Ultimate Guide: How to Spend 48 Hours in Venice

Venice is a gorgeous city, and there’s so much to do! From taking a gondola ride along the canals to people-watching in little cafes. It can feel very overwhelming to decide what you’re going to do and how you’ll fill your days though, (especially if it’s raining like it was when we went!) which is why I wanted to share my full itinerary and what to look out for when visiting below!

Arriving in Venice:

Venice is one of the easiest cities I’ve ever come across to get from the airport to the hotel. We took the number 5 bus (10 euros each) to the centre and walked for around 20 minutes and we were at our hotel.

The only thing I absolutely hated during this walk was that when crossing a major bridge, a young guy snatched my suitcase out of my hand and carried it across, then demanded money. I reached into my pocket and handed him 2 euros to get him to give me back my case but he demanded I give him cash, so I snatched it back, grabbed my mum (who was still slowly walking across the bridge) and walked away.

I was pretty scared (there were a group of guys obviously with him) and it wasn’t the start to the trip I wanted, but apparently I have a London face when I need it. Just be careful if you’re a woman on your own, as they probably target women and girls first!

We arrived around 4 pm and my mum was knackered, so we rested for a bit and then went out for dinner at a place a short walk from the hotel. I will say, that everything is within walking distance here and although the bridges have steps up and down, they’re not that bad to navigate. Accessibility-wise, if you have a stick and can walk you’ll be ok, but if you’re in a wheelchair/ have a buggy, it’s probably going to make your trip a little tricky!

Day 1:

We opted to have breakfast in the hotel for the first day to make our lives easier (although there were plenty of lovely cafes scattered around too!) We headed out around 9 am. Today we wanted to explore as much of the city as we possibly could, and the first stop was Liberia Acqua Alta.

Liberia Acqua Alta:

Liberia Acqua Alta is a little bookstore off of a side street in Venice. The unique thing about it is that it floods. Regularly. I felt like I needed wellies walking in. The amazing thing though, is that although they’ve basically resigned themselves to the constant flooding, they’ve also adapted. They keep the books in bathtubs and boats, and the books that they couldn’t save are piled high, to give visitors steps, made of books, up to a fantastic view of the canal.

Although the actual books in this store are pretty unorganised (I couldn’t make sense of the categories or where to find the English books as they all seemed to be scattered around), it’s definitely worth the visit. And if you have wellies (or visit on a good day) you can even get that perfect gondola snap for a donation out back.

St Mark’s Square:

St Mark’s Square is the big communal square in Venice, and unsurprisingly, when we went, it was flooded. We kind of stood at the side for a bit in disbelief as it looked like staging was erected so that people could get across and into the main attractions like the basilica without getting soaked up to the knees. It was such a bizarre thing to watch, and as we walked around there was storage for the platforms. It must be such a normal thing for Venitians, but not for us!

There are plenty of gorgeous shops to look in, as well as cafes and gondola rides. It’s an absolute hive of activity and a definite must-see. This is also where the Basilica and Palace are located, and if you choose not to go into the Basilica, it’s pretty impressive from the outside. There’s also the option to climb a tower to get a Birds Eye view of Venice here if you wish!

Doge’s Palace:

Doge's Palace is such a popular tourist attraction in Venice, that if you don’t either pre-book your visit before you go (or cheat and book a skip-the-cue ticket as you decide you want to go), you’ll be cueing for ages.

I booked tickets via Tiqets whilst we were standing outside and within 5 minutes we were inside. It was really easy to do and if you search using the app (or Google) you can choose from a variety of guided and non-guided options. We chose without, and still had a fantastic time walking around and admiring the city's rich history and culture. We explored the opulent chambers and rooms, but the most impressive thing was the stunning artwork adorning the walls and ceilings.

If you’re thinking about accessibility for your trip, the good stuff starts on level 1 (mainly because of how the city constantly floods and so of course the main rooms were all elevated for people in high positions). However, it is the most accessible place I’ve ever been to with my mum. They helped take us up and down with an elevator and the only thing we didn’t get to visit (as it was down a steep set of stairs) was the prisons.

We were feeling a little lazy and opted to have lunch in the cafe attached to the palace, but OMG it was the best decision ever. We ended up at a table right next to the window, overlooking the canal where we had a full view of all the gondolas passing by. It was beautiful and the focaccia bread sandwich and hot chocolate were just what I needed to refuel!

