I am always dismayed when I hear people say how much they disliked their trip to Venice. It is such a pity, I think, to visit this one-of-a-kind gem of a city and have a bad time - especially when a bad time is so easy to avoid. (Can you tell that I really love Venice?) If only they had done some reading ahead of time, or at least talked to some people who had enjoyed their Venice trips, they could have experienced the real magic that is La Serenissima. So, let this be your lesson - a little knowledge goes a long way, especially in the case of Venice!
To get where you want to go quickly, there are quick links to my recommendations for a two-day trip to Venice, a few other sights which you can easily fit in if you like, and some survival tips to this great city, as well as my overall tips for getting the most out of a visit to Venice. And for a few general tips for that romantic getaway you’re planning, see my post about discovering romantic Venice in four easy steps.
>> On a budget? Discover the free things to do in Venice!
To Really Appreciate Venice, Stay Overnight
Sadly, the Venice that too many tourists experience is the day-tripper’s Venice. In this scenario, you arrive on a cruise ship or train in the morning, move like a herd of sheep from one “sight” to another in a semi-mad rush to get it all done, and then you retreat to your ship or train in the evening and set out for another destination. What this means is that you miss absolutely everything that is enchanting about Venice - namely the early morning or late evening and all the nooks and crannies of the city that are away from the tourist attractions. Of course, if eight hours is all you have for Venice on your sprint around Italy, it could be that eight house is better than nothing - but only if you plan your time incredibly wisely. Otherwise, you will have wasted a day on Venice because you “had to” see it and still ended up having a bad experience.
When people ask me how long they should spend in Venice, I always recommend at least two days, if not three. That might seem excessive for a small city with “nothing to do,” but it is precisely this lack of things to do that helps make Venice so lovely. Additionally, staying at least one night (better yet, two!) in Venice gives you a chance to experience the best this sleepy lagoon city has to offer - the early mornings and late evenings when the day-trippers have gone are simply delightful. More time also affords you the luxury of doing my number one “activity” in Venice - getting lost. Wandering the tiny streets and alleys will get you away from the main tourist centers and let you see the peaceful side of Venice.
Make Venice’s Airport Your Entry Point
I also often recommend that people begin their Italy vacation in Venice, for a couple of reasons. First, Venice’s Marco Polo Airport is delightfully small in comparison to Milan’s and Rome’s international airports, making the usual customs and passport control lines much shorter and easier to get through. Second, when experiencing a new culture for the first time it is sometimes easier to ease oneself into it rather than give the system a shock. And, let’s face it, Milan and Rome are big cities that could easily present a shock to even the most intrepid traveler. Venice, on the other hand, is wonderfully car-free and presents an opportunity to get used to being in Italy for a couple of days before moving on to the rest of the crazy country.
Let me back up a moment and say that yes, Venice is dreadfully overcrowded in the peak summer tourist season - I would be silly to suggest it is not. My contention remains, however, that if you give yourself the time to get to know Venice a little better than the day-trippers you stand a much better chance of having a good time there and returning home using words like “magical” to describe the city.
What to Do in Venice
So, with two full days in Venice, how should you spend your time? Here are my recommendations. (And for a quick list, check out this information on what to do in Venice.)
First and foremost, before you hit any of the “sights,” let yourself wander and soak in this incredible city. Stop by St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge if you must, but be warned they will be choked with tourists (especially during the summer). If you are staying the night, you can steer clear of them until the crowds disperse later on. Instead, stand with the Grand Canal at your back - on either side of the canal - and just start wandering. Take any small alleys or bridges that entice you, and you will soon find yourself in the Venetian hinterlands. You will marvel at how few tourists are around, despite being so close to the tourist centers. You may stumble upon an outdoor gondola workshop, or a tiny cafe serving locals. This is the real Venice, the one that makes people go all googly-eyed when they talk about it, so relish the moment. And when I say you should “get lost” in Venice as often as possible, I mean it - but do not worry about finding your way back. There are signs all over the city pointing people back to “San Marco” or “Rialto” (they are on the corners of buildings above doors, so just look up), and if you get confused, you can just walk up to any shopkeeper and say, “San Marco?” Ask that enough times and you will be back in the city’s main square, from which you can find anything. Oh, and ignore most of the city maps you will see - they are confusing nearly to the point of uselessness.
