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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 days18 sights + 9 food & drink stopsVenice, Italy
✅ Complete your trip to Venice
Book the essentials and keep this itinerary handy on the road.
1
St 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 Doge's Palace ·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 St Mark's Basilica ·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 Piazza San Marco & Torre dell'Orologio ·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 Rosticceria Gislon ·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 Campanile di San Marco ·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 Scala Contarini del Bovolo ·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 Teatro La Fenice ·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 Trattoria alla Rivetta ·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.
2
San 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 Basilica dei Frari ·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 Scuola Grande di San Rocco ·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 Rialto Bridge & Market ·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 Cantina Do Spade ·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 Gallerie dell'Accademia ·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 Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute ·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 Peggy Guggenheim Collection ·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 Osteria Enoteca Ai Artisti ·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.
3
Cannaregio, 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 Ponte delle Guglie & Cannaregio Canal ·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 Jewish Ghetto (Campo di Ghetto Nuovo) ·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 Chiesa della Madonna dell'Orto ·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 Trattoria Busa alla Torre da Lele ·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 Museo del Vetro ·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 Burano Colourful Houses & Fondamenta ·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 Chiesa di San Martino & Leaning Campanile ·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 Trattoria da Bepi già "54" ·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 18 sights and 9 food & drink stops 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?
Much of this itinerary is indoors — 4 of its 18 sights are museums, entertainment venues, or shopping stops — so Venice holds up outside peak season too. Book the popular indoor attractions ahead in busy months, and check the seasonal climate for Italy before you go.