Venice 7-day itinerary

Arrive at Piazza San Marco before 9am. The Basilica (free, €3 skip-the-line) has 8,000 square metres of gold mosaics — sunrise light makes them glow. Climb the Campanile (€10) for the definitive Venice panorama. Walk to Doge's Palace (€30) for the Bridge of Sighs and Tintoretto's Paradise — the world's largest oil painting on canvas.

Walk to the Rialto through narrow calli — getting lost is the point. Visit the Rialto Fish Market (closed Sun–Mon). Then a bacaro crawl — cicchetti (€1.50–3) and ombra (€2–3) at Cantina Do Spade, All'Arco, and Cantina Do Mori (since 1462). Three stops with wine and cicchetti cost €12–18 — this is how Venetians eat lunch.

Dorsoduro's Campo Santa Margherita is Venice's student piazza — spritz for €3–4 (vs €8+ near San Marco). Start at Ai Do Draghi or Margaret Duchamp. Dinner at Osteria al Squero (cicchetti, canal views) or pizza at Rossopomodoro on Campo San Polo. Walk Venice's empty calli after 10pm — the silence and reflections on the canals are unforgettable.

Gallerie dell'Accademia (€12) — Venice's finest art museum with Bellini, Titian, and Veronese. Then Peggy Guggenheim Collection (€16) — Pollock, Picasso, and Ernst in a Grand Canal palazzo. The sculpture garden overlooking the canal is serene. Dorsoduro is Venice's most walkable neighbourhood — quiet calli, neighbourhood bakeries, and authentic osterie.

Walk the Zattere waterfront promenade facing Giudecca — wide, sunny, and peaceful. Get a gianduiotto (chocolate-hazelnut gelato) at Nico's, a Zattere institution since 1935. Visit Punta della Dogana — Tadao Ando's conversion of the old customs house into a contemporary art space (€18 with Palazzo Grassi). The triangular tip offers views in three directions.

Take vaporetto 2 to Giudecca — the long island across from Zattere. Almost no tourists, real neighbourhood life, and stunning views back at Venice. Walk to the Fondamenta delle Zitelle for the best panorama of Dorsoduro, the Salute, and the Campanile. Dinner at Trattoria Altanella (traditional Venetian, mains €14–20) or drinks at Skyline Bar at the Hilton Molino Stucky (rooftop, cocktails €12–15).

Vaporetto 4.1 from Fondamente Nove to Murano (20 min). Watch master glassblowers in the fornaci along Fondamenta dei Vetrai — free demonstrations in many workshops. Visit Museo del Vetro (€10) for 2,000 years of glassmaking. The Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato has a dragon-bone relic and stunning floor mosaics.

Vaporetto 12 to Burano (40 min from Murano). Every house painted a different psychedelic shade — originally so fishermen could spot their home in fog. Walk Via Baldassarre Galuppi for lace shops and seafood trattorias. Lunch at Trattoria al Gatto Nero (risotto di gò, €18) or Da Romano for fish grilled whole. The leaning bell tower is Burano's version of Pisa.

Vaporetto 9 from Burano to Torcello (5 minutes) — Venice's original settlement, now almost deserted. The Byzantine mosaics in the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (€5) are among the oldest in the Venetian lagoon. Walk the peaceful paths through marshes. Return to Venice for dinner at Osteria Bancogiro on the Grand Canal at Rialto — sit on the waterside terrace (mains €14–20).

Explore the Jewish Ghetto — the world's first (the word "ghetto" originates here, from the Venetian for "foundry"). The tall, narrow buildings were forced higher as the community grew within walls. The Museo Ebraico (€12, includes synagogue tours) tells a powerful story. Walk Fondamenta della Misericordia — Cannaregio's most atmospheric waterfront with local bars.

