Venice, the beautiful city of canals, is a must see on somany European itineraries. From the iconic gondolas, to St Mark’s Square andthe quaint (or not so quaint) bridges, it’s an Italian dream.
For first time visitors to Italy, the question usually isn’t “should I visit Venice?”. Rather, it’s “how many days in Venice do I need?”
It’s a great question with a not so straightforward answer.There’s so much to consider when deciding how many days to spend in Venice.
What we’ll attempt to do is firstly, list someconsiderations in your decision process. Then we’re going to show you what’s possiblewith different lengths of stay in Venice.
Only you can decide how long you want to spend in Venice, but hopefully this post will help you form a better idea for yourself.
READ MORE: Venice – A guide to Italy’s canal city
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10 things to consider when deciding how many days to spend in Venice
#1 Do you want to avoid the crowds?
Aside from the gorgeous canals and gondolas, Venice is knownfor this: over-tourism. We’ve travelled to over 70 countries and countlesscities, and Venice is definitely the most crowded place we’ve ever been.
If you’re travelling in the peak summer period, this issueis only going to be compounded. In the middle of the day, when all the cruisesare in dock, the small streets can be absolutely packed with tourists.
The best way we’ve found to avoid the crowds during theseperiods is to stay in the city centre. That way we do a lot of our sightseeingin the early morning and evening. On our last visit, we’d be out of ourapartment every morning around 6am to see the sunrise and wander the desertedstreets. We pretty much had St Mark’s Square to ourselves, except for somecleaners and a few other early birds. It was bliss. We’d then enjoy the Italiantradition of a siesta whilst the streets were full and the sun was blazing.
If this sounds appealing to you, then I recommend staying inVenice for at least 2 nights so you have a full day to do this.
#2 Do you want to go inside St Mark’s and Doge’s Palace?
St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace are two of the mosticonic places to visit in Venice. Inside St Mark’s you’ll stand in awe at thebeautiful golden frescoes and ornate architecture. Doge’s Palace is a now amuseum in which you’ll learn all about the history of the palace and can viewso many amazing artworks.
However, if you want to visit the inside of these palaces,you can expect to wait in a queue. In peak summer months, the lines can behours long.
If you’re intent on visiting these attractions, you’ll needto set aside a half day at least. To maximise time, consider purchasing a skipthe line pass (more on this below).
If you are content to just be amazed at seeing thearchitecture from the outside, you may very well be able to see Venice in aday.
#3 Do you have the budget to spend on skip the line passes?
We tend to purchase our skip the line passes strategically.We will purchase them when we’ve done our homework and have decided that theextra expense is worth the saved time in line. For instance, by buying a skipthe line pass it may mean saving 2 or more hours of waiting in line. This couldbe the difference between needing an extra day in a city or not depending onour itinerary. In a place like Venice, where accommodation is expensive andthere are tourists galore, a skip the line pass is a worthy investment.
The good news is, Venice has some really good skip the line pass options available. We’ve included some well-rated options below:
Doge’s Palace: you can purchase this priority admission ticket.
St Mark’s Basilica: From April to November you can pre-book entry for as little as €3 via this site. Also, this tour comes with a skip the line pass in addition to a 30 minute introduction on the Basilica.
This guided tour includes skip the line passes to both Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica.
If you purchase these, don’t forget to read the instructionsof how you redeem your tickets. Most skip the line passes will require you toprint off the voucher. If you’re already travelling, you may need to organisethis with your accommodation beforehand.
#4 Is this your first visit?
If this is your first visit to Venice, I’d recommend atleast 3 nights and 2 full days here, so you can pack in the main highlights.Obviously the more days you have, the better.
However, if you’ve been to Venice before, have a think aboutwhy you’re returning. Are there some places you want to go that you just didn’tget around to previously? Do you just want an additional day here to see howthe city has changed? Do you want to spend some time reminiscing?
Our second visit to Venice was around 9 years since ourfirst visit. We had so much more time for exploring because we didn’t need todo so many of the “must haves”, such as going inside St Mark’s Basilica againor a gondola ride. However, if we wanted to do these activities again we wouldhave needed to add an extra day to our itinerary. Have a think about thepurpose of your trip before you book it all in.
Looking for other places in Italy to add to your trip? Read our article with over 50 things to add to your Italian bucket list.
#5 Are there any special events on in town when you plan tovisit?
Venice loves an event, from film festivals to regattas, itis a wonderful place to visit during a special event.
However, there can be precious time taken out of youritinerary when an event is on. For instance, we visited during the AnnualRegatta, which effectively shuts down the Grand Canal for a few hours in themiddle of the day. It’s a fun event to watch, but it would be a nightmaretrying to get around Venice if that was the only day you had in town toexplore.
Before you depart, check out this Venice Events page to see if there is likely to be any disruption to your trip. Alternatively, you may find an event that will make you want to spend more time here too!
#6 Do you want to visit nearby islands such as Burano orMurano?
The nearby islands of Burano or Murano are a wonderful daytrip to work into your Venice itinerary. Burano is an island filled of the mostcolourful homes, and is only a 40 minute vaporetto ride from Venice. Murano isknown for its glass making.
If you want to visit these islands, you’ll need to set asidean extra day in your itinerary.
#7 Are you planning to stay overnight in Venice or outsideof Venice?
