The Grand Canal in Venice seen from the Accademia Bridge, with the Salute church in the distance
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Venice in 3 days

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

Three days is just enough for Venice to stop feeling like a stage set. There's room for the interiors that need booking, for Tintoretto at an easy pace and for a morning hopping between Murano and Burano by vaporetto. The legends are saved for your last sunset, when the alleys already feel familiar. A relaxed rhythm, with afternoons that allow a nap and long dinners.

Day 1From the square to Dorsoduro

First morning with “From St Mark's to the Frari”: start early in the square, then on to the Bridge of Sighs, Rialto and Campo San Polo. Between the market and San Polo, stop in a bacaro for sarde in saor and cicchetti. In the afternoon, stay in the area: the Scuola Grande di San Rocco is just round the back of the Frari, and the Accademia is a short walk away. If you've still got energy, carry on to the Zattere or Campo Santa Margherita for an early-evening spritz.

  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, decorated by Tintoretto over more than twenty years. His Crucifixion in the Sala dell'Albergo is overwhelming in both scale and drama. Use the mirrors they lend you to look at the ceilings. It sits right beside the Frari.

    Directions

    Gallerie dell'Accademia

    The great gallery of Venetian painting, from Bellini and Carpaccio to Giorgione, Titian and Veronese, in a former convent on the Grand Canal. Take your time with the big canvases and finish on the Accademia Bridge, one of the best viewpoints over the canal.

    Directions

Day 2The Ghetto, the doges and the gold

Second morning up north with “Merchants, doges and the world's first ghetto”: from the Fondaco dei Tedeschi to the palace of Marino Falier, the Ponte delle Guglie, the Ghetto and Campo dei Mori. Walk back towards Rialto along the Strada Nova and have seppie al nero with polenta in a San Polo trattoria. The afternoon is St Mark's from the inside: the Doge's Palace, then the basilica, with its golden mosaics and the climb up the Campanile. Book time slots and leave a generous gap between them.

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

  3. Afternoon

    Inside the Doge's Palace

    The beating heart of the Republic's power: the Great Council Hall, with Tintoretto's Paradise, and the walk across the Bridge of Sighs to the prisons. To see the Leads where Casanova was held, book the Secret Itineraries tour (Itinerari Segreti) well ahead.

    Directions

    Inside St Mark's Basilica and the Campanile

    You know the square from the route; inside are the golden mosaics, the Pala d'Oro and, in the museum, the original bronze horses and the loggia above the square. Cover shoulders and knees, then head up the Campanile, which has a lift.

    Directions

Day 3Coloured islands and mysteries

Leave early from the Fondamente Nove by vaporetto: Burano first, the furthest out, before it fills up, then Murano and its furnaces on the way back. By midday you're back in Cannaregio, a few steps from a plate of bigoli in salsa. Take a nap or wander aimlessly, since getting lost is part of the visit, then at dusk walk “Curses, executioners and rooftop escapes”: Ca' Dario, the columns of the Piazzetta, Santa Maria Formosa and the Gobbo di Rialto. Finish with fegato alla veneziana in Cannaregio.

  1. Morning

    Burano

    The island of brightly painted houses and needle lace, with a bell tower leaning over the rooftops. First thing in the morning, with the canals nearly empty, it feels like a different place. A direct vaporetto runs from the Fondamente Nove; the ride is long, so go here first.

    Directions

    Murano

    The glass island since the late 13th century, when the Republic moved the furnaces here for fear of fire. Visit a workshop, the Museo del Vetro and the church of Santi Maria e Donato, with its medieval mosaic floor. It's on the way back to the Fondamente Nove.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

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

  3. 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

  4. Dinner

    Try Fegato alla veneziana at Ca' d'Oro alla Vedova. Ramo Ca' d'Oro, Cannaregio 3912, Venecia

The map

Venice in 3 days, on the map

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

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Venice in 3 days

  • Over three days, the 72-hour vaporetto pass pays for itself: it covers the islands, the Grand Canal and the tired rides home. Validate it before every boarding.
  • Eat like a Venetian: cicchetti standing at a bacaro counter and an “ombra”, a small glass of wine, mid-morning or at aperitivo time. It's the cheapest and most authentic way to eat in Venice.
  • Leave some time with no map at all. Venice is small, and you'll always end up at a big canal or a yellow sign pointing to Rialto or San Marco; that's how the loveliest campi turn up.

Questions

Venice in 3 days: your questions

Are Murano and Burano worth it?

Yes, if you have three days. Burano is the most photogenic, and Murano has its glass tradition and a beautiful medieval church. Go early: the tour groups arrive by mid-morning. Be wary of “free” glass factory visits that end in the shop.

How far will I walk in 3 days in Venice?

The routes add up to about 7.6 km: 2.4 on day one, 3 on day two and 2.2 on day three. With museums and islands, allow 6 to 8 km a day, flat but with plenty of stepped bridges. Much of day three is spent on the vaporetto.

What about the Lido?

It's the long island that closes off the lagoon, with Adriatic beaches, early 20th-century villas and the film festival. In summer it's a welcome break from heat and crowds; on a three-day trip, go only if you have a spare afternoon or it's beach season.

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