Venice for Beginners: 5 Days on a Budget
Five days in Venice for a first-timer
Five days covers the sights, the islands, a local sestiere and a proper art day without rushing. Budget roughly EUR 40 a day plus your bed. A 72-hour vaporetto pass handles the middle of the trip; buy single days at each end.
Day 1: San Marco and the Rialto
The free Basilica nave with a booked slot, the Rialto Bridge and market, a EUR 2 traghetto crossing, and a cicchetti dinner at EUR 12 to 18.
Tip: reserve the Basilica the night before to skip the queue.
Day 2: the Doge’s Palace and the Grand Canal
The Doge’s Palace at EUR 30 to 35 including the Bridge of Sighs, then Line 1 down the Grand Canal and a free Zattere sunset.
Tip: the EUR 30 advance rate needs booking about a month ahead.
Day 3: the lagoon islands
Murano, Burano and Torcello from Fondamente Nove, all exempt from the access fee. Burano first, before the crowds.
Tip: the islands are the cheapest full day of the trip; take a packed lunch.
Day 4: Cannaregio and Castello
The 1516 Ghetto in Cannaregio and quiet Castello, with the city’s best-value local eating off the tourist routes.
Tip: cross on a traghetto rather than walking the long way round to a bridge.
Day 5: Dorsoduro’s art
Spend the last day in Dorsoduro: the Accademia (around EUR 15) and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, then the Zattere waterfront. Book the Accademia ahead in summer.
Tip: many museums are cheaper or free on the odd promotional day, so check before you buy.
Read more: cost the trip on the Venice on a budget page, and find the sights in our things to do in Venice guide.
From late October to early March, pack shoes you can get wet for acqua alta in the low squares.