24 Hours in Venice, Italy

I know Venice deserves more than 24 hours and as my friend Monica Cesarato has recently written, there is so much to see in Venice that even 48 hours wouldn’t do this city justice. But with a long weekend in Puglia, work, and a trip to Tuscany the following weekend, I could only spare a day to meet up with my cousin who was in Venice for her honeymoon.

It was a quick trip but I had a wonderful 24 hours in Venice and already have plans for a trip back in a few months.

24 Hours in Venice, Italy

8.15am: Train left from Rome, Termini Station with stops in Florence, Bologna, Padova, Venice (Mestre).

12.15pm: Got into Venice Santa Lucia train station 15 minutes late but still in time for lunch reservations at Antiche Carampane in at 1.00pm. From the train station, crossed Ponte degli Scalzi and strolled to San Polo neighborhood.

1.00pm: Lunch at Antiche Carampane. Good timing as there was only a handful of people and it was close to a full house when I left.  The second I saw the menu, I knew I would be in trouble.

They were several dishes that I would have loved to order but dining solo, I finally settled with polenta and squid in black ink sauce, and a side order of vegetables in season. I had no regrets about both dishes and cleaned up the plate of polenta with squid. Note: Reservations highly recommended.

2.30pm: Walked to meet my cousin at her hotel, just steps from the Bridge of Sighs.

3.15pm: Venice Boat Tour with Walks of Italy. Venice is a wonderful city to take walks but seeing the city from the boat is a fabulous experience and I would highly recommend it. The boat ride takes you through the smaller canals in several neighborhoods, stopping at fascinating places such as a gondola boatyard, and of course, along the Grand Canal.

See below for the live Facebook video we took on the boat tour while on the Grand Canal.

Our final stop was at San Giorgio Maggiore, where we went up the bell tower by elevator and were treated to stunning 360-degree views, including that of the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica.

Note: I was a guest of Walks of Italy but my cousin and her husband were paid clients. They had wanted to do this tour together with Legendary Venice during their visit as they done the Pristine Sistine tour with Walks of Italy in Rome last year and loved it. 

5.30pm: After the two-hour boat tour, it was time to find a spot for cicchetti and spritz. Local resident Monica Cesarato, who we didn’t get a chance to meet on this trip, generously shared her favorite places and we knew we couldn’t go wrong with her recommendations.

6.15pm: Aperitivo at Sbarlefo (Cannaregio) where we tried just about all the cicchetti that was in the display counter. We lingered for here for quite a bit, and while there were a few tourists who stopped by, many of the clientele were locals who came in for a quick drink and bite.

7.30pm: After an early start to the day, we decided on an early dinner at Bottega ai Promessi Sposi, a few minutes walk from Sbarlefo, and recommended by my friend Kathy. I had called to make reservations and was told they had two seatings, the earlier one from 7.30pm to 9.00pm.

As I had mentioned we would be at dinner at 8pm, they advised us to come earlier as we would have to clear the table by 9.15pm. I found that surprising, however, that was not the case when we were there as we left close to 10pm. The staff was friendly and I plan to dine here when I’m back to visit with my sister in June. Note: They are closed for lunch of Mondays and Wednesdays. Reservations highly recommended.

10.15pm: Walked by St. Mark’s Square and the Bridge of Sighs, steps from the hotel.

Next day

8.00am: Accompanied by cousin to San Marco/S. Zaccaria vaporetto stop where she took the Alilaguna water taxi to the airport.

8.30am: Walked around Piazza San Marco and the Doge’s Palace without the crowds. This is how Venice should be experienced.

9.00am: St. Mark’s Basilica’s bell tower opens at 9.00am (9.30am from November to March) and there was already a small line when I got there. It moved quickly as the man at the ticket counter was incredibly efficient.

The cost of the ticket per person is €8 (at the time of writing) and if you are worried about stairs, it’s an elevator that takes you all the way up. Although I was one of the first up, I still had to wait my turn for a spot to take in the view. It was sure worth it!

Here’s a live Facebook video I did.

9.45am: A well-deserved cappuccino at the counter in Caffe Florian. Not the cheapest in town (costs €3) but there’s no place quite like the Florian either.

10.00am: It was the right time to leave St. Mark’s Square as the crowds came rushing in! A leisurely walk to Via Garibaldi and the crowds thinned out significantly as I got to the Castello neighborhood.

10.30am: I had to make my favorite stop to see what kind of laundry day it was in a street off Via Garibaldi. From there, there was one more stop I wanted to make before grabbing a sandwich for lunch for the train ride back.

11.15am: I walked past Arsenale and Campo San Lorenzo to the next stop. My cousin had visited Libreria Acqua Alta, a bookstore, a few days before and as we have a love for books, she said I should drop by if I had time. It certainly is a unique place and I love how they had stairs made from books that you could climb up to have a peek of the view of the canal.

11.45am: Walked over to Pasticceria Rosa Salva in Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo to pick up a few sandwiches (tramezzini) and some sweet treats for lunch to have on the train ride back.

12.00pm: Casual stroll through Cannaregio on the way to the station to catch the 1pm train back to Rome.

And if you are wondering, Monica has excused me for my short 24-hour trip to Venice as I’ve been to Venice several times before, and I’ll be there again in June.

@BrowsingItaly Ahh, but you have been many times before, so you are forgiven!

— monica cesarato (@monicacesarato) April 22, 2016

What are must-visit places for you in Venice if you only had 24 hours?

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