What is the number one thing to do in Venice?

On this site's list: walk through the Doge's Palace and over the Bridge of Sighs. Then stand under the golden domes of St Mark's Basilica, and see Venetian painting from Bellini to Titian at the Accademia. The order is this site's own: what a first visit should do first.

What can you do in Venice for free?

3 of the 20 things on this list cost nothing: The Rialto Bridge and market, San Giorgio Maggiore and The Jewish Ghetto.

What is there to do in Venice when it rains?

10 of the 20 are under a roof: Doge's Palace, St Mark's Basilica, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Basilica dei Frari, Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Teatro La Fenice, San Giorgio Maggiore, Ca' Pesaro and A Vivaldi concert.

What is there to do in Venice at night?

St Mark's Campanile, The Grand Canal by vaporetto, The Rialto Bridge and market, A gondola ride, Teatro La Fenice, A Vivaldi concert and Cicchetti in the bacari are all at their best after dark.

How many days do you need in Venice?

The 17 things on this list that are in the city add up to between 21 and 33 hours of visiting, by this site's estimates, without the time to get between them. At about six hours of visiting a day, that is 4 to 6 days for all of them, and three or four days for the first ten.

What are the best day trips from Venice?

The Dolomites (two and a half hours from Venice), Verona and Lake Garda (an hour and a quarter from Venice) and The Brenta Riviera to Padua (between Venice and Padua). Each takes a full day.

The 20 best, in orderBest things to do in Venice

What to do in Venice, from the first morning to the last night: the 20 things worth your time, in the order this site would do them, with how long each takes, what it costs and when to go.

