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Venice, Italy · Free itinerary
3-Day Venice Itinerary: Best Things to Do
Built across 118 islands threaded by canals and footbridges, Venice is a car-free maze of Gothic palazzi, Byzantine churches and sunlit campi with no equal on earth. From the golden mosaics of St Mark's to the cicchetti bars of Cannaregio and the glass furnaces of Murano, La Serenissima layers a thousand years of maritime empire into a few walkable square kilometres. Every vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal doubles as a tour of the world's most improbable city.
3 days27 stopsVenice, Italy
✅ Complete your trip to Venice
Book the essentials and keep this itinerary handy on the road.
1St Mark's & Castello: the Heart of La Serenissima
🗺️ Day route — numbered stops in order (static map)
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40mPasticceria Rosa Salva 🍴 Food8:00 AM – 8:40 AM📍 San Marco, VeniceHistoric 1879 pasticceria off Piazza San Marco for a stand-up espresso and fresh Venetian pastries.
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8:55 AM – 9:00 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 km ·5m
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1h 45mDoge's Palace 🏛️ Landmark9:00 AM – 10:45 AM📍 San Marco, VeniceGothic seat of the Venetian Republic, with gilded council halls, Tintoretto's Paradise and the Bridge of Sighs.
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10:50 AM – 10:55 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.1 km ·5m
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50mSt Mark's Basilica ⛪ Religious site10:55 AM – 11:45 AM📍 San Marco, VeniceByzantine cathedral sheathed in golden mosaics and topped by five bulbous domes, Venice's spiritual heart.
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11:55 AM – 12:00 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.1 km ·5m
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30mPiazza San Marco & Torre dell'Orologio 🏛️ Landmark12:00 PM – 12:30 PM📍 San Marco, VeniceNapoleon's "drawing room of Europe", framed by the Procuratie and the Renaissance blue-and-gold clock tower.
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12:40 PM – 12:45 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.4 km ·5m
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1h 15mRosticceria Gislon 🍴 Food12:45 PM – 2:00 PM📍 San Marco, VeniceNo-frills local tavola calda near San Bartolomeo serving mozzarella in carrozza and hearty Venetian plates.
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2:09 PM – 2:15 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.4 km ·6m
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40mCampanile di San Marco 🌄 Viewpoint2:15 PM – 2:55 PM📍 San Marco, VeniceRide the lift up Venice's tallest bell tower for a sweeping panorama over the rooftops and lagoon.
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3:10 PM – 3:15 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.4 km ·5m
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45mScala Contarini del Bovolo 🌄 Viewpoint3:15 PM – 4:00 PM📍 San Marco, VeniceSpiral external staircase of a 15th-century palazzo climbing to an arched loggia above the rooftops.
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4:15 PM – 4:20 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.1 km ·5m
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1hTeatro La Fenice 🏛️ Landmark4:20 PM – 5:20 PM📍 San Marco, VeniceVenice's opera house, twice rebuilt from fire, an audio-guided tour of gilt-and-crimson tiered boxes.
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6:51 PM – 7:00 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.7 km ·9m
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1h 45mTrattoria alla Rivetta 🍴 Food7:00 PM – 8:45 PM📍 Castello, VeniceBustling local trattoria behind San Marco famed for fried seafood and grilled lagoon fish.
2San Polo, the Frari & Dorsoduro's Art
🗺️ Day route — numbered stops in order (static map)
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40mPasticceria Tonolo 🍴 Food8:00 AM – 8:40 AM📍 Dorsoduro, VeniceBeloved historic Dorsoduro pasticceria near San Pantalon for cappuccino, krapfen and cream-filled pastries.
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8:55 AM – 9:00 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.1 km ·5m
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50mBasilica dei Frari ⛪ Religious site9:00 AM – 9:50 AM📍 San Polo, VeniceVast Gothic Franciscan church housing Titian's soaring Assumption of the Virgin and his own tomb.
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9:55 AM – 10:00 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.0 km ·5m
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55mScuola Grande di San Rocco 🖼️ Museum10:00 AM – 10:55 AM📍 San Polo, VeniceRenaissance confraternity hall cloaked in more than 50 dramatic canvases by Tintoretto.
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11:04 AM – 11:15 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.8 km ·11m
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45mRialto Bridge & Market 🏛️ Landmark11:15 AM – 12:00 PM📍 San Polo, VeniceVenice's iconic stone arch over the Grand Canal beside the centuries-old Erberia produce market.
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12:25 PM – 12:30 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 km ·5m
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1h 15mCantina Do Spade 🍴 Food12:30 PM – 1:45 PM📍 San Polo, VeniceHistoric bacaro in a Rialto side-calle serving cicchetti, fritto misto and ombre of local wine since 1488.
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2:02 PM – 2:15 PM· Walk to next stop ·1.0 km ·13m
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1h 40mGallerie dell'Accademia 🖼️ Museum2:15 PM – 3:55 PM📍 Dorsoduro, VeniceVenice's premier gallery of Venetian masters, from Bellini and Giorgione to Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese.
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3:58 PM – 4:05 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.5 km ·7m
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30mBasilica di Santa Maria della Salute ⛪ Religious site4:05 PM – 4:35 PM📍 Dorsoduro, VeniceBaroque octagonal church crowning the entrance to the Grand Canal, built in thanks for the end of the 1630 plague.
