The City of Canals: 7 things to do in 7 hours

Disha Dhananjay ’26 is a Law major studying at Accademia Italiana in Florence, Italy this Summer 2024.

While 7 hours is certainly a short amount of time to spend in Venice, Italy —use my itinerary to decide if a day trip to Venice may be enough for you!

#1 : Ponte degli Scalzi

If you take the train straight to the Venezia Santa Lucia station (which I recommend) then you will be greeted by the Ponte delgi Scalzi bridge. Do not be intimidated by the steep bridges in Venice because the view from the top of each and every bridge is incredibly worth the steep steps in the summer heat. Take a moment to enjoy the view from the top of the bridge and admire Venice’s natural beauty!! From here you can either take a ferry over to Piazza San Marco, however I recommend doing the 30ish minute walk as that allows you to explore the streets of Venice.

#2: Ponte del Cristo

While exploring the streets and sights of Venice I came across Ponte del Cristo and the sidewalks of the canal that surround the bridge. It is one of the most perfect spots in the city to pause and take a couple photos!! The houses are colorful and bright with gondolas passing by frequently. I loved how my photos turned out here and will definitely cherish this moment as a part of my time in Venice.

#3: 1000 Gourmet

Prior to our Venice trip we learned a fun fact that wood burning ovens are banned in Venice, therefore, the pizza in Venice is not great and shouldn’t be ordered at any restaurant. Although we knew this we came across 1000 Gourmet on our walk to San Marco and decided to take a risk with our lunch that day. And this was the best decision of my entire trip by far. It is safe to say that the bad pizza rumor in Venice is false because the pizza we had was the best I had since coming to Italy and I have zero regrets on my lunch choice!! I definitely recommend stopping by here if you are in Venice!!

#4: Piazza San Marco

The Basilica di San Marco and Palazzo Ducale are both gorgeous monuments to spend time observing. While we did not go inside either and get the full tour we listened to a few tour guides explain the history and significance while in awe of the beautiful buildings.

#5: Gondala Ride

You simply cannot go to Venice without exploring the city’s canals through a gondola. There are gondola stands throughout the city and several areas where you can hop on and off. We chose to start our ride right below Ponte di Rialto on the Grand Canal, which gave us a great view of the main canal and big bridges. It was an exciting ride but certainly a little underwhelming as the gondolas are so hyped up to tourists.

#6: Skyline Rooftop Bar

After a long day of walking around Venice in the blazing heat, air conditioning and a refreshing drink was all that I needed. The views and drinks of the Skyline Rooftop Bar did not disappoint and it is a great spot to just relax and enjoy the sights of the city.

#7: Shopping

Last but certainly not least…the shopping!! One of my favorite activities in any city I visit, but Venice in particular has extensive options for jewelry stores and their famous glass blowing. Every boutique and souvenir store we stopped at was beautiful and nice to walk around for a few minutes. We ended our day shopping on the way back to the train station to catch the last train out of Venice back to Florence!!

** Disclaimer: One of the big Venice attractions, the colorful houses along the canals on Burano island and the glass blowing factory was not possible within the short span of time that we had in Venice, but if you have more time I definitely recommend fitting Burano into your itinerary.