Things to do in Venice, splurging
Carampane and Anice Stellato for lunch, a Gritti terrace drink, and a day on Burano.
This is Venice for people who want to eat and drink very well, shop with intention, and never feel like they're fighting the city. The plan keeps you in San Polo and Cannaregio for the first two days, where the best restaurants and bars are within easy walking distance of each other, then sends you out to Burano on day three for a long, unhurried lunch. It suits anyone who books ahead, spends freely, and would rather linger over a Negroni than squeeze into a vaporetto at rush hour.
Day 1: San Polo and the Rialto
Start with the city's best espresso, cross the Rialto before the crowds arrive, then spend the afternoon on bespoke shoes and the evening on two of the finest tables in the sestiere.
- 9:30 AM
Caffè del Doge
A roaster on Calle dei Cinque by the Rialto; drink an espresso at the counter like the stallholders do.
Map - 10:15 AM
Ponte di Rialto
Stroll across the iconic Rialto Bridge and explore the market stalls and street life below, the heart of Venice at its most alive.
Map - 12:30 PM
Trattoria Antiche Carampane
A hard-to-find San Polo trattoria for lagoon seafood; order the fried moeche or the spider crab in season.
Map - 2:30 PM
Piedàterre
Velvet furlane, the gondoliers' slippers, made in every colour in a tiny shop under the Rialto arcades.
Map - 7:30 PM
Alle Corone
The canal-side dining room of Hotel Ai Reali near the Rialto; modern Venetian cooking built on lagoon fish.
Map - 9:30 PM
The Gritti Terrace
A drink on the Gritti Palace's floating terrace, right on the Grand Canal facing the Salute; dress up a little.
Map
Day 2: Cannaregio, then the Frari
A morning of good bread and artisan fashion in Cannaregio gives way to cicchetti and seasonal Venetian plates, Titian's Assumption in the Frari, and a polished cocktail bar to close the night.
- 9:30 AM
Panificio Crosera
A neighbourhood bakery by San Canciano; get a warm pastry or a slice of focaccia to eat walking.
Map - 10:30 AM
Banco Lotto N.10
Clothes and bags sewn by women in the Giudecca prison workshop; every purchase pays a wage there.
Map - 12:30 PM
Osteria Anice Stellato
A canal-side Cannaregio osteria on Fondamenta de la Sensa; start with the cicchetti, then the fish of the day.
Map - 4:30 PM
Basilica S.Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
Iconic Gothic church in San Polo holding Titian's Assumption and Bellini's triptych, a genuine Venetian masterpiece.
Map - 7:30 PM
Osteria Fanal del Codega
A San Polo osteria near the Frari for Venetian seafood pastas and a quiet table after the crowds have gone.
Map - 9:30 PM
Il Mercante
A cocktail bar by the Frari with a short list built on Venetian and Italian spirits; sit by the canal.
Map
Day 3: A day on Burano
Take the vaporetto out to the island, visit the Lace Museum, sit down to whatever risotto Al Gatto Nero is running today, and carry home something genuinely handmade from Emilia Burano.
- 10:30 AM
Lace Museum
Burano's lacemaking school turned museum, with pieces back to the 1500s; closed Mondays.
Map - 12:30 PM
Trattoria Al Gatto Nero
Acclaimed fixture restaurant, the destination lunch on Burano; get whatever risotto or seafood they're running today.
Map - 2:30 PM
EMILIA BURANO
A family lace house on the main piazza; linens and handmade lace, with a small display of old pieces upstairs.
Map
Where to stay
Orient Express Venezia
Orient Express Venezia fills a Gothic palazzo in Cannaregio, a short walk over the Rialto to every dinner.
Hotel L’Orologio Venice
Hotel L'Orologio puts you a short walk from the Rialto and Cannaregio, and it has the quiet, considered feel that suits a trip built around good taste.
Make Venice your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- St Mark's Basilica: weeks ahead
- Doge's Palace: weeks ahead
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection: weeks ahead
- Gallerie dell'Accademia: weeks ahead
- Teatro La Fenice: weeks ahead
- Musica a Palazzo: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Restaurants on Piazza San Marco and the Riva with photo menus, touts and tourist menus: the worst food at the highest prices.
- Murano free tour glass factories deliver you to a showroom hard sell. Go independently and look for the Vetro Artistico trademark.
- A gondola at midday on the Grand Canal is an overpriced traffic jam. Confirm the official tariff before boarding, or take a traghetto.
The full Venice travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around