How to do Venice in a day

On the 5th September 2022 we travelled by train from Verona to Venice. We knew from the start when planning this trip that we wouldn't be able to fit everything in, and therefore chose a few of the top sights and activities that could be achieved in one day in the city.

Main sights that we visited:

1. Basilica dei Frari

2. Rialto Bridge

3. Mercato di Rialto (Rialto Market)

4. Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square)

5. St Mark's Campanile

6. Bridge of Sighs

7. Doge's Palace (queue was too long to enter)

8. Saint Mark's Basilica (queue was too long to enter)

We arrived at 10:15am and set our sights on Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square). When you step off the train you are greeted by the famous scene of the San Simeon Piccolo Church. Something you must prepare for in Venice is crossing many small bridges that almost always have steps (it is definitely not the most accessible city).

The passages to Rialto Bridge are clearly sign posted on the walls, but we did occasionally consult maps to make sure we were heading in the right direction. Part of the beauty of Venice is seeing all of the back streets, some of which head to nowhere! Yet this is the best way to get a real feel for the city, rather than just following the tourist routes the whole time.

On our meander to Rialto Bridge we came across the Basilica dei Frari. Frari sits in the heart of the San Polo district of Venice, and is technically the largest church in the city. The Basilica holds many pieces of Venetian Renaissance art, impressively Giovanni Bellini's "Madonna and Child with Saints". If this type of art is something you'd love to see, then we would recommend paying this place a visit. The recommended visit time is 1-2 hours, so it may mean missing out on other city sightseeing. Ultimately with a day in Venice you'll have to prioritise based on what is most important to you!

We continued on to the Rialto area. These pictures are just some examples of how simply walking around will provide you with some beautiful photo opportunities in the city. Occasionally you will have to wait to get a photo if it's busy, but it's often worth it!

Rialto Bridge is one of the most significant tourist attractions in Venice. It has been rebuilt many times since 1173, and is one of the four bridges that spans the Grand Canal. The bridge connects the two districts of San Marco and San Polo, and is home to a variety of shops which also adds to its appeal. For me the most special element of being on the Rialto Bridge was the spectacular views of the Grand Canal that has been photographed thousands of times.

From the bridge we followed the narrow streets to Piazza San Marco. As we arrived early the square wasn't too busy. We would recommend heading here as early as you can to avoid the crowds that build up over the day. Piazza San Marco has a lot to offer, most famously Saint Mark's Basilica. However, there is also St Mark's Campanile, and to the side of Piazzetta San Marco stands Doge's Palace, with a view point for the Bridge of Sigh's slightly further along the promenade. When we arrived in the Piazza at approximately 11am, the queues for both Saint Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace were over an hour wait in length.

As it was a hot September day, we felt this was just too long to wait, however, if it had been cooler we would have waited to go inside the Basilica.

Instead, we decided to go up St Mark's Campanile, where we were greeted with amazing views over the whole city. We would definitely recommend doing this if you're after some great pictures of Venice from above. Here you can see the view of Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute perched on the side of the Grand Canal, with Giudecca and Lido in the distance.

In Piazza San Marco we had a bite to eat and a drink. All of the cafe's and restaurants on the square charge a huge amount for drinks, so we only had the one! Instead we decided to go to a small café - Café Venezia, that we walked passed earlier for a traditional Venetian Cannoli filled with chocolate and pistachio cream, and of course a single shot espresso.

After walking around the San Marco district for a while, we decided to slowly work our way back to the station, wishing to explore more of the Grand Canal and to see the well known Rialto Market (Mercato di Rialto). We used maps to make our way to the market area. After a whole morning of travel and walking we decided to simply sit on the edge of the Grand Canal and watch the boats and gondolas going past. Though Venice is extremely busy at this time of year, there are pockets of peace in the city for chilling out.

We went with every intention to go on a gondola ride, but did not realise that many of the providers only offered set routes for a set price, some of which were very expensive, £80-£240 for a 200-500m ride. There are many gondola's parked all around the city, if we had known about the set route/price we would have hopped on one earlier in the day that was offering to take us anywhere! (We will be back one day to have this Venice experience).

Once back at the station we reflected on the day. Venice is a truly surreal place to visit. It is hard to imagine how the whole city is supported by wooden pylons sunken into the marsh below, yet this is what makes it so incredible! If you have the chance to visit Venice, even for just one day like us, we would 100% recommend.