I have described Venice many times as a living museum. The city is a labyrinth of time-worn streets intersected by canals spanned by countless bridges; waterways piloted by endless gondolas, brimming with small boats more varied and numerous than can be believed. You have to see for yourself. There is a wholly unique energy to the Venetian sprawl that will only ever exist in one place on earth. It is both a product of the city’s design and a driver of its expansion over a more than one thousand year history.

I have to start by saying, if you are able to give more than one day to this magnificent city, you really should. Even after many visits, I and still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. But leaving that thought behind, I want to share some advice on how to get the most from your day in Venice.

It’s important to remember that Venice is a popular spot and is extremely crowded in the summer with tourist traps everywhere. However, with some planning, you can avoid most of this and make the most of your brief stay. First, I want to cover some basic guidance that should apply to any trip to Venice.

We do need to address Venice’s newly implemented Access Fee… As of 2025, the Municipality of Venice has introduced a charge on entrance to the city during the peak dates and times of 5€ per day (four days or more from date of travel) or 10€ per day (if paid within three days before travel). I would highly recommend visiting the official site here to find out more and make sure you are fully informed before you plan any further. There are exceptions and it doesn’t apply to all areas and is not for every day of the year. They haven’t made it straight forward. It’s Italy….

Even with it being the busiest time of the year, visiting Venice during the summer months is a must. If you love the sun and heat like me, this is the perfect time to go! The key is to be prepared, and be early. If you’re not staying in Venice, make sure you’re getting off the train on the island between 7:00 and 7:30 am to give yourself plenty of time to explore before the crowds descend. In my experience, this usually happens around 10:30/11:00 am. There’s a main route through the city that roughly goes from the train station (Venezia Santa Lucia) to Piazza San Marco and on to the waterfront beyond. This route becomes a madhouse in the afternoon, so I would avoid it later in the day. This is so important and will make such an difference to your trip.

Italians are not big on breakfast. This is the case across the country, but as you are going to be walking a lot, fuelling up before you hit the bricks is essential. There are not many options early in the morning for food so my advice is to bring it with you. If you are staying off the main island somewhere like Mestre (most common area for visiting the city), there are some supermarkets you can visit such as this one near the train station. Stock up and make some breakfast at your hotel or hostel if you have the facilities. Pick up some fruit, make some sandwiches and fill up your water bottle. You will be walking a lot! If you aren’t accustomed to walking 20,000 or more steps in day, Venice may not be the place for you.

You have had your breakfast and your getting ready to head out. What’s going in your backpack?

• Well, A good litre sized water bottle is a no-brainer. It’s thirsty work navigating this city, and the summer heat in Italy is no joke. Stay hydrated!
• You’re going to be using the maps software on your phone a lot. The narrow maze-like streets of Venice are difficult to navigate even after many visits, so there is a good chance you aren’t going to last the day on one charge. Having a backup battery pack to charge your phone off is going to make life so much easier. It’s difficult finding somewhere to charge in the city.
• There’s no way around this, there are pick-pockets in Venice. You should do your best to fit in and pay attention to how you are perceived. What’s on the outside of your backpack? Can someone grab it? If you can, a roll top is much better than a zip backpack. Americans in particular (and to a lesser degree, Canadians), stand out like a sore thumb. Don’t be loud, don’t be obnoxious (no need to be the loudest person in the room) and try not to dress too obvious. Do not flash your money around (Americans bad for this!). Pay attention to where your walking and if people are trying to get by, let them by. The less you stand out, the less likely you are to have trouble with pick-pockets. It’s also just good practice anywhere you go.
• To further the previous point, you’ll need cash at some point and I would really advise bringing at least 50€ to get you by. But keep your cash close and out of sight and if you are worried, a money belt is never a bad idea. If you need to withdraw cash, there is one ATM I’ve found on the island that doesn’t charge a huge fee to take money out. A BNL ATM here.
• Sunscreen! Don’t forget sunscreen. You are going to need it.
• This one depends on you, but I always bring a camera when I’m travelling and making sure I have everything I need is an important check in the morning before heading off for the day. (Might make a post later about cameras and photography).
• Even if its Summer, an extra layer is never a bad idea. Stuff a pullover or light jacket in the bag and your ready to go.

