Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and a must for anyone planning a trip to Italy. Whether it’s the beautiful canals spotted with gondolas, the hidden alleyways and bridges, or the romantic history of the city, there is so much to do here. While 2 days in Venice, Italy, is not necessarily enough to do everything the city has to offer, it is enough time to get a taste of this magical place. In this guide to Venice, you will find a 2-day itinerary for visiting the city and a few budget travel tips to consider while planning.
If you’re looking for somewhere to spend a romantic weekend in away, or are simply planning your ultimate Italy itinerary, then this is a great city to choose. There is no feeling more magical than walking around the streets and feeling like you are all alone. Every special little hideaway at the end of a hidden alleyway feels like a magical spot that belongs to you in a way. We spent 2 days in Venice after travelling for a week in the Dolomites so it was the perfect slow city stop to rest before embarking on our road trip through Tuscany and 3 week trip around Italy.
As I said before, this is a 2-day itinerary for visiting Venice and I have included everything we did and a few more travel tips. Depending on how you like to travel – whether it’s slow, on a budget, or fitting in all there is to see and do in 2 days – you can work this itinerary to fit your trip.
So, with that, let’s get started!
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How To Get to Venice
The city of Venice is located on an island off the coast of North-East Italy. There are a few ways to get to the city of Venice – however it is important to note that you will likely need to travel by boat or foot to the island no matter how you arrive. Below you will find an outline of all the different options.
Flying to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)
If you are travelling internationally to Italy, then the best way to get to Venice is by flying to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE). There are direct flights or connecting flights to VCE from most major airports in Europe and globally. The airport is not located centrally so to get to Venice from VCE you will need to organise some other form of transport. The options I will outline below.
How to get from Venice Marco Polo Airport to Venice
There are a few ways to get from VCE to Venice. The first option is catching the bus which runs from the airport to Piazzale Roma and takes around 20 minutes. You can either catch line 5 (ACTV) or ATVO which costs around 10 euro per person one way.
Alternatively, you can arrange a water transport from the airport to the city. To get to your accommodation it is likely you will have to walk for a little bit, however, some hotels have their own dock so if you’re lucky you may be able to alight the boat at your front door! This option takes around 1 hour to reach Venice so is not the most efficient – although it may be the most beautiful. You can buy tickets for the ferry on this page for around 15 euros one way.
Lastly, you can book a private transfer or taxi. This is the most comfortable but also most expensive option.
This website has all the information about transfers from the airport!
Travelling to Venice by Train
If you are visiting Venice as part of a longer trip through Italy or Europe, it is often very convenient to get to the city by train! The main train station is Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia, and trains run from most major cities with Trenitalia, Italy’s train service. You can find all train connections on this page.
If you want any inspiration for some longer Italian trips check out my posts here:
- Venice to Rome Road Trip
- 3 Week Italy Itinerary
- 8 Days in the Dolomites
- Guide to the Amalfi Coast
- 5 days in the Cinque Terre
Arriving in Venice by Car
If you are taking a road trip through Italy like we did, you will need to park your car in one of the carparks at the edge of the island. From here you can walk to your hotel. These car parks are best booked in advance as they fill up quickly!
We booked ours into Garage San Marco for the 2 days we spent in Venice. It was good value, and the process was all very smooth. If you book in advance, you simply drive to the car park and give them your booking reference. They show you to your spot and you leave your keys. When you come back you just show your reference again and off you go!
If you are planning a road trip, I have written an itinerary for a road trip from Venice to Rome.
Two Days in Venice: Where to Stay
During our 2 days in Venice, we stayed at Hotel Ala which was the perfect accommodation for our first time in the city. Centrally located just a 5-minute walk from San Marco and the Bridge of Sighs, this is a medium-priced hotel with beautiful rooms and a rooftop terrace looking out over the city. It was the perfect mix of luxury, romance, and price. You can find it here!
2 Day Venice Itinerary – Top Things to Do
Now it’s time to dive into the 2-day Itinerary for Venice, Italy. This is exactly how we spent our 2 days in the city with a list of some other things to see and do at the end. This is more of a slow-travel itinerary with most time spent immersing ourselves in the atmosphere of Venice, wandering the canals and exploring the city rather than hitting as many landmarks as we could in 2 days. Additionally, we were travelling Italy on more of a budget so didn’t tend to eat out as too much and spent the evenings on the rooftop terrace of our hotel listening to the music from the gondolas.
