Are you planning on doing Venice in a day? Are you nervous it just might not be enough time? No need to fear we are going to map out some fun things that you can do if you only have one day in Venice.
Venice, Italy is a great city that has a lot to offer. Let’s explore all the options and make an itinerary!
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One Day in Venice Itinerary
If you only have one day in Venice there are a few places that need to be at the top of your list. Let’s explore them!
Piazza San Marco
Piazza San Marco is the main public square in Venice. It has many famous buildings. American’s usually refer to this area as St. Marks Square.
St. Marks Square is a central location where you will find most tourist! There are many things to see in this location such as St. Marks Basilica, Palazzo Ducale, and Torre dell’Orologio.
St. Marks Square should be on everyone’s Venice itinerary.
St. Marks Basilica
St. Marks Basilica is absolutely gorgeous! It is the most famous church in Venice.
Admission
Entrance is free to the Basilica, donations welcome
You will need to purchase tickets if you want to see the golden alter, the treasury, or the San Marco Museum.
Interesting Facts
One thing that I learned was that it was in built around 829 and rebuilt 1071 AD. I also found it fascinating that it has enough mosaics to fill an American football field.
What Makes St. Marks Basilica So Great?
Words can’t even describe the beauty of this building. The floor is marble with glass inlaids. The Pala d’Oro, a Byzantine altar is gold, with hundreds of gems. 1300 pearls, 400 garnets, 300 emeralds, 300 sapphires, 100 amethyst, and many rubies and topazes.
It’s incredible five domes, and intricate architecture is one of the reasons this is the most popular site in Venice.
This area is very crowded, so you will most likely be waiting to enter unless you purchase a tour.
Palazzo Ducale (Doge Palace)
The Palazzo Ducale also known as the Doge Palace was the home of the ruler of Venice and the power of the Venetian Republic for over 1000 years. It is now a museum.
The Doge Palace Museum is 1 of 11 museums owned by the same group. What makes it special is it is so conveniently located to other sites. If you only had one day in Venice and want to do as much as possible it is a good option because of its close proximity to the St. Marks Basilica.
Admission
Adults – 25 Euros which gives entrance to several of the museums in Venice.
Torre dell’Orologio (The Clock Tower)
Also located in St. Marks Square is a the beautiful clock tower, however you must book ahead of time to see it.
Helpful Tip
Children under 6 are not permitted. Make sure you take note of that as you are making your Venice itinerary.
Grand Canal Tour
The Grand Canal is the basic way of transportation in Venice. The magnificent buildings along the canal date back to the 13-18th century. These buildings represent the wealth of the Venetian Republic.
Vapporetto
If you only have one day in Venice a Vaporetto ride is essential! Vaporetto’s are so much fun! They are taxi’s that take you from stop to stop along the canal.
You can relax and enjoy your ride along the canal! Rick Steve’s has an amazing audio tour that you can download to your phone. It gives all sorts of history and facts as you ride down the canal.
Best Time to Ride
Certain times of the day are better to ride on the Vaporetto’s. Early morning before cruise ships dock is the best time.
During crowded times of the day it isn’t as exciting because you will not be able to really enjoy the audio tour if it is really loud and you are having to stand instead of sit.
We loved going in the morning and enjoying the beauty of canal. It is pretty magical.
Rialto Bridge
The Rialto Bridge is an iconic landmark. The bridge connects Sestieri San Marco to San Polo. It is the oldest bridge across the canal and is known as a Renaissance masterpiece namely for its architecture and engineering achievement.
There are some of the most breath taking views from this bridge as well as great places to walk around and “get lost in Venice.”
A trip to Venice would not be complete until stopping at this location.
Shopping in Venice
There are so many interesting shops such as fun candy shops. We saw candy that was made to look like tools, pasta, and other objects. It really is a fun little area.
This area will make your one day in Venice perfect.
High End Shopping
There is also very high end shopping in this area. Italy is known for fashion. Milan being the center but Venice has everything you would want. If you like designer fashion this is where you might want to spend a few hours!
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
As you travel along the canal, there is a beautiful Roman Catholic Church called Basilica di Santa Maria della salute.
I believe salute means health in Italian. This building was built in the 1630 during the plague as a honor to “Our Lady of Health”
You do not necessarily have to go inside to appreciate the beauty.
How to Get There?
You can get there by Vaporetto or crossing a bridge. Taking the bridge is a little bit of a walk but there are always things to explore along the way. There is a cost if you want to enter the church as a tourist.
Venice Tours
If you only have one day in Venice, you might want to look into getting a tour of the places you want to see most. A lot of times the tour groups have special entrances and can help you avoid long lines.
Venice Food Walking Tour
Enjoy a 2.5 hour Venice Food Walking Tour with a local foodie. The tour begins at 10:15 am. This is a great way to try all the cuisine in the area!
Another option is the Taste of Venice Tour. The best things in Venice often revolve around Food.
Gondola and Serenade Ride

I actually highly recommend buying this Gondola and Serenade Tour ahead of time because the starting price was $80 per person in person. It is even more for the driver to serenade you. Plus, you won’t have to deal with bargaining and agreeing upon a price. (I hate that)
If you only have a day in Venice, a gondola ride is probably high on your list.
Another option is a Gondola and Glassblowing Tour, and Gondola Ride for Two. Both of these would be amazing!
Venice in a Day Tour

If you only have one day in Venice this is a perfect tour. Venice in a Day Tour will show you all the highlights without the hassle of lines. This also includes a gondola ride.
