In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Day 1, San Marco and the Rialto: the Basilica at 9:30 (€10, booked online), the Doge’s Palace (€35), the Rialto bacari and a gondola. Day 2, Dorsoduro and San Polo: the Accademia (€20), the Peggy Guggenheim (€17) or Ca’ Rezzonico (€15), the Frari and San Rocco. Day 3, the islands: Murano, Burano and Torcello by ACTV line 12, with a 24-hour ticket at €25. Monday shuts the Accademia, the Rialto fish market and the Lace and Torcello museums, and Tuesday shuts Ca’ Rezzonico and the Peggy Guggenheim. Or book a boat tour: the Murano, Burano and Torcello Half-Day Boat Tourad is from €25.
Before you go: what to book
| Booking | Day | Price | Hours and closed days |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mark’s Basilica | 1 | €10; €20 with the Pala d’Oro or the Museum; €30 for the full ticket | Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 17:15; opens at 14:00 on Sunday |
| St Mark’s Campanile | 1 | €15 | Daily from 9:30; closes in wind |
| Doge’s Palace | 1 | €35; €30 online for visits 30 or more days away | Daily 9:00 to 19:00 to 31 October, to 18:00 from 1 November |
| Gallerie dell’Accademia | 2 | €20 | Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 to 19:00; closed Monday |
| Peggy Guggenheim | 2 | €17; a slot is advised | Daily 10:00 to 18:00; closed Tuesday |
| Ca’ Rezzonico | 2 | €15 | 10:00 to 18:00 to 31 October, to 17:00 from 1 November; closed Tuesday |
| The Frari and San Rocco | 2 | Frari €8; San Rocco €12 | San Rocco daily 9:30 to 17:30 |
| Glass Museum, Murano | 3 | €15 | Daily 10:00 to 18:00 to 31 October, to 17:00 from 1 November |
| Lace Museum, Burano | 3 | €7 | 10:00 to 16:00; closed Monday |
| Gondola | 1 | €90 a boat by day, €110 at night, up to five | Pay the gondolier |
The ACTV tickets are €9.50 for 75 minutes, €25 for 24 hours, €35 for 48 hours and €45 for 72 hours, and a tap of a bank card works on the validators: see Venice public transport.
The Museum Pass
The MUVE Museum Pass is €50, covers 12 civic museums for six months and needs no reservation. This plan uses four of them: the Doge’s Palace (€35), Ca’ Rezzonico (€15), the Glass Museum (€15) and the Lace Museum (€7) cost €72 separately. The Pass does not include the Clock Tower, the Basilica, the Campanile, the Accademia or the Peggy Guggenheim. The Island Museums ticket, €20 for the Glass, Lace and Torcello museums, is the cheaper choice if the islands are all you want. See the Venice Museum Pass.
Fitting the plan to your dates
The plan runs Wednesday to Friday, which keeps every museum open. If your days differ:
- Monday: the Accademia, Ca’ Pesaro and the Rialto fish market are shut, and on the islands so are the Lace Museum and the Torcello Museum. The Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the Peggy Guggenheim, Ca’ Rezzonico and the Glass Museum are open.
- Tuesday: Ca’ Rezzonico, the Peggy Guggenheim, Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana are shut. Take the Accademia first on day two, and add San Rocco and the Frari.
- Saturday: the Jewish Ghetto is closed.
- Sunday: the Basilica opens at 14:00, and only the Museum and the Loggia dei Cavalli are open before that, for €14. The former Chorus churches and the Rialto markets are closed, and the Accademia is free on the first Sunday of the month.
- From 1 November: the Doge’s Palace, the Museo Correr and Ca’ Rezzonico move to winter hours.
- Closed now: the Ca’ d’Oro has been closed since 2 February 2026 and is due to reopen in spring 2027, the bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore is closed for maintenance, the T Fondaco dei Tedeschi terrace has been closed since 1 May 2025, and the Jewish Museum’s permanent exhibition is being renovated while the synagogue tours run.
- In 2027: the Architecture Biennale runs from 8 May to 21 November at the Giardini and the Arsenale, closed on Mondays: see the Venice Biennale 2027.
- At high water: see acqua alta in Venice.
Day 1: St Mark’s, the Doge’s Palace and the Rialto
St Mark’s Basilica
€10 · named and timed · from 9:30
Take the first slot, with photo ID that matches the ticket. Shoulders and knees must be covered, and bags over 40 x 30 x 20 cm and all wheeled cases are refused. The Basilica ticket also opens the Torcello cathedral, the Salute sacristy and the Redentore sacristy within six months. The €20 Museum ticket includes the Loggia dei Cavalli, the terrace over the Square. See St Mark’s Basilica tickets.
The Campanile
€15 · lift to the bell chamber
Book the slot beside the Basilica. It closes in wind, and the Loggia dei Cavalli is the alternative view: see St Mark’s Campanile tickets and the best views in Venice.
The Doge’s Palace
€35 · or €30 online 30 or more days ahead · the Secret Itineraries tour is €40
One ticket opens the Palace, the Museo Correr, the National Archaeological Museum and the Marciana Library rooms. The Secret Itineraries tour runs in English at 10:00, 11:30 and 13:00, takes about an hour and a quarter and includes the same entry. See Doge’s Palace tickets.
Lunch at the Rialto and a gondola at night
The bacari round the Rialto, Cantina Do Mori, All’Arco and Cantina Do Spade, are in cicchetti and bacari in Venice. The fish market is open Tuesday to Saturday. In the evening a gondola costs €110 a boat after 19:00, or La Fenice’s daytime visit is €12: see the gondola ride and La Fenice tickets.
