Venice 3-day itinerary
Italy
Where to go and what to see in Venice to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Nicky Swallow.
Bucket list experience:
With its rose pink-and-white brickwork shimmering on the edge of the lagoon, the Doge’s Palace seems more mirage than monument. While other states fortified their power with forbidding castles, the Venetians showed off their security with this airy, ethereal palace.
The hub of the far-reaching political power of La Serenissima since the 9th century, today it is a testament to the best of Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance architecture and painting.
Highlights include the arcaded courtyard, the frescoes by Veronese, Tiepolo and Tintoretto in the grand chambers and the collection of armour and weapons in the old Armoury. Tintoretto’s Paradiso is the largest oil painting in the world.
The famous ‘Bridge of Sighs’ joins the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace to a prison. Convicts will supposedly sigh at their final view of Venice before imprisonment. Legend also has it that lovers who kiss under the Bridge of Sighs on a Gondola will be granted eternal love.
Also check out the 15th-century statue of a worse-for-wear Noah propped up by a vine. It can be found on the corner of the outer facade of the palace, before the Bridge of Sighs.
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Destination Guide >Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience
Italy
Where to go and what to see in Venice to get the most from your trip – a 3-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Nicky Swallow.
Italy
Where to go and what to see in Venice to get the most from your trip – a 5-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Nicky Swallow.
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.3 miles]
A prime waterfront location minutes from Piazza San Marco, magnificent views over the water to San Giorgio Maggiore and lovely service make this a popular choice for stays in central Venice.
Official star rating:
Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.4 miles]
The newly-revamped St. Regis offers a magnificent Grand Canal location, some 180 airy, fresh rooms, butler service and a young, fresh, retro-glam vibe. Cocktails and meals (including breakfast) on the dreamy canalside terrace are a treat.
Official star rating:
Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.5 miles]
This family-friendly (and family-run), old-fashioned charmer occupies a tall, 17th-century palazzo just a stroll from St. Mark’s Square and the vaporetto stop.
Official star rating:
Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.6 miles]
The grandest Dame of Venice’s classic hotels and wonderfully opulent, the Gritti lords it over the Grand Canal from a superb spot across from the Salute church and just 10 minutes’ walk from Piazza San Marco.
Official star rating:
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Veneto, Italy
Crammed with picturesque canals, Renaissance palazzos and artistic masterpieces, this unique and alluring city is heaven-on-earth for art lovers and romantics.
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.1 miles]
Surely the most exquisite, beguiling and opulent place of worship in Italy, St Mark’s cathedral was built to satisfy the wildest dreams of the Doges and is rich in glittering Byzantine mosaics, Gothic carvings and sumptuous treasures.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.1 miles]
It’s huge, and often crowded, but St. Mark’s square is one of the most emblematic spots in the city and is lined with over-priced cafés that offer live music. But out of season, on a foggy winter’s evening or at dawn, it’s undeniably atmospheric.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.7 miles]
American millionairess collector Peggy Guggenheim’s glittering display of avant-garde art is housed in her own 18th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal.
Best for ages: 18+ | £12
Venice, Veneto, Italy[1 miles]
From Titian to Tiepolo, the Accademia’s world-class collection represents the Golden Age of Venetian painting. A dazzling collection of masterpieces but also a voyage through the history of Venice itself.
Best for ages: 18+ | £15
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Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.1 miles]
Although you can’t actually walk over it, the Bridge of Sighs (visible from the Ponte di Paglia) is one of Venice’s most famous sights and links the Doge’s Palace to the adjacent prisons and torture chamber. The sighs were emitted by prisoners en route knowing what awaited them.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.1 miles]
Dating from 1720, world-famous Florian’s is a jewel-box of a café, all mirrors, stuccoes and frescoes. Join the locals perched at the bar rather than pay way over the odds for a table seat where a simple espresso is likely to set you back €10.
Best for ages: 13+ | Free
Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.2 miles]
Dedicated to the history of the Venetian Republic, the Correr museum houses an eclectic collection of documents, maps, coins, ivories, weapons and so on. Artworks include paintings by Veneziano, Tintoretto, Antonello da Messina and Carpaccio whose Two Venetian Noblewomen appears on many a postcard.
Best for ages: 13+ | £17
Venice, Veneto, Italy[0.4 miles]
The little-visited Palazzo Grimani is one of the city’s great Renaissance palazzos, now a museum housing an extraordinary collection of classical sculptures, stuccoes, elaborate frescoes and paintings by Hieronymus Bosch.
Best for ages: 18+ | £5
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The great civilisations of the past have left a legacy of constructions that still stand out and inspire. Built without the wonders of 20th-century technology, many are also monumental feats of engineering; others offer such grace and beauty, that they’ll literally take your breath away.