Can You See All Of Venice In One Day?

One of my Facebook friends wrote to me that she liked a blog post that I shared on FB. The blog post was about the 7 attractions near Milan, Italy that one can see as day trips staying in Milan. Her question was if she can see all of Venice in just one day. I think she meant if she can all the major attractions of the city on a single day.

My answer to her is yes and how she can go about touring Venice on Vaporetto, Traghetto, and Gondola is what this article is about.

Reaching Venice:

By plane:

Venice, one of the most visited tourist cities in the world and is located in Italy and it can be reached by plane from all over Europe directly.

By Train:

Assuming that you have finished seeing Rome and your next traveling destination is Venice and you are interested in seeing the countryside of Italy, you should hop on to a train from Rome’s InterCity Notte (here Notte means night) to Venice’s Santa Lucia railway station. The overnight journey takes 8 hours.

By boat

Yes, Venice has a port and ferries from Greece transport passengers to Venice.

By Road

There are no roads for cars in Venice. However, you can drive from other parts of Italy and stop your car either at S. Giuliano parking lots in the Venice mainland’s suburb called Mestre. After parking your car (paid parking, folks), you will have to reach your hotel or any of the waterbus (Vaporetto) station by bus.

What are the best hotels to stay in Venice?

Every tourist to Venice wants to stay in a hotel that offers a grand view of the Grand Canal. In lieu of that, there are numerous hotels along the Grand Canal which is the most convenient neighborhood for sightseeing. Grand Canal hotels are pricey because of the location but still, you can find various staying options to suit your budget. Another excellent neighborhood in Venice is Bacino di San Marco, the busiest tourist landmark in Venice.

Remember, hotels rooms facing the Grand Canal can be noisy till 10 pm. Venice goes to sleep by that time.

Here are some of the hotels in Venice along the Grand Canal.

Hotel Galleria 

The Hotel Galleria’s rooms open right onto the Grand Canal. The price includes breakfast served in your room.

Hotel Airone located at Santa Croce 557, Santa Croce, 30135 Venice is the second best option for thin wallet tourists. Still, the hotel is conveniently located near the Venice’s Santa Lucia railway station and a Government operated waterbus stop.

There are more hotels but I mentioned only two to give you an idea of what you can expect in Venice’s hotels.

Venice’s attractions that you can see in one day.

• The Grand Canal Cruise is the foremost thing to do in Venice. There are 3 options to achieve this; private gondola, gondola ride with other tourists, Vaporetta, the public water bus. The first option is extremely expensive for just a 40-minute cruise.

• St. Mark’s Campanile and St.Mark’s Basilica

This is a bell tower in Venice, located on Piazza San Marc also known as St. Mark’s Square.

From your hotel in Grand Canal, if you take any public water bus that runs in 15 minutes frequency, you will reach the St.Mark’s Square in about 30 minutes. You can climb up the tower to have a grand view of Venice’s buildings, waterways, and domes of the Basilica. Italy is all about churches, basilicas, and domes.

There is an elevator that pulls you to the top of the tower.

Warning:

1. Be prepared to pay through your nose for the elevator ride.
2. You can expect a long queue outside. It  is a very crowded tourist city in Italy.

Piazza San Marco aka St.Mark’s Square

It seems it is where the Venice lives as is evident from the milling crowd from dawn to dusk and giving them company is the thousands of pigeons whom all seem to wake up at the same time only to assemble at the square. Even the local residents’ first agenda of the day will be to head straight to one of the numerous bistros and cafes where the musicians spread their wares by late morning. The tourists become enthused and start dancing right on the street, in front of the cafes. Can you imagine such a scene of gaiety?

Doge’s Palace

That view from outside is truly imposing-eh? It’s a place of extraordinary beauty.  Since you wish to see all of Venice in a single day, you have to walk quickly but at the same time, glancing at the courtrooms, furniture, paintings by the legendary Venetian painter Tintoretto, etc.

Below is one of his paintings.

I think you will have just enough time to squeeze in your lunch in Venice.

Don’t limit your quick bite to the ubiquitous original Italian Pizza. You can have a great variety of lunch options in the restaurants that line the Venice’s waterways. The whole experience of eating, overlooking the endless canals will be memorable.

The names on the menu card can throw no light to non-Italians; you will have to seek the help of the waitress to translate what’s written on the menu card.

Some of the recommended restaurants along the Grand Canal in Venice:

• Vino Vino wine bar
• Rosticceria San Bartolomeo
• Bistrot de Venis

If you spot these dishes on the menu, go for them.

Baccala mantecato

Fegato alla veneziana

Sarde in saor.

Risi i Bisi A rice dish with peas toppings)

While the above 4 are for eating, the Spritz is a favorite wine-based cocktail drink in Venice.

All these things to see and to do in Venice will take up about 8 to 10 hours, time depending on the crowd at the sightseeing places.