Venice Grand Canal Tour
I mentioned above that Rick Steve’s has a great audio tour but if you want a Guided Tour of the Grand Canal this is a great option.
Venice In A Day Tour From Milan
If you do not want to rent a car but still would like to see Venice in one day consider a Guided Tour from Milan!
Check out this cool slide of what to do and where to eat!
Are You Ready For One Day in Venice?
If you are planning a trip to Italy and want to explore other cities check out other Italy posts. Also, I highly recommend getting a Italy Travel Guidebook before you plan your trip.
Planning a northern or central Italy vacation? One Week In Italy , Pisa and Lucca, Romantic Venice, Siena and Florence are great area’s to include in your Italy itinerary.
If you are looking for a southern Italy itinerary be sure to check out Capri, Pompeii, Gaeta, and the Amalfi Coast.
In addition, if you are looking for another reason to visit Italy or some great Safety Travel Tip’s for Italy before you travel be sure to check out my other post.
Facebook Community
If you have any questions join my Facebook Travel Community. You can ask any questions you have about upcoming trips and everyone is happy to help you plan your trip. I also try to give exclusive travel deals that companies send me. It is a great group to join!
Check out my video of How Rick Steve’s Saved My Italy Trip!
Pam
March 14, 2019 9:34 amLooks like a perfect day to me. I have really got to get a trip planned to Italy soon!
Lisa
March 14, 2019 2:17 pmVenice is a fun little place to visit. I think the Southern part of Italy is my favorite!
Missy
March 14, 2019 1:22 pmThese are great suggestions on what to see. Thank you. It has been a while since I have been to Italy. It must be time to go back.
Lisa
March 14, 2019 2:16 pmI know I have been looking at lots of pictures lately and it really was magical!
Tricia Snow
March 14, 2019 2:02 pmLooks like an amazing trip! I really want to stay in Venice in an apartment and live there for a month!
Lisa
March 14, 2019 2:15 pmThat would be fun!
jen
March 14, 2019 5:22 pmbeautiful beautiful beautiful!!!!
Julie Gazdecki
March 14, 2019 6:15 pmGreat planning. You sure packed a lot into one day!!
Lisa
March 14, 2019 6:22 pmWe woke up at 5:00 AM because we were so jet lagged! You can get a lot more done when no one is out and about!
Hera
March 14, 2019 6:51 pmVenice looks so dreamy! A day doesn’t seem like enough and hard to leave
daph
March 14, 2019 8:31 pmEveryone is going to Italy, but me :,( . Will be planning a trip in the future. Thanks for sharing places to eat, you can never go wrong with great food!
Lisa
March 14, 2019 8:41 pmItaly is a great place, if you do plan a trip I think the southern part is the most beautiful!
Heather
March 15, 2019 5:24 pmWe loved our trip to Venice! Did you see any of the pop-up art galleries? That was the most surprising part of our trip there.
Lisa
March 15, 2019 6:46 pmWe did not! I bet that was really cool!
Michele
March 16, 2019 9:31 amThis looks like a perfect day! We are hoping to visit multiple countries in Europe in the next year or two. I will have to keep this in mind!
Lisa
March 16, 2019 10:15 amWe lived in Germany for a summer and it was amazing! I love going to Europe!
Sarah
March 16, 2019 5:01 pmGreat tips, Venice is wonderful!! We were just there, but since we were traveling with our young daughter, just scratched the surface of all that there is to see!
Lisa
March 16, 2019 10:07 pmAwesome! You will have to go again!
Shirley
March 18, 2019 4:38 amThis looks perfect! I really need to get planning a trip to Venice very soon.
Lisa
March 18, 2019 9:38 amIts a fun city to visit! For Sure!
kmf
January 18, 2021 9:47 pmOur family loves Venice – it’s our favorite city. And this is a fabulous one-day tour to hit all the great things – I would love to do the food tour.
Lisa
January 18, 2021 10:33 pmVenice is such an amazing place!
Alexis Farmer
January 19, 2021 11:00 amI would love to visit Venice for some gondola rides! Italy looks so beautiful.
Lisa
January 22, 2021 7:39 amThat would be extremely romantic.
Leeanne
January 19, 2021 12:07 pmVenice is so magical. I loved walking the side streets and going on a gondola ride along with all the food of course.
Lisa
January 22, 2021 7:38 amWe loved the canal!
Kristen W Allred
January 20, 2021 10:31 amI’ve always wanted to travel to Venice and I really hope I get to go someday. Thanks for all the great tips on how to do Venice in a day!
Lisa
January 22, 2021 7:36 amYour welcome! Venice is a great place!
Tricia Snow
January 21, 2021 2:38 pmVenice looks amazing. I would love to go for more than a day! lol
Lisa
January 22, 2021 7:35 amI really don’t think you would need more than 2. It is pretty small. Unless, you want to spend more time in a museum.
Suz | TravelsWithSuz.com
January 21, 2021 4:11 pmWow, you saw a lot in Venice in one day! Sounds overwhelming to me; I enjoy slow travel…but, if I had only one day to spend there, I’d do it rather than forgo it!
Italy is such a huge bucket list item for me that I’m sort of saving it for a giant trip. These suggestions for Venice will definitely be on the list – especially the canal cruise. The candy store is hilarious – before I read your caption, I could not figure out what I was looking at; unique and fun idea.
Lisa
January 22, 2021 7:34 amThere was some fun shopping and unique items for sure!
KENDRA
January 22, 2021 2:42 pmWow! So many awesome things to do in Venice! I love how unique that candy shop is! I’d love to visit The Rialto Bridge!