We usually advise our guests to plan a stay of at least 3 days in Venice. This is the right time to enjoy the beauty of the city and its islands, without stress.
Venice is a city full of so many things to see that a lifetime would not be enough to discover it all. 3 days can be a proper time to know its trueessence and reality so unique in the world, especially if Venice is the stage of a wider trip.
At the Arcadia Boutique Hotel we have created a small guide about what to see in Venice in 3 days especially for those who are or will be our guests. We suggest you to print out and use during your stay in our small charming hotel.
Day 1 – Rialto and San Marco area
As your first day in Venice we suggest you to visit the most important and famous areas of the city, that you can easily reach from our hotel with a relaxing walk along Strada Nuova.
You can choose whether to walk to the Rialto Bridge and the Market, reaching Campo Santi Apostoli and then Campo San Bartolomeo, or to stop at the Santa Sofia station (near Palazzo Ca’ D’Oro) and take the gondola-ferry and cross the Grand Canal. The Rialto Fish Market is just on the opposite bank.
Once here, you can stop and admire the marble table hanging on the wall. This indicates the measurements that each fish had to meet to be sold at the market.
From here you can reach the majestic Rialto Bridge in a few minutes, passing through the area called Erbaria, where the church of San Giacometo, the oldest in the whole of Venice, stands.
From the Rialto Bridge – here a photo of the view of the Grand Canal is a must – continue in the direction of San Marco, through the Mercerie, an area of shops where you can stop and do some shopping. Once at St Mark’s, stop for a coffee break at one of the square’s historic bars, the Florian or the Quadri, and then head to the Doge’s Palace.
The visit to the Doge’s Palace takes about a couple of hours, but is definitely worth it. We recommend you take advantage of the afternoon to visit St Mark’s Basilica, the Campanile for a breathtaking view over the city, and the Correr Museum, with its spectacular ballroom commissioned by Napoleon and plaster casts by Canova.
On the way back to the hotel you can stop for an aperitif with the Venetian spritz type, you can choose to drink it in one of the bacari we have tested for you, or there is always our terrace with a view at your disposal, from which you can enjoy the colours of the sunset.
Day 2 – Tour of the lagoon islands
The second day in Venice we recommend you dedicate some time to visit its most important islands: we are talking about Burano, Murano and Torcello. In this article we have put together a brief guide that can help you organise your day among the islands of the Venetian lagoon, including a visit to one of the historic Murano furnaces, to witness the creation of the famous and prized Murano glass using the blowing technique.
After such a busy day, the evening calls for something relaxing, such as a musical performance at the Teatro la Fenice (if you don’t know what the Dress-Code requires don’t worry, we’ve written an article on just that!).
Day 3 – Gondola ride, Jewish Ghetto, Palazzo Mocenigo and the city’s most beautiful churches
For your third and last day in Venice, we have a really interesting itinerary proposal, but first we want to remind you that you won’t have to worry about your luggage: even if you have to leave your room, we can take care of keeping your luggage safe until your return, just let us know when you check out.
But let’s get down to the proposal for this third day in Venice. A good start could be a visit to two of the city’s most beautiful churches; the Church of the Madonna dell’Orto – whose legend we recount in this article dedicated to the 5 churches you absolutely must see – and the Basilica of San Giovanni e Paolo, where many doges who have made the history of Venice are buried.
From here, we suggest you take the vaporetto and get off at San Stae, to reach Palazzo Mocenigo where the Museo del Profumo is located. It will be an incredible tour, discovering a Venice known oly by the locals.
Finally, to round off the day, here are two more tips: a walk through the Jewish Ghetto, a short walk from our hotel, and a half-hour or hour-long gondola ride through the city’s inner canals to get to know Venice from the water’s point of view.
We have come to the end of these three days in Venice, but we hope to see you back soon, because there are still so many things to see in this timeless city and so many tips we want to share with you!
