There is so much to see and do in and around Venice, Italy that you could easily spend quite a few days here.
This guide will detail MORE than enough things to do in 3-4 days in Venice and the surrounding islands. If you want MORE to do I’ve also spent time in the Prosecco Hills and the town of Treviso, which are both about 45 minutes outside of Venice, here are links to blog posts for those areas.
Prosecco Hills: Click here
Treviso: Click here
Dolomites (also not incredibly far): Click here
This guide will detail why you should visit Venice.
-How to best arrive & exit Venice & how to get around while you are there.
-Include multiple options for where to stay, all of which I have personally stayed in and can recommend. From luxury (our honeymoon hotel), to airbnb with an incredible water door onto the canal, to a more budget friendly hotel that also has a stunning canal view. There are options for everyone in Venice.
-It will detail some amazing things to see, do, eat, and drink in Venice!
-It will also detail how to take small day trips to neighboring islands of Burano, Murano, Torcello, and Mazzorbo.
Why Venice?
Venice is such a fantastic and romantic city. Walking along or boating along the canals is an experience I truly believe you want to have in your lifetime. Once you get the hang of it, it definitely feels like a “little big city”. You can walk to anything in Venice if you don’t mind getting your steps in. You can also get around by water bus, water taxi, and the famous gondolas. You can eat SO well here and drink great wines at reasonable prices. There are countless things to do and see here and the islands off of Venice are equally as exciting and beautiful! This guide will detail tons of options for things to do in Venice. Most of them I have done, I will add a few things I haven’t done that I find would be truly worthwhile. This way you can pick and choose what appeals best to you.
How to get to/get around Venice
Quick Tip: It pays to pack light for Venice. No matter where you stay it’s likely that you’ll have to do a bit of walking to get to your hotel. We used backpacks for our trip so that we didn’t have to roll bags and haul them up and down the streets and over bridges. This is VERY beneficial if you can manage it. If you can not manage it there are ways to get your luggage to your hotel, but they will cost you.
TRAIN: If you’re already in Europe and coming to Venice by train you will arrive right on the edge of the city. From the train station is it is easy to walk, taxi boat, or take the water bus called “vaporetto” to your accommodation.
PLANE: When you land in Venice from somewhere else you have quite a few options for how to get into the city. I am going to detail them below.
TAXI: From the airport you can take a taxi to the Piazzale Roma. This costs about 40 euro and takes about 25-30 minutes. When you arrive at the Piazzale Roma you will have to walk to your accommodation so make sure you map out how long that walk will be. Cars can not drive on the island so once you take the taxi to the Piazzale Roma your journey in a car is over.
WATER TAXI: A water taxi is the fastest and most efficient way to get where you are going. They will pick you up from the airport or train station and take you as close as you can get to your accommodation. Sometimes this can even be to the door of your hotel depending on where you are staying. This generally costs a minimum of 100 euro and you’d want to plan this in advance. I will admit it is a VERY fun experience and makes you feel very fancy! (We did this on our honeymoon).
WATER BUS: You can also take a water bus from the airport or train station, again this can get you a bit closer to your accommodation depending on where you are staying. Depending on how many people you travel with the taxi can be faster and cheaper. It can take up to 1.5 hours to take the water bus. It is a fun experience to arrive in a city by water and we tried this once as well. You can buy tickets right at the airport and can walk to the water bus right when you arrive.
You can also use the water busses to get around Venice. You use them to get to the islands as well as to ride up and down the Grand Canal to other parts of Venice. You can purchase single rides, day passes, and even 2 or 3 day passes depending on how long you’ll be there and how much you want to use them.
Here is the website for the water bus where you can find more info: https://avm.avmspa.it/it/content/vaporetto
Where to Stay
The ever important question of any trip. You have so many options in Venice it would be impossible to list them all. But here are some spots that we have stayed in and enjoyed. If you choose to book any of these hotels and use my affiliate link it would earn me a small commission at NO cost to you. It will help me to keep this page ad free! If you want the airbnb link just reach out! Happy to share!
Hotel Colombina: This first spot would be the “luxury” stop of the trip. We stayed here on our honeymoon and it was incredible, though not cheap. We took a water taxi right up to the door of the hotel and we enjoyed our stay here immensely. The hotel is gorgeous and is nearby to all of the central/important sites of Venice.
