Venice in 1 Day: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit

Venice is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and also one of the most spectacular. Here you’ll find squares, churches, basilicas, and buildings that are widely considered among the most beautiful in the world. With its canals to boot, Venice is truly one of a kind.

Exploring it in just one day can be a bit stressful if you go without a plan. That’s why I’ve put together this circular route designed to let you see the city’s highlights—such as St. Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace, and the Rialto Bridge—all in a single day. Join me, and let’s get started.

The starting point of our tour will be the Santa Lucia train station. This is where most visitors arrive in Venice, and from there, you can hop on a vaporetto or book a gondola ride to travel along the Grand Canal to your first destination.

The Grand Canal is Venice’s main thoroughfare, and there are plenty of cruises and boat tours you can take along it. It’s like one of the city’s grand boulevards, but with water instead of asphalt and boats instead of cars. Our destination is St. Mark’s Square. Along the way, we’ll see iconic buildings and landmarks from the boat, such as the Casino, Ca’ Pesaro, and the Rialto Bridge.

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• A tip: If you want to be prepared before your trip, read the article on what to see and do on Venice’s Grand Canal.
• Prices: A gondola ride starts at $46, while the Venice transport card —which includes the vaporetto—costs around $16

We’ve arrived at what will be our main starting point for this tour: St. Mark’s Square, the heart of Venice. Napoleon described it as one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, and he was certainly right. This 9th-century square is home to some of the city’s must-see attractions. St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the Clock Tower, and the Old Procuratie are the iconic buildings you’ll see here.

If you’d like to relax before “getting down to business,” you can enjoy a delicious Italian coffee at the famous Caffè Florian. With spectacular décor and a prime location, sipping an espresso on its terrace is a quintessential Venetian experience. That said, you might pay over 6 euros for a coffee, though for some, the setting is well worth it.

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• A tip: Check the weather forecast before your trip and watch out for acqua alta. On rainy days or during high tide, the water rises and partially floods the square. If your visit coincides with this phenomenon, you’ll have to walk on the walkways they set up if you don’t want to get wet.
• Price: Free.
• Be sure to read the post on St. Mark’s Square in Venice: a practical guide to exploring it fully to make the most of your visit.

The first thing we’ll visit is the first thing that catches your eye when you enter the square. Well, the second thing after looking up at the tower. I’m talking about St. Mark’s Basilica. This impressive Byzantine-style basilica was built to house the relics of the saint after whom it is named.

On the outside, its golden and blue colors, impressive frescoes, and 98.5-meter-high bell tower stand out, offering one of the best panoramic views of Venice. The interior is equally spectacular.

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• A tip: Keep in mind that the lines are usually quite long, and since we only have one day, it’s best to book tickets to St. Mark’s Basilica in advance.
• Price: Starting at $23 But for a little extra, you can also opt for a guided tour.

Leaving the basilica, you’ll find another of Venice’s most iconic buildings right in the same square: the Doge’s Palace. It stands as a symbol of the power Venice once held and served as the residence of the doges, the city’s supreme rulers.

One of its facades faces St. Mark’s Square, and the other overlooks the Grand Canal. The Gothic-style building also served as the seat of government and was used as a prison. In connection with the latter, the palace houses the Bridge of Sighs, so named for the sighs of the prisoners who crossed it on their way to their grim fate.

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• A tip: Book your tickets to the Doge’s Palace in advance to skip the lines.
• Price: Below, I’ve listed all the information on the Doge’s Palace prices; tickets start at $41
• And to make the most of your visit, be sure to read about what to see inside the Doge’s Palace in Venice.

During your visit to the Doge’s Palace, you’ll cross the famous Bridge of Sighs from the inside. After learning its history, the best thing to do when leaving the palace is to go see the bridge and take photos of it from the outside.

Contrary to popular belief, this bridge has nothing to do with romance. Its name comes from the fact that prisoners of the Inquisition would cross it and look at the sun for the last time through its small windows , letting out a sigh knowing they wouldn’t see it again for a long time. There are many secrets surrounding the Bridge of Sighs.

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• A tip: Check out our post on everything you need to know about the Bridge of Sighs.
• Price: The visit is included in the ticket for the Doge’s Palace.

After visiting St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, you’re sure to be getting hungry. It’s the perfect time to grab a bite and sample Italian cuisine near St. Mark’s Square. The restaurants right on the square are quite pricey, but the surrounding streets offer plenty of options at reasonable prices.

Since this is Italy, pasta is a must, but in Venice, seafood and fish from local waters are also staples on the menus. Some of the best places to eat near St. Mark’s Square are Rossopomodoro Venezia, a chain offering good food at reasonable prices, and Da Mamo if you want to sample the finest Italian pasta.

