What to See in Venice in One Day: Budget Trip Guide
Venice is a sinking city! Yes, studies report that Venice is sinking slowly and it will be under water by the year 2100! This was one of the reasons why I included Venice in my Europe itinerary. Even if it is for a day I strongly feel one must enjoy the charm of this beautiful city. Here is itinerary of What to See in Venice in a Day.
Couple of important points to be completed before you embark on your adventure are: one, apply for visa well ahead of your travel dates and two, make your international travel insurance. You are then all set for some great time in Europe.
What to See in Venice in a Day
One cannot do justice to Venice sights in a single day but if you have serious time crunch you can concentrate on these places in Venice I highlighted below. Definitely this Venice itinerary contribute the maximum to absorb the essence of the city.
Ideally walking across from Venice train station (or if you are staying within the city) till St. Marks Square would be the best option. St Marks Square is the focal point of city of Venice. A walk till here will reward you with sights of canals, gondolas ferrying people, old buildings and countless Pontes (bridges).
You may ask: How expensive is Venice? Be assured that you can travel Venice for a day in less than 50€! Check out the cost break up for a day in Venice in the end of this post.
St. Marks Square Venice
What was once a small square in front of the basilica which was just a chapel for Doge’s Palace is now the vibrantly throbbing heart of Venice! A typical Italian ambience welcomes you here!
Look around to see grand ornate Gothic and Roman structures all around. This place is always crowded nevertheless stroll here, do photography, people watch, (feeding Venetian pigeons is banned though) or simply sip on coffee, enjoy live music and see the world pass by.
There are several souvenir shops lining the perimeter of the square. I am sure you will get a cute little souvenir of Venice to bring back home and still mange to travel Venice for a day with a budget less than 50 Euros.
To one side is the lagoon and it really gets pleasant during the twilight hours. The St Marks Basilica and Doge’s Palace, both are close by. Along the square are the National Library of St. Mark’s, the Museum of Archaeology, and the Correr Museum. It is hard to fit in all of these in a day’s itinerary of Venice. Choosing to visit St Marks Basilica and Doge’s Palace should be ideal.
Caution: Food and drinks here slightly on the costlier side. There will be some vendors pestering you to buy roses and other stuffs, just be aware of them.
St. Marks Square Venice
St Marks Basilica Venice
It is strongly recommended that you include this grandiose cathedral in your one day itinerary of Trip Venice. While the exterior looks great yet it loses out to its interiors. Some of the interior architectural details that will stun you are the gold mosaic tiles on arches, ceiling mosaics, intricate patterns in marble, and various decorations. The domes have stunning art work.
Tour time – A relaxed tour, virtually devouring every object of art there can easily take an hour or more. Entrance to the church is free. However if you are keen to stroll through the museum exhibits and get to the terrace of the church there is a small fees to it.
Backpacks aren’t allowed inside, but you can deposit it for free at a cloakroom nearby (one more reason how you can manage to travel Venice for a day in less than 50€ . Photography and talking not permitted inside. There are long queues to the church but it moves fast.
Facade of St Marks Basilica – What to See in Venice in a Day
Doge’s Palace Venice Must See
Doge’s Palace is a Venice must see! This will definitely take a long time to tour. I spent 2 hours here yet I feel I rushed through some of the places.
Right from the facade to the entrance and inside there are countless things to admire. Don’t forget to look up as you cross the palace’s main entrance.
Above the Porta della Carta, the palace’s main entrance is the statue of Doge Francesco Foscari kneeling before the Lion of St. Mark. The act depicted symbolizes that in the Venetian Republic, the individual bowed to the power of the state.
This is a 19th-century replica of the original, which was destroyed when Napoleon’s army invaded Venice in 1797.
Doge’s Palace – What to See in Venice in a Day
Every single room is so intricately decorated you will want to linger on and on. Halls are huge, beyond imagination. This palace is reputed to have the world’s largest canvas painting. It is almost like a museum the difference being the paintings here are not collected items but specially made for the palace.
Dungeons here are worth exploring. The kind of equipment used for torture can scare the wits out of you. Bridge of Sigh is a must see both from outside and from inside. How many prisoners would have let out that sigh for freedom seeing the world outside!
There are guided tours for the palace. You can do a self guided tour too with guide books and the several pamphlets given along with the tickets.
Grand Canal of Venice
It is impossible to miss this if you are in Venice but how you experience it is entirely up to you. Experience the sights along the Grand Canal Venice in 2 ways: either you walk along the canal which is free or take a gondola ride which comes with a handsome price for 20 minutes ride.
Both are charming and full of positive vibes in their own ways. If you wish to save some Euros you can opt for vaporetto. It is the public transport there stopping at many stations along the canal.
The length of the canal is 3.8kms so it is possible to walk at least one way with pauses. At some parts of the Grand Canal there are buildings right against the water and you will find no walkway.
A good map is all you need to know when to cross to other side of the canal. There are only 4 foot bridges across the canal so you will have to make the right walking plan else you may spend time walking to and fro some of the routes.
