3 Days in Venice – The Complete Venice Itinerary

Looking for the perfect 3 days Venice itinerary? Well, look no further. We are often asked if 3 days in Venice is enough, so we put the question to our Venice expert, who shares the perfect Venice itinerary to help you make the most of your stay. Since it isn’t a huge city, we all agree that you can see its main sites within three days in Venice. So get your planning hats on because this Venice guide will help you plan the perfect trip.

The Perfect 3 Days in Venice Itinerary

I’ve created this Venice itinerary in a way to maximize your time in the city and see as many of the fantastic sites in a relaxed way. In this article, I’ll guide you through the best and most interesting sites to see, and how to do it in a way that saves time on traveling around.

Make your arrival in Venice truly unforgettable by booking this airport transfer. From Venice Marco Polo International Airport, hop on a water taxi and transfer to your hotel. Your first view of Venice will be in style as you approach by water.

Venice was my first trip to Italy at age two. While I don’t consciously remember that, I think it got into my blood then, as I’ve been back many times since. As you arrive in a Vaporetto sailing in towards St. Mark’s Square, it feels like you are actually in a painting by Italian artist Canaletto of three centuries past. That’s when its magic hits you, and it never leaves.

Venice is a safe city, with very little crime so don’t worry if you get a little lost now and then. One of the things I love most about Venice is finding the tiny streets off the main routes, as that’s where you often find the most local character. 3 Days in Venice – Walking Tour Itinerary

Day 1 in Venice – St. Mark’s Square and Rialto

St. Mark’s Square is the epicenter of Venice. It is where the main gatherings, parties, and events have been held for centuries. Therefore we’ll begin our 3 days in Venice at the heart of it all. This St. Mark’s Square walking tour takes you through many of the top Venice attractions on an informative guided tour. See the old prisons of Piazza San Marco. Learn of Casanova and his jailbreak, and see what life was like behind the prison walls. Then make your way to the Rialto Bridge, Rialto Market and end with dinner at the Grand Canal.

In the afternoon we’ll head over to the famed Rialto Bridge to meander through its shops, and the stalls of the adjacent Rialto Market and end the day with dinner along the Grand Canal.

• Dive into Venice’s history with this 2-hour guided walking tour of St. Mark’s Square. Including skip-the-line tickets to Doge’s Palace. book your ticket here

St. Mark’s Basilica – Basilica di San Marco

Saint Mark’s Basilica, aka Basilica di San Marco, holds pride of place at the end of St. Mark’s Square. A visit here is a Venice must.

This intricately designed church is covered with impressive mosaics and gold leaf design and has grand statues of apostles around it and equestrian statues keeping sentry on top.

Some highlights inside are visiting the Treasury, which holds Venice’s most important religious relics, and the Pala D’oro, a Byzantine golden cloth.

Tips for visiting St. Mark’s Basilica

• Lines are long in summer, but visiting Basilica di San Marco early or late is quieter.
• Backpacks and luggage cannot be brought in, and bare knees and shoulders must be hidden.
• Photography is not permitted inside the church
• Hours: Church Mon-Sat 9.30 am-5 pm (last entry 4.45 pm), Sun 2-5 pm (after services). Museum, Treasury, and Pala D’oro 9.35 am-5 pm summer (April 16-October 28), 9.45 am-5pm winter (October 28-April 15).
• Cost: Free for the main church, and €5 for the museum, €2.50 children 6-18 years, free under 6. Treasury €3, €1.50 for children, Pala D’oro €2, €1 for children.
• Location: St. Mark’s Square.
• Vaporetto Stop: San Marco or San Zaccaria

Get Your Venice Museum Pass for entry to Venice museums like Doge’s Palace and Murano Glass Museum. Valid for 180 days from the moment you exchange your voucher in Venice for the official Venice pass. Book now.

Campanile

Once a lighthouse for ships coming into Venice, Campanile, the city’s most famous bell tower stands at 323ft tall, being the tallest structure in St. Mark’s Square. Climb the steps to the loggia belfry for a wonderful view of the square, city, and surrounding lagoon.

Originally built in the 12th century, and rebuilt in the 16th century, it still has one of its original bells. All five are still rung daily. A statue of the archangel Gabriel adorns the top. This was the prototype for the other campaniles in the city, and is an iconic place to visit and view Venice from.

