A Perfect Overnight Trip to Venice

Last updated: January 13, 2023

Venice is a city I hold close to my heart. Both times I visited I spent the plane ride back wondering when I’d be able to squeeze in my next trip there. The first time I stayed I was studying abroad in Berlin and managed to snag a €9 one way plane ticket to Venezia. I spent the majority of my overnight trip people watching and taste testing gelato. Three years later, I visited again, but with a few upgrades involving a cute Airbnb, a bigger budget, and a one year anniversary to commemorate.

I loved the process of planning my most recent trip there, and really enjoyed reviewing my notes to write this post covering just about everything I did in Venice. I hope this can serve as both a comprehensive guide and trip inspiration for Venice for anyone who is thinking about traveling there in the future!

At Piazza San Marco during my first trip to Venice in 2016

Arriving

My boyfriend Dan and I landed at the Venice Marco Polo airport around 11 in the morning. Since we knew we weren’t going to be interested in a gondola ride, we decided to have a different boat experience and catch a ride on the water-bus into Venice. The views were basically just open water up until the last couple minutes onboard, but we still looked out the windows the whole time anyway.

Alilaguna was a pretty straightforward choice for us for the water-bus. You have to walk through most of the (small-ish) airport to get to the water, but they have lots of signs leading you there, and it was easy to buy a €15 one way ticket just before going out to the docks. If you want a quicker trip to the main island or you get seasick easily, a bus might be the better choice. I’d recommend ATVO, they offer tickets ranging from €8 to €22 depending on which Venice airport you’re arriving at and if you’d like to book both ways. The time chart and tickets for purchase are also available online.

On the Alilaguna boat entering Venice

Accommodation

Next, we checked into our Airbnb. We met a friend of our host in a plaza about a block away from the accommodation who cheerfully gave us a tour of the charming little studio we stayed in. We were happy with our Airbnb choice, which was centrally located in San Marco near the Rialto Bridge.

As long as you stay on the main islands, there’s really no bad neighborhood to stay in, and everything’s very walkable. San Marco and San Polo are the most central neighborhoods, and Cannaregio is good for a bit of a quieter area. Dorsoduro is a personal favorite.

Afternoon

With only about 24 hours in the city, we didn’t waste time making our way through the narrow streets of Venice to get to an eatery I’d been to before, Dal Moro’s Fresh Pasta To Go. Dal Moro’s is a cult favorite in Venice: it’s fresh, quick, cheap, super tasty, and gives you lots of options. Located in a small passageway near some of the main attractions in Venice, there is a typically a small line of people queuing outside the door. The wait passes by pretty quickly since the queue is mainly due to the fact that only a handful of people can fit inside at a time. There’s a little courtyard near the alley where you can sit and enjoy the delicious pasta.

Also worth noting that we got slightly lost on our way there because we weren’t keeping a close eye on our phone’s map. Google Maps doesn’t seem to fully understand Venice, and even with cell service Google was confused about our location, and tried to lead us in the wrong direction a couple times. It’s good to take note of the street name your destination is located at, just so you can make sure your route is actually leading you the correct way.

The street names are also painted on buildings, rather than written on pole signs.

Quick selfie on a street near the Rio de San Zulian, on the way to Dal Moro’s

Pesto with Parmigiano Reggiano & Bolognese with Mozzarella

From there we stopped at the Bridge of Sighs on our way to Piazza San Marco, which is home to Doge’s Palace, Basilica di San Marco, and San Marco Campanile. Depending on the time of day (and year) you visit this area can be quite a crowded mess, but it’s worth it to see some of Venice’s most well known sights.

We didn’t visit the inside of any of the monuments this time, but if you are going to visit one I’d recommend going inside the Basilica. It’s the only free inside attraction at the Piazza, and it is completely stunning. If you go earlier in the day the line is typically much less daunting, and all the entrance fees at the Piazza are pretty reasonable if you’re interested and have the time for it.

Selfie by the line for the Basilica

The 11th century Gothic architecture of the Basilica

We walked along the Riva degli Schiavoni next and checked out all the pretty trinkets on sale at the street markets. Since this street is adjacent to Piazza San Marco it also draws in large crowds, but when we were there the most populated area was by the entrance of the Piazza.

We decided to walk inside Hotel Danieli after peeking into some of the shops, to admire their fourteenth century charm, beautiful lobby and view on the fourth floor. The fourth floor is where their bar is located, and it offers a rooftop view of the surroundings. The drink prices however were quite pricey (think $$$$ signs on Yelp) so we decided it wasn’t quite time for a glass of wine yet.

The lobby of Hotel Danieli

To work up more of an appetite before our next indulgence we walked over to a quieter neighborhood in Venice called Dorsoduro. This area is connected to San Marco with Ponte dell’Accademia, one of the four bridges that spans across the Grand Canal. The view is picturesque, so I highly recommended a photo stop.