Visit Ca' d'Oro (€8.50) — one of the finest Gothic palazzos on the Grand Canal, now a gallery with a Mantegna masterpiece and canal views from the loggia. Walk through the quiet northern calli of Cannaregio — neighborhood bakeries, artisan workshops, and campo where children play football. Lunch at Osteria da Alberto (seafood pasta, €12–16) or Trattoria alla Vedova (polpette, €2 each).

Walk to Fondamente Nove for views across the lagoon to San Michele (cemetery island) and the distant Alps on clear days. Aperitivo at Al Timon — a bacaro with canal-side tables where locals stand with spritz and cicchetti. Dinner at Osteria L'Orto dei Mori (creative Venetian, mains €14–20) or Anice Stellato (fish, great wine list, garden seating).

Start at the Basilica dei Frari (€5) — Titian's "Assumption" altarpiece glows with colour in the Gothic nave. Canova's pyramid tomb is here too. Next door, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco (€10) contains Tintoretto's greatest works — he spent 23 years painting the interior. It's been called the Sistine Chapel of Venice.

Explore San Polo's artisan workshops — venetian mask makers at Ca' Macana, paper marbling at Alberto Valese, and gondola forcole (oarlocks) at Saverio Pastor's bottega. These are real craftspeople, not tourist shops. Lunch at Antico Forno near Rialto (pizza al taglio, €3–5/slice) or Ae Oche for tramezzini (triangular sandwiches, €2). Campo San Polo is Venice's largest square.

Sunset from the Rialto Bridge — the Grand Canal turns gold as the sun drops behind the palazzos. Then another bacaro crawl — try Bacareto da Lele near the train station (spritz and tramezzini for €3.50 total) or Un Mondo di Vino near Campo Santa Maria Formosa (natural wines, €4/glass). Dinner at Dalla Marisa in Cannaregio — no menu, you eat what's cooked (€25 set meal, cash only).

Vaporetto 1 or 5.1 to the Lido (15 minutes). Rent a bike (€8/day) and cycle to the public beach at Alberoni or San Nicolò — free sandy beaches on the Adriatic. The Lido's Art Nouveau architecture hosts the Venice Film Festival every September. Swim, sunbathe, and enjoy the surreal contrast of a beach holiday within sight of Venice's skyline.

Return to Venice and explore Castello — the largest and most authentic sestiere. Walk through the Biennale Gardens (free when no exhibition) and past the Arsenal — Venice's historic shipyard that built an empire. Via Garibaldi is the widest street in Venice with market stalls, cafes, and zero tourists. Lunch at Trattoria dai Tosi on Via Garibaldi (homestyle cooking, mains €10–15).

Vaporetto 2 to San Giorgio Maggiore island (5 minutes from San Marco). The bell tower (€8) offers the best view of Venice — you see the Piazza San Marco directly across the water, the entire lagoon, and the Dolomites on clear days. Return for farewell drinks at Ombra del Leone near the Biennale or El Sbarlefo in Castello — spritz on a tiny campo.

Spend your final morning wandering whichever sestiere captured your heart. Revisit your favourite bacaro for one last baccalà mantecato and ombra. Walk through the quiet calli you discovered on previous days — the Venice that exists between the tourist routes is always the best Venice. Coffee at Torrefazione Cannaregio (€1.20 at the bar).

Final gelato at Suso near Campo San Bartolomeo (pistachio and dark chocolate are outstanding, €3) or Gelatoteca on Fondamenta Zattere. For souvenirs, buy Venetian paper from Legatoria Polliero, glass beads from Murano (not the €1 Chinese imports), or a bottle of prosecco from the Veneto. Pack your bags and savour the last canal views.

Take Vaporetto Line 1 from San Marco to Piazzale Roma at golden hour — the full length of the Grand Canal. Every palazzo, every bridge, every gondola glides past for 45 minutes. This is the most beautiful public transport ride on earth. Farewell dinner at your favourite trattoria, or keep it simple — a last spritz on Campo Santa Margherita as Venice settles into evening.