Basilica di San Marco — iNino Barbieri (CC BY-SA 2.5)

Ready-made walk · Venice

Venice Essentials

10 stops · ~2 hr 45 min · 3.6 km

Highlights

A first walk through Venice’s defining sights, from the shop-lined Rialto Bridge through the Merceria to the Clock Tower, St Mark’s Basilica, the Campanile and the Doge’s Palace with its Bridge of Sighs. Then wind past La Fenice opera house to the Gallerie dell’Accademia and the great domed church of Santa Maria della Salute.

The stops, in walking order

iNino Barbieri (CC BY-SA 2.5)
Stop 1: Basilica di San Marco
~15 min here
Basilica di San Marco is the cathedral church of Venice, dedicated to Saint Mark and built to keep his relics.
iDidier Descouens (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 2: Palazzo Ducale
~3 min here
Palazzo Ducale is the Doge’s Palace: a historic palace that once joined political power, residence, and confinement within a single building.
iDidier Descouens (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 3: Ponte dei Sospiri
~3 min here
The Bridge of Sighs is an enclosed passage linking the Doge’s Palace with the New Prison across Rio di Palazzo.
iOrlando Paride (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 4: Campanile di San Marco
~3 min here
Campanile di San Marco is the tall, freestanding bell tower beside Saint Mark’s Basilica.
iMatthias Süßen (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 5: Piazza San Marco
~3 min here
Piazza San Marco is Venice’s principal public square, extending into the adjoining Piazzetta beside the lagoon.
ikallerna (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 6: Torre dell'orologio
~3 min here
Torre dell'orologio is the clock tower marking the entrance to the Merceria from Piazza San Marco.
ikallerna (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 7: Ponte di Rialto
~3 min here
The Rialto Bridge carries you across Venice’s Grand Canal as a bridge lined with shops.
iDidier Descouens (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 8: Teatro La Fenice
~3 min here
Teatro La Fenice is the historic opera house before you, and its name means “The Phoenix Theatre.”
iDidier Descouens (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Stop 9: Gallerie dell'Accademia
~1 hr here
The Gallerie dell’Accademia is a museum gallery devoted to pre-19th-century art in Venice, and this complex brings together a former confraternity building, a church, and a convent.
iThis Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author and send me a message. This image is not in the public domain. Please respect the copyright protection. It may only be used according to the rules mentioned here. This specifically excludes use in social media, if applicable terms of the licenses listed here not appropriate. Please do not upload an updated image here without consultation with the Author. The author would like to make corrections only at his own source. This ensures that the changes are preserved.Please if you think that any changes should be required, please inform the author.Otherwise you can upload a new image with a new name. Please use one of the templates derivative or extract. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Stop 10: Santa Maria della Salute
~15 min here
Santa Maria della Salute is the great church rising from Punta della Dogana, a Roman Catholic basilica known locally as La Salute.