20
Things to do, in order: 3
Cost nothing: 10
Are under a roof, for a wet day: 13
Take two hours or less

Show

All 20

1Museum
Picture: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0
Walk through the Doge's Palace and over the Bridge of Sighs
Museum, San Marco
The palace of the doges and the government of the Venetian Republic, with Tintoretto's Paradise in the hall of the Great Council and the prisons across the Bridge of Sighs.
Time to allow
2 to 3 hours
Cost
Ticket
Best time
First thing in the morning, before the groups
4.740,625 Google ratingsFrom €35
Read the guide
2Church
Picture: Yair Haklai, CC BY-SA 4.0
Stand under the golden domes of St Mark's Basilica
Church, San Marco
The church of the doges, built to hold the body of St Mark, with acres of gold mosaic inside, the Pala d'Oro and the bronze horses on its terrace.
Time to allow
45 to 90 minutes
Cost
Ticket with a time, sold by the basilica
Best time
In the late morning, when the light is on the mosaics
4.730,734 Google ratingsFrom €18
Read the guide
3Museum
Picture: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0
See Venetian painting from Bellini to Titian at the Accademia
Museum, Dorsoduro
The great gallery of Venetian painting, from the gold grounds of the fourteenth century to Bellini, Giorgione, Carpaccio, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and Tiepolo.
Time to allow
1.5 to 2.5 hours
Cost
Ticket at the museum, tours online
Best time
Mid-week, in the morning
4.611,509 Google ratings
Read the guide
4Monument
Picture: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ride up St Mark's Campanile for the view over the lagoon
Monument, San Marco
The bell tower of St Mark's, nearly a hundred metres high, rebuilt after it fell in 1902, with a lift to the bell chamber and the whole lagoon below.
Time to allow
30 to 45 minutes
Cost
Ticket with a time
Best time
Just before sunset, on a clear day
4.710,946 Google ratingsFrom €15
Read the guide
5On the water
Picture: Peter K Burian, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ride the whole Grand Canal on the vaporetto
On the water, Grand Canal
Venice's main street, four kilometres of palaces from the station to St Mark's, seen from the water bus that goes the whole way.
Time to allow
40 to 60 minutes
Cost
A vaporetto ticket or pass
Best time
In the evening, when the palaces are lit
4.83,048 Google ratingsFrom €9.50
How to do it
6Walk
Picture: Wolfgang Moroder, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cross the Rialto Bridge and shop at the market
Walk, Rialto
The stone bridge of 1591 over the Grand Canal and, beside it, the market where Venice has bought its fish and vegetables for a thousand years.
Time to allow
45 to 90 minutes
Cost
Free to walk
Best time
The market in the morning, the bridge at dawn or late at night
4.7198,598 Google ratingsFrom €24
How to do it
7Church
Picture: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0
See Titian's Assumption at the Frari
Church, San Polo
The great brick church of the Franciscans, with Titian's Assumption over the high altar, his Pesaro Madonna, his tomb, Canova's and works by Bellini and Donatello.
Time to allow
45 to 75 minutes
Cost
Ticket
Best time
In the afternoon, when the light reaches the high altar
4.713,097 Google ratingsFrom €9.50
Read the guide
8Museum
Picture: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0
See Tintoretto's great cycle at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco
Museum, San Polo
The hall of a charitable brotherhood whose walls and ceilings Tintoretto painted over twenty-three years, more than fifty canvases, with his great Crucifixion.
Time to allow
1 to 1.5 hours
Cost
Ticket at the door
Best time
Any time: it is rarely crowded
4.86,141 Google ratingsFrom €50
How to do it
9Museum
Picture: Wolfgang Moroder, CC BY-SA 3.0
See the modern art of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Museum, Dorsoduro
The American collector's house on the Grand Canal, with the Cubists, the Surrealists and the Americans she championed: Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, Magritte, Ernst and Pollock.
Time to allow
1.3 to 2 hours
Cost
Ticket
Best time
In the late afternoon, then out to the canal terrace
4.615,048 Google ratingsFrom €18.50
Read the guide
10On the water
Picture: Marco Ober, CC BY-SA 4.0
Take the boat to Murano's glass and Burano's coloured houses
On the water, The northern lagoon
The two islands of the northern lagoon: Murano, where Venice's glass has been blown since the thirteenth century, and Burano, a fishing village of brightly painted houses and lace.
Time to allow
4 to 6 hours
Cost
Vaporetto or a boat tour
Best time
A sunny morning, leaving early
4.812,539 Google ratingsFrom €18.50
How to do it
11On the water
Picture: Iain Cameron, CC BY 2.0
Ride a gondola through the canals
On the water, San Marco
The black boats of Venice, rowed standing by a gondolier, through the narrow back canals or across the Grand Canal.
Time to allow
30 to 45 minutes
Cost
A shared or private ride
Best time
In the late afternoon, in the quiet side canals
From €38.95
How to do it
12Show
Picture: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0
Visit La Fenice, Venice's opera house
Show, San Marco
The opera house where Verdi's Rigoletto and La Traviata were first sung, burnt down twice and rebuilt each time as it was, open to visitors by day.
Time to allow
45 to 60 minutes
Cost
Ticket for the visit, or for a performance
Best time
A performance in the evening, or a visit in the morning
4.716,318 Google ratingsFrom €12
Read the guide
13Church
Picture: Wolfgang Moroder, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cross to Palladio's San Giorgio Maggiore
Church, Isola di San Giorgio
Palladio's white church on its own island across from St Mark's, with two late paintings by Tintoretto, and beside it the cloisters of the Giorgio Cini Foundation.
Time to allow
1 to 2 hours
Cost
The church is free; the Cini Foundation by tour
Best time
In the morning, with the light on the white front
4.7606 Google ratings
Read the guide
14Museum
Picture: Adriano, CC BY-SA 3.0
See modern art and Japanese armour at Ca' Pesaro
Museum, Santa Croce
Longhena's baroque palace on the Grand Canal, now the city's gallery of modern art, with Klimt's Judith II, and a museum of Asian art on its top floor.
Time to allow
1 to 2 hours
Cost
Ticket
Best time
Any morning but Monday
4.53,604 Google ratingsFrom €15
Read the guide
15Walk
Picture: h_laca, CC BY 3.0
Walk through the Jewish Ghetto of Cannaregio
Walk, Cannaregio
The first ghetto, where the Republic made the Jews of Venice live from 1516: tall houses round a square, and five synagogues hidden in their upper floors.
Time to allow
1 to 2 hours
Cost
Free to walk; synagogues by tour
Best time
A weekday morning; it is quiet on Saturdays
4.57,262 Google ratingsFrom €89
How to do it
16Show
Picture: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hear Vivaldi's Four Seasons in a Venetian church
Show, Riva degli Schiavoni
Baroque concerts in the churches of Venice, Vivaldi's city, among them the Pietà on the Riva degli Schiavoni, beside the orphanage where he taught.
Time to allow
1.3 to 1.5 hours
Cost
Concert ticket
Best time
In the evening
4.71,446 Google ratingsFrom €34
How to do it
17Walk
Picture: Monika Ďuríčková, CC BY 2.0
Eat cicchetti standing at the bar of a bacaro
Walk, Rialto and Cannaregio
Venice's own way of eating: small bites on bread, a glass of wine called an ombra, standing at the counter of an old wine bar.
Time to allow
2 to 3 hours
Cost
What you eat, or a food tour
Best time
Late morning or early evening, when the bars fill up
4.63,043 Google ratingsFrom €45.60
How to do it
18Day trip
Picture: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0
Spend a day in the Dolomites
Day trip, The Dolomites, two and a half hours from Venice
The pale peaks of the Dolomites, a World Heritage site, with Cortina d'Ampezzo and the lakes below the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, a long day out from Venice.
Time to allow
A full day
Cost
A day tour
Best time
A clear day from June to October
4.75,180 Google ratingsFrom €95.40
How to do it
19Day trip
Picture: Kevin Poh, CC BY 2.0
See Verona's Arena and Sirmione on Lake Garda
Day trip, Verona, an hour and a quarter from Venice
Verona, with its Roman arena, its medieval squares and Juliet's balcony, and Sirmione, the castle town on a spit of land in Lake Garda.
Time to allow
A full day
Cost
Train or a tour
Best time
Spring or early autumn
4.7172,337 Google ratingsFrom €125
How to do it
20Day trip
Picture: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cruise the Brenta Riviera past the Venetian villas to Padua
Day trip, The Brenta Riviera, between Venice and Padua
The canal where the Venetian nobility built their summer villas, Palladio's Malcontenta and the grand Villa Pisani among them, followed by boat to Padua.
Time to allow
A full day
Cost
A boat cruise
Best time
Spring to autumn, when the boats run
4.47,316 Google ratingsFrom €121.50
How to do it

How long each one takes

The time to allow for each, shortest first, so you can see what fits into a spare hour and what needs a day. These are this site's estimates for an unhurried visit.

