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Venice in 24 hours: what to see in one day and one night
In 24 hours, you can see the Rialto Bridge, St Mark’s Square, the Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, a few quieter streets and take a boat trip along the Grand Canal. However, you’ll need to choose the right hotel, book your tickets in advance and give up on Murano, Burano and any attempt to visit every museum.
The biggest mistake is to visit Venice only between 10.00 and 17.00. That’s when the city centre is at its busiest. One night right in the heart of historic Venice will give you access to the evening and early morning, when the city is significantly quieter and feels completely different.
The following itinerary assumes arrival around 12:00 and departure the following day at roughly the same time or a little later in the afternoon. If you arrive earlier or leave later, use the extra time for a leisurely stroll rather than visiting further attractions.
If you’re staying in Venice for longer or want to explore individual sites in more detail, head over to our comprehensive guide to Venice.
Venice in 24 hours: a brief overview
| What to sort out | Our recommendations |
|---|---|
| Where to stay | Santa Lucia / Piazzale Roma (transport), Rialto / San Marco (atmosphere) |
| What to book | St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace |
| How to get around | Mainly on foot; take the vaporetto mainly for a sightseeing cruise |
| What not to miss | Rialto, St Mark’s in the morning or evening, the Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and Dorsoduro |
| What to skip | Murano, Burano, Torcello, Lido and most museums |
| How much walking to expect | Expect to walk around 12 to 15 km and cross dozens of bridges |
Where to stay for one night
If you’re only staying for one night, I wouldn’t recommend Mestre.
Although hotels on the mainland are cheaper, you’ll miss out on the best part of your stay and waste time twice travelling between the station and the city centre.
I’d choose accommodation from one of two areas.
You’ll find a detailed comparison of neighbourhoods, prices and other hotels in the section on where to stay in Venice.
Santa Lucia and Piazzale Roma: the best transport links
Choose this area if you’re arriving by train or bus from the airport, have large luggage or are leaving early the following day.
You can drop off your suitcase at the hotel in a matter of minutes and won’t have to lug it across bridges or carry it on a crowded vaporetto.
It takes about 20 to 25 minutes to walk to Rialto, and about 35 minutes to St Mark’s Square. However, as the route takes you right through the heart of Venice, we don’t see it as time wasted.
| Hotel | Price range | Why choose it for one night |
| Hotel Abbazia | Cheaper | Just a few minutes’ walk from Santa Lucia railway station |
| Hotel Papadopoli Venezia MGallery | Upper mid-range | A stylish hotel near Piazzale Roma, where the airport buses terminate |
| Hotel Canal Grande | More luxurious | A smaller hotel right on the Grand Canal, without compromising on a convenient arrival and departure |
Rialto and San Marco: the best of Venice in the shortest time
Accommodation between the Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Square is more expensive, but you’ll be right by the main sights throughout your stay.
You’ll be able to see St Mark’s Square in the evening after the day-trippers have left, and in the morning before they arrive, without any unnecessary travelling.
This location makes the most sense if you’re travelling light or if you’re using the Alilaguna ferry service or a shared water taxi from Marco Polo Airport.
| Hotel | Price range | Why choose it for one night |
| Hotel Serenissima | Cheaper | An exceptionally convenient location between Rialto and St Mark’s |
| Rosa Salva Hotel | Mid-range | Just a 3-minute walk from St Mark’s Square, offering the best value for money |
| The St. Regis Venice | Luxury | Right on the Grand Canal and just a few minutes from St Mark’s Square |
For a one-night stay, choose a hotel based on your arrival time, not on district boundaries.
If you’re arriving in the evening or leaving early in the morning, choose Santa Lucia or Piazzale Roma.
If you have almost a full 24 hours and are looking for atmosphere above all else, choose Rialto or San Marco.
Day 1: Rialto, the Doge’s Palace and Venice by night
The itinerary is designed so that you don’t have to walk back along the same streets unnecessarily.
It assumes you’re staying near Santa Lucia or Piazzale Roma, but you can easily follow it even if you’re staying in the city centre.
The route in a nutshell: Santa Lucia -> San Giacomo dell’Orio -> Frari -> San Polo -> Rialto -> San Marco -> Dorsoduro.
On the second day, take line 1 back to San Marco and walk via the Accademia back to your hotel.
