24 Hours in Venice: Your Perfect One Day Itinerary in the Floating City

We love Venice, and think that the more time you can spend here the better. Although the city is more compact than Italy’s other must-see metropolises like Rome, Florence and Naples, Venice fits so much into its moderate size that you could easily spend weeks wandering amongst its labyrinth of canals and alleys without seeing the half of it. Ideally, you’d spend several days exploring this extraordinary city.

But what if you don’t have that long, and are only making a one-day visit?

Well, don’t let a tight schedule put you off! With a bit of smart planning it’s certainly possible to experience the essence of this magical city in a short time. But in order to do so, you’ll really need to do your homework. That’s where we come in!

We’ve created this one day self-guided itinerary of Venice based on many of our own whirlwind visits to the city. You’ll be able to hit the highlights, soak up the atmosphere, and create memories that will last a lifetime - without changing your travel plans. So, whether this will be the first of many visits to the Serenissima (we hope so!) or a once-in-a-lifetime visit to Venice, read on to discover how to make the most of every minute you’ve got in the Floating City.

MORNING

08:30 - Breakfast

Regardless of how many days you are planning to spend in Venice, the city tends to be at its best in the morning, so we recommend making an early start! Breakfast in Venice means the normal Italian fare - freshly baked croissants (known as cornetti) alongside a milky coffee like a cappuccino or a caffe latte.

Where you go will depend on what neighborhood you’re staying in - more on the best areas to stay in Venice here - but if you’re in the area we recommend you stop at Pasticceria Bar Rosa Salva, located on the picturesque Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo. If you’re coming to Venice at Carnival time, you’ll be able to sample sweet seasonal treats like castagnole and frittelle - a house specialty.

09:00 - Saint Mark’s Square

With only limited time in Venice, you need to hit the ground running. And so what better place to begin our day of sightseeing in the Serenissima than St. Mark’s? Located right in the heart of Venice, St. Mark’s Square is the largest and most important public space in the city - and arguably Italy’s most iconic piazza.

Napoleon called it ‘the drawing room of Europe,’ and nowhere better encapsulates the unique blend of high art, beautiful architecture and vibrant street culture that’s the calling card of Venice. Lined on each side by elegant arcaded buildings, the square is dominated by important monuments: the imposing 99-meter high campanile, or bell tower, and magnificent St. Mark’s Basilica itself.

The square is typically lovely at this time of the morning: the day-tripping tourists have yet to arrive, the air is fresh, and the only sounds puncturing the silence are the peels of the campanile’s bells and the screech of seagulls overhead.

09:30 - Saint Mark’s Basilica

After exploring the square, it’s time to enter the fabulous church of San Marco itself. In the 9th century, Venetian sailors daringly smuggled the relics of Saint Mark from Egypt, sparking the creation of a church grand enough for the city's new patron saint.

The resulting structure is breathtaking—its domes, spires, arches, and intricate details merge Eastern and Western styles, reflecting Venice's cosmopolitan past.

Inside, over 4,000 square meters of mosaics glitter across the walls and ceilings, casting the church in a golden glow that has earned it the nickname "chiesa d’oro" (church of gold). It’s these mosaics, crafted over centuries from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, that make St. Mark's such a must-see.

While it's free to visit the church, lines to get in are often long. It makes sense to book your timed entrance in advance, or join a tour of St. Mark’s that includes expedited entrance. It’s also more than worth it to buy a ticket that includes the Pala d’Oro, a stunning Byzantine altar adorned with precious gems, and a climb up to the terrace, where the basilica’s iconic horses preside over great views of Venice.

10:30 - The Doge’s Palace

The next stop on our day in Venice is only a hop, skip and jump away from St. Mark’s - and it’s scarcely less important in the history of the city. You’ll hear a lot about the doges when in Venice, and for good reason.

These fearsome potentates ruled over Venice for 1,000 years, and for most of that period they called this opulent marble palace located on a sweeping curve of the city’s southern bank home. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see a stunning arcade of Gothic arches tinged in pink marble.

You really feel as if you’re walking in the footsteps of history when you explore the sweeping Doge’s Palace complex: a series of fabulously decorated chambers seemingly frozen in time were once home not only to the Doge but also the massive government and bureaucracy of Venice: running one of the world’s most fearsome city states required a lot of manpower!

The palace is seriously impressive inside; every wall and surface seems to be covered with frescoes glorifying the power and just rule of the Doges, painted by great artists like Titian and Verones. The Doge’s private apartments, meanwhile, are reached via a spectacular decorated staircase.

When visiting the Doge’s Palace, you’ll also get a glimpse of the darker side of Venetian history: the dark warren of tunnels and cells that make up the squalid prisons jail where prisoners of the republic (like Cassanova) were held. The prisons lead us to the next stop on our whirlwind day in Venice.

12:00 - The Bridge of Sighs

Also part of the Doge’s Palace complex is what might just be the world’s most famous bridge. The stunning Bridge of Sighs was designed at the beginning of the 17th century to connect the dungeon of the Doge’s Palace with a new prison across the canal, and owes its evocative name to the despairing sighs of prisoners as they glimpsed one last slice of Venice’s beauty through the narrow slits in the stone on their way towards confinement in the new prison.

Thankfully a stretch in the Doge’s slammer is no longer a prerequisite for those wishing to cross the bridge - it’s part of the visitor itinerary at the Doge’s Palace!

