2 Days in Venice, Italy | Everything You Need to Know

Venice is one of the most tourist-y places in Italy, and we typically tend to think places like Venice don’t live up to the hype. But boy were we wrong! Even though it was tourist-y (even in the off-season), Venice definitely lived up to the hype for us. We thought it was absolutely beautiful, and one of the most unique destinations we’ve ever been to. We spent 2 days in Venice and loved everything we did, so keep on reading to see everything you cannot miss on your trip to Venice!

How to Get Around Venice

The best way to get around Venice is by walking or water taxi! There are no cars, busses, or really any other sort of transportation other than water taxi once you get into the city. The water taxi from the airport to the city costs about €40-70 per person, but it is the best way to get to and from the airport. If you don’t take the water taxi, then you will have to pay almost €200 for a private boat to the airport.

But honestly, walking is the best way to see the city! Venice is filled with small alleyways, bridges, and canals that all connect in some way. We loved just strolling around the alleys and we found so many cute cafes, shops, and restaurants just by walking past it! Google maps is great to navigate in Venice and we highly recommend using it to get around the city.

Where to Stay in Venice

Because Venice is so walkable, you can really stay anywhere in the city. We stayed at a vacation rental in the Castello/San Marco area and loved it. It was quiet because it was a few blocks off the main streets, but still had insanely beautiful views and was easy to get to.

You will have to wheel/carry you luggage up and down stairs unless you book a private water taxi, but it wasn’t that difficult for us to do and we saw almost everyone else doing it as well.

Book your Venice accommodation here!

Best Things to Do with 2 Days in Venice

Take a Gondola Ride - We took a Gondola ride and had the best experience! You can find gondoliers all around Venice and they are all around the same price. You pay per boat (not per person), and the price also depends on how long you want the ride to be. We paid around €120 for a 45 minute tour, but there were cheaper and also more expensive options.
Visit Libreria Acqua Alta - it’s a library right on one of the canals and is very unique! They have all kinds of books, souvenirs, and even cats you can pet! Make sure you check out the back where there is a pile of books you can climb to see an epic view.
Hangout tin Piazza San Marco - One of the many plazas in Venice. Piazza San Marco is beautiful and you can grab an apertivo in the square. There is also shopping nearby.
Visit Scala Contarini del Bovolo - a beautiful spiral building in Venice. It’s around €2 to visit and is definitely worth it if you are in the area! The view from the top is gorgeous and it’s a great photo spot.
Go to an Opera - The opera is a very popular thing to do in Venice and we highly recommend going if you can! We went to an immersive opera called Musica a Palazzo and it was honestly one of the highlights of our whole trip. If you can get tickets to this show while in Venice, it is 100% worth it.
Walk and explore! Like we said above, Venice is a great, walkable city. We found so many cute cafes, shops, restaurants, bars, etc. just by walking around! The alleys are kind of like a maze and there is no right or wrong way to go. Just let yourself get lost and explore and you will not be disappointed.

You can find more activities to do in Venice here!

Tip: Venice is almost always crowded and it can be hard to get good photos. We collaborated with Flytographer and we are so glad we did! Flytographer works with local photographers and services over 300 cities worldwide! If you want to use Flytographer you can use our code 27TRAVELS50 for $50 off!