13:00 Arrival and dropping off your luggage
Upon arrival, the first thing to do is drop off your luggage. Most hotels will store it for you before check-in and after check-out, but it’s best to check this in your booking terms and conditions.
If you’re not staying overnight in Venice, make use of the luggage storage facilities at Santa Lucia railway station or at Piazzale Roma.
It’s difficult to get around the city with a suitcase. Lifts at the bridges are the exception, and you’ll have to climb dozens of flights of stairs during the day.
14:00 Santa Croce and San Polo without the main crowds
Don’t take the shortest route from the station by following the main flow of people.
Walk through Campo San Giacomo dell’Orio, continue towards the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and, via Campo San Polo, make your way to the waterfront by the Rialto Market.
This route takes about 75 minutes, including short stops, and will show you the more residential squares, narrow streets and small canals.
This is the perfect spot for a late, light lunch in the ‘cicchetti’ style. A long lunch would unnecessarily take up a large part of your afternoon.
If you’d like to tailor the route to your own priorities, do have a look at our guide to what to see in Venice. For a 24-hour visit, however, we recommend sticking to this compact route and not adding any more distant sights.
15:15 Rialto and the Grand Canal
Take a stroll around the Rialto Market, cross the famous Rialto Bridge and stop for a moment to take in the view of the Grand Canal.
The bridge itself only takes 20 to 30 minutes to see. There’s no point in waiting for a perfectly uncrowded photo – you won’t get one during the day anyway.
The market stalls are mainly open in the morning and early afternoon. In the afternoon, head here for the waterfront, the bridge and the atmosphere, not to shop at the market.
It takes 10 to 15 minutes to walk from the Rialto to St Mark’s Square. But don’t get too hung up on taking the shortest route.
The signs on the walls will guide you in the right direction, and a few unplanned detours are among the best parts of a visit to Venice.
16:00 The Doge’s Palace
Book your ticket for the Doge’s Palace for around 16:00. The tour takes 90 to 120 minutes and includes the state rooms, a walk across the Bridge of Sighs and the former prison.
The ticket price also includes admission to other museums in St Mark’s Square, but if you’re only visiting for 24 hours, it’s not worth going out of your way to see them all.
6.00 pm San Marco, Riva degli Schiavoni and a gondola ride
After visiting the palace, take a look at St Mark’s Square, the Piazzetta, the Riva degli Schiavoni promenade and the Bridge of Sighs from the outside.
By this time, the tour groups are gradually thinning out.
If you’d like to take a gondola ride, do so before 7.00 pm. The official fixed rate is 90 eurfor a 30-minute ride for the whole gondola, with a maximum of 5 passengers. After 7.00 pm, the ride costs €110 and lasts 35 minutes.
In our opinion, a gondola ride isn’t a must. It’s expensive for a couple, but on a first, romantic visit, it can be one of the most memorable experiences.
An alternative to the expensive gondola rides are the cheap gondola ferries.
19:30 Dorsoduro and Venice by night
Cross the Accademia Bridge to the Dorsoduro district. Continue to the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute and on to Punta della Dogana, which offers one of the best views of the lagoon and the San Marco area.
In summer, you can wait here for the sunset; in winter, adjust your route according to the current time of dusk. We describe the differences between the seasons in detail in the chapter on the weather in Venice.
For dinner, head further into Dorsoduro. The area around Campo Santa Margherita offers a wider choice and generally more reasonable prices than the immediate vicinity of St Mark’s Square.
Before returning to your hotel, take another stroll through San Marco after dark. If you’re tired, take the No. 1 vaporetto along the Grand Canal towards the railway station. Otherwise, save this trip for the morning.
Day 2: the Grand Canal, San Marco and the Basilica
7.00 am: The Grand Canal without the biggest crowds
If you didn’t take the vaporetto in the evening, hop on line 1 at the Ferrovia stop in the morning, heading towards San Marco.
This slower route travels the entire length of the Grand Canal, past the palaces, the Rialto and some of the most famous views.
The journey takes about 40 minutes and serves as an inexpensive sightseeing cruise. Sit outside, ideally at the bow or stern, if there’s space. The boats tend to be less crowded in the morning than in the middle of the day.
7.45 am A less crowded St Mark’s Square
You’ll notice the biggest difference compared to a day trip first thing in the morning. Stroll through the almost empty square, the waterfront and the narrow streets behind the Doge’s Palace. You’ll have far more space for taking photos or simply stopping to look around than you will three hours later.