After leaving the Doge’s Palace, make sure to walk around the corner to the Ponte della Paglia, just south of Saint Mark’s Square. From here, you’ll be able to admire the Bridge of Sighs from the best angle.

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AFTERNOON

12:15 - Rialto Bridge

As lunchtime approaches, it’s time to head towards another of Venice’s most famous bridges - the Rialto. There are around 400 bridges traversing the waterways of Venice, and the Rialto is probably the most important of the lot. It’s the oldest crossing of the Grand Canal, and the bridge that we see today was built by Antonio da Ponte in 1591. It’s a lovely 10-minute stroll through the historic heart of the city from the Doge’s Palace to the Rialto Bridge. Make sure to stop at the top for a magnificent view down the Grand Canal!

12:30 - Rialto Fish Market

Cross the bridge, and walk straight down the road on the other side for a couple of minutes until you reach the Rialto Fish Market. Picturesquely located beneath the neo-gothic arches of a 19th century arcade that features fish-shaped gargoyles, this bustling market has been the city’s hub for fresh seafood for centuries. Every morning, the air fills with the lively banter of vendors hawking all manner of fishy delights straight from the lagoon. Admire the stalls brimming with the day’s colorful catch, and, appetite whetted, get ready for lunch.

13:00 - Lunch at a Traditional Bacaro

After our busy morning of sightseeing it’s high time we started thinking about our stomachs. Although you could plump for a sit-down restaurant meal, we think you’d be better off heading to a traditional Venetian bar known as a bacaro - traditional hole-in-the-wall wine bars that serve up an array of small-plates piled high with meat, vegetables and all manner of seafood, as well as mini-bruschette known as cicchetti alongside generous pours of local wine.

The area around the Rialto market is probably the best in the city for superb bacari, so you’ll be spoilt for choice. Three reliable addresses within a 2 minute walk are Osteria all’Arco, Al Mercà and historic Cantina do Mori. Check them out, alongside other top recommendations, with our guide to the best bacari in Venice here.

14:00 - Walk through San Polo

Appropriately fed and watered, it’s time to stretch our legs. Venice is divided into six neighborhoods known as sestieri, and we’re headed to the heart of San Polo district, home to many of Venice’s most important museums and churches. A picturesque 15 minute walk through a tangle of canals, hidden piazzas and bridges (including the Ponte delle Tette, a notorious site of prostitution in the early-modern era) will take us to our next stop, the gargantuan church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.

14:30 - The Frari

There’s so much to see in this beautiful basilica that it’s hard to know where to start! Look out for neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova’s incredible pyramid tomb, Giovanni Bellini's lovely Madonna and Child triptych, and Baldassare Longhena's grand monument to Doge Baldassare Longhena. The real show-stopper, though, and the reason why you need to visit the Frari even if you only have one day in Venice, is the huge Assumption altarpiece painted by local Renaissance master Titian.

Commissioned in 1518 by the wealthy Jacopo Pesaro, the painting depicts Jacopo kneeling in profile before the Virgin Mary as St. Peter makes his formal introduction to the mother of God. The action takes place in a spectacular architectural setting, where a banner flutters in the sky decked out with the coats of arms of the Papacy and the Pesaro family.

15:30 - Scuola Grande di San Rocco

Just two minutes walk from the Frari is another of Venice’s most spectacular artistic treasures. Even if you have only one day in Venice, we think that a visit to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco is a must.

Founded by a prosperous confraternity devoted to the plague-busting Saint Roch, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco is decorated by a series of more than 60 massive paintings depicting religious themes by local master Tintoretto, each of which shimmers with the unique light effects and dizzying perspectives that made the artist famous. Tintoretto spent more than 20 years decorating the building between 1564 and 1588, and for good reason San Rocco is widely known as Venice’s answer to the Sistine Chapel.

EVENING

17:00 - Squero San Trovaso

Gondolas are, of course, a quintessential part of any visit to Venice. But before hopping into one of the city’s iconic flat-bottomed boats, why not learn a little bit about how they are made? Gondolas require literally hundreds of hours of labor to create and just as many to maintain over their lifetimes, and the magic happens in workshops known as squeri.

It’s fast approaching aperitivo time, so our next stop will allow us to kill two birds with one stone. Osteria al Squero is a great spot for a canal-side spritz in its own right; even better, it’s located right across the canal from the Squero San Trovaso - you’ll get to watch the gondola artisans at work whilst you enjoy your drink!

17:45 - Gondola Ride from the Accademia

Make the 5-minute walk from Osteria al Squero to the Ponte de’’Accademia. The Accademia gallery itself is one of Venice’s finest museums, but today you won’t have time to visit - pencil it in for your next trip. Instead, as twilight begins to lengthen it’s time for us to hit the water. Conveniently the Ponte dell'Accademia is one of the best departure points for a gondola ride in Venice.

Hire a gondolier here and you’ll be able to enjoy a great route down the Grand Canal as well as some more hidden waterways - the perfect way to conclude your one day in the Floating City. After your gondola tour, your gondolier will be able to drop you off back in the heart of the historic center. Head back to your hotel to freshen up, and ready yourself for dinner and the night ahead - where a whole new Venice adventure awaits!

We hope you enjoyed our in-depth guide to visiting Venice in a day! With careful planning and an open mind, discovering the magic of Venice in just one day is entirely doable. If you want to take the stress out of planning your 24 hours in Venice and make the most of your time in the city, consider our Essential Venice tour - the perfect way to explore the city in a limited time with the expertise of a knowledgeable local guide!