Venice! The city on water. The maze of endless canals, gondolas, glass creations, and epic food. Venice is easily one of the most unique cities I’ve ever been; there’s just nothing like it! However, as a tourist favorite, the prices of just about everything are racked up as much as possible. Within two days, you can spend hundreds on pasta and gondola rides. If you are still wanting the full experience of Venice for a fraction of that price, you’re in the right place! Here is your two day itinerary for Venice, but budget edition.
Disclaimer: Venice is INCREDIBLE and also very expensive. I included all of the best free things on the itinerary, but I also added in some things that are a little more expensive but that many people rave about! For example, the Correr Museum and Doge’s Palace will cost you, but they are some of the most famous places in Venice, so I put the option of seeing them on the list. Do what YOU need to do with the time and funds that you have! Enjoy this two day itinerary for Venice, Italy!
Day One
Stop One: Chisea di Santa Maria di Nazareth
- To start off your two day itinerary for Venice, head to Chisea di Santa Maria. This church is free to enter! Budget traveler favorite. It’s also right next to the train station, making it easily accesible as a first stop.
Stop Two: Rialto Bridge
- This huge bridge in Venice is probably what you have seen on all the websites about Venice! Explore this colossal white bridge bustleling with tourists; take a few pictures, do your thing.
Stop Three: Campo della Pescaria
- A quick walk from the Rialto Bridge, this fish market is a really neat thing to check out. Prepare for locals selling all sorts of seafood; you will probably smell it before you actually get there! It’s definitely a fun corner of Venice that you have to see!
Keep in mind that its only open from 7 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., so be sure to get there before it closes!
Lunchtime
- You’re probably getting pretty hungry after all this walking! However, don’t fall into this tourist trap. Most people flock to Saint Marks Square for a tasty lunch. Go for it IF you want to spend 50+ euros on a meal! I recommend eating a sandwich or pizza from a street vendor or something to go. It’ll cost around 5-7 euros as compared to outrageous prices in a restaurant.
My silly experience trying to eat in Saint Mark’s Square: my friend and I wanted to go to a coffeeshop in Saint Mark’s Square. We sat down outside, and the waiter came and handed us our menus. A americano was 9 euros. A slice of cake was 18 euros. And wait! Don’t forget the fee for live music! 16 euros! It was about to be the most expensive cup of coffee of my entire life. As soon as the waiter walked away, we bolted. Sorry coffeeshop. Not gonna happen.
Stop Four: Saint Mark’s Square
- After lunch, head on over to Saint Mark’s Square for some very free sightseeing! You could spend a while walking around and just exploring the area.
PIGEON WARNING! One of my life goals, along with meeting Benedict Cumperbatch, was to catch a pigeon with my bare hands. There was a man handing out bird feed, and he would put it in your hands without permission, and the birds would flock all over you. I immediaetly tried to catch one, and a policeman promptly walked over and yelled at me. I was SO SAD! Goodbye to my mission to catch a pigeon. So here is you’re warning! It’s actually against the law to feed the pigeons! Don’t try. You may get yelled at.
Stop Five: Doge’s Palace
Doge’s Palace is definitely an incredible place to visit if you have the time and the funds. If you’re planning on going, I would try to squeeze it in after exploring St. Mark’s Square. It’s one of the most stunning places in Europe that I’ve ever seen, just from the outside! However, I skipping going inside just for budget’s sake!
If you don’t want to pay to go inside, you can walk along the outside. It’ll take you out by the water where you can look at the boats and walk next to the palace and street stands! If you keep walking straight, you’ll see the Bridge of Sighs. This was where they used to lead prisoners before they were taken to jail or executed. It’s called the Bridge of Sighs because it was often the last time that these prisoners would ever see the ocean or smell the fresh air again.
To skip the line for Doge’s Palace and get an audio guide, you can click here!
Dinner and Wander
Grab dinner somewhere and keep wandering around the city! You really can’t go wrong with dinner options.
Day Two
Head on over to the island
Day two! Let’s get after it! Hop on a bus and head over to the island. For breakfast, either grab something at the hotel, or you can also head to this great bakery called Rizzo on the island.
Stop One: Saint Mark’s Basilica
First this on the itinerary today is visiting Saint Mark’s Basilica! It’s free to enter, but the line is INSANELY long the late it gets in the day. Wake up early and try to be there anywhere between 8:30 and 9:30. It officially opens at 9:30, but if you get there around that time during high season, the line will be an hour’s wait.
When I visited Saint Mark’s Basilica, I arrived around 9:15 in the morning, and we easily waited over an hour before going in.
The Basilica is free to enter. (Some websites say that entry is 3 euros, but when I went, I didn’t have to pay. Maybe bring a little extra change just in case!) There are also areas of the museum that you can pay a few euros to enter. For example, you can visit the Pala d’Oro and the Museum of Loggia del Cavalli for around 5-7 euros each.
Times: 9:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. (last entry at 4:45)
One final MAJOR detail! To enter the Basilica, you have to be dressed appropriately or you won’t be let in. Make sure your knees and shoulders are covered!
Ticket Links:
- To skip the veryyyy long line outside of Saint Mark’s, you can click here!
- To explore Saint Mark’s, as well as the terrace, AND Doge’s Palace, you can get an all-in-one ticket here!
- Finally, to skip the line and get a fully guided tour of Saint Mark’s and Doge’s Palace for a pretty reasonable price, click here!
Stop Two: Climb Saint Mark’s Campanile (Bell Tower)
If you’re feeling crazy, you can go to the top of the Bell Tower in Saint Mark’s Square. It’s 8 euros to climb it, so I skipped this for budget purposes. If you have the time and the money, give it a shot!
The Bell Tower is open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 9:15 p.m.
Stop Three: the Correr Museum
The Correr Museum is probably the most famous museum in Venice. It’s full of the art and history that tell the story of Venice and her people. You will not be disappointed if you give it a visit!
This is also something that I skipped for price purposes.
If you’re interested in going to the museum or just getting more information, click here!
Stop Four: Santa Maria della Salute
This church is easily one of the most beautiful in Venice! It’s also conveniently cheap, at a price of only 4 euros (and 2 for students). Head over to Santa Maria after your Saint Mark’s Square and surrounding area visit!
Opening times: April to September, Monday to Sunday: 9 a.m. – noon, 3 – 6:30 p.m. The times change deepening on when you’re there, so double check the website before checking it out.
Stop Five: Frari Church
This was actually one of my favorite things in Venice. I absolutely recommend going and taking the time to spend in this church.
It costs 3 euros to enter, but only 1.5 euros if you’re a student and have a student ID.
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (last entry 5:30 pm) and Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (last entry 5:30 pm)
Just Wander!
One of the best things about Venice is that you can skip every single one of the above things and just wander through the streets and get lost in the city! You literally can’t get too far since it’s an island. Count the bridges, watch the gondolas, and get to know and love Venice like a local.
FINAL TIPS!
- If you have a student ID, bring it! You can save a lot of money on tickets, museum entries, and pretty much everything else if you flash your student ID!
- Venice is full of incredible churches that you’ll want to see! However, they will 100% turn you away at the door if your knees or shoulders are showing. For your time in Venice (especially in the summer), opt for linen pants or long dresses, and carry a sweater on the side!
- Venice is famous for their glass products. Think about getting a tiny little glass creation as a souvenir!
- Another fun thing about Venice are all the lemon products. If you’re wandering around on a hot summer day, grab a cup of lemon gelato!