Where you are planning to stay in Venice will have a largeimpact on how much time you’d like to devote to this beautiful city.Understandably, a lot of this hinges on your budget and how much you’re willingto spend on accommodation.
Staying in the centre of Venice can be very expensive. Forthis reason, on our first trip we stayed with friends in a campsite on theoutskirts of Venice. We were backpacking at the time, so this suited ourbudgetary needs. However, it took us about an hour each way to get into thecentre of Venice, and transport times were limited. We needed more days inVenice due to our accommodation constraints.
However, on our last trip, we decided to splash out a littlewith an apartment about 2 minutes walk from St Mark’s Square. It was wonderful.There was no time wasted in “transiting”, because the minute we left theapartment we were exploring.
So, before you lock in how many days you spend in Venice,make sure you’ve checked out accommodation options and pricing first.
#8 What time of year are you planning to visit?
Have a think about what time of year you’ll be visiting andthe impact this could have on your list of things to do.
In summer you’ll be blessed with longer days. This meansthere are more daylight hours to enjoy the scenery and take photos. If you’rejust looking to stroll along the streets of Venice and get lost along thecanals, then you may not need as long in Venice. However, it’s also the peakperiods and lines for attractions are sure to be very long.
In winter, there are less daylight hours. But, touristnumbers are smaller than in summer and you may be able to fit in more museums ifthat is the goal of your trip.
#9 How much time is Venice making up of your Italianitinerary?
The “big 3” cities of Italy that are generally included onmost first-time itineraries are Venice, Florence and Rome. It’s possible topack these cities into a one week Italian adventure, where you spend about 2-3days of that time in Venice.
However, whilst Venice is amazing, there is so much more to see of Italy too. If your Italian holiday is longer, consider travelling to some less visited destinations. Verona is just over an hour away by train. Bologna, Turin, Modena and Parma are other cities in northern Italy that are well worth a visit and have a much more local feel to them.
#10 Are you up for walking or prefer to have a lot of time relaxing?
Finally, you’ll need to consider if you have any mobilityissues and if that is likely to impact the amount of time you need in eachdestination.
As a city of canals, Venice understandably has lot ofbridges. This means there will be a lot of steps required in your day to dayexploring. If this is likely to pose a challenge for you, consider if thismeans you need more down time in your itinerary.
We hope the above consideration will help guide you to makethe decision of how long to spend in Venice. Only you can make that decision,but we’re going to show you what’s possible with some different options.
A few hours in Venice
If you’re just visiting Venice for a few hours, you’ll wantto concentrate your time around St Mark’s Square. Just be prepared for a very busyday with lots of tourists!
Firstly, jump on a vaporetto down the beautiful Grand Canal.If you’ve arrived by train or bus, vaporetto 1 or 2 should get you to Rialto(double check on arrival).
Getting off at Rialto, head towards the Rialto Bridge andclimb it for the most stunning view over the canal. When you can pull yourselfaway, meander through the small streets towards St Mark’s Square. Stand in aweof the Basilica, then wander across to Doge’s Palace. Turn left when you hitthe water. As you cross the first bridge, check out the beautiful Bridge ofSighs.
When your time is up, head back to your starting point bywalking, or look up the nearest vaporetto.
One full day in Venice
With a full day in Venice, you can do all of the above, plusyou should be able to visit at least one or two attractions. Arrive as early asyou can. The goal here is to enjoy St Mark’s before the day trippers from thecruise ships arrive.
If you’re early enough, head straight to St Mark’s Basilica.If you can afford the skip the line pass to Doge’s Palace, try fitting that inprior to lunch.
Consider a 30 minute gondola ride through the beautifulcanals, noting that it is cheaper in the day than in the evening.
Being short on time, you’ll want a quick lunch. Head toTuttinpiedi, which is only a few minutes walk from St Mark’s Square. Hereyou’ll enjoy some fresh pasta cooked up in front of your eyes.
In the afternoon, get lost wandering around the backstreets. If it’s hot, put the directions in your phone for Suso for some of thebest gelato in Italy.
2 days in Venice
With 2 days in Venice, you may be able to take things alittle more slowly and enjoy some more areas of Venice.
In addition to visiting St Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace, head up to the top of St Mark’s Campanile for the best views over the city.
Head to the Ponte dell’ Accademia for an incredible view ofthe Grand Canal. If you’re an art lover, you can head inside to the Galleriedell’ Academia too, and see some of the finest Venetian art.
The Cannaregio is a lovely area to walk around that is alittle less busy than St Mark’s Square. This is also a great place to enjoysome more traditional Venetian food, such as at Il Paradiso Perduto.
3 days in Venice
Use this extra day in Venice to head out towards the otherisland, such as Murano and Burano.
You may wish to do this as a guided tour. Alternatively, the islands can be reached via Vaporetto. So it is very possible to do this as a self-guided trip.
4 or more days in Venice
Lucky you! With 4 or more days in Venice, you can use thetime to get out to more of the less touristic places in Venice. Some additionaloptions for you include:
Head to the Lido for some beach time.
Take a day trip to a nearby city, such as Verona or Padua.
Go on a walking tour of the Jewish Ghetto, to learn all about the areas history.
Go and see some opera at the Teatro le Fenice.
If you want some more information on things to do in Venice, don’t forget to check out our Venice travel guide.
We hope you have a wonderful time in Venice and this guidehelps you decide how long to devote to Venice in your itinerary.
Been to Venice and have some thoughts about how long tostay? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section.
