Hotel Flora
Why we like it: Family-run forty-room hotel in San Marco, three minutes from the vaporetto, with an inner garden, breakfast included and family rooms.
Duration2 nights
From SpainDirect flight to Venice Marco Polo (VCE)
From the airportAlilaguna or bus, no car
Getting aroundOn foot and by vaporetto
Best timeMarch – May · September – November
BookingRowing, secret itineraries, campanile and meals
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for Friday to Sunday, with no car at any point. Trattoria alla Madonna is open on Saturday and Al Covo on Sunday; both close in mid-week, so if you change the days, check their closing days.
Friday
- 107:00Direct flight to Venice Marco Polo
From Madrid or Barcelona. On arrival, walk to the Alilaguna quay and take the blue line to Ospedale, five minutes from the Foresteria Valdese. Leave your bag in left luggage: check-in is from 14:00.
- 213:00Cicchetti at Cantina Do Spade
Twenty minutes' walk to Rialto. Fried cicchetti at the bar and a glass of local wine, or a table with sarde in saor and bigoli in salsa. Open every day.
- 315:00Venetian rowing lesson with Row Venice
At the Sacca della Misericordia, in Cannaregio. Eighty minutes rowing standing up in a batela along quiet canals, from €100 for a boat for two. Book more than a day ahead.
- 417:00The Grand Canal on line 1
Buy the 72-hour pass, €45, and board at Ferrovia. From the Scalzi bridge to the Salute in the afternoon light, and get off at San Zaccaria. A light supper of cicchetti around Castello.
Saturday
- 108:30Murano, Burano and Torcello
From Fondamente Nove, five minutes from the Foresteria, line 12 leaves. First Torcello, almost empty, with the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta; then Burano, with its coloured houses, and on the way back Murano, with the glass furnaces. Allow seven hours; you already have the pass.
- 219:00Dinner at Trattoria alla Madonna
First dinner sitting, beside Rialto. A starter of lagoon fish, granseola or seafood risotto. Book, and remember that it is closed on Wednesdays.
Sunday
- 110:00Secret Itineraries of the Doge's Palace
An English-language slot, 1 h 15 min, €40, with entry to the museums of the square. From the offices of the Council of Ten to the Piombi, from which Casanova escaped. Leave your bag at the Foresteria before you go.
- 212:15St Mark's Campanile
Lift up to the bells, €15, with a named ticket. The city and the lagoon from 98 metres.
- 313:00Lunch at Al Covo
Ten minutes' walk along the Riva degli Schiavoni. Fish from the Upper Adriatic, bigoli mori in salsa or fritto di paranza; the kitchen closes at 14:00. Book.
- 416:00Back to the airport
Collect your bag and return by Alilaguna from Fondamente Nove, or by vaporetto to Piazzale Roma and bus, leaving a margin for the afternoon flight.
Venice in a day leaves you with the city of St Mark's Square at midday, packed to the brim. With two nights inside it, everything changes: you see the Grand Canal empty first thing, the north of the lagoon at leisure and the city at night, when the day trippers leave. And you save the access fee, which only those who do not sleep in the city pay. This getaway brings together what best explains Venice: rowing in a wooden boat, touring the islands by vaporetto, entering the Doge's Palace by the service doors and eating what arrives every morning at the Rialto market.
How do you get there from Spain?
By plane, with a direct flight. According to AENA there are direct flights to Marco Polo airport (VCE) from Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga and Seville. Take an early one on Friday and return on Sunday afternoon: you make the most of three full days with two hotel nights.
From the airport to the city you do not need a car, and you would not want one: they do not circulate in the centre. You have two ways. The ATVO or ACTV bus drops you at Piazzale Roma in about 20 minutes, and from there you continue by vaporetto. The Alilaguna boat leaves from the airport quay, about ten or fifteen minutes' walk from the terminal, and takes you by water: the blue line stops at Murano and reaches Fondamente Nove in about 40 minutes, and continues to San Marco; the orange line goes into the Grand Canal as far as Santa Maria del Giglio. Neither is covered by the normal vaporetto passes.
Where to stay
| Accommodation | Area | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Foresteria Valdese | Castello, beside Santa Maria Formosa | Eighteenth-century palace with frescoes; five minutes from the airport boat and from Fondamente Nove |
| Hotel Flora | San Marco | Family hotel with a garden, breakfast included and family rooms |
| Generator Venice | Giudecca | Tight budget; dormitories for adults and private rooms with a canal view |
For this plan, the Foresteria is the best base: the Alilaguna blue line drops you five minutes away and Fondamente Nove, from where the islands leave, is next door. If you are travelling with small children, Hotel Flora lends a pushchair and has cots and high chairs in the family rooms.
Where to eat
At midday on Friday, the bar of Cantina Do Spade, with cicchetti and wine by the glass, open every day. For Saturday dinner, Trattoria alla Madonna, with fish from the Rialto market since 1954; book the 19:00 or the 21:00 sitting. And to say goodbye on Sunday, Al Covo, lagoon cooking with vegetables from its garden on Sant'Erasmo and a seven-course tasting menu for €108. In Burano, on Saturday, eat wherever you happen to be: it is a good place to stop.
How much does it cost?
Not counting flight or accommodation, reckon about €45 for the 72-hour vaporetto pass, €50 to €80 per person for the rowing if there are two of you, €40 for the palace, €15 for the campanile and meals: about €20–35 at the cicchetti bar, €35 to €60 at the trattoria and €60 to €120 at Al Covo. To that add the airport boat or bus, which are separate from the passes.
