Guide to Seeing Venice in 1 Day from Florence: Transportation, Sightseeing, and Food Recommendations
Looking to venture outside of Florence and take a day trip to Venice? Believe it or not, the trip from Florence to Venice is simple, affordable, and a fantastic option if you are looking to maximize your trip to Italy.
Venice is truly one of the most gorgeous cities to visit: complete with winding canals, centuries-old landmarks, canal-side eateries, and surrounded by beautiful ocean. You cannot go wrong with an adventure to this city.
This easy-to-follow guide will cover how to get to Venice by train, the ultimate itinerary of what to see once you are there, and my best dining recommendations so you can have the perfect Florence to Venice day trip.
Transportation to Venice from Florence
Board Train at Santa Maria Novella Train Station
I believe that having your transportation figured out in advance is the key to having a fantastic day trip to Venice. And lucky for us, traveling within Italy was super easy, affordable, and fast!
Italy has two high speed rail lines connecting all of the major cities throughout the country which means a trip from Florence to Venice only takes a couple hours end to end.
We booked our train tickets directly through the ItaliaRail website in advance so that we wouldn’t have to worry about getting a seat day of. Trains depart roughly once an hour from Florence. For this itinerary, I am going to recommend that you get on a train around 8 A.M. so that you will arrive in Venice at 10 A.M. and still have most of the day to spend sightseeing.
Your train will depart out of Florence from Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station which is located on the northwestern side of the city.
Arrive at Venezia Santa Lucia Train Station
Upon arrival in Venice, you will be at the Venezia Santa Lucia train station located on the western side of the city.
It is important to remember that there is essentially no vehicular transportation in Venice, which means to get around you either have to walk or hop on a water bus! Venice is not very large and incredibly walkable, so I highly recommend walking between each of the stops in the itinerary. But if your legs get tired, know that there is always the water bus that you can hop onto in the major tourist areas.
Venice Water Bus
Line 1 of the ACTV Water Bus is the main line that runs through Venice connecting the train station to major tourist sites such as Rialto Bridge and Saint Mark’s Square. Since we will be focused on the main attractions for this Florence to Venice day trip, this water bus should be the only one you need to know for the day.
The only thing I would keep in mind about the water bus is that it can get pretty crowded, especially during peak season. If you know that you will want to use the water bus in advance, I recommend buying your ticket ahead of time to avoid waiting in line!
Florence to Venice Day Trip: Itinerary
Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square)
I recommend starting your Florence to Venice day trip out in Piazza San Marco. This is one of Venice’s busiest areas and for good reason. Here you can find major landmarks such as Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica, and Museo Correr (all in our itinerary).
This architecturally beautiful square is brought to life by musicians, restaurants, shops, museums, and more! On your trip, you will find this is the main tourist hub because of how much there is to do and see.
Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale)
Doge Palace (or in Italian: Palazzo Ducale) was built in the 14th century and historically used as the residence of the Duke of Venice. Today, it stands as one of Venice’s greatest landmarks and museums. A tour through the palace will give you a taste of how the dukes lived and how the justice system operated in Venice. Not to mention, you will see the most beautiful art adorning the walls and ceilings as you walk through.
I highly recommend booking a “skip the line” ticket to the palace in advance as the line can get lengthy. Especially when you only have one day to see Venice, time is money! I don’t think you need a guided tour of this palace. In each room there were lengthy descriptions and stories of its historical purpose which is perfect if you trying to see the city on a time crunch!
Skip the line tickets guarantee you entry at a certain time and often include entrance to Museo Correr, Biblioteca Marciana, and the Archaeological Museum as well.
Museo Correr
The next stop in Piazza San Marco is Museo Correr. This is likely included in your Doge’s Palace ticket, but double check your specific ticket. This museum is rich with historical art, documents, maps, books, and other artifacts.
This museum was much bigger than what my friends and I anticipated. We had read that you can see the museum in about an hour, but that was not the case for us! If you were to properly go through the museum, I think you could easily spend 2-3 hours in here, so just know going in that there is a lot to see and you may want to keep pacing yourself along rather than get stuck in the first few rooms like we did!
St. Mark’s Basilica
The last must-see landmark in Piazza San Marco is St. Mark’s Basilica. This beautiful church has been a Venice treasure since the 11th century. I guarantee that both the interior and exterior will leave you in absolute awe.