If you want to see all of these sights you can book this private tour of St. Mark’s Square. In one day you’ll see all the highlights from St. Mark’s Square and the St. Mark’s Basilica and the Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio). You’ll then see Doge’s Palace, formerly the Doge’s residence and seat of the Venetian government, the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), and learn everything about the history and the romantic legends of Venice. Towards the end of the tour, you’ll take the elevator up to St. Mark’s Bell Tower (Campanile di San Marco) for a view of the city and the Venice lagoon from 99 meters above.

• Hours: March, April, October 9am-7pm, November-February 9.30am-3.45pm, 13 June-12 September 8.30am-9.30pm.
• Cost: €8, €4 for students.
• Location: St. Mark’s Square
• Vaporetto stop: San Marco or San Zaccaria

As you leave the Campanile, you are already at our next stop in St. Mark’s Square, Piazza San Marco.

Saint Mark’s Basilica can have very long lines, so purchase a skip the line ticket and take a tour with a local guide. Book here

Piazza San Marco for Coffee

No trip to Venice would be complete without visiting the Piazza San Marco. Often called the world’s most beautiful square, it is easy to see why as soon as you lay eyes on it.

Grand buildings, monuments, a clock tower and basilica are all around it, with intriguing porticos sheltering unique art stores and pretty cafes. The ambiance of just being in this iconic square is something you must experience at least once.

• Hours: 24 hours
• Cost: Seeing the square is free. A hot drink at a café will be around €10-13.
• Location: St. Mark’s Square
• Vaporetto stop: San Marco or San Zaccaria

Money and Time Saving Tip in Venice

The best way that you can save money and see all of the sites is to get yourself a Venice City Pass from Get Your Guide Your 24, 48 or 72 Hours pass includes all of these and more:

• Free rides on the city’s water taxis and buses
• Entrance to  Doge’s Palace, Correr Museum (Museo Correr), Venice National Archaeological Museu, Biblioteca Marciana.
• Also, take advantage of entrance to 16 of the city’s most beautiful churches.
• Instant confirmation with printed or mobile vouchers accepted and free cancellation with up to 24 hours noticeFor a more detailed outline see: the Venice City Pass Details here. 
• Book your Venice Pass Now!

Bridge of Sighs

This is probably the most photographed bridge in Venice. The Bridge of Sighs is a bridge between buildings that you can view from by the San Zaccaria Vaporetto stop just around the corner from St. Mark’s Square. It connects the Doge’s Palace and Venice’s jail.

The story goes that it got its name as this was the last place that condemned prisoners would taste fresh air before entering the jail for years. This isn’t technically true, but it does make for a good story. You can cross the Bridge of Sighs yourself on this Doge’s Palace with Bridge of Sighs Tour.

The San Zaccaria Vaporetto stop is a perfect photo stop, for the beautiful bridge itself, and its setting down a small canal way with the two grand buildings on either side, as well as the fact that many gondolas pass here.

• Book a Gondola Serenade Be serenaded by Italian songs in the world’s most romantic city. Read more and book your refundable ticket here. 

• Hours: 24 hours
• Cost: Free
• Location: Waterside by San Zaccaria vaporetto stop
• Vaporetto stop: San Marco or San Zaccaria

Grab a few photos and then we’ll head to our next stop Doge’s Palace. Doge’s Palace is located just around the corner in the Palazzo Ducale.

Doge’s Palace – Palazzo Ducale

Doge’s Palace is a stunning white stone palace is historically Venice’s most important building. It was the home and headquarters of the Doge –(hence the name Doge’s Palace) who was the city’s head of state as well as religion. You can learn all about this unique powerful position as you walk through the staterooms, galleries, and courtyards. Important artifacts of Venice’s heyday are located in Doge’s Palace, along with an impressive art collection.

The tour takes you into the palace with an expert guide to admire Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sight where you’ll see the golden staircases, the rooms of the Doge’s, and one of the largest paintings in the world, the Last Judgment by Tintoretto. You’ll then get to cross the Bridge of Sighs just as the prisoners did in the past and then go into the prison dungeons. This tour also includes an app to let you discover the 5 districts of Venice and their top attractions.