Hotel Cannaregio2357: For a more affordable option but with incredible views this was a great stay. The room is clean and comfortable and basic. The location is a little further from the main sites but is very close to the train station and Piazzale Roma to get in and out of Venice. We LOVED room 207 with the most stunning views of the canal. I booked this room specifically. You can choose on booking.com
AC Hotel Venice by Marriott: If you’re a loyalty person, have Marriott points, like American hotel brands, or just want to know what you’re getting then the Marriott here can be a good option for you as well. It’s nearby to the taxis and trains but is a bit more of a walk from the main sites. It’s super clean and comfortable and is what you would expect from a Marriott property.
AIRBNB With Water Door: If you’re into the airbnb option, want to cook your own food, or just have an incredible and local experience than this airbnb is for you. We booked this place with a “water door” and we were able to sit on the canal and picnic and enjoy the space so much. The communication with the host was great and we LOVED this neighborhood so much.
For a more in depth review of each of these accommodation choices you can check out my post: Where to stay in Venice
Where to Eat
My first two recommendations are in the Cannaregio neighborhood. This is where we stayed on our most recent trip and it was so nice. It felt very local and off the main tourist track. There were definitely neighbors and local people eating at these places which I always find to be a positive.
Osteria Ai Promiessi Sposi: This first place was recommended to us by our amazing airbnb host and I had also read about it on some very in depth blogs so I knew it would be good. You wouldn’t likely walk in here just looking at it (which I think is a great thing) it is down an alley and is very local feeling. The food was FANTASTIC. The flavors were amazing but the food was prepared and delivered in such a simple way. This place was truly a gem and I’d go back here if I returned to Venice.
Il Paradiso Perduto: We stumbled up on this spot and noticed that a lot of tables had reservation stickers on them. Locals were piling in and we figured it must be good so we asked for a table and got lucky! The food was amazing and we got to sit on the canal during sunset which was SO nice. We had some delicious apps and a pesto pasta and a clams linguine here. The person next to me had the most incredibly looking frito misto i’ve ever seen I think so If I came back I’d def go for that.
Osteria da Rioba: Another place in this area that we didn’t get to try (they were closed for vacation) but looked amazing was this. I read a lot of great reviews and recos for this spot. Maybe next time for us but maybe this time for you!
Bacareto da Lele: If you’re looking for an amazing CHEAP and quick snack and drink look no further than this spot. They have wine for 1 euro and DELICIOUS sandwiches for 1.20. Definitely an awesome stop! You can’t sit down in here and there may be a small queue. It’s right on a canal and a small square so there are plenty of places to sit and enjoy your food/drink! It was a great delight for us!
Bar All’Arco: You may have heard about cicchetti which are small bites served in many places in Venice. Similar to tapas in Spain or Portgual, many people go out for cicchetti and drinks. You can get quite a selection and put them together to make a full meal, or have them for a snack or aperitivo. They are pretty much eaten all day long in Venice and we found one of the BEST spots.
I will fully admit I followed Stanley Tucci here and he was SPOT ON! They are cranking out fresh cicchetti here all day and they are amazing! They just keep making different kinds and I wished I could have stayed all day to keep trying them!
La Prosciutteria Venice: We kept walking past this place and had to go in at some point. We ended up getting a take away picnic which was AMAZING! It was SUCH a cute spot to stop in for a drink and snack as well if you didn’t have a place to picnic. We took a picnic from here and sat in our water door and it was a dream.
Al Timon: A really cute place for drinks that was near both of the places we ate in Cannaregio was this bar. People pull up on boats to hang out here as well as on foot. They had a nice scene on the canal and we enjoyed grabbing a drink here before dinner.
Osteria al Ponte: Another spot we really enjoyed hanging out at was Osteria Al Ponte. I like that you could sit out on the bridge and admire the canals while having a drink. They also had chiccetti here so it’s a great place for aperitivo or snack time!
Venchi: We also found one of our most favorite gelatos in the world! We loved it so much we went back two nights in a row! This is a chain in Italy and chocolate shop but seriously don’t skip it because its a chain its so good! Banana split was AMAZING! The classic flavors were all great. My husband even tried “Fresh milk” flavor and it was delicious too! Highly recommend!! You get a piece of chocolate in your cup too and they can do chocolate fillings!
Aqua e Mais: Another great stop for small bites with a seafood focus was this spot. You can’t sit down in here but they have a take away window and the snacks we had were excellent!
Osteria al Squero: I had another spot on my list that we didn’t get to. It was another one that Stanley Tucci recommended so I can only imagine it was great also. Hopefully next time for me but maybe this time for you!
Trattoria de Bepi: This one is a good old Rick Steves recommendation that we followed and really enjoyed! I had some excellent scallops here. Good pasta and good vibes.
Pizzaria due Colonne: This was a random sit down that we had and really enjoyed! I had giant shrimp here and the staff was so kind.