This is another place I would highly recommend getting “skip the line” tickets for. The line can get very long and could easily eat an hour out of your day. When picking a time slot, I would recommend spacing your Doge’s Palace and Basilica tickets out by at least 3 hours, so you aren’t rushed through Doge’s Palace and Museo Correr.
The skip the line tickets only cost us 9 EUR each which was money well spent!
Lunch
For lunch I recommend staying in Piazza San Marco and sitting at one of the outdoor eateries (weather permitting). There are several throughout the piazza and many of them have bands playing outside!
My friends and I grabbed a table outdoors at the Gran Cafe Chioggia. The atmosphere of this restaurant was what sold it for me. There was a band playing a mix of ballads, the waitstaff was friendly, and you can see the water from the outdoor tables.
The entire vibe of eating in the square, listening to the band, surrounded by the beautiful architecture and water is what really brought Venice to life for me!
Rialto Bridge
Another must-see spot on your Florence to Venice day trip is the Rialto Bridge (Ponte Rialto). This is another one of the city’s oldest structures and it is the bridge that connects the San Marco and San Polo neighborhoods.
Like Piazza San Marco, the Rialto Bridge and surrounding area is another major tourist hub. This was a great area to take pictures, wander through little shops, and perhaps do some souvenir shopping! Not to mention there are some fantastic gelaterias in this area. And what is a trip to Venice without gelato?
I recommend checking out Gelatoteca Suso– this place had tons of delicious and unique flavors to choose from. Don’t be intimidated by the line if you see one, they keep it moving fast and is a testament to how great their gelato is.
For gluten free readers, they offer a gluten free (individually wrapped) cone and will sanitize the scoopers. However, always use your best judgement about safety. Check out my guide to gluten free Venice dining for more gelato and restaurant recommendations.
Take a Gondola Ride
You can’t do a day trip to Venice without a ride around the city in one of the famed gondolas! Once you have wrapped up exploring around the Rialto Bridge area, look for one of the gondola pick up points. You will see signs along the canal for where these points are. If you are next to the bridge, there are a number of pickup points here.
The cost is 80 EUR for a 35 minute ride. We didn’t have trouble with this price when we were visiting, but I was advised to clarify the price with our gondola guide in advance.
End the Day with an Aperitivo
Since the last train leaves Venice around 7 P.M., you likely won’t have time for a proper Italian dinner (which usually starts around 7 P.M.) but you can definitely stop for a late afternoon aperitivo! For those unfamilar with an aperitivo, this is a pre-dinner drink that is highly popular in Italy.
It’s common to order an appetizer or two with your drink during aperitivo which is probably a good idea before your two-hour train ride back to Florence!
My favorite restaurant we stopped at for aperitivo on my trip to Venice was Gransapor Ristorante located in San Marco which had canal-side seating and a delicious Caprese salad. There are an abundance of restaurants with tables along the water that you will stumble along so I’d recommend finding one that heads in the direction of the train station!
Take the Train Back to Florence
At the end of your fun-filled day in Venice, it’s time to hop back on the train at Venezia Santa Lucia train station to head back to Florence. The two most important things to keep in mind when booking your train home are:
- Make sure you book a train ticket out of Venezia Santa Lucia train station. There is another train station (Venezia Mestre) but that is located on the mainland of Italy and is not accessible by foot. To keep things simple, book a train ticket out of Santa Lucia.
- The last train goes out around 7:00 P.M. Make sure you book your train in advance and make it to the train station before the last train goes out!
Looking for More to Add to your Florence to Venice Day Trip?
If you are looking for more recommendations on what to do in Venice, check out my How Many Days in Venice are Enough itinerary for those visiting for 2+ days for more inspiration!
You’ll find that this itinerary looks very similar on day one (which goes over Venice’s highlights), but expands into more niche things to do in Venice on Days 2 and 3.
Check Out My Other Italy Guides!
More itineraries and guides to seeing Italy:
- How Many Days in Rome is Enough? The Perfect Itinerary for 2, 3, or 4 Days
- How Many Days in Florence is Enough? Hand-Crafted Itinerary for 2+ Days in the City
- How Many Days in Venice is Enough? Itinerary + Recommendations for a 1, 2, or 3 Day Stay
Gluten Free like Me?
It’s uber important to always travel prepared! No matter where you are going, it’s important to always travel with some gluten free snacks on hand!
Click here to learn more about my favorite gluten free travel snacks!
Travelling Gluten Free in Italy? Read on more here:
Looking for more gluten free travel inspiration? Check out my other posts!
Don’t Stop Exploring Here!
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