Doge’s Palace Tips

• Your ticket to Doge’s Palace also allows entry to Museo Correr, Museo Archaologico Nazionale and Biblioteca Nazionale.
• Allow at least 90 minutes for your visit to make the most of it.
• Hours: Summer (April 1-October 31) Sun-Thur 8.30am-9pm, Fri-Sat 8.30am-11pm. Winter (November 1st-March 31st) 8.30am-7pm. Last entry always 30 minutes before closing.
• Cost: €25. €13 for children 6-14, students 15-25 and people over 65.
• Location: St. Mark’s Square
• Vaporetto stop: San Marco or San Zaccaria

After seeing the impressive palazzo and the important Doge’s Palace, it’s time for something to eat.

Snack and stroll to Rialto Bridge

Venice is a city of food – like all Italian cities. You will never have to go far to find something tasty. I have created a Venice Self Guided Walking Tour – for food!

From the palazzo on St. Mark’s Square, follow the signs towards the Rialto Bridge that say – per Rialto. On this route, there are many tiny sandwich vendors where you can grab a hot toasted Panini and cappuccino to keep you going.

1. Check out Bottega la Tartufo a shop dedicated to products made from local truffles, which offers samples.
2. Make sure to stop in Nino and Friends too, where they sell all manner of Venetian chocolates and give very generous samples!
3. Try Venice’s best gelato at Gelatoteca Suso. This award-winning little ice cream stop has about 30 flavors to choose from. Ask for the crema del Doge – the cream of Doge, an amaretto, vanilla, and chocolate mix flavor that you can only find in a few places in Venice.

• Hours: Snack bars generally 9am-9pm, Gelatoteca Suso daily 9.30am-11.30pm.
• Cost: Sandwiches around €3-5. Gelato €2-4. Tastings free.
• Location: Walking route from San Marco to Rialto.
• Vaporetto stop: San Marco, San Zaccaria or Rialto.

Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge)

The most famous bridge in Venice is the Rialto Bridge. And the Rialto Bridge is the only one that you can shop on. It is another Venice must see attraction. Dating back to the 16th century, The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges that cross the Grand Canal today. It divides the San Marco and San Polo districts of Murano.

Browse the shops on the Rialto Bridge itself for jewelry. The jewelry is usually higher-end souvenirs than other places in Venice and you can also find Murano glass products.

There are great photo ops from the middle of the Rialto Bridge on both sides, the view is exactly like a Canaletto painting from three centuries before. I love sitting at the steps by the water on the San Polo side just watching the vaporetti and the world go by.

• Hours: 24 hours
• Cost: Free
• Location: Rialto Bridge, Grand Canal
• Vaporetto stop: Rialto

Rialto Markets

Just after the Rialto Bridge, you can find the Rialto Markets. These are the two oldest markets in Venice. The older of the two is the food market. It sells fruit, vegetables, and fish. There are a few food and drinks stalls in case you wish to have a coffee or Bellini.

The second is the market you’ll see first as you walk off the bridge is now a souvenir market. It is my favorite place to buy souvenirs as has a large collection and is usually cheaper than in the stores. Clothes, scarves, magnets, anything that says Venice on them. You can also find Murano products and trinkets.

• Hours: Usually 9am until about 9pm in summer, until dark in winter.
• Cost: Free to stroll.
• Location: Rialto
• Vaporetto stop: Rialto

Dinner along the Grand Canal

After the first day of our 3 days in Venice, it’s time to relax for the evening on the Grand Canada. Venice has had a reputation of having some bad restaurants – thinking the hoards of tourists will just accept anything that says “Tourist menu” or “Fixed Price”. Happily, this is no longer the case.

Having dinner on the Grand Canal is highly recommended to take in the atmosphere and sunset. Restaurants along the banks of the Grand Canal close to the Rialto Bridge offer reasonably priced “fixed price” menus. Sip an Aperol Spritz and enjoy the magic of Venice at sunset. The rise in more food cultured, foodie educated tourists means that you should get a very nice meal pretty much anywhere in Venice.