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• A tip: If you decide to take the food tour, don’t miss the article on the best food tours in Venice.
• Price: Book a food tour of Venice starting at $103

After lunch, the best way to walk off your meal is to take a stroll toward the Rialto Bridge. It’s a leisurely 10- to 15-minute walk to the bridge, and you can take the opportunity to explore less touristy streets and enjoy a delicious Italian gelato along the way.

The Rialto Bridge was built between 1588 and 1591, and its arches and the views it offers of the Grand Canal mean it’s usually packed with tourists. That’s why after lunch is a good time to visit, as the crowds are a bit lighter.

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• A tip: The Rialto Bridge is, along with the Bridge of Sighs, the most famous bridge in Venice and the largest one crossing the Grand Canal. Get up to date on your visit to the Rialto Bridge in this article.
• Price: Free.

After taking photos and exploring the Rialto Bridge, we’ll take another vaporetto that will take us across the Grand Canal to the Academy Bridge. This bridge is one of the four that span the Grand Canal and one of Venice’s most important bridges. It connects the Dorsoduro district with the San Marco district.

The bridge is named after the nearby Venice Academy Gallery, one of the city’s most important museums.

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• A tip: Unfortunately, if you’re only visiting for a single day, I don’t recommend visiting the Accademia Gallery, as it would take too much time to see all its works.
• Price: Free.

From the bridge itself, we’ll walk about 10 minutes to the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, located at Punta della Dogana. The basilica’s exterior is spectacular thanks to its imposing dome. The building was constructed to thank the Virgin of Health for ending the plague that claimed the lives of most of Venice’s population.

Beneath its enormous dome and inside the church, you can see several works by Titian, such as David and Goliath or The Death of Abel. The famous Renaissance painter is buried in Venice itself, in the Basilica of Santa Maria dei Frari.

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• A tip: I recommend booking a guided tour. You can easily do so on the official website.
• Price: Admission to the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute starts at €4.

To top off the day, the best thing you can do is watch the Venetian sunset. Luckily , the Basilica of Santa Maria is located at Punta della Dogana, one of the best spots to watch the sunset. From there, you can see the last rays of the sun on the Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore and its bell tower, or on part of St. Mark’s Square.

From this spot, you can take a vaporetto back or cross back to St. Mark’s Square to finish with a nice dinner and enjoy Venice at night. It all depends on how you want to extend a magical day in the city of canals.

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• A tip: Learn about the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore before your visit.
• Price: Free.
• Remember that the Venice transport card includes all vaporetto rides.

There’s so much to do and see in Venice, and inevitably, with just one day, many sights will be left behind. The tour we’ve planned covers Venice’s main tourist attractions, but you may already be familiar with them and want to explore other areas. In that case, here are some alternative options:

• Canareggio Jewish Quarter: In the 16th and 17th centuries, Jews were forced to live in this neighborhood to keep them separate from the rest of the Venetian population. It is the oldest Jewish quarter in the world, and its streets feature the Vendramin Calergi Palace, the Ca’ d’Oro Palace, and the Jewish Museum of Venice. You can book a tour of Venice’s Jewish quarter starting at $24
• Acqua Alta Bookstore: One of the most unique bookstores in the world. It has a large collection of antique books, but its main attraction isn’t the books themselves—it’s the way they’re displayed. Due to the Acqua Alta, many of its books are housed in gondolas situated along the canal’s banks.
• La Fenice Theater: Its history makes it one of the most important theaters in the world, as works such as Verdi’s “La Traviata” premiered on its stage. You can visit and see areas like the Royal Box or the theater’s many halls. You can book tickets to the La Fenice Theater in Venice starting $17

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• A tip: Any of these places can easily be visited in a day and are perfect substitutes for any of the stops on the previous itinerary. A great option if you’re visiting Venice for the second time and missed something on your first trip.

When you set yourself the challenge of exploring Venice in a day, making the most of your time is essential. To help you do that, here are some tips for visiting Venice that, based on my own experience, will help you see the city in a day:

• The early bird catches the worm, as they say. In this case, it’s true. Beyond the obvious benefits of having more time, getting up early and arriving at St. Mark’s Square early will save you from waiting in lines.
• Just as I recommend getting up early, I also recommend stretching the day out as much as possible. Venice at night has a different atmosphere, and the evening lighting completely transforms it. If you return at night, you’ll be glad you did, even if fatigue takes its toll.
• Buy your tickets in advance. Doing so will save you from waiting in line to buy tickets for the monuments, and you’ll be able to go in almost immediately.
• Guided tours also offer advantages. For example, at St. Mark’s Basilica, although the standard visit is free, a guided tour allowsyou to enter the church directly without waiting in line.
• When you arrive at Santa Lucia Station, head to the tourist office there and pick up a map of Venice. These maps usually include information on the vaporetto routes—one of the best ways to get around Venice—and knowing them in advance allows you to move around more efficiently.