You have your bag packed and you’re ready to go. Again, you will be walking a lot in this city so do not underestimate importance of good shoes! Be sensible here and really think about function rather than form. Now you probably aren’t going to be able to get coffee or food until later, around 9:00 am, so if your hotel or hostel has coffee available and you can’t go without, get it there. I linked to a supermarket in Mestre before, but if you are on the island already, there is a Conad supermarket here that opens at 8:30 if you need extra provisions.

Busses and trains go from Mestre to the island pretty consistently all day so you should have no trouble getting there, but just pay close attention to the train or bus numbers and platform numbers. Its quick and easy, but just be alert in the busy stations as this is prime pick pocket zone.

Now, you’re finally on the island! Take it all in, you are out in front of Venezia Santa Lucia and the Grand Canal is before you and what a view it is! take a few minutes here to get your bearings and just appreciate where you are. Hopefully you are here early and the place is fairly quiet.

I would recommend that you head straight through to Piazza San Marco right away and make sure your route takes you over Ponte di Rialto. Both of these are swarmed in the afternoon so getting those ticked off your itinerary first is wise. It’s about a half hour to 45 minute walk from Venezia Santa Lucia to Piazza San Marco so enjoy the sights along the way. The route is going to take you down all kinds of beautiful narrow streets right in the heart of the city.

When you arrive in the square, you may notice that towards the east is a rather large cathedral. This is the famous Saint Mark’s Basilica. You can learn a bit of history here, and I would strongly recommend reading up before you go. It is a truly impressive structure and completely dominates the square. The original structure was an extension on the Doge’s Palace which began in the year 828. The Doge’s Palace is the structure immediately to the right of the Basilica as you are looking at it head on. The structure as it is today was built in 1063 and was based on the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. Another, slightly less impressive but still worthy, point of interest in the square is Caffè Florian. This is the oldest coffee house in continuous operation in Italy. It was established in 1720 and serves some of the most expensive coffee you will likely ever see. I got a €6 double espresso and I think for the experience of just participating in a historical business, the price was worth it.

Once you’ve had your fill of Piazza San Marco and the Basilica, head straight south to the waterfront. The views here out to the Venetian lagoon are some of my favourite in the city. If you’ve brought food with you, there are countless great spots to eat along Riva degli Schiavoni, sitting on the waterfront with your feet hanging over the edge looking out to the lagoon. This busy promenade should still be relatively calm and quiet in the early morning up until about 10:00 am.

Turning left once you reach the waterfront and heading east, you will ery quickly reach one of the most photographed spots in the city from atop Ponte della Paglia: Ponte dei Sospiri or the Bridge of Sighs. The bridge is made of white limestone, and connects the Prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace. The view looking out from the bridge was the last view convicts saw before their imprisonment. This is a great photo opportunity and if you are here early, take advantage of the lack of crowds.

I would recommend you head from here along the waterfront to the east and make your next stop the Venetian Arsenal. It is a truly impressive Byzantine shipyard and also takes you to a quieter part of the city for a bit. What I think is more worth seeing there, however, is the Piraeus Lion. This frequently overlooked artefact, one of the 4 stone lions, is positioned in front of the arsenal. It was looted from Athens, Greece in 1687 but what is fascinating is what’s carved on the sides of it. If you look closely (it’s very faint) you can make out two coiling serpent-like runic inscriptions carved into each side. These were carved by Vikings who had sailed all the way from Scandinavia to Greece in the 11th century. If European history is even remotely interesting to you, I wouldn’t miss seeing this.

From the Arsenal, backtrack a bit and make your way north west to the Libreria Acqua Alta. This bookshop is a bucket list visit for anyone who loves books. There is a Venetian gondola full of books inside and some great photo opportunities. You can easily to get side tracked and lose the day in here! Afterwards, just a few short minutes away is a great wine bar called Osteria al Ponte near the hospital and medical museum where you can take a break and have some cicchetti. Good prices and it’s a nice quiet spot to recuperate and fill the water bottle.

Now, the next stop depends on how much time you have left. If you still have plenty and are wanting to pack an extra stop in, that stop should be Mercato di Rialto or the Rialto Market. This bustling fresh food market is right along the canal and is a perfect spot to spend an hour just wandering the stalls, taking in the smells and sounds. If you have the facilities and your planning to make dinner back at your Airbnb or hostel, this would be the spot to pick up some local ingredients and fresh fish!

If you are running a bit tight on time however, skip the market and head straight across south west to Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. This 15th century palace has a famous picturesque spiral staircase and is unmissable. The view from the top is entirely worth the 9€ admission. Even the ascent up the spiral staircase is memorabe and full of great photo opportunities.