Day 1: Exploring Venice
Take a stroll past famous landmarks of Venice
There’s no better way to get acquainted with a city than taking a long walk around the streets, passing the famous landmarks, and familiarising yourself with the area. In Venice, there are a lot of famous spots to see, including Saint Mark’s Square, Rialto Bridge, and the Grand Canal. Following our hotel breakfast, we head out for a few hours on a self-guided walking tour past all the sights. It took us around 2 hours to see visit all the top attractions on our list. The best part of starting the day with a walk like this is that you can continue in a much more relaxed state – ready to take it slow and explore rather than just check things off.
If you want to explore the city with a bit more context, then it’s worth looking into a guided walking tour where you can see the city as simultaneously learn about the history behind these different places.
Alternatively, you can download the self-guided tour with map and scavenger hunt to make the trip a bit more of an adventure. This tour is great as it includes all the biggest sights, but also some fun riddles and games along the way.
Our self-guided tour included the following spots:
- Saint Mark’s Square
- Basilica di San Marco
- The Rialto Bridge
- The Grand Canal
- Doge’s Palace
- San Giorgio Maggiore:
- The Bridge of Sighs
Lunch by the canal from Happy Pizza
As I mentioned before, we were travelling Venice on a budget so chose to get a takeaway pizza slice for lunch and eat it by the canal. This was honestly just the perfect experience – sitting by the water eating pizza and watching the gondolas float by. We got our pizza from Happy Pizza, a hole in the wall pizzeria selling pizza by the slice. We went twice more during our 2 days in Venice for a snack we enjoyed it so much.
Take a gondola ride down the canal
After lunch, it’s time for a gondola ride down the Venice canals. Maybe an obvious suggestion, you may be wondering “Is it worth it?”. Well, the answer is yes. Being in a gondola, you see the city of Venice from a whole new perspective. Everything feels so calm and you feel completely alone – the opposite of the bustling alleyways. It was the first time we really felt like we were there in the moment, alone and exploring the city together. A romantic gondola ride is the one thing you need to do, even if you completely disregard everything else I share in this two day Venice Itinerary.
Finding a gondola is no difficulty, with stops located all throughout the canal system. You don’t need to book in advance, instead you just turn up at a gondola stop and wait for the next one to arrive. You can spot the gondola stops by looking out for a red and white striped stick by a small dock – very much like a bus stop.
The gondolas cost around €80 for a 40-minute ride, with the possibility to pay €40 for an additional 20 minutes. If you want to take the trip at sunrise or sunset (from 7pm to 8am) it costs €100 instead, with €50 for an extra 20 minutes. There is a standard cost for the gondolas of Venice which is worth checking before you take one. You can find the current rates on this page.
Libreria Acqua Alta
Now it’s time to explore the rest of Venice, starting by heading down towards Acqua Alta Book Shop. This pretty library nook has become an icon in Venice in recent years due to its chaotic and unconventional way of stacking the books. Don’t be surprised when you see the gondolas and bathtubs holding books in different corners of the shop. Again, due to it being a very popular stop for anyone spending a few days in Venice, it can get very busy.
Venetian Arsenal
Continue to Arsenale di Venezia (The Venetian Arsenal) – the old byzantine shipyard founded in 1104. This area has such a rich history. Spend some time wandering around the old shipyard and exploring the different buildings. This is an area of Venice you don’t often hear about but in my opinion one of the most interesting areas to visit – especially when you have two days to explore Venice. If you are there from April to November, then make sure to check out the Venice Biennale exhibitions which are shown in Arsenale. This is a 60-year-old art festival celebrating contemporary visual art – the oldest of its kind in the world.
Ice cream from Gelatoteca Suso
After the gondola ride head to Gelatoteca Suso for an ice cream. This is one of the most highly rated gelaterias in Venice – and for good reason. The ice cream here is amazing! Due to its popularity, it can be quite busy so expect to spend a bit of time in the queue if you are visiting Venice in peak season. There is not so much seating here so we decided to wander down to Rialto Bridge and sit by the canal there.
Aperitivo at Taverna La Fenice
After spending the afternoon exploring a new area of Venice, it’s time to head out for Aperitivo. This is a pre-dinner drink often served with snacks that is popular all over Italy. If you are travelling on a budget like we were then this is one of the best ways to save a little money but still get the most out of your trip! We head to Taverna La Fenice for aperitivo, a beautiful restaurant/ bar just around the corner from our hotel room. We took a table outside where we could sit and do a little people watching, taking in the hustle of Venice, while sipping on an Aperol spritz.
