How to Spend 4 Days in Venice, Italy

Venice is by far one of my favourite cities in the world. It’s so unique and magical with its tiny streets, lack of vehicles and abundant canals. Today I’m sharing with you my Venice, Italy itinerary with all the information on how we spent four days in Venice. A lot of the trip also involved wandering around and taking in the sights. There is so much to see, and I really enjoyed sitting and watching the gondolas go by. Keep reading for the ultimate guide to spending four days in Venice, Italy!

ultimate guide to spending four days in Venice, Italy

Day 1

Arriving in Venice

We got up super early in the morning to fly from Lisbon to mainland Venice. We then took the public water bus from the airport to the island of Venice.

Tickets for the water bus are available in the Marco Polo airport and cost 15 euros for a one-way ticket. The company is called Alilaguna.

You can also take a regular bus, which is 8 euros for a one-way trip, but we figured the best way to arrive in Venice was by boat! Private water taxis are another option, but that is the most expensive option at apparently about 100 euros or more.

Pizza

For our first dinner in Italy, we had to have pizza! Now apparently Venice is not known for its pizza, because they don’t have woodburning ovens, but we still had it multiple times and thought it was good.

Gondola Ride

Our first day in Venice was our 3rd wedding anniversary, and we had booked a serenade gondola ride, which you can read all about HERE. Spoiler, it was the most magical thing ever.

Day 2

Rialto Bridge

We started off the morning walking across the Rialto Bridge, which is the main bridge crossing the Grand Canal in Venice. One thing I was not expecting was for the bridge to have a ton of shops on the bridge itself. When you walk onto the bridge, you have the option to take one of three paths across the bridge, one on either side of the bridge, or straight down the middle where all the shops are.

It’s crazy busy on this bridge since it’s so popular, but it’s definitely a must-see!

Correr Museum

Museo Correr is in St. Mark’s Square, which is the main square in Venice. There is a lot to see here, and we really enjoyed it. There are lots of information sheets in every room explaining what everything is, which is really helpful. The ticket for the Correr Mueum also includes admission to the Doge’s Palace.

Doge’s Palace

Doge’s Palace is the former residence of the Doge of Venice, and where the government sat and the location of the court and the prison. One of my favourite parts of the palace were the intricate gold ceilings. There is always something to look at, everywhere you go. You can also go to the basement where all the prison cells are, which is really interesting.

Before going to the Doge’s Palace, we downloaded a free Rick Steves’ audio tour, which was super helpful, because there is a lot to see here.

Exploring and Gondola Watching

As I mentioned in the beginning, one of the best parts of Venice is just wandering around and taking in all the sights. There are so many places to explore, you never know what you’ll find!

Day 3: Island Hopping

On Day 3 in Venice, we went on an island-hopping excursion to Murano, Burano and Torcello. To read all about this experience and to see all the colourful photos, check out my last post HERE.

Day 4

Basilica San Marco

Day 4 was a Sunday, and we decided to go to Mass at St. Mark’s Basilica. They have several Mass time every day of the week, so check their website or the sign outside the church to check the schedule and show up early. Be sure to wear something that covers your knees and your shoulders. We were there in July, and inside the church was boiling. Definitely bring a fan!

Exploring

The giant hands in the photo below are in the Grand Canal, and they were created by the artist Lorenzo Quinn. They are intended to represent the devastation of climate change on Venice.

The staircase pictured below is found in one of Venice’s tiny streets, at the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo. The spiral staircase is called the Scalia Contarini del Bovolo. We did not pay to go up, but we did admire it from below.