A Gondola through Venice:

After the palace, we walked around the city looking around the shops and enjoying the city now it had stopped raining, before heading to the meeting point for our gondola tour. I knew this was something we wanted to do, and I had heard previously how expensive this could be. Walking around, this was confirmed, with most rides costing around 90-110 euros per person. Thankfully I booked ahead via Booking.com for £65 for two of us, and it was such a smooth process. After everyone was assembled at the meeting point, we walked as a group to the gondola stop, and then everyone was on a gondola soon after. We shared the gondola with two other people, and it didn’t impact our experience at all. I absolutely loved it! It was only half an hour, but it went super quick and was one of my trip highlights.

The Bridge of Sighs:

The Bridge of Sighs was constructed to serve as a link between the interrogation rooms of the Doge's Palace and the prison cells where prisoners were held. The name "Bridge of Sighs" originates from the belief that prisoners would sigh as they crossed the bridge, and although its original purpose is quite grim, it’s probably one of the most photographed bridges in Venice.

I didn’t know anything about this before we went, but my mum wanted to see it, and I’m glad she did because we saw a little museum across from it - Maleficia: Inquisition, Torture and Witchcraft between the centuries.

Maleficia: Inquisition, Torture and Witchcraft between the centuries:

This was a pretty grim museum, even though I somehow thought in my brain it would be a fun exhibition about witches. Housed inside the prestigious Prisons' Palace where ancient documents used by the Holy Office in the persecution of witchcraft and the instruments of justice employed to counter it. Some of it felt pretty graphic, and if you read the little captions next to the instruments it gets even worse.

My favourite bit though was an exhibition that was off to the side that was artworks with glow-in-the-dark colours. I wish I could remember the name of it now, but it was stunning!

There are lots of booking websites offering tours etc., but it’s easy enough to turn up and walk around yourself without the added fees!

Rialto Bridge:

Apparently, my mum just researched bridges before we left, because this is another bridge she wanted to see. On our way back to the hotel we made sure to pass it, and in all fairness it is stunning. There are lots of photo opportunities around this area too if you’re looking for the perfect Instagram picture! We also stopped at a small pizza place for dinner and a cheeky Aperol. It was a lovely paced day and although we didn’t see everything, we did see quite a lot!

Day 2.

On Sunday we had pre-booked the Venice: Murano and Burano Boat Tour with Glass Factory Visit via GetYourGuide which started at 11 am, so we had plenty of time for a lazy breakfast in the morning. We thought we’d end up getting crepes or similar, but we were so flipping lucky.

Breakfast at Florian’s

We had seen Florian’s the day before and it had a HUGE cue outside. We didn’t think we stood a chance of getting in despite it looking absolutely stunning and were a bit gutted as it is allegedly the oldest cafe in Europe. But when we walked past on Sunday morning it was near empty!

We jumped at the chance to go in and ended up getting a full-on Florian breakfast. It was honestly the best breakfast I’ve ever had and my mum was SO delighted as it was Mother’s Day and a better treat than me cooking breakfast any day! It was such a good breakfast it fuelled us for the rest of the day.

Visiting Murano and Burano:

After breakfast, we walked down to where the boat was docked for our trip to Murano and Burano. Both islands are located in the Venetian Lagoon, situated just north of Venice, so a boat trip/ tour is necessary to reach them!

Murano is renowned worldwide for its centuries-old tradition of glassmaking, which is probably why you’ve more than likely heard of it as "Glass Island." We walked off the boat into a workshop where there was an absolute master at work. He showed us glass blowing and how they make decorative sculpted glass too. It looked fiddley and hot, and we were told that the art of glass blowing takes YEARS to perfect. I loved it!

The workshop led to a shop, which led to an exit. The island was small and mostly just had shops selling blown and sculpted glass. It was beautiful and we had more than enough time to explore before it was time to get back on the boat.

Next stop Burano! One of the most striking features of Burano is its colourful houses, which line the streets and canals. Each house is painted in a different colour, and it is beautiful. According to local legend, the tradition of painting houses in vibrant colours originated from fishermen who wanted to easily spot their homes from the sea. Burano is also known for its lace production, and there were plenty of shops with summer dresses, cardigans, table covers and more. There was even a shop you could peep your head into and watch ladies making the lace!

We grabbed a hot chocolate and had a wander, and the coloured houses really did help with the mood considering it absolutely tipped it down! By the time we got back to Venice, we were soaked through - but it was worth it!

Back in Venice:

We REALLY needed to dry off, so headed back to the hotel for a quick warm-up and change of clothes. The sun decided to come out shortly after we got back and so we ventured out for a bit of souvenir shopping and dinner before returning to pack and get ready for our flight the next morning.

We really did squeeze a lot into 2 days, but Venice is a stunning place and definitely worth the visit if you have the opportunity!