Visiting Venice in 3 Days: A Sestiere by Sestiere Itinerary

Book St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace online before you leave: that’s the one non negotiable rule for these three days, everything else is a matter of pace. Day one, the monumental heart, from St Mark’s Square to the Rialto Bridge. Day two, Dorsoduro’s museums in the morning, then Cannaregio and the Ghetto later on. Day three, Murano and Burano, or the view from San Giorgio Maggiore and quiet Castello if the islands don’t appeal. Budget 100 to 140 euros per person per day excluding flights, pick up a 72 hour vaporetto pass if the islands are on your list, and head out before 8.30am: Venice is still yours at that hour.

Venice is an easy hop from France: 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 of direct flight from Paris, Lyon or Nice to Marco Polo Airport, then a 20 minute bus ride to Piazzale Roma, or an arrival across the lagoon on the Alilaguna shuttle (around 15 euros, slower but what an entrance). Once you’re there, not a single car in sight: everything happens on foot or by boat, and that’s precisely what makes the city unique. Here’s a 3 day itinerary built sestiere by sestiere, designed to avoid needless backtracking and tourist traps.

Day 1: St Mark’s and the Rialto, the monumental heart

Morning: St Mark’s Square before the crowds

Be on St Mark’s Square when the basilica opens, around 9.30am (and on the square itself well before that: at 8am it’s nearly empty). Entry to St Mark’s Basilica costs just 3 euros, but booking an online slot is essential from April to October; add 7 euros to climb up to the terraces and see the bronze horses close up, well worth the extra. Follow it with the Doge’s Palace (around 30 euros, skip the line ticket booked online): state rooms, Tintoretto’s ceilings and a walk across the Bridge of Sighs seen from inside, on the prison side.

If the queue for St Mark’s Campanile runs past 20 minutes, give it a miss: you’ll get an equivalent view, arguably better since it takes in the square too, from San Giorgio Maggiore on day 3.

Afternoon: the Rialto Bridge and the lanes of San Polo

Reach the Rialto Bridge via the Mercerie, the historic shopping street. The bridge itself takes moments to cross; San Polo, the district right behind it, deserves more of your time. Bear in mind the Rialto Market only really lives in the morning (fish from Tuesday to Saturday, stalls packed away by around 1pm): if you want to see it in full swing, come back before you leave. Push on to the Frari Basilica (around 5 euros) for Titian’s Assumption, one of Italy’s greatest altarpieces, inside a surprisingly plain brick church.

In the evening, stay in San Polo for a bacaro crawl, Venice’s wine bars: cicchetti at 1.50 to 2.50 euros a piece (creamy cod crostini, meatballs, marinated vegetables), spritz at Select or Aperol around 3.50 euros. It’s the most Venetian, and the cheapest, way to have dinner.

Day 2: artistic Dorsoduro, authentic Cannaregio

Morning: museums and the Dogana tip

Head for Dorsoduro, the students’ and galleries’ sestiere. Depending on your taste, choose between the Gallerie dell’Accademia (around 15 euros, the great Venetian painters from Bellini to Veronese) and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (16 euros, modern art in the collector’s unfinished palazzo). Doing both in one morning is possible, but it’s a lot. Finish at Santa Maria della Salute, the baroque octagon guarding the entrance to the Grand Canal (free entry), then walk on to the Punta della Dogana for one of the finest views in the city, looking straight across St Mark’s Basin.

Have lunch on the Zattere, the long sunlit quay facing the island of Giudecca, and save room for an ice cream: the gianduiotto at Gelateria Nico has been an institution since 1935.

Afternoon and evening: Cannaregio and the Ghetto

Cross the Grand Canal by traghetto (2 euros, standing up in a shared gondola: the Venetians’ shortcut) to reach Cannaregio. On Strada Nova, stop at Ca’ d’Oro, the most delicate of the Grand Canal’s Gothic facades, whose first floor loggia looks out over some superb water views. Then push into the Ghetto, the oldest in Europe (1516), whose unusually tall buildings tell their own story: people built upwards for lack of space. The Jewish Museum and synagogues can only be visited on a guided tour.

In the evening, the Fondamenta della Misericordia lines up its tables along the canal: this is where Venetians go for an aperitivo, far from the tourist menus around St Mark’s. The trattorias here serve squid ink pasta or fegato alla veneziana for between 14 and 20 euros a main.

Day 3: the lagoon islands or panoramic Venice

Option A: Murano and Burano

Set off early (line 12 from Fondamente Nove, around 9am) for a day in the northern lagoon. First stop is Murano, the glassmakers’ island: several workshops open their doors for glassblowing demonstrations, and the Glass Museum charts seven centuries of craft. Allow a further 30 to 40 minutes by vaporetto to Burano, with its saturated coloured houses (each family has its own shade, strictly regulated), its lace and its bussolà, the local butter biscuits. Photogenic to a fault, but the charm really kicks in on the back streets, just steps from the waterfront. The more curious add Torcello, the almost deserted island where Venice was born, for the Byzantine mosaics in its cathedral.

Option B: San Giorgio Maggiore and Castello

If you’d rather skip a day on boats, simply take vaporetto line 2 to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, right across from St Mark’s. The lift ride up the campanile (around 8 euros) gives the best view of Venice: St Mark’s Square, the rooftops, the lagoon, without the queue on the other side. Back on the mainland shore, follow the Riva degli Schiavoni towards Castello, the shipyard sestiere: Via Garibaldi and its neighbourhood shops, the monumental gateway to the Arsenale, the Biennale gardens. This is Venice still living an ordinary life, and a lovely way to say goodbye to the city.

Practical tips for a great Venice city break

To turn this itinerary into an hour by hour plan tailored to your pace and interests, our guide to planning a city break with AI does the work in a few minutes. Venice being one of Italy’s most expensive cities, a look at our tips to estimate and track your travel budget before you go is no luxury. And if Italy is calling, follow up with our itineraries for visiting Florence in 3 days or visiting Rome in 3 days.