3 Days in Venice: A Day-by-Day Itinerary

Three days in Venice are enough for St. Mark’s Square with its Basilica and Doge’s Palace, the Rialto Bridge and the Accademia, and a day on the lagoon islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. A base in the historic centre, around San Marco, keeps most of it on foot. The Basilica takes its last visitors at 4:45 p.m. and the Doge’s Palace and Basilica sell timed entries, so each day is built around a booked hour. The beaches of the Lido and the mountains of the Dolomites stay out of the plan.

At a glance

• Recommended length: 3 days
• Best base: the historic centre, around San Marco
• Main transport: on foot, with vaporetto (waterbus) lines run by ACTV
• Vaporetto ticket: €9.50 for 75 minutes, €45.00 for 3 days
• Doge’s Palace ticket: €35, or €30 online at least 30 days ahead

Is 3 days enough in Venice?

Three days cover the core of Venice: the Basilica with the Pala d’Oro, the Campanile, the Doge’s Palace, the Rialto Bridge, the Gallerie dell’Accademia and one lagoon day. The city is made up of 121 islands joined by 435 bridges, and the historic centre can be visited entirely on foot. That is why a short stay works here. Three days with a timed ticket for each big sight fit comfortably.

With a fourth day, add Giudecca, which is one vaporetto stop away and has churches by Palladio (Redentore, Zitelle and San Giorgio Maggiore). The Lido is another option. It is Venice’s seaside, with the open Adriatic beyond the lagoon. Another good use of extra time is the Scuola di San Rocco, with its cycle of paintings by Tintoretto, or the contemporary art at Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi.

With only two days, drop the islands day and keep San Marco and the Rialto and Accademia walk. If the islands are the priority, shorten Day 2 and go to Murano and Burano first, then add Torcello if time allows.

When to plan 3 days in Venice

Daylight changes this plan more than temperature. July and August highs sit near 83°F (28°C), which makes the shaded interiors of the Basilica and museums welcome at midday. The Campanile stays open until 9:15 p.m. from March to November, with last access at 8:45 p.m. Carnival runs in February and March, the Redentore festival falls on the third Sunday of July, and the Film Festival and the Regata Storica come in September. Book rooms early around those dates.

Where to stay in Venice for 3 days

The historic centre suits this plan best, and San Marco is the sestiere to look at first. Hotel Danieli sits on Riva degli Schiavoni near the Bridge of Sighs. Hotel La Fenice et des Artistes is a 5-minute walk from St. Mark’s Square, and Duodo Palace has the Rialto Bridge and Ponte dell’Accademia within walking distance. For a quieter stay, Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo in Santa Croce is about 7 minutes on foot from the Rialto, and Hotel Tintoretto is in Cannaregio. Every guest in the municipality pays a tourist tax, collected by the hotel, with lower rates on the mainland and the lagoon islands.

Book the timed tickets first, for the Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, then the room. Some hotels offer a discount for booking on their own website: 5% to 20% at La Fenice and 5% at Tintoretto.

Getting around Venice in 3 days

The historic centre is entirely pedestrian, and bicycles are not allowed, even pushed by hand. Vaporetto lines cover the longer distances. A standard ticket costs €9.50 for 75 minutes. Passes cost €35.00 for 2 days and €45.00 for 3 days, which suits this plan. A day pass is €25.00. Validate the ticket at the start of each journey and at each change of vehicle. On boats only digital payments are accepted. Traghetti, gondola ferries, cross the Grand Canal at Santa Sofia-Rialto Mercato, San Tomà-Sant’Angelo, Santa Maria del Giglio and Punta della Dogana for €2.00.

From Piazzale Roma or Santa Lucia station, Line 1 reaches Vallaresso or San Zaccaria, both beside the Doge’s Palace. Line 2 stops at Giardinetti. Lines 4.1 and 5.1 go to San Zaccaria. From the Lido, take Line 1 or Line 5.2.

3 Days in Venice, day by day

Day 1: St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace

Start in Piazza San Marco, named for the Basilica with its five Byzantine domes. The Basilica opens at 9:30 a.m. Monday to Saturday, and on Sundays only from 2 p.m., so keep a Sunday for another day. Visits include the Pala d’Oro and the museum and loggia with the Horses of Saint Mark. Then take the Campanile elevator for wide views. A ticket without a time slot admits you to the Doge’s Palace from 12 p.m., which suits the afternoon.

• Basilica: 9:30 a.m. opening, last entrance 4:45 p.m.
• Doge’s Palace: from 12 p.m. with a ticket without a time slot

Arrive at the booked time. The Basilica allows 5 minutes of tolerance, and entry may be denied if the date and time do not match the booking. The Doge’s Palace is entered at Porta del Frumento, on Piazzetta San Marco. It is reached by Line 1 to Vallaresso or San Zaccaria. Sitting on the ground and eating or drinking in the square should be avoided.

• Doge’s Palace standard ticket: €35 full, €15 reduced
• Online ticket: €30, bought at least 30 days ahead
• Secret Itineraries tour: €40 full, €20 reduced
• Museum Pass: €50 full, €25 reduced, valid for 6 months

The ticket covers Museum Correr, the National Archaeological Museum and the Monumental Rooms of the Marciana Library. The Secret Itineraries tour excludes anyone more than 15 minutes late.

The audioguide on the MUVE app comes with the ticket. Eat cicchetti, small Venetian snacks, standing at a bacaro, a wine bar. Hotel Danieli’s Terrazza restaurant on the top floor looks over the lagoon islands.

Day 2: Rialto, the Accademia and Dorsoduro

Walk to the Rialto Bridge, a stone arch over the Grand Canal built from 1588 to 1591. It has 24 shops along two covered ramps. The Rialto market is next to it. Then cross the city to the Gallerie dell’Accademia, which holds Venetian painting from the 14th to the 18th century in 24 rooms.

Vaporetto Lines 1 and 2 stop at Rialto. Line 1 covers the Grand Canal in 44 minutes and Line 2 in 33. The Accademia stop is served by Lines 1, 2 and N. The Accademia is free for everyone on the first Sunday of each month. The Dorsoduro Museum Mile ticket costs €12.00.

If it rains, switch to the Palazzo Mocenigo Museum, which focuses on textile, costume and perfume. Take Line 1 to San Stae. The Palazzo Mocenigo ticket costs €15 and the 18th-century museums ticket is €20. Do the same area in the evening for cicchetti at a bacaro.

Day 3: Murano, Burano and Torcello

Use this day for the lagoon. On Murano, some glassworks let you watch glass-blowing, and the Museo del Vetro is at Fondamenta Giustinian 8. Burano has colored house facades, and Via Baldassarre Galuppi is its main street. The Museo del Merletto, the lace museum, is on Piazza Galuppi. On Torcello are the Church of Santa Fosca, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the Museo di Torcello. The Ponte del Diavolo is one of the few bridges without a parapet.

From Piazzale Roma or the railway station, take Line 3 to Murano Faro and then Line 12 to Burano. A Line 9 ferry runs from Burano to Torcello. For the glass museum, Lines 4.2 or 5.2 stop at Museo Murano. Entry to the Museo del Vetro is €10, and the lace museum costs €5. Lace-makers demonstrate their techniques live, by reservation. Cross the long ramp from Burano to Mazzorbo for its park.

Take a map if you want one, at €3.00 from Venezia Unica points. The access fee for day visitors applies only to the historic city, not to the minor islands. Leave the islands in the early part of the day and plan your return by vaporetto before dark.