If you have one more day
Stay on Monday at the Lido beach if it is summer, on line 1, or do the rowing along the Grand Canal below Rialto, which Row Venice schedules on Sundays and public holidays. If you prefer mountains, from the same airport it is about two hours by motorway to the Dolomites.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Venice, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Venice
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Direct flight to Marco Polo and boat or bus into the city
Venice is easily done by plane from Spain: according to AENA there are direct flights to Marco Polo airport from Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga and Seville. You do not need a car at any point: from the airport to the city you go by bus to Piazzale Roma, about 20 minutes, or on the Alilaguna boat, which drops you at the landing stages of Fondamente Nove, San Marco or Santa Maria del Giglio. Neither is included in normal vaporetto passes.
- Getting thereVenice Marco Polo (VCE), with…
- Getting aroundOn foot and by vaporetto…
- Where to sleepHotel Flora, in San Marco…
- ServicesVenezia Unica ticket offices and…
Getting there
- Venice Marco Polo (VCE), with direct flights from seven Spanish airports
- Treviso (TSF), further away; the bus takes about 40 minutes to Piazzale Roma
- ATVO or ACTV bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma, about 20 minutes
- Alilaguna, blue line via Murano to Fondamente Nove and San Marco; orange line to Santa Maria del Giglio
Getting around
- On foot and by vaporetto: buy the 1, 2, 3 or 7-day pass if you will take more than two boats a day
- Water taxi to your hotel door, if you are laden with luggage or in a group
Where to sleep
- Hotel Flora, in San Marco, three minutes from Santa Maria del Giglio, where the orange line stops
- Foresteria Valdese, in Castello, five minutes from the Ospedale stop of the blue line
- Generator Venice, on the Giudecca, with line 2 or 4.1 from Piazzale Roma
Services
- Venezia Unica ticket offices and machines at the landing stages, and the AVM Venezia app for tickets
- Registration and payment of the access fee if you are visiting only for the day on the designated dates
A whole city without cars
There are no cars or bicycles in Venice's historic centre, so here travelling without a car is not an option: it is the only one. You arrive by plane or train, get around on foot and by vaporetto, and the boat serves as bus, taxi and excursion. The budget runs from a hostel bed with cicchetti at the bar to a hotel in San Marco with a fish dinner.
70–200 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepGenerator Venice, on the Giudecca…
- Getting aroundVaporetto: 75-minute ticket at €9.50…
- Where to eatCicchetti and a glass at…
- ServicesVenezia Unica ticket offices at…
Where to sleep
- Generator Venice, on the Giudecca, with dormitories and private rooms
- Foresteria Valdese, in a palace in Castello, with private or shared bathroom
- Hotel Flora, beside St Mark's, with a garden and breakfast included
Getting around
- Vaporetto: 75-minute ticket at €9.50 or day pass at €25
- 72-hour pass for €27 with the Rolling Venice, ages 6 to 29
- On foot between districts: from Rialto to St Mark's, a quarter of an hour
Where to eat
- Cicchetti and a glass at the bar of Cantina Do Spade, beside Rialto
- Market fish at Trattoria alla Madonna, also in Rialto
- A special meal at Al Covo, in Castello
Services
- Venezia Unica ticket offices at the landing stages and the AVM Venezia app
- Luggage storage on departure day at the Foresteria Valdese and at Generator
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're flyingwithout a car
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Foresteria Valdese
Why we like it: Guesthouse of the Waldensian Church in Palazzo Cavagnis, in Castello: rooms with frescoes or a canal view, breakfast and modest prices.
Generator Venice
Why we like it: Hostel on the island of the Giudecca, opposite St Mark's: dormitories for over-18s and private rooms, some with a canal view.
Where to eat
Where to eat in Venice
Cantina Do Spade
What to order: fried cicchetti at the bar with a local wine by the glass; at a table, sarde in saor or bigoli in salsa
Trattoria alla Madonna
What to order: the house fish antipasto, the granseola in its shell or the seafood risotto, and a fry to share
Al Covo
What to order: the fish of the day chosen at the market, the bigoli mori in salsa or the paranza fry; if the whole table agrees, the seven-course tasting menu
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book the rowing for the first day
If the wind forces a change, Row Venice offers you another date and you still have leeway.
- 2Buy the 72-hour pass
For €45 it covers the Grand Canal, the islands and the other boats, except the airport ones.
- 3Sleep inside
You save the access fee and see the city without day trippers.
Hiring a car at the airport
In Venice you will not use it and parking at Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto is expensive.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Are there direct flights from Spain to Venice?
Yes: according to AENA, from Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga and Seville to Marco Polo airport.
How do you get from the airport to the centre?
By bus to Piazzale Roma, about 20 minutes, or by Alilaguna boat to Fondamente Nove, San Marco or Santa Maria del Giglio.
Do you have to pay the access fee?
No, if you sleep in Venice. It is paid by those who come only for the day on the dates set by the city council.
What do you need to book?
The rowing lesson, the Secret Itineraries of the Doge's Palace, the campanile and the meals at the trattoria and at Al Covo.
Is it a good idea with children?
Yes: rowing has no minimum age, the vaporetto is free for under-6s and they like the islands. The Secret Itineraries, however, are from age 6.