2 days in Venice: The Perfect Weekend Itinerary for Canals, Culture, and Colorful Islands
Some may say that Venice is an overrated destination. However, I’ve visited it already three times, and it still marvels me with its beauty. Venice is a great one day destination on your way to other Italian cities, as the most touristic part is pretty compact. However, if you have a weekend to dedicate it, you’ll discover less crowded but equally beautiful areas. Check this 2 days in Venice guide to get some inspiration!
Additionally, Venice is a great weekend trip from Zurich, from where it’s a 6 h ride by train away. It is a while to sit in a train, but it’s extremely convenient.
Itinerary
If your intention is to visit any of the buildings or museums in Venice, the best you can do is book in advance. Venice is an extremely popular destination.
Day 1: Venice – St. Mark’s Square, Palazzo Ducale, Rialto Bridge, gondola ride, evening concert
If you’re going to stay in Venice, I recommend you stay on the island itself. During the day, Venice is extremely crowded, but in the evening or early in the morning it’s a different feeling – much more relaxed and captivating. Most people seem to visit the island for the day, coming either from the mainland or from a cruiseship. It won’t be cheap though, as obviously accomodation in the island is sparce.
The main beauty of Venice is seeing its canals and the architecture. It’s stunning! You’ll want to just walk around and take in what you’re seeing for a while. There’s plenty of small corners that you may enjoy seeing. If you want to splurge and have the complete experience, you can take a gondola. If you want to have the experience for a lower price, come to Venice with friends and share a gondola. I did it the first time I came to Venice, and we could fit 6 people in there. It was fun!
Piazza San Marco
This is the place to go when you visit Venice for the first time. It’s a beautiful Piazza, from where you can see the spectacular Basilica di San Marco. If you aim to visit the Basilica, book your tickets in advance or be prepared for an extremely long line. The tower you see next to the Basilica is the St Mark’s Campanile, with 98.6 m the tallest structure in Venice. This tower used to be part of the defenses of the city.
Palazzo Ducale
This palace was constructed inially in 810, but then restaurated, and is well-worth a visit. It’s one of the key landmarks in the city, and the interiors are breathtaking. The prices are quite steep (30€ if you buy within 30 days, otherwise 5€ less), but that’s what you get in touristic places.
Ponte di Rialto
The Rialto Bridge and the area nearby constitute a great visit when you’re in the city. Walk around and enjoy the architecture. The bridge is very famous (i.e., crowded), so it’s better to come outside of the most typical visiting times.
Evening activity: go to a concert
Venice has plenty of concerts to choose from, and usually they take place in a beautiful palazzetto that bring you back to an era where Spotify didn’t exist and you had to physically go to places to listen to music. We booked a Vivaldi concert (the Four Seasons) and really enjoyed it.
Day 2: Murano, Torcello & Burano
Visiting the islands that are part of the Venice Municipality is a great way to get to know the region. Hop on a waterbus, and get yourself driven to these islands. I recommend checking the schedules of the waterbuses prior to traveling, as this might determine which islands you want to do and in which order.
Murano
Murano is the closest to Venice and thus the most visited. It is also the birthplace of the famous Murano glass, and you’ll see glass sculptures, glass stores, glass workshops and glass museums around the city. I didn’t find the city itself that interesting, but viewing the art put in the glass makes the visit worth it. It’s also the place to shop for original souvenirs.
The trip from Venice to Murano only takes around 10 min by ferry, so it’s worth doing.
A place I would recommend to enjoy some beautiful examples of hand-made glass, is the Museo del Vetro for 10€. The masters of the glass can create outstanding things!
Torcello
Torcello is the furthest island of the three. It’s also the fastest visit, as the main landmark is the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, initially built in 639, although it’s been obviously renovated and expanded several times afterwards. It has some beautiful mosaics, and the entry to the basilica costs 5€ (more if you want to see additional parts of the building). The other landmark in Torcello is the Ponte del diavolo, a small bridge crossing the river.
Why stop at Torcello? Well, the Ferry line 12 that you’ll take from Venice to Burano also stops at Torcello, so you can as well visit the island and hop onto the next one towards Burano. The trip from Murano to Torcello takes around 30 min.
Burano
Burano is a colorful small city, with houses painted with different colors, making it very special to see. Such colorful houses remind me of more tropical destinations (Think of Curaçao for instance). The city center has plenty of small stores, and lace is especially famous there. For me it was the most beautiful of the three, but there’s also not so much to do, so the visit is also quite fast.
Torcello to Burano only takes around 10 min by ferry. If you’re coming from Murano, that’ll be a 35 min trip.
Practical tips
How to reach the city center from the train station?
The most convenient station to reach Venice is Venezia Santa Lucia. From there, you can take a Vaporetto – a water bus -, which will drive through the Grand Canal. You can check the prices here, but in 2025 for a single trip you’ll be paying 9.5€. You can buy the tickets on the machines at the stations or you can get the AVM Venezia Official App and download them there. Some people use the vaporetto as a way to see Venice from the water instead of a gondola, as the day pass is 25€ (in 2025). They can be quite crowded though, so they didn’t seem very tourism-friendly to me.
Alternatively, you can rent a water taxi (more pricey) or go walking (not so great if you have luggage).
Is 1 day enough to visit the three islands (Murano, Burano & Torcello)?
If you’re interested in getting to see the main islands, 1 day is plenty. The touristic part of the cities in each island are quite small, so you can do the three of them without stress. Murano is the largest of the three, so if you’re visiting the museums and churches, you may need to reduce the amount of islands you visit.
How do I reach the islands?
If you’re looking to visit the two most typical destination islands (Murano and Burano), you can buy the Riviera del Brenta Pass (33€), which allows you 24 h to explore these destinations, together with Torcello and Lido. The tickets can be bought in the station or through the AVM Venezia Official App. You can hop on the ferry line 12 and it’ll bring you to both these destinations.
Is Venice expensive?
Yes, it is. It’s a very touristy place, and increasing prices has been used as a measure to avoid overcrowding. While it’s unfortunate for us (tourists), it’s an understandable measure for the locals living in such places.