How to Spend One Day in Venice, Italy
I really think there is no other city quite like Venice (that I’ve visited at least!). While I’ve heard plenty of negative stories about this city, I personally loved it! The gondolas gliding through the waterways, small alleys, and majestic sunsets over the Grand Canal made the city feel like a dream. That being said, there’s more to this city than just souvenir shops, tourists, and gondolas. Venice has hundreds of years of history behind it, and the remnants can really be seen around Piazza San Marco. It’s not the biggest city, so I think you can easily fit in the highlights in just one day. However, you can find plenty of other things to do in the city if you want to stretch your stay here. Read along for some places I recommend seeing if you only have one day in Venice!
Things to Know
Getting to Venice by Train
If you’re taking the train to Venice, which I think is the easiest option, PLEASE make sure you’re riding to the Venice Santa Lucia Station and not Venice Mestre. The Santa Lucia Station is actually located on the island right off the Grand Canal. Venice Mestre is located on the mainland across from the island. We didn’t know this ahead of time, luckily, the ticketing staff who helped us reserve our train tickets notified us of this.
Transportation
You really only have 2 modes of transportation available to you in Venice – walking or by boat. I found the city to be really walkable as there are small bridges over almost every canal. I also tried using public transport (the vaporetto boat) which travels on the Grand Canal & pretty much acts as a regular metro would with regular stops along the canal.
- Pro tip: If you don’t want to pay for a gondola ride, which can be really pricey, I’d recommend just taking an early morning ride on the Vaporetto. We got amazing views of the canals and waterfront buildings during sunrise on a pretty much empty boat!
Places to See
Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square)
This plaza is considered to be the heart of Venice. Many of Venice’s most famous landmarks surround it including St. Mark’s Basilica & the Doge’s Palace. We booked a guided tour that provided skip the line access to St. Mark’s and the Doge’s Palace. This line can get craaaazy long, so I’d recommend booking a spot early in the morning or going with a tour group. They really did a fantastic job explaining the history of both places, highlighting some of the Renaissance works, and making sure to point out other significant points along the way.
- Address: P.za San Marco, 30100 Venezia VE, Italy
St. Mark’s Basilica
The basilica is Venice’s most important religious structure and a lot of the current artifacts here came from previous Crusades & Constantinople!
Doge’s Palace
This was once the home of the Doge, Venice’s supreme leader, and also the seat of the Venetian government. The palace is built in a Venetian Gothic style and the light peachy hues are just beautiful!
Campanile
This is the tallest building in Venice & has some great views of the city.
Bridge of Sighs
This is where prisoners would “sigh” as they got their final view of Venice before entering the prison.
Ponte di Rialto
This is the oldest bridge to cross the Grand Canal and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Venice! Small shops line the path to the top of the bridge and depending on when you go, there will be many people trying to go up & down the stairs leading to the top.
- Address: Sestiere San Polo, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy
Libreria Acqua Alta
The store refers to itself as the “most beautiful bookstore in the world”. Here, you’ll find shelves piled high with books, magazines, etc. I thought it was super cool seeing the gondolas throughout the store and learned that it’s not just for show! Many of the items are placed in waterproof bins, bathtubs, and the gondolas to protect against flooding as the canals can sometimes rise high enough to fill the store. It does get quite crowded so stop by in the morning if you get a chance.
- Address: C. Longa Santa Maria Formosa, 5176b, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy
Grand Canal
The canal is lined with buildings that were once used to show off the noble’s wealth. You can get a good view of the canal itself from the Rialto Bridge and absolutely try to watch the sunset from here!!
If you have more time in Venice try:
Museums
- Museo di Palazzo Grimani
- Museo Correr
- Fortuny Palace
Day Trips
- Murano
- Burano
Places to Eat
Trattoria Alla Fontana
This is another great restaurant located on a smaller canal. The seafood pasta we ordered was amazing and the seafood itself tasted so fresh. Our Tune Tartare was also amazing paired with the berries and fragrant olive oil.
- Address: Fondamenta Cannaregio, 1102, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Trattoria Alle Lance
I really wanted to try the classic Venetian dish: Lasagnetta al Nero di Seppia (Squid Ink Pasta) and stumbled upon this place near our Airbnb! They have a really great set menu for 15 euros that includes a first and second course with a side dish. While there’s no canal view, they serve up some great food and the staff were so friendly!
- Address: Calle Priuli dei Cavaletti, 108/A, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Caffe Florian
This is actually the oldest café in the world! While prices here are quite steep, a visit here is mainly for the experience. Whether you sit inside with the lavishly decorated interiors and velvet couches or outside with a view of St. Mark’s Square, you should grab a coffee & relax after a long day of exploring!
- Address: P.za San Marco, 57, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Rossopomodoro
My mom and I were starving by the time we ended our guided tour of St Mark’s. While many restaurants near popular locations tend to be tourist traps, we didn’t think this was the case with Rossopomodoro. The food came out fast, it was good value, and not greasy at all. If you’re craving a good Neapolitan style pizza, check out this restaurant!
- Address: Calle Larga S. Marco, 404, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
