Venice
Planning your time
Venice is remarkably small. You can walk across it, from head to tail, in about an hour. Nearly all of your sightseeing is within a 20-minute walk of the Rialto Bridge or St. Mark's Square.
Two key considerations: Maximize your evening magic, and avoid the midday crowds around St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace.
Note that the Museum Card and the pricier Museum Pass cover the popular Doge's Palace and less-visited Correr Museum (both on St. Mark's Square). Because the Doge's Palace has longer lines, it makes sense to buy your Card or Pass at the Correr Museum.
Venice itself is its greatest sight. Make time to wander, explore, shop, and simply be.
Venice in One (Busy) Day
9:00 Walk from St. Mark's Square to Frari Church, taking time to enjoy the Rialto market action.
11:00 Tour Frari Church.
12:00 Lunch near the Frari, then catch the vaporetto (boat) back to St. Mark's to wander and shop.
14:30 Correr Museum.
15:30 St. Mark's Basilica.
16:30 Doge's Palace.
18:00 Go up the Campanile bell tower for city view (long lines at midday, should be OK in evening).
18:30 Pub dinner (crawl or stay put and munch).
20:00 Gondola ride (or take my self-guided Grand Canal Cruise).
21:00 Enjoy the dueling orchestras with a drink on St. Mark's Square.
Venice in Two Days
Day 1
9:00 Walk from St. Mark's Square to Frari Church. Stop along the way at the Rialto market to browse.
11:00 Tour Frari Church.
12:00 Tour Ca' Rezzonico (Museum of 18th-Century Venice) or Scuola San Rocco (if you prefer Tintoretto to Casanova).
13:00 Lunch in Dorsoduro neighborhood, then take the vaporetto back to St. Mark's Square to wander and shop.
15:00 Correr Museum (the Museum Card and Museum Pass sold here both cover the Doge's Palace).
16:00 St. Mark's Basilica.
17:00 Doge's Palace.
19:00 Go up the Campanile bell tower for city view (in Sept–June, the tower closes at 19:00, so get there by 18:00 or skip the tower).
20:00 Dinner.
22:00 Enjoy the dueling orchestras with a drink on St. Mark's Square.
Day 2
9:00 Shopping or exploring.
11:00 Cruise Grand Canal.
13:00 Lunch (pizza near Accademia Bridge?).
14:00 Tour Accademia, explore Dorsoduro neighborhood, visit La Salute Church or Peggy Guggenheim Collection (modern art).
17:00 Commence pub crawl, eating dinner along the way.
20:00 Gondola ride.
Venice in Three (or Four) Days
Day 1
9:45 St. Mark's Basilica and Square.
11:00 Correr Museum.
12:00 Shop, wander, and have lunch in St. Mark's area.
16:00 Doge's Palace.
18:00 Ascend Campanile bell tower.
19:00 Gondola ride.
20:00 Dinner.
Day 2
9:00 Walk from St. Mark's Square to Frari Church, allowing time to experience the Rialto market scene.
11:00 Tour Frari Church.
12:00 Tour Scuola San Rocco for Tintoretto.
13:00 Lunch.
14:00 Tour Ca' Rezzonico (Museum of 18th-Century Venice).
15:00 Explore Dorsoduro, the neighborhood around the Accademia.
17:00 Tour Accademia.
18:00 Cruise Grand Canal in vaporetto.
Day 3
9:00 Explore lagoon by vaporetto or tour boat, visiting Burano and Torcello.
15:00 Do St. Mark's to San Zaccaria Walk, then catch a vaporetto to visit the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore.
17:00 Start pub crawl.
21:00 Savor a drink while listening to the dueling orchestras on St. Mark's Square.
Day 4
Side-trip to Padua and/or Verona.
Updated for 2008. For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' Venice guidebook — or join us on one of our free-spirited tours in Venice.