Ponte dell’Accademia

From the bridge we were only about a five minute walk from our lunch stop, Osteria Al Squero. This place is so good, and honestly I’m probably going to semi-actively miss it until I return. Sitting along the canal appreciating the flavors of my first Aperol Spritz and crostini as we watched men build gondolas, and people zip by on boats was a dream. They have every kind of crostini (which is small toasted bread with toppings) you can possibly imagine, and lots of great non-alcoholic drinks, along with wine and an array of cocktail combinations. If you want proper seating, the space inside is limited, but if you don’t mind a lack of back support then the canal is pretty perfect. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a similar place closer to the city center that also serves yummy looking crostini then I’ve read good things about Magna Bevi Tasa.

Since this area is less popular it’s also pretty easy to find an empty street and take a few pictures that wouldn’t be possible in other areas of Venice.

Afterwards we hopped on a waterbus to get back to our Airbnb because we wanted a break from all that food and walking. The waterbus is considered public transit, and although €7.50 for a single 75 minute ticket (from the point of validation) would be considered expensive for most forms of typical public transit, if you take the 1 or 2 route (along the Grand Canal) then you can treat it like a thrifty round trip boat tour through the city. You can also use their unlimited switches and route direction changes to your advantage. Just don’t forget to validate your ticket!

Crostini at Osteria Al Squero

Aperol Spritz by the canal

Gondola building

Alley in Dorsoduro

Evening

After a mid-sized nap in our Airbnb we were ready for dinner.

Side note: I always find that the best way to be able to enjoy the day and nightlife of a city is to take a nap a couple hours before dinner and just get some chill time in. You don’t have to take a nap either if that throws off your sleep schedule, resting your feet and taking a breather can be enough.

As we walked to our dinner place we took some time to linger through our neighborhood and appreciate the Rialto Bridge and the San Polo area.

We had our dinner place picked out already, a seemingly quaint little hole in the wall in the northern area of Dorsoduro called Bacaro Vintido’. I can’t remember how I found out about this place, but I’m so glad I did. If you ever visit Venice, go here. There are only about 15 seats, and we felt more like we were in an old Italian relative’s living room than a restaurant.

The food is delicious, with every pasta dish made to order in their own individual pan. The prices are also pretty reasonable (generous wine glasses are about €3 as well) although the portions are on the smaller side so definitely get an appetizer if you’re hungry. Between the kind owner who takes your order and describes each dish with beaming pride, and the piano man in the corner sipping wine and setting the mood with his songs, each moment was its own experience. I don’t think reservations are accepted here so I’d recommend arriving near opening hours (which most days is 6:30PM).

Spaghetti at Bacaro Vintido’

Hours for Bacaro Vintido’

After dinner we spent some time wandering around the now near empty streets that were quite crowded only a few hours prior. If you do get the chance to visit Venice, I would wholeheartedly recommend staying at least one night. The city completely transforms with many day trippers gone, opening up the city center’s streets massively, and causing less popular areas to feel almost empty.

Venetians have had a rough time in recent years between the struggle with irresponsible tourism, floods, and COVID-19, and have asked for tourists to be more aware. This includes their calling for the banning of big cruise ships due to their pollution, and because they bring in many people who don’t contribute to the local economy as a result of many cruise-line’s typical all inclusive amenities.

Plus, when you stay the night you can really appreciate the city’s beauty. You can find more stunning photos of Venice at night in Dan’s night mode comparison article here.

Venice streets

We ended the night a few hours later after picking up a bottle of wine at a corner shop, getting a couple scoops of gelato at Gelatoteca Suso (the gelato flavors I got were a tad too sweet for my taste, but still good), and going on a midnight run to a nearby late night pizza shop.

Morning + Afternoon

The next morning we spent a couple hours exploring the Cannaregio neighborhood, which is a great neighborhood to take your time in; it’s filled with so many little details. I found a breakfast cafe that specialized in espresso, but when we arrived there was a handwritten note on the door saying the owners were on holiday, and to try again in a week or so. So we wandered a little further and found Torrefazione Cannaregio, a coffee lover’s haven, and tried a couple types of espresso from their extensive menu.

We took a few minutes to look up a place where we could have one last nice Italian meal before catching our flight back to Berlin. We eventually settled on Very Good Pizzeria Bigoleria Gnoccheria, which was a great choice for us. The seating is shaded by umbrellas, and along the canal which creates a really lovely ambiance. We ordered super tasty gnocchi and pizza, and I had one final glass of Aperol Spritz as we celebrated our visit, and our anniversary.

Everything about this place was agreeable for me, but two friends of mine visited together later, and their food was served cold. I’m hoping that they just visited on an off day, and otherwise I’d recommend this place if you’re anywhere near Cannaregio.

Gnocchi at Very Good Pizzeria

View at Very Good Pizzeria

From there we headed to the bus station at Piazzale Roma and stopped for a moment at Constitution Bridge for one last view of Venice. We flew back via the Venice Treviso Airport, which is further away from the airport we arrived with so a bus was our best choice. We had a smooth ride back to the airport with an ATVO bus, and the man at the ATVO bus ticket office helped us make sure we were at the right spot.

I’m very much looking forward to the next time I’m able to travel to Venice. I think on my next trip I’ll also take a ferry from the main island to Murano to see the colorful buildings there, after a glass of Aperol Spritz of course.