(Having said that, there’s a website I discovered on my last trip that will help those of you who are determined not to get lost in Venice find your way around - it’s only useful if you’re near a computer and have a good city map on which to write routes down, but if you’ve got those things going for you you’ll be in luck.)
The biggest sights in Venice, aside from the city itself, are centered right around St. Mark’s Square. The Basilica di San Marco is foremost among them, and it is worth standing in line for. Entry is free, and if you get there early, join a tour group or reserve an entry time online in advance, you can even avoid too long of a wait. The interior of the church is covered in mosaics, from the walls and ceilings to the buckling floor, and the sight is simply breathtaking. For a small fee once you are inside, you can also climb to the top of a narrow and steep staircase to walk out on the church’s roof, for a commanding view over the square below. While you wait in line, you can wonder why all the people in St. Mark’s Square let those filthy pigeons crawl all over their heads. And be sure not to break any of the decorum rules in Venice, either, or you’re in for a nasty fine.
Next door to the Basilica di San Marco is the Palazzo Ducale, or the Doge’s Palace, and this is a good stop after the church. This is where Venice’s former rules (the Doges) lived, and is also the only way you will get to walk over the famous Bridge of Sighs. The bridge leads from the Palace’s courtroom to the jail (more like dungeon) across the small canal behind the Palace, so you can do the perp walk and see the same last views of Venice that many of the prisoners ever saw. Also in the Doge’s Palace is the world’s largest oil painting, Tintoretto’s “Paradise.” There is an entry fee for the Palace, which means the line is usually shorter, but lining up early is always a good idea.
Every church in Italy has a bell tower, and they are usually separate from the church building itself - in Venice, the Basilica di San Marco bell tower - or Campanile - is diagonally across from the front door. There is an elevator to the top (small fee), from which you can get a cool view of the top of the Basilica. Be warned, however, that the bells are right next to your head - so try to avoid being up there at noon without earplugs.
A short walk from the St. Mark’s area, the famous Rialto Bridge is one of only a few bridges which cross the Grand Canal. It is a lovely bridge, and usually so crowded that getting to the edge and taking in the view is either impossible or uncomfortable.
One full day, or at least the better part of a day, can be devoted to three of the small islands in the Venice Lagoon - Murano, Burano and Torcello. Murano is the closest, and the most touristy. It is famous for its glass-making and glass-blowing history, and you can easily get sucked into a cheesy demonstration (they usually make a prancing horse or something like that) that exits into a gift shop. Still, much of the glass is beautiful and some of the showrooms are for serious buyers. Burano, famous for lace-making, is slightly less touristy and can give you a look at what Venice might have been like before the tourist floods came in. The houses are painted with bright colors, which was supposed to help fishermen returning home late from a long day’s work find the right house to come back to. Torcello is the furthest away and has the fewest people actually living on it - it also attracts far fewer visitors than the other two. It is primarily a nature reserve, but has a lovely small church which says it is the oldest in Venice. Whether or not that is true, the mosaics on the walls and floor will give you a taste of what is to come with St. Mark’s Basilica (if you have not yet been) or another chance to see mosaics up close and personal.
Some people think a trip to Venice is not complete without a ride in one of the Venice gondolas - I am not one of them, but I might be in the minority on this one. To me, a gondola ride is too expensive and not nearly as romantic as you think it will be - with all the tourists leaning over bridges to stare or snap pictures, you are hardly alone - but if you simply must have the gondola experience, then by all means go for it. And if you are not looking for romantic, you can split the cost among up to six people. Evening rides might be a bit more expensive, but they might also feel more private with shadows hiding the faces of the gawkers. If you want to feel what being in a gondola is like but cannot stomach the high prices, there are a few points on the Grand Canal where gondolas ferry people back and forth from side to side (in places where bridges are not), and that trip will usually run less than one Euro. It might not be romantic, but it is a cheap way to get a little bit of the gondola experience.
And don’t forget to familiarize yourself with the Venice transportation system - you’ll be using those various boats to get around the city, even though you’ll be walking for most of the time.
Other sights which you can add to your to-do list if you like are:
If you give Venice half a chance, the city will grow on you and capture your heart and your imagination and become everything your romantic heart dreamed it could be.
Some Venice survival tips:
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