Venice, the beautiful city of canals, is a must see on so many European itineraries. From the iconic gondolas, to St Mark’s Square and the 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 some considerations in your decision process. Then we’re going to show you what’s possible with 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 known for this: over-tourism. We’ve travelled to over 70 countries and countless cities, and Venice is definitely the most crowded place we’ve ever been.
If you’re travelling in the peak summer period, this issue is only going to be compounded. In the middle of the day, when all the cruises are in dock, the small streets can be absolutely packed with tourists.
The best way we’ve found to avoid the crowds during these periods is to stay in the city centre. That way we do a lot of our sightseeing in the early morning and evening. On our last visit, we’d be out of our apartment every morning around 6am to see the sunrise and wander the deserted streets. We pretty much had St Mark’s Square to ourselves, except for some cleaners and a few other early birds. It was bliss. We’d then enjoy the Italian tradition of a siesta whilst the streets were full and the sun was blazing.
If this sounds appealing to you, then I recommend staying in Venice 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 most iconic places to visit in Venice. Inside St Mark’s you’ll stand in awe at the beautiful golden frescoes and ornate architecture. Doge’s Palace is a now a museum in which you’ll learn all about the history of the palace and can view so 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 be hours long.
If you’re intent on visiting these attractions, you’ll need to set aside a half day at least. To maximise time, consider purchasing a skip the line pass (more on this below).
If you are content to just be amazed at seeing the architecture from the outside, you may very well be able to see Venice in a day.
#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 the extra expense is worth the saved time in line. For instance, by buying a skip the line pass it may mean saving 2 or more hours of waiting in line. This could be the difference between needing an extra day in a city or not depending on our itinerary. In a place like Venice, where accommodation is expensive and there 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 instructions of how you redeem your tickets. Most skip the line passes will require you to print off the voucher. If you’re already travelling, you may need to organise this with your accommodation beforehand.
#4 Is this your first visit?
If this is your first visit to Venice, I’d recommend at least 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 about why you’re returning. Are there some places you want to go that you just didn’t get around to previously? Do you just want an additional day here to see how the city has changed? Do you want to spend some time reminiscing?
Our second visit to Venice was around 9 years since our first visit. We had so much more time for exploring because we didn’t need to do so many of the “must haves”, such as going inside St Mark’s Basilica again or a gondola ride. However, if we wanted to do these activities again we would have needed to add an extra day to our itinerary. Have a think about the purpose 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 to visit?
Venice loves an event, from film festivals to regattas, it is a wonderful place to visit during a special event.
However, there can be precious time taken out of your itinerary when an event is on. For instance, we visited during the Annual Regatta, which effectively shuts down the Grand Canal for a few hours in the middle of the day. It’s a fun event to watch, but it would be a nightmare trying to get around Venice if that was the only day you had in town to explore.
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 or Murano?
The nearby islands of Burano or Murano are a wonderful day trip to work into your Venice itinerary. Burano is an island filled of the most colourful homes, and is only a 40 minute vaporetto ride from Venice. Murano is known for its glass making.
If you want to visit these islands, you’ll need to set aside an extra day in your itinerary.
#7 Are you planning to stay overnight in Venice or outside of Venice?
Where you are planning to stay in Venice will have a large impact 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 willing to spend on accommodation.
Staying in the centre of Venice can be very expensive. For this reason, on our first trip we stayed with friends in a campsite on the outskirts of Venice. We were backpacking at the time, so this suited our budgetary needs. However, it took us about an hour each way to get into the centre of Venice, and transport times were limited. We needed more days in Venice due to our accommodation constraints.
However, on our last trip, we decided to splash out a little with 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 the apartment 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 and the impact this could have on your list of things to do.
In summer you’ll be blessed with longer days. This means there are more daylight hours to enjoy the scenery and take photos. If you’re just looking to stroll along the streets of Venice and get lost along the canals, then you may not need as long in Venice. However, it’s also the peak periods and lines for attractions are sure to be very long.
In winter, there are less daylight hours. But, tourist numbers are smaller than in summer and you may be able to fit in more museums if that is the goal of your trip.
#9 How much time is Venice making up of your Italian itinerary?
The “big 3” cities of Italy that are generally included on most first-time itineraries are Venice, Florence and Rome. It’s possible to pack these cities into a one week Italian adventure, where you spend about 2-3 days 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 mobility issues and if that is likely to impact the amount of time you need in each destination.
As a city of canals, Venice understandably has lot of bridges. This means there will be a lot of steps required in your day to day exploring. If this is likely to pose a challenge for you, consider if this means you need more down time in your itinerary.
We hope the above consideration will help guide you to make the 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 want to concentrate your time around St Mark’s Square. Just be prepared for a very busy day 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 and climb it for the most stunning view over the canal. When you can pull yourself away, meander through the small streets towards St Mark’s Square. Stand in awe of the Basilica, then wander across to Doge’s Palace. Turn left when you hit the water. As you cross the first bridge, check out the beautiful Bridge of Sighs.
When your time is up, head back to your starting point by walking, or look up the nearest vaporetto.
One full day in Venice
With a full day in Venice, you can do all of the above, plus you should be able to visit at least one or two attractions. Arrive as early as you can. The goal here is to enjoy St Mark’s before the day trippers from the cruise 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 in prior to lunch.
Consider a 30 minute gondola ride through the beautiful canals, noting that it is cheaper in the day than in the evening.
Being short on time, you’ll want a quick lunch. Head to Tuttinpiedi, which is only a few minutes walk from St Mark’s Square. Here you’ll enjoy some fresh pasta cooked up in front of your eyes.
In the afternoon, get lost wandering around the back streets. If it’s hot, put the directions in your phone for Suso for some of the best gelato in Italy.
2 days in Venice
With 2 days in Venice, you may be able to take things a little 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 of the Grand Canal. If you’re an art lover, you can head inside to the Gallerie dell’ Academia too, and see some of the finest Venetian art.
The Cannaregio is a lovely area to walk around that is a little less busy than St Mark’s Square. This is also a great place to enjoy some 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 other island, 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 the time to get out to more of the less touristic places in Venice. Some additional options 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 guide helps you decide how long to devote to Venice in your itinerary.
Been to Venice and have some thoughts about how long to stay? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section.