Have breakfast at one of the bars in the surrounding streets. A coffee right on the square in the famous cafés is more of an experience in its own right than a quick and cheap breakfast.
9.30 St Mark’s Basilica
Buy a ticket for St Mark’s Basilica for the earliest available time slot.
For most visitors with limited time, we recommend the €20 option, which includes the museum and the Loggia dei Cavalli.
You’ll see mosaics, the original famous horses and a bird’s-eye view of the square. Buy the full ticket if you’re particularly interested in art and also want to see the Pala d’Oro, the golden altar.
On Sundays, due to church services, the basilica is not open to the general public until 14:00.
If your 24-hour visit falls on a Sunday, visit the basilica straight after arriving on the first day and leave your visit to the Doge’s Palace until 9.00 am the following morning.
10.30 am The last few hours without having to rush to see other attractions
After the basilica, you have two sensible options:
- If the weather is clear, take the lift up the Campanile di San Marco bell tower. Allow about 40 minutes.
- If you’ve already seen the view from the basilica’s loggia, or if it’s overcast, walk back across the Accademia and Dorsoduro bridges towards your hotel. This will give you time for a coffee, some cicchetti and a stroll through the alleyways you missed the previous day.
Around midday, collect your luggage and head to the railway station or Piazzale Roma.
Don’t plan your departure down to the minute. Navigating the narrow streets, bridges and crowded vaporettos can easily hold you up.
Is a 24-hour vaporetto ticket worth it?
Not for this itinerary. A single standard vaporetto journey costs €9.50, whilst a 24-hour ticket costs €25. If you’ll be getting around mainly on foot and only taking the vaporetto along the Grand Canal once, buy a single ticket.
A day ticket is worth it if you make three or more journeys, or if you’re travelling to the islands. It’s valid for 24 hours from the first validation, not just until midnight. It does not include Alilaguna ferries to the airport, nor the ACTV airport bus at no extra cost.
You can find details of the differences between the various boat routes, ticket validity and connections to the islands in the section on transport in Venice.
What to miss out on during 24 hours in Venice
Murano, Burano and Torcello
Skip them on your first visit. Murano itself can be covered in half a day, but Burano is further from the centre and visiting both islands will take up most of the day.
If you only have 24 hours, you’ll be swapping the main part of Venice for queuing for boats just to visit them.
Save the islands for a stay of two or three nights.
Most museums and galleries
The Doge’s Palace and the Basilica are enough for a first short visit.
The Gallerie dell’Accademia, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Museo Correr and other institutions are well worth a visit, but each will take at least 90 minutes. Only choose them if they are the main reason for your trip.
Lido, Giudecca and the more distant Castello
These are worth visiting if you’re staying for a while, and Giudecca offers beautiful views.
However, during the first 24 hours, they add further journeys and take time away from the compact route between Rialto, San Marco and Dorsoduro.
Tourist City Pass without a calculation
Combined passes seem like good value, but you usually won’t manage to make the most of all the included museums and journeys within 24 hours.
Just add up the cost of the two attractions you actually want to visit, plus transport. In most cases, individual tickets work out cheaper.
Is there an entrance fee to Venice?
From 2024, Venice will charge an entry fee on certain days of the year.
We regularly update the current list of these days and the admission fees every October in the article ‘Venice Entry Fee’.
What if you only have 8 to 10 hours and aren’t staying overnight?
Arrive by around 8.00 am at the latest and take Line 1 from the station along the Grand Canal to St Mark’s.
Book a visit to the Basilica first, then visit the Doge’s Palace and walk back to the station via Rialto and San Polo.
In that case, skip Dorsoduro, the bell tower and the gondola, or choose just one of these three. Don’t try to fit Murano and Burano into the same day.
Is one day in Venice enough?
One day is enough for a first glimpse of Venice, but not for getting to know it thoroughly.
In 24 hours, including one night’s stay, you’ll see the main sights and experience the city outside the busiest part of the day.
However, you’ll need to save Murano, Burano, the galleries and the quieter neighbourhoods for another visit – or at least two nights. Our Venice guide will help you plan a longer itinerary.
If there are just three pieces of advice to take away from this whole article, book a hotel right in historic Venice, buy a specific time slot for the basilica in advance, and don’t try to fit in the islands in a single day.
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