'Albergo. Pick up one of the mirrors to study the ceilings without straining your neck. It stands right beside the Frari.

    Directions

    Gallerie dell'Accademia

    Venice's great picture gallery: Bellini, Carpaccio, Giorgione, Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto, in a former convent on the Grand Canal. Choose a handful of rooms rather than trying to see everything. On the way out, the Accademia Bridge sets you on the path to the sunset route.

    Directions

  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

Day 2The Ghetto and the Doge's Palace

Head north with “Merchants, doges and the world's first ghetto”, which starts at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi and runs past Santi Apostoli and the Ponte delle Guglie to the Ghetto and Campo dei Mori. Cannaregio is where real Venetians still live, so mornings here are calm. Have bigoli in salsa near the Misericordia. In the afternoon, walk or take the vaporetto back to St Mark's to tour the Doge's Palace, then cross to San Giorgio Maggiore, whose bell tower has the best view of the city.

  1. Morning

    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

  2. Lunch

    Try Bigoli in salsa at Vini da Gigio. Fondamenta San Felice, Cannaregio 3628/A, Venecia

  3. Afternoon

    Inside the Doge's Palace

    You've seen it from outside on the routes; inside are the Great Council Hall, with Tintoretto's Paradise, and the walk through the Bridge of Sighs. If you want to see the Leads, book the guided “Secret Itineraries” tour (Itinerari Segreti) well in advance.

    Directions

    San Giorgio Maggiore

    Palladio's white church on its own island facing St Mark's, with two large Tintoretto canvases in the chancel. It's a few minutes by vaporetto from San Zaccaria, and the bell tower, which has a lift, usually has a much shorter queue than the Campanile in St Mark's Square.

    Directions

The map

Venice in 2 days, on the map

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

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

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Before you go

Tips for Venice in 2 days

  • If you'll ride the vaporetto more than two or three times, the 48-hour pass beats single tickets, which are expensive. Validate it at the reader before every boarding.
  • Book the Doge's Palace, and especially the Secret Itineraries, days ahead: places are limited. For the inside of St Mark's Basilica it's also worth booking a time slot.
  • From autumn into winter, acqua alta can strike. The MOSE barriers hold back the strongest tides, but St Mark's Square floods before the rest of the city: if you hear the sirens, look for the raised walkways and check the day's tide forecast.

Questions

Venice in 2 days: your questions

Are two days enough for Venice?

Yes, for a well-rounded first visit: all three routes, the Doge's Palace, Tintoretto, the Accademia and the view from San Giorgio. What gets left out is the lagoon islands, Murano and Burano, which need another half day.

How far will I walk in 2 days in Venice?

The routes add up to about 7.6 km: 4.6 on day one (essentials and mysteries) and 3 on day two (history). With museums and walking between sights, allow 8 to 10 km a day. It's all flat, but with plenty of stepped bridges.

Is a gondola ride worth it?

It's expensive, but on a quiet canal in good light it's a lovely experience; agree on the length of the ride before you get in. If you just want a taste, cross the Grand Canal by traghetto, the gondola ferry between the banks: it costs very little and you ride standing up.

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