3 days in Venice: a day-by-day sightseeing plan

Venice is a city of canals, palaces and churches where every journey is on foot or by boat. Day one stays around St Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace, day two starts at the Rialto and takes in San Zanipolo, the Ca' d'Oro, Ca' Pesaro and the Frari, and day three crosses Dorsoduro from the Salute to the Accademia before boats out to the island churches of Giudecca and San Giorgio.

Open in Atlazi Read the Venice guide

Day 1

St Mark's Basilica, the Clock Tower and the Doge's Palace

5 stops

09:00
St Mark's Basilica
About 50 min
St Mark's Basilica glows with golden mosaics across its domes and walls, a mix of Byzantine and Venetian art built to hold the relics of Saint Mark. Book a timed entry, and go up to the museum, where the original bronze horses are kept and the terrace looks over the square.
Walk, 1 min
09:55
St Mark's Clocktower
About 45 min
The early Renaissance Clock Tower on the north side of the square shows the hours, the phases of the moon and the zodiac on a blue and gold dial, with two bronze figures striking the bell on the roof. The climb past the clockwork to the roof is by guided tour only, so book ahead, or simply watch from the square.
Walk, 1 min
10:45
Piazza San Marco
About 25 min
St Mark's Square is the city's main square, framed by arcades on three sides with the basilica and its tall bell tower on the fourth. Go up the Campanile for a view over the lagoon if you have time, then walk the few steps to the Doge's Palace.
Walk, 2 min
11:15
Doge's Palace
About 2 h 40 min
For centuries the seat of the Venetian Republic, the Doge's Palace is a pink and white Gothic building with vast council halls, one of them hung with Tintoretto's enormous Paradise. The route takes you over the Bridge of Sighs into the old prisons, so you see the next stop from the inside too.
Walk, 1 min
14:00
Bridge of Sighs
About 25 min
This enclosed white stone bridge links the Doge's Palace to the prisons, and its name comes from the idea of prisoners sighing at their last view of Venice. The best view is from the Ponte della Paglia on the waterfront, so keep this a short stop to end the day.

Day 2

The Rialto, San Zanipolo, two Grand Canal palaces and the Frari

5 stops

09:00
Rialto Bridge
About 25 min
The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the bridges over the Grand Canal, a stone arch lined with shops at the heart of the city's old trading district. Stand at the top for the view down the canal first thing, before the crowds, then walk east to San Zanipolo.
Walk, 7 min
09:35
Santi Giovanni e Paolo
About 45 min
Santi Giovanni e Paolo, known locally as San Zanipolo, is a vast Dominican church where 25 doges are buried. In the square outside stands Verrocchio's bronze horseman of Bartolomeo Colleoni, one of the great equestrian statues of the Renaissance.
Walk, 9 min
10:30
Ca' d'Oro
About 1 h 35 min
The Ca' d'Oro is one of the finest Gothic palaces on the Grand Canal, named for the gilding that once covered its lace-like facade. It now holds the Franchetti gallery, and its loggia over the water gives you a close view of the boat traffic before the short walk to Ca' Pesaro.
Walk, 4 min
12:10
Ca' Pesaro
About 1 h 30 min
Ca' Pesaro is a grand Baroque marble palace by Baldassare Longhena on the Grand Canal, now home to the city's gallery of modern art, with works by Klimt, Chagall and Italian painters of the 20th century. The upper floor holds a museum of Oriental art, and the Frari is a short walk away.
Walk, 9 min
13:50
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
About 45 min
The Frari is one of the largest churches in Venice, a brick Gothic building where Titian's Assumption glows above the high altar. Titian himself is buried here, and Canova's pyramid-shaped tomb stands across the nave.

Day 3

The Salute, the Accademia and the island churches

5 stops

09:00
Santa Maria della Salute
About 50 min
Santa Maria della Salute was built to give thanks for the end of the plague of 1630, and its great white dome marks the entrance to the Grand Canal. Inside, look for the paintings by Titian and Tintoretto in the sacristy before walking west through Dorsoduro.
Walk, 13 min
10:05
Ca' Foscari
About 1 h 30 min
Ca' Foscari is a 15th-century Gothic palace on the bend of the Grand Canal and now the main building of the city's university. You mostly see it from outside, so this can be much shorter than the time planned, with a long view up the canal from the waterfront nearby.
Walk, 6 min
11:45
Gallerie dell'Accademia
About 1 h 35 min
The Gallerie dell'Accademia hold the finest collection of Venetian painting, from Bellini and Carpaccio to Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese. Leonardo's Vitruvian Man belongs to the collection but is shown only rarely; afterwards take the vaporetto across to Giudecca.
Ferry, 13 min
13:35
Il Redentore
About 30 min
Palladio's church of Il Redentore on Giudecca was built to give thanks for the end of a plague in the 1570s, and its bright white facade faces the city across the water. Giudecca is an island, so you arrive by vaporetto, the water bus, and take another boat on to San Giorgio Maggiore.
Ferry, 13 min
14:20
Church of San Giorgio Maggiore
About 45 min
Palladio's San Giorgio Maggiore sits on its own small island facing St Mark's Square. Take the lift up the bell tower for one of the best views of Venice, then return by vaporetto to the main island.

Good to know

Venice has no cars, so you get around on foot or by vaporetto; Giudecca and San Giorgio Maggiore on day three are islands, so take a boat to, between and back from them.
Book a timed entry for St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace to avoid the longest queues; the Clock Tower is seen inside only on booked guided tours.
Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons; from autumn into winter, high tides can flood low-lying areas such as St Mark's Square.
Churches expect covered shoulders and knees, so carry a light layer.
You can open this plan in Atlazi and change it to your pace.

Make this plan yours

Copy it into your trips, then change the days, places and times as you like.

Open in Atlazi

3 days in Venice: a day-by-day sightseeing plan

St Mark's Basilica

St Mark's Clocktower

Piazza San Marco

Doge's Palace

Bridge of Sighs

Rialto Bridge

Santi Giovanni e Paolo

Ca' d'Oro

Ca' Pesaro

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari

Santa Maria della Salute

Ca' Foscari

Gallerie dell'Accademia

Il Redentore

Church of San Giorgio Maggiore

Good to know

Make this plan yours