Day 2: the Accademia, a second museum and the Frari
The Accademia
€20 · Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00
Free lockers take bags up to 45 x 35 x 65 cm for a €1 coin. See the best museums in Venice.
The Peggy Guggenheim or Ca’ Rezzonico
Peggy Guggenheim €17, closed Tuesday · Ca’ Rezzonico €15, closed Tuesday
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is in Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal, with large bags not allowed. Ca’ Rezzonico is the Museum of 18th-century Venice, and vaporetto line 1 has a Ca’ Rezzonico stop. A paid ticket at the Accademia or the Peggy Guggenheim gives a reduced second ticket within seven days at the other museums on the Dorsoduro Museum Mile.
Lunch on Fondamenta Nani
Cantinone Già Schiavi and Osteria Al Squero are on the same fondamenta, and Al Squero is closed on Sunday. Gelateria Nico on the Zattere is closed on Thursday in its winter hours. See where to eat in Venice.
The Rio de San Trovaso in Dorsoduro, seen from the bridge. Photo: Didier Descouens, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Frari and San Rocco
Frari €8 · Scuola Grande di San Rocco €12 · open to 17:30
Both are in San Polo. The Scuola takes no online sales, and the Frari takes no city pass. The Frari opens at 13:00 on Sunday. See Venice’s churches.
Day 3: Murano, Burano and Torcello
Line 12 leaves Fondamente Nove, which lines 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 5.2 reach from Santa Lucia. It runs every 20 minutes from 10:00 to 17:40, reaches Murano Faro 9 minutes after leaving and Burano about 41 minutes after. Torcello is on line 12 only on the early and late runs, on request, so take the 5-minute line 9 shuttle from Burano, which runs every 15 minutes from 9:30 to 17:45. A 24-hour ticket at €25 covers the day.
Murano
Glass Museum €15 · open every day
The Glass Museum is on Fondamenta Marco Giustinian, and says it holds the world’s largest historical collection of Murano glass. Look for the “Vetro Artistico Murano” mark on a piece, the Region of Veneto’s mark that the glass was made on the island.
A glass furnace on Murano during a glassblowing demonstration. Photo: Wknight94, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Burano
Lace Museum €7 · 10:00 to 16:00 · closed Monday
The Lace Museum shows lace-makers at work in the morning, according to Venezia Unica. For lunch, Al Gatto Nero serves seafood only and has no meat on the menu, from 12:30 to 17:00 and 19:30 to 23:00, and Michelin lists it closed on Monday: see where to eat in Venice.
Torcello
Cathedral €5, or free with a Basilica ticket · Torcello Museum €7 · closed Monday
The Torcello Museum is open 11:00 to 17:30 from April to October. The Patriarchate sells the cathedral at €5 and the bell tower at €5, or both with an audio guide for €9, and holders of a St Mark’s Basilica ticket go in free. The three museums on the islands are €29 separately and €20 on the Island Museums ticket. See Murano, Burano and Torcello.
The campanile of Torcello’s cathedral across the lagoon marsh. Photo: Godromil, Wikimedia Commons.
Or take a boat tour or a train
The cheapest boat tour costs about what the 24-hour ticket does, and adds a guide and a glassworks stop: the Murano, Burano and Torcello Half-Day Boat Tourad is from €25. To leave Venice instead, Padua is 26 to 28 minutes by fast train and the Scrovegni Chapel is sold by timed slot online only; Verona is 1 hour 12 minutes by Frecciarossa. See day trips from Venice, the Padua day trip and the Verona day trip.
Where to sleep and when to go
Where to stay in Venice compares the areas, and hotels near St Mark’s Square lists the hotels within 850 m of the Square. The best time to visit Venice gives the weather by month. In winter the plan shifts to Venice Carnival 2027, and in July to the Festa del Redentore 2027. For the way in, see Venice airport to the city. For the meals, see where to eat in Venice, Venice food tours and Venice walking tours. For a shorter stay, see Venice in one or two days, and for the full list of bookings, what to book before you go to Venice.
Common questions
Is three days enough for Venice?
For the main sights and the lagoon, yes. Day one fits the Basilica, the Doge's Palace and the Rialto, day two the Accademia, a second museum and the Frari with San Rocco, and day three Murano, Burano and Torcello.
What should I book before going to Venice?
A named, timed slot for St Mark's Basilica (€10) and the Campanile (€15), which go on sale 90 days ahead, a time at the Doge's Palace (€35), and a slot at the Peggy Guggenheim, which advises one. The Accademia (€20) and the island boats need no booking.
Which days of the week should I avoid for which sights?
On Mondays the Accademia, Ca' Pesaro and the Rialto fish market are shut, and so are the Lace Museum on Burano and the Torcello Museum. On Tuesdays Ca' Rezzonico and the Peggy Guggenheim close. On Saturdays the Jewish Ghetto is closed, and on Sunday morning the Basilica is shut to visitors until 14:00.
Does the Museum Pass pay back on this itinerary?
On this plan the Doge's Palace (€35), Ca' Rezzonico (€15), the Glass Museum (€15) and the Lace Museum (€7) come to €72 separately, against €50 for the Museum Pass, which covers 12 civic museums for six months without a reservation. It does not cover the Basilica, the Campanile, the Accademia or the Peggy Guggenheim.
How do I get to Murano, Burano and Torcello?
Take ACTV line 12 from Fondamente Nove: Murano Faro is 9 minutes away and Burano about 41. For Torcello, change at Burano to line 9, a 5-minute shuttle every 15 minutes. A 24-hour ACTV ticket is €25.
Can I fit a day trip into three days?
Yes, by swapping day three. Padua is 26 to 28 minutes by fast train and Verona 1 hour 12 minutes by Frecciarossa.