Dinner from Tuttinpiedi
We ended up looking for somewhere quite cheap for dinner – and that we found in Tuttinpiedi. This place is a little more unconventional and slightly bizarre, but I honestly loved the experience. Tuttinpiedi is a little takeaway shop located just off Piazza San Marco. Tucked into the side of the wall and surrounded by bigger more established restaurants, it’s easy to miss. In the entrance, you will see long chalkboards with the menu, however half of the dishes are crossed off because they no longer exist. There is a second menu hanging up inside on a chalk board with different dishes, but when you order it becomes apparent that most of those dishes are no longer on the menu either and in fact there were only about 3 to choose from.
So, you order your pasta from this super eccentric man behind the counter, wearing bright pink sunglasses and blaring rock music. He doesn’t take any other orders until he has finished preparing yours and the queue starts to build up outside. Cooking the pasta and the sauce from scratch in the “open kitchen” right in front of you, you can’t help but become a little sceptical. However, what should have been some dodgy takeaway pasta turned out to be one of the most fun and delicious meals we had!
Day 2 in Venice, Italy
Get Lost in the Side Alleys
Day 2 starts again with a little stroll around the areas of Venice we didn’t get to see yesterday. There is nothing better to do in this city that wander with the intent of getting lost. This way, you get to see so much more during 2 days in Venice than you would if you ran around ticking off items on a to do checklist. We set out in the morning in a direction we hadn’t been and purposely just wander, taking the most interesting streets we could. We came across so many beautiful unique spots and restaurants we never would have stumbled upon if we had based our trip on research.
Day trip to Burano and Murano
After the morning walk, it’s time to take a day trip to Burano and Murano – two nearby islands known for their glass blowing, lace work, and beautiful coloured houses. There are a few different ways to make this day trip. The first, is to take a small boat tour from Venice to Murano and Burano where transport out to the islands as well as a guided tour and visits to glass-blowing and lace making workshops. Here you get to see demonstrations as to how these beautiful crafts and made by local artisans. If you don’t want to worry too much about planning a trip, looking up boat times, and making an itinerary then the tour is the best option you can pick. This trip will cost you around €21 to €40 depending on when you choose to travel. You can find more details on this page.
The other option for a day trip to Murano and Burano from Venice is to take the public water bus (the Vaporetto). This is a public ferry of sorts which takes you from Fondamente Nove in the old town to the two islands. You will need to catch the number 12 which heads from Venice to Murano (15 minutes) and then continues to Burano (30 minutes). This trip will cost you €22.50, or alternatively only €20 if you purchase the 1-day Venice Travel Card.
While the Vaporetto is slightly cheaper at some times of the year, it is a very popular day trip, and the ferries can fill up quickly. To avoid the queues, I recommend either starting your day trip early in the morning, or booking the guided tour to ensure you get a comfortable trip.
Drinks at Bar Longhi
After a beautiful day in Murano, it’s time for the last activity of this two-day Venice Itinerary – drinks at Bar Longhi. This is a very well-known place steeped in history (and there are beautiful views over the Grand Canal and Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute). While it is not the cheapest of bars in Venice, it is one to visit purely for the experience. if you only have 2 days in Venice, Italy and you want to make it feel special then this is a must.
Other Things to Do in Venice
Visit La Fenice Opera House: Take a guided tour of the famous La Fenice Opera house. You can book tickets here.
Take a cooking class with a local: Learn to make traditional Venetian dishes while nibbling on cicheti with a local chef in the heart of Venice.
Day trip to the Dolomites: Maybe one day in Venice is enough and you want to take this chance to see more of Italy? Then this guided tour to Lake Misurina and Cortina is the perfect Dolomites day trip.
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection: One of the world’s largest most prestigious art collections this is a must for any lovers or contemporary art.
Guided Tours
Take a tour of Venice and get insights from a local. Here are a few of the most recommended options:
Is 2 days enough in Venice Italy?
With two days you can see a lot of Venice. However, it is a big city with a lot to explore so if you want to visit all the different museums and galleries, take a day trip to Murano and Burano, perhaps take in a Vivaldi concert or opera then I recommend trying to add a third day to your itinerary.
Overview: An Itinerary for 2 Days in Venice Italy
Venice is an incredible city filled with romance, history, and culture. This itinerary for 2 days in Venice, Italy gives you a glimpse into the magic of the city, taking you from the sights of San Marco and Doge’s Palace to the islands of Murano and Burano.
Spending more time in Italy? Check out these posts:
