The best way to get to know a city is to explore it on foot. And if you want to experience it without the crowds, early morning is usually the best time to do it.
In this short guide, I’d like to share a walking route that takes a few hours and covers some of Venice’s most famous landmarks.
But before we get started, there are two things you should know. First, if you’re not a fan of getting up early, you might as well stop reading right here! And second, if walking isn’t really your thing, don’t waste your time on this guide!
One more thing: I won’t be going into too much detail about the places along the way. My goal is to keep this guide as short and simple as possible!
Let's Go
I’ll start the walk from a spot near Campo Nazario Sauro, where my hotel was located. Since this is a circular route, it doesn’t really matter where you’re staying in Venice. You can join the route wherever it’s most convenient for you; you might just have a different starting point.
For this walk, you’ll need to get out of bed before sunrise. If you’re into photography, the early morning light is a real treat. And one more piece of advice: save breakfast for after the walk!
First Stop: Ponte degli Scalzi
Head north along Calle Larga dei Bari. This street will take you towards Venice’s railway station. From there, turn into Calle Bergami S. Croce, then continue north along the narrow Calle Longa.
If you arrived in Venice by train, chances are you’ve already walked this way. From Campo Nazario Sauro, it’s about a 400-metre walk to the bridge, which should take you roughly five minutes.
Once you