Fond of canals? Check this: Canal Cruise in Amsterdam
Rialto Bridge Venice
Venice consists of 117 small islands with 150 canals criss crossing through them and 410 bridges. These bridges are small, yet they are the lifelines of the city.
Oldest one among these bridges is the Rialto Bridge. This bridge was the only major link connecting the two sides of Grand Canal till Accademia Bridge was built in 1854. History of this bridge dates back to 1181.
After several damages to the wooden bridges, this stone marvel was built in 1588. It stands strong even today! The ramp on either side of the bridge is lined with little shops selling souvenirs.
Rialto Bridge – What to see Venice
Love bridges? Check this: 10 Popular Bridges of Venice
Itinerary in Venice for a Day in 50€
Excluding the accommodation costs the estimated expenditure for a day for single person is less than 50€ . Here is a break up of estimated costs, you can add a few Euros and let me know if you are able to reduce a few Euros from this costing.
- Ticket to Doge’s Palace – 20€
- Food – 15€
- Ice cream/Gelatino – 2€
- Vaporetto/Water bus ticket one way – 7.5€
- Washroom use – 2€
Do let me know if you have tried this Itinerary of Venice for a Day and found it successful with insurance for leisure trip to Venice for a day in less than 50€ . Or if you could modify it in a better way in the comment box.
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Venice is a spectacular place, this is a great very helpful post thanks for sharing.
I am happy that I have visited Venice. I expected it won’t be floating forever, right? Anyway, you hit all the must sees, which is truly difficult to cover in one day. What was quite surprising when I visited was that the canal smelled. No one really writes about that. It’s just a tiny blimp in an otherwise wonderful visit.
You have hit all of the top spots to visit Venice in a Day. And how great to do it on a budget. Great tips
Venice has been on my list forever and a day! You article reminded me that it won’t be there forever and I need to not worry about the money.
We knew Venice was sinking but never knew it will be that early. We definitely need to visit it soon now. The walk as well boat tour on the Venice canal will top our list of activities. Would also love to climb the St. Marks Basilica stairs for the view and the Doge’s Palace looks amazing.
Would love to get to the St. Marks Basilica terrace, perfect for taking photos. 🙂
The route from Venice train station towards the St. Marks Square is a good idea, especially if one doesn’t have much time. Love how you’ve narrowed down places to visit among all those museums and important buildings. And I really do agree, one should come to Venice once in a lifetime, even if it means spending only few hours in the city. 🙂
Wow, we do need to get to Venice sooner than we think. Didn’t realize it is supposed to be underwater by 2100. It’s much closer than we think. Great photos and amazing highlights to check out. Thanks for including the pricing which makes it affordable at all budgets.
This looks like a great itinerary, I enjoyed visiting Venice my favorites where the ferry rides to the outer islands to explore gorgeous glass productions, the fishing village and even a cool island cemetery. Venice is amazing in my opinion.
I am doing my second visit to Venice in a couple weeks time (the last time I was there was in 2010! that long ago!). Hopefully I get to see the sights before the huge cruise ships come in. Doing Venice on a budget is hard but its a challenge (and when I am paying for four people on the next visit, I think we be eating cans of baked beans to keep it cheap!) 😀
Truly inspirational post!
Venice has been always a bucket list. I’d love to go to the Rialto Bridge to see those little boats! It’s just so romantic. I would love to see St Mark’s Basilica, too and the Doge Palace. All in all, Venice is a must visit before it sinks! I hope not! Great post!
What a beautiful city it is and you make it easier to visit the places through your words ….
I love Venice! Great shots.
Love this budget breakdown, I could wander along the canals for days and that is free! But, I did not tour Doge’s Palace when I was in Venice and I regret it.
I’d love to go to Venice! I hadn’t considered asking the canal instead of the ride but it does seem like a great way to get photos and to enjoy it from a different perspective. Thank you for the breakup of costs it is very helpful!
People would be surprised how easily Venice can be done on a budget! I’ve been several times and had a great time even just wandering the canals. Rialto Bridge is my fav!
Wow, this itinerary just come in time! I will be re-visit Venice in June. My first visit was a brief one so I didn’t manage to see all the important sites. Glad I found your article here now. This time I will try the vaporetros to get around ?
I really want to give Venice a visit. I agree with you that you need more than a day to explore this beautiful city. but such a great guide for one day tour. I would like to stroll around by myself when I am there
We have been to Venice several times and I agree you cannot see it all in one day. But a day trip just means you have to plan to come back again. Starting in St Marks Square gives you a much different view of Venice than you get when you stroll through the small canal ways. Such a great contrast. We loved taking the vaporettos to see the city and the surrounding islands. Your post made me realize it is time to return to Venice.
It’s easy to do a self tour in Venice it looks like you got away on a steal unless you get souvenirs or stay for happy hour and drinks. I love this beautiful city minus the crowds
Did you say it’s sinking? Gosh! That really is enough reason to go see Venice asap.
This post really does inspire a trip to Venice, Indrani. 🙂
Two weeks back I visited a place in California that’s called Venice and it was inspired by the Venice in Italy. It’s a block of houses built along canals. It’s a cute little Venice. 🙂