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4:40 PM – 4:45 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.2 km ·5m
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1hPeggy Guggenheim Collection 🖼️ Museum4:45 PM – 5:45 PM📍 Dorsoduro, VenicePeggy Guggenheim's canalside home showcasing Picasso, Pollock, Ernst and Calder in her modern-art collection.
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6:53 PM – 7:00 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.5 km ·7m
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1h 45mOsteria Enoteca Ai Artisti 🍴 Food7:00 PM – 8:45 PM📍 Dorsoduro, VeniceIntimate Dorsoduro osteria on the Toletta canal serving market-driven seasonal dishes and Veneto wines.
3Cannaregio, Murano Glass & Burano's Colours
🗺️ Day route — numbered stops in order (static map)
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40mPasticceria Dal Mas 🍴 Food8:00 AM – 8:40 AM📍 Cannaregio, VeniceRefined 1906 pasticceria near the station for early-morning coffee, croissants and Venetian chocolate.
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8:50 AM – 8:55 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.3 km ·5m
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55mPonte delle Guglie & Cannaregio Canal 🏛️ Landmark8:55 AM – 9:50 AM📍 Cannaregio, VeniceCross the 16th-century Ponte delle Guglie over the broad Cannaregio Canal, past morning market stalls and the frescoed Palazzo Labia on the way to the Ghetto.
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10:00 AM – 10:05 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.3 km ·5m
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45mJewish Ghetto (Campo di Ghetto Nuovo) 🏛️ Landmark10:05 AM – 10:50 AM📍 Cannaregio, VeniceThe world's first ghetto, established 1516, ringed by tall tenements, historic synagogues and a Holocaust memorial.
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10:55 AM – 11:00 AM· Walk to next stop ·0.4 km ·5m
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40mChiesa della Madonna dell'Orto ⛪ Religious site11:00 AM – 11:40 AM📍 Cannaregio, VeniceTintoretto's parish church, its Gothic brick facade sheltering several of the master's monumental canvases and his tomb.
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12:24 PM – 12:30 PM· Travel to next stop ·2.1 km ·6m
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1h 15mTrattoria Busa alla Torre da Lele 🍴 Food12:30 PM – 1:45 PM📍 Murano, VeniceMurano's convivial lunch institution on Campo Santo Stefano serving grilled lagoon seafood and risotto.
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1:55 PM – 2:00 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.1 km ·5m
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55mMuseo del Vetro 🖼️ Museum2:00 PM – 2:55 PM📍 Murano, VeniceMurano's glass museum tracing a thousand years of the island's celebrated glassmaking, from Roman relics to chandeliers.
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3:18 PM – 3:35 PM· Travel to next stop ·5.7 km ·17m
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45mBurano Colourful Houses & Fondamenta 🏛️ Landmark3:35 PM – 4:20 PM📍 Burano, VeniceStroll the fishing island's canals lined with vividly painted houses in every shade, a photographer's dream.
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4:20 PM – 4:25 PM· Walk to next stop ·0.0 km ·5m
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35mChiesa di San Martino & Leaning Campanile 🌄 Viewpoint4:25 PM – 5:00 PM📍 Burano, VeniceBurano's parish church on Piazza Galuppi, its markedly tilting brick bell tower leaning over the lagoon.
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6:36 PM – 7:00 PM· Travel to next stop ·8.1 km ·24m
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1h 45mTrattoria da Bepi già "54" 🍴 Food7:00 PM – 8:45 PM📍 Cannaregio, VeniceWarm family-run Cannaregio trattoria off Strada Nova serving classic Venetian seafood and homemade desserts.
🏨 Where to stay
Real, vetted stays near your route — check the reviews, then book.
Generator Venice
Giudecca
Design-led hostel in a converted granary on Giudecca island, with a lagoon-view bar and lively social scene one vaporetto stop from San Marco.
Hotel American-Dinesen★★★★
Dorsoduro (Campo San Vio)
Elegant 4-star on a quiet canal in Dorsoduro, steps from the Accademia and Guggenheim in Venice's artiest quarter.
Hotel Flora★★★
San Marco
Family-run 3-star tucked off Calle Larga XXII Marzo with a secret courtyard garden, minutes from Piazza San Marco.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Venice?
3 days are a great amount of time to explore Venice. This itinerary covers 27 highlights across 3 days, giving you a thorough introduction to the city and Veneto.
What are the best things to do in Venice?
Some of the best things to do in Venice include Doge's Palace, St Mark's Basilica, Piazza San Marco & Torre dell'Orologio. Built across 118 islands threaded by canals and footbridges, Venice is a car-free maze of Gothic palazzi, Byzantine churches and sunlit campi with no equal on earth. From the golden mosaics of St Mark's to the cicchetti bars of Cannaregio and the glass furnaces of Murano, La Serenissima layers a thousand years of maritime empire into a few walkable square kilometres. Every vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal doubles as a tour of the world's most improbable city.
Where should I stay in Venice?
Popular options in Venice include Generator Venice and Hotel American-Dinesen. The Veneto area also has a range of hotels for every budget — book in advance for the best rates.
What's the best time to visit Venice?
Venice can be visited year-round. Peak season typically brings the best weather and the liveliest atmosphere, while shoulder seasons offer smaller crowds and lower prices. Check the local climate for Italy before you go and pack accordingly.