Things to do/see
One of the best things to do in Venice is to just wander. There is so much to see, there are so many stunning canals, there are tons of fun shops and snacks. Grab an aperol spritz to go and take it with you as you enjoy the streets and sights!
San Marco Square: One of those can’t miss things in Venice. Sometimes I feel like these things don’t even need to be in guides because you can’t miss it! This is a HUGE square and is really enjoyable for people watching and hanging out. As with any major tourist city things will be more expensive in and around this square and it’s best to avoid eating around here. I always find it to be an enjoyable experience to have a drink and hang out in these areas though, even with a higher price tag. At night there is always live music and people watching, and it truly is an experience just to be there. Depending on the tide and time of year St Marks square can flood at night. People will immediately start selling boots and water shoes… our last airbnb even had boots in it. We have seen this happen twice.
St Marks Campanile: The giant tower that you see in the square is called Campanile di San Marco. It’s a really neat experience to go up to the top and check out the views all over Venice. It would be even better to time it for sunset!
St Marks Basilica: When you’re in the square you can’t miss the GIANT basilica at the end. We have actually not personally toured this, but it is high on many tourist lists and would definitely be worth checking out if you’re into visiting these types of things.
Doge’s Palace: Another place we haven’t personally been to but is high on many travelers lists. I would advise booking these tours in advance and booking the first times of the day for any of them.
Rialto Bridge: Another sight you shouldn’t miss but probably wont becuase you almost can’t help but walk past it at some point is the Rialto Bridge. This bridge is stunning and huge and has truly beautiful views over the Grand Canal. It is almost always crowded but is particularly beautiful at sunset!
Gondola Ride: I figure this one goes without saying as well but ride a Gondola. If you’re in Venice for the first time, or the only time, or the last time, it is always a great experience to ride a Gondola. At the time of writing this guide it costs 80 euro for a gondola ride. You can split this with others if there are people waiting when you are. At sunset the price goes up to 100 euro per ride. There are also places you can book Gondola rides in advance. But it is very easy to just walk up to any place you see along the canal and hop on a ride.
Liberia Alta Aqua: A very cute although touristy stop is this bookstore! People go to take silly photos but honestly the book store itself is GREAT! We got quite a few little souvenirs here and “instagram” aside it is worth checking out! They have match books here that have book covers! SO adorable! haha and so many neat posters and postcards and other items. We didn’t go in to take photos… but a lot of people do. If you go in for photos I suggest at least purchasing something small, just to be respectful.
Island Trips
Murano, Burano, & Torcello:
You can do this as a group tour or on your own. Our first time visiting Venice we did this as a group organized tour and it was a nice and stress free way to see all 3 islands. On future trips we’ve gone back on our town to spend more time in the places we really loved. Both are great options it just depends how much time you have and what you want to get out of the trip.
Here are some options for group tours.
The other option is to visit these islands yourself. You can do this by taking the Vaporetto which I linked earlier in this guide.
If you choose to travel to Burano we recommend Al Gato Nero for lunch. This place has michelin recognition and you should definitely make a reservation here if you are planning to go! We loved it when we visited. If you do go, buy me some plates, I regret not buying them when we went last.
1/2 Day Visit or Mazzorbo & Venissa Winery:
This is one of the most interesting things we’ve done during our time in Venice. It may not be the right choice for you if it’s your first time visiting Venice. But if it sounds like you, it is well worth seeing! If you’ve got a few days in the area it’s also a great activity.
Theres no guided tour for this one, you have to arrange it yourself.
You take the same line as the Murano, Burano vaporetto and get off at Mazzorbo. The winery is situated basically RIGHT at the vaporetto stop, so once you get off the water bus you can’t miss it.
Right off the water bus stop is also a great restaurant called Trattoria de Maddalena where we were lucky enough to grab a table for lunch. We got one of the last spots though, so if you know you’re going, it might be a good idea to make a reso. The fritto misto here was EXCELLENT!
Venissa Winery: We did a wine tasting and walk through the vineyards. It was so interesting to learn about this wine that is produced ONLY here. The wines aren’t made anywhere else in the world. I have to fully admit that the wines weren’t our favorite wines we’ve ever tasted, but the story and experience, and beautiful spot were well worth a visit and such a cool learning experience. You can also stay at the winery. They also have a Michelin restaurant that has green recognition as well and is a meat free place to eat. We didn’t eat here but it looked BEAUTIFUL and had a very nice view and vibe. They have lots of different options for experiences on their site. It would also be neat to stay here for a night away from the hustle of Venice and wine taste and have dinner and just wander and relax.