St Mark's Campanile30 to 45 minutes
A gondola ride30 to 45 minutes
The Grand Canal by vaporetto40 to 60 minutes
Teatro La Fenice45 to 60 minutes
Basilica dei Frari45 to 75 minutes
St Mark's Basilica45 to 90 minutes
The Rialto Bridge and market45 to 90 minutes
Scuola Grande di San Rocco1 to 1.5 hours
A Vivaldi concert1.3 to 1.5 hours
San Giorgio Maggiore1 to 2 hours
Ca' Pesaro1 to 2 hours
The Jewish Ghetto1 to 2 hours
Peggy Guggenheim Collection1.3 to 2 hours
Gallerie dell'Accademia1.5 to 2.5 hours
Doge's Palace2 to 3 hours
Cicchetti in the bacari2 to 3 hours
Murano and Burano4 to 6 hours
The Brenta Riviera to PaduaA full day
Verona and Lake GardaA full day
The DolomitesA full day

The track is eight hours long. The bar ends at the longest visit, and the line inside it marks the shortest.

What visitors say

Each place's overall rating on Google, and how many people have given one. The longer the bar, the more people have been and said so.

The Rialto Bridge and market4.7198,598 Google ratings
Verona and Lake Garda4.7172,337 Google ratings
Doge's Palace4.740,625 Google ratings
St Mark's Basilica4.730,734 Google ratings
Teatro La Fenice4.716,318 Google ratings
Peggy Guggenheim Collection4.615,048 Google ratings
Basilica dei Frari4.713,097 Google ratings
Murano and Burano4.812,539 Google ratings
Gallerie dell'Accademia4.611,509 Google ratings
St Mark's Campanile4.710,946 Google ratings
The Brenta Riviera to Padua4.47,316 Google ratings
The Jewish Ghetto4.57,262 Google ratings
Scuola Grande di San Rocco4.86,141 Google ratings
The Dolomites4.75,180 Google ratings
Ca' Pesaro4.53,604 Google ratings
The Grand Canal by vaporetto4.83,048 Google ratings
Cicchetti in the bacari4.63,043 Google ratings
A Vivaldi concert4.71,446 Google ratings
San Giorgio Maggiore4.7606 Google ratings

Read on Google Maps. Ratings change, and so will this.

Where they are

Each number is a thing on the list, where it stands in Venice: the blue is the lagoon and the canals, the green blocks are the parks, gardens and cemeteries. North is up and each square of the grid is one kilometre, so you can see what is next to what and plan a day on foot.

Things to do in Venice: common questions

What is the number one thing to do in Venice?: On this site's list: walk through the Doge's Palace and over the Bridge of Sighs. Then stand under the golden domes of St Mark's Basilica, and see Venetian painting from Bellini to Titian at the Accademia. The order is this site's own: what a first visit should do first.
What can you do in Venice for free?: 3 of the 20 things on this list cost nothing: The Rialto Bridge and market, San Giorgio Maggiore and The Jewish Ghetto.
What is there to do in Venice when it rains?: 10 of the 20 are under a roof: Doge's Palace, St Mark's Basilica, Gallerie dell'Accademia, Basilica dei Frari, Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Teatro La Fenice, San Giorgio Maggiore, Ca' Pesaro and A Vivaldi concert.
What is there to do in Venice at night?: St Mark's Campanile, The Grand Canal by vaporetto, The Rialto Bridge and market, A gondola ride, Teatro La Fenice, A Vivaldi concert and Cicchetti in the bacari are all at their best after dark.
How many days do you need in Venice?: The 17 things on this list that are in the city add up to between 21 and 33 hours of visiting, by this site's estimates, without the time to get between them. At about six hours of visiting a day, that is 4 to 6 days for all of them, and three or four days for the first ten.
What are the best day trips from Venice?: The Dolomites (two and a half hours from Venice), Verona and Lake Garda (an hour and a quarter from Venice) and The Brenta Riviera to Padua (between Venice and Padua). Each takes a full day.

Where to eat in Venice

All 19 restaurants in Venice, ranked

Where to stay in Venice

All 8 hotels in Venice, ranked

How the list is made

The choice and the order are this site's: what a first visit to Venice should do first. Nobody has paid to be on the list or to be higher on it. The times are estimates for an unhurried visit, not measurements.

Where a row shows a price, it is the lowest price of the ticket or tour its page links to, as its seller showed it on the day the page was checked. The ratings are Google's and change over time.

Museums and attractions in Venice Things to do, by city