• Hours: Restaurants and cafes, most open from breakfast around 9am until last order for dinner around 9pm.
• Cost: Varies by establishment.
• Location: Rialto
• Vaporetto stop: Rialto

No trip to Venice would be complete without getting on the Grand Canal and this tour has you exploring the canals by gondola. Your gondolier will take you down secluded canals, passing under small bridges and along the Grand Canal as you listen to the guide tell stories of the palaces, churches, and attractions around you. You’ll see Desdemona’s House and Mozart’s House, the La Fenice Theatre and the “De le Ostreghe” Canal before reaching the Grand Canal. See more here.

Suggested Hotel for Day 1 in Venice

• Hotel Casanova – Just 71 m from Piazza San Marco and 100 m from Harry’s Bar, Hotel Casanova is set in an 18th-century building in the center of Venice. It offers free WiFi throughout.
  • Check out availability on TripAdvisor / Booking.com

Day 2 in Venice – Canareggio and Dorsoduro

On the second day of our Venice itinerary we’ll visit the religious, artistic, and culinary delights of the Canareggio and Dorsoduro sestieri.

Click here for the interactive map of Day 2 in Venice

Today we’ll begin in the historic Canareggio area visiting street markets, artistic churches, learning some Jewish history here, and then sampling local Cicchetti.

After lunch we’ll admire the astounding collection at the Galleria dell’Accademia, enjoy one of the city’s most beloved churches, followed by a lively evening in the cool Campo Santa Margherita.

Fondamenta della Misericordia

Fondamenta della Misericordia is the longest street in the Canareggio area. Translated to the Foundation of Mercy, it has a street market lining its length that sells everything from Venetian masks to local snacks and drinks like lemoncello.

The street is lined with lots of small family-run stores and trattoria. This is a good place for a morning pastry from one of the many pasticceria or a gelato.

• Hours: Street open 24 hours. Stores and market usually open from around 9am-9pm.
• Cost: Free to stroll.
• Location: LCanereggio area main street.
• Vaporetto stop: Piazzale Roma

Madonna dell’Orto Church 

Located on the northern side of the Canareggio Square, Madonna dell’Orto Church is a Gothic 14th century church that is still used today. It was founded by the Umiliati order and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

This church is particularly interesting to art lovers. It contains a moving statue of the Mother and Child as well as works by Venice’s beloved artist Tintoretto.

• Hours: Monday to Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm.
• Cost: Free.
• Location: Canareggio 3512.
  Vaporetto stop: Piazzale Roma.

Jewish Museum

Venice has a long and turbulent relationship with its Jewish community. At the Museo Ebaico di Venezia, you can learn all about this. This museum protects the area’s history and showcases the textiles manufacturing and goldsmith work done here.

It was set up in the Jewish Ghetto Novo (new ghetto) between the oldest two of the five synagogues here in 1953 to educate people on and celebrate Jewish traditions and local art. You can also take their tours through the ghetto and five synagogues.

• Hours: Sunday-Friday: June-September 10am-7pm, October-May 10am-5pm.
• Cost: €8, €6 senior/student.
• Location: Campo di Ghetto Novo
• Vaporetto stop: S. Marcuola – Ghetto or Ponte della Guglie – Ghetto.

Cicchetti for lunch

We’ll stop for a very Venetian type of lunch today. My first suggestion is Cicchetti – Venice’s answer to tapas. This means you have small dishes, such as bruschetta with various toppings, or little pies or meats, basically like antipasti.

Another one of my favorites is in this area is a tiny place called Hostaria Vecio Biavarol dal Puppa, run by local artisan Andrea. He provides excellent Cicchetti with local produce including locally sourced meats and cheeses, his own homemade pesto, and freshly baked bread.

Wines from nearby vineyards are on offer, as well as friendly banter and a welcoming atmosphere. The prices are very low for high quality ingredients, and this is a perfect stop to rest up and fuel up.

• Hours: Daily 10am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-10pm
• Cost: From €1-3 for wine, from €2-4 for cicchetti dishes.
• Location: Santa Croce 225
• Vaporetto stop: Piazzale Roma

Galleria dell’Accademia

This is Venice’s most prestigious art gallery and houses the most comprehensive collection of Venetian art. Before it was a museum, the three-building complex was used for religious purposes.

The main themes represent Venetian life, historical figures of the city and religion. Its permanent collection has an impressive array of works by Venetian greats including Tiziano, Canaletto, Veronese, Carpaccio.

My personal favorite is Canaletto, whose detailed, architecturally perfect works made my fall in love with Venice from afar. There are also changing temporary exhibits included in the ticket price.

• Hours: Tues-Sun 8.15am-7.15pm, Mondays 8.15am-2pm.
• Cost: April 14-July 14: €16.50 aged 18-25, seniors and children, under 5 free. July 15-April 13 €13.50, €3.50 Free entry first Sunday of every month.
• Location: Campo della Carita 1050.
• Vaporetto stop: Accademia.

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

This story of Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is held close to the hearts of many Venetians, as survivors of the plague built it. It was designed by Baldassare Longhena and finished in the 17th century.

After 80,000 Venetians died from the plague and a miracle at this church secured the plague would spread no further and others who were ill survived, they wanted to give thanks. So they built this church.

It sits pride of place at the entrance to the Grand Canal and is one of the most photographed churches in Italy. Its beautiful facade of white stone and elegant statues and its imposing white dome ensure all who sees it admires it.

• Hours: 9.30am-12pm, 3pm-5.30pm
• Cost: Free, but donations are welcomed.
• Location: Dorsoduro, 1.
• Vaporetto stop: Hop aboard public transportation by boat to Salute.

Evening in Campo Santa Margherita

This bustling square has been popular with locals since it was created in the 14th century. By day it is home to a popular fruit, vegetable and street food market, which sells tasty Venetian treats. At night it is the place to be in Venice.

Dorsoruro is the main student area of Venice and this square is popular with them as it has plenty small hostaria and trattoria with tasty local food at typically un-Venetian prices.

• Margaret Duchamp has low prices and a chilled café vibe.
• Al Bochon Divino is a top spot to sip spritzers and snack on more cicchetti at.

• Hours: Square 10am-midight-ish.
• Cost: Varies per establishment.
• Location: Dorsoduro, 1.
• Vaporetto stop: Ca’Rezzonica or Piazzale Roma

Suggested Hotel for Day 2 in Venice

• CARNIVAL PALACE HOTEL is a modern and stylish 4-star boutique hotel tucked away from the hustle and bustle on the Cannaregio Canal.
  • Check availability and prices on TripAdvisor / Booking.com

Day 3 in Venice – Murano, and Burano

For our final day in Venice, we’re going to island-hop. We’ll visit two of Venice’s most interesting islands, which are both known for their own crafts, as well as trattoria culture.

Take this boat tour to the most beautiful islands on the Venetian Lagoon as you explore Murano and Burano on a 4.5 to 6 hour tour. See glass demonstrations by a glass blower on Murano, and then make your way to Torcello to see the Church of Santa Fosca and Ponte del Diavolo. Your stop at Burano includes the ancient settlement of Torcello, lace production and its colorful houses. You then end at Saint Mark’s Square where you can enjoy your dinner.

Venice Map Day 3 Itinerary

Burano waterfront

Burano is one of Venice’s most beautiful islands. Its multicolored houses that line the waterfront are picture-perfect and always draw admiration and are consistently voted in the top 10 most colorful towns in the world.

Take a leisurely stroll along the waterfront and take lots of photos of the houses and view out onto the lagoon before heading to some of the island’s attractions.

• Hours: 24 hours.
• Cost: Free
• Location: Burano, waterfront
• Vaporetto stop: Burano

Museo del Merletto (Lace Museum)

Burano is known for its lace craftsmanship. The Lace Museum showcases the works of the traditional artisans here. You can see exhibitions on delicate lace works from the 17th and 18th centuries, and layouts of lace from 19th and 20th centuries.

Explore the museum and watch demonstrations on lace work and admire the precious rare works of lace art. This craft is passed down from generation to generation, through family members teaching their secrets.

After you’ve seen the demonstrations, you can purchase lace in the shop here, and in various family-run stores around the island.

• Hours: Museum: Nov 1-Mar 31: 10.30am-4.30pm, April 1-Oct 31: 10.30am-5pm.
• Cost: Museo del Merletto: €5, €3.50 for children 6-14, students 15-25, over 65s.
• Location: Piazza Baldassarre Galuppi.
• Vaporetto stop: Burano.

