Spending a weekend in Venice is the best choice you can even make. There are a lot of itineraries you can choose from, since Venice is a city that actually offers a lot of things to do and attractions to see. Let’s say that you’re coming to Venice for the first time, and you don’t know where to start to organize your weekend. In this article, we have collected a list of things you can do to enjoy the best of what the city has to offer, day by day. 

Let’s start with your first day in Venice. 

Venice in a weekend: Day 1 

First of all, we are sure you would like to get rid of your bags to explore the city without carrying them with you, so please feel free to come to our hotel as soon as you arrive in Venice to leave your luggage at our reception. 
Then, if you want to ask our staff for some advice about what to see on your first day in Venice, we will be happy to suggest what to do according to your arrival time, or you can just print out this blog post, and follow our recommendation here.

The first day is meant to be a day of discovery, visiting the most iconic attractions of the city. From our hotel, you can reach the Santa Sofia “Stazio” and take the gondola ferry to get to the Rialto Fish Market. Your itinerary starts from here, in the center of Venice, on a gondola.
The gondola ferry ride, from on side to the other of the Grand Canal, costs 2 euros per person because it’s a public service that Venetians also use. 
From here we suggest crossing the Rialto bridge and stopping at the top to enjoy the first breathtaking view of your holiday: the Grand Canal. 
Then, if you want to enjoy a view of Venice from above, you can go to the Fondaco dei Tedeschi right down the bridge, and access its magnificent rooftop terrace for free. 

Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) will be our next stop, where the most beautiful and important buildings of Venice are located. 
The St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and the St. Mark’s bell tower are all here, so take your time to visit at least one of them. The Doge’s Palace has a secret itinerary that is really worth doing, but you need to book the ticket in advance, preferably online.

To enter into the real Venetian atmosphere we recommend stopping for traditional cicchetti (small plates) in a traditional “bacaro” on your way to St. Mark’s Square, or on the way back to our hotel.

Venice in a weekend: Day 2 

On your second day in Venice, you should get to know the neighborhood you’re staying in, which is named Cannaregio. 
This “sestiere” (the Venetian name for “neighborhood”) is famous because of the Jewish Ghetto, which is the oldest ghetto in Europe. There are five synagogues you can visit, and several restaurants to choose from, to try typical Jewish food. 

From Fondamenta della Misericordia, not far from the Jewish Ghetto, you can reach the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, an incredible building that looks like a church but it’s not a church. It’s an ancient “Scuola” as Venetians used to call it, a confraternity headquarters.
Usually, there’s always an exhibition going on there, so maybe you can think about stopping here for a visit. 
In the afternoon, since you’re already close to Fondamente Nove, you can consider the idea of having a tour of the main islands surrounding Venice: Murano, Burano, and Torcello. 

To conclude your day, we will be happy to recommend some nice places to have dinner. 

Venice in a weekend: Day 3 

This is the last day of your weekend in Venice and before living you would probably like to see a part of Venice you haven’t visited yet, or maybe a museum.

If you are an art lover, you should go to the Accademia Galleryor the Venice Biennale, but if you are more interested in the history of Venice, we suggest Ca’ Rezzonico, a splendid palace near Campo San Barnaba, where Indiana Jones came out of a manhole in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. 

If you don’t leave too early in the afternoon, you could visit the Frari Church which is an extraordinary example of Venetian gothic art with a lot of Tiziano’s paintings in it.
Before leaving, be sure to have tasted at least a typical Venetian dish, such as a plate of spaghetti alla Busara or some black squid with polenta on a side. 
Don’t worry, we can tell you where to have the best ones. 

We hope we gave you some ideas to start planning your weekend itinerary in Venice, as we said before, feel free to print this article out and take it with you during your stay with us.