Lunch at a Trattoria Buranella

Lunch today will be at a small family-run trattoria on the waterfront of Burano. Seafood is the most popular local food, serving fresh fish caught in the lagoon. Risotto de go – goby risotto, is delicious and available in most of the taverns.

Trattoria buranella, Burano taverns line the waterfront and are great places to sample local dishes that are specialties not only of Venice, but also of Burano in particular.

For something sweet, try “bussolai buranei”, which are buttery home made Burano cookies.

• Hours: Taverns usually open 12pm-10pm.
• Cost: Around €7-10 for main courses.
• Location: Waterfront Burano.
• Vaporetto stop: Burano.

Murano

After lunch, hop on a vaporetto over to Murano to see the best of this lovely island. Murano is most famous for its fine artisan glass products, and in the Museo del Vetro – Museum of Glass, you can see how it’s made. Take a tour of the museum to watch artisans at work and see demonstrations of the intricate art of glass blowing, which they’ve been doing since the 13th century.

After touring, check out the shop to find something beautiful to take home. This is the most authentic place to get a real Venetian souvenir, from real Murano. You can even give it a try yourself to see how tricky it is.

• Hours: Summer April 1-October 31 10.30am-4.30pm, winter 10.30am-4pm.
• Cost: Original Murano Glass factory €5, free for under 14s.
• Location: Fondamenta Marco Giustinian.
• Vaporetto stop: Murano.

You can also book this Panoramic Boat Tour that includes stops at Murano and Burano. The half-day trip, takes you to the traditional island of the Venice Lagoon. Enjoy a 30 minute boat trip to Murano to see the famous glassmaking process and then purchase your Venice souvenir glass. Burano is famous for lacemaking and you’ll have the opportunity to stroll through its colorful fisherman houses, its main square, and the Church of San Martino. Details here.

Basilica di Santa Maria e San Donato

The Basilicia di Santa Maria is Murano’s most beautiful church and Murano’s Duomo. It has been here since the 600s and is the most important church on the island and is a Roman Catholic Romanesque architecture church.

It is dedicated to Saint Maria and Saint Donata. Its style is the same as that of Ravenna, with the white and red alternating marble and bricks on the façade. Take time to walk around it and admire the Byzantine style paintings inside.

• Hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 12.30pm-6pm.
• Cost: Free, but donations are welcomed.
• Location: Campo San Donato.
• Vaporetto stop: Murano.

Shopping

Murano is a great place to shop. It is much quieter than most of Venice, and it is a pleasure to stroll and browse the artisan shops that dot the waterfront of the island.

Most of the shops here are run by artisan families and have been in their families for generations. Murano glass is the best souvenir here, and all kinds of products are available, from jewelry, to ornaments to large sculptures and trinkets.

• Hours: Usually around 9am-6pm.
• Cost: Free to browse.
• Location: Waterfront Murano.
• Vaporetto stop: Murano.

Trattoria Dinner and Passegiato

After visiting the sights of the island, relax for a leisurely dinner at one of the charming waterfront trattoria. Pick a place that looks friendly and has a lot of locals in it, and sit down to enjoy the ambiance and local dishes. All the restaurants here pride themselves on using fine local ingredients.

Suggested Restaurants Murano

• Osteria al Duomo, Trattoria busa alla Torre, and Acquastanca are particularly known for this using fish caught in the lagoon.
• Trattoria Valmarana and Trattoria bar Serenella dal Coco have tasty and reasonably priced fixed menus.

• Hours: Restaurants usually around 12pm-10pm.
• Cost: Around €7-10 for main courses, €4-7 for starters and desserts, but varies depending on restaurant. May have fixed price set course menus for around €10-20 for two to three courses.
• Location: Waterfront Murano.
• Vaporetto stop: Murano.

After dinner take a passegiata along the waterfront and watch the sunset over the lagoon to finish off the evening.

Suggested Hotel in Murano

MURANO SUITES A romantic hilltop hideaway housed in an elegant villa. Located at Piazza Sant’Anselmo 2. See Availability and prices on TripAdvisor / Booking.com

Plan your Venice Trip

• Currency: Venice is on the Euro €1 = $1.17 as of September 2018. For up to date conversions get the XE Currency Converter App.
• What to Pack: For more advice on how to pack check out our Packing for Europe – Tips That Will Make Your Travel Life Easier post!
• Eagle Creek Plug Adapter – This all in one adapter is all you need for Venice and other European and world travels.
• Make sure you have travel insurance. We never travel without it and recommend World Nomads for short-term trips.
• If you are looking for something more long-term check out Allianz Travel Insurance.
• Read more about the value of Travel Insurance here.
• Ready to fly to Venice? Check out Cheap Flights here.

What Time of Year Should I visit Venice?

When visiting Venice it is important to take int to account, holidays and festivals, plus crowds. It is popular to visit Venice year-round.

• Spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November) providing the most pleasant temperatures of usually around 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit and infrequent rain.
• March and April are good times to visit Venice before the summer crowds.
• May 1 is a holiday in Italy and it can be busy, but it isn’t quite as busy yet as the summer months.
• June, July, and August are high the season in Venice.
• The summer gets very sticky, reaching temperatures over 100 Fahrenheit, especially in August, which is when the locals flee for their holiday homes by the Spiaggia (beach). You’ll find many cruise ships in port this time of year.
• September and October still have pleasant weather and fewer tourists making bargains on accommodation a possibility.
• Carnivale in Late February/Early March is another popular time to visit Venice. It is crowded and expensive during that time.
• Easter is also a very busy time to visit Venice.
• Winter (December-February) sees cooler temperatures of usually between 45-65 degrees, and more rain, but also a lot fewer tourists to compete for the sights with.

Getting to Venice

Venice’s main airport if Marco Polo Airport. It is only 8km (5 miles) north of Venice. You can get to Venice from the airport by Public Bus. Bus #5 or the ATVO Blue bus will take you Piazalle Roma. Regular Taxis cannot get into Venice.

You can also take the Alilaguna waterbus to Piazza San Marco. Water Taxis are expensive but will take you directly to your hotel if you have the budget for it.

Or book this Shared water taxi to eliminate stress with a private transfer from Venice Marco Polo Airport. Departures are every 90 minutes and takes 40 – 45 minutes. Boats will le tyou off at the Grand Canal and St. Mark’s Basin or the nearest available pier to your hotel. This is a good affordable option without the hassle.

If you want to arrive in style, book this airport transfer. From Venice Marco Polo International Airport, hop on a water taxi and transfer to your hotel. Your first view of Venice will be in style as you approach by water.

Other Parts of Italy: If you are continuing your travels to other parts of Italy or taking a day trip, one of the best ways to travel is by train.

The Santa Lucia train station is just a 20-minute walk from the Rialto Bridge or a 30-minute walk from St. Mark’s Square.

Getting Around Venice

Venice is tricky to get around, but taking a vaporetto (water bus) is the easiest and most convenient way to get from place to place.

• Water taxis are expensive starting at €12 and then they charge €2 per minute.
• Vaporetto Single ticket: €7.50 – If you’re only one or two journeys on your stay in Venice, get single tickets when you need them.
• 24-hour ticket: €20 If you’re planning on going on more than two vaporetto trips in 24 hours, this is the way to go for this. Remember is it a 24-hour ticket, not a day ticket, so you can use it until the same time the next day, so you can time accordingly to get the most out of it.
• If you want to cross the Grand Canal and you are not near a footbridge, a traghetto is a gondola service that crosses the Canal for €2.
• Walking around – Venice is like a maze. Even if you’ve already been down a little side street, it doesn’t mean you’ll find it easily again. My advice? Use Google Maps. For International Data Roaming we use KnowRoaming for unlimited data/cellular for $3.99 per day. Easy application sticks to your existing SIM Card. Save 50% using promoDDSave50. Read our review here.
• We took a private water taxi boat tour that was an incredible way to see Venice. You can check out our experience here.
• A gondola ride is  a must at least once in Venice. The iconic gondola rides start at€80 and take you through the canals. Negotiate your price before getting on.
• You can rent bikes, ebikes and scooters to get around Venice. This is another affordable option.

And that is your 3 Days in Venice itinerary guide. If you enjoyed this or have other suggestions, leave a comment below. We are always looking for new things to do in Venice!

• More information about Venice
• 24 of the Best Things to do in Venice
• Venice City tour By Boat
• Where to Stay in Venice, Italy: 5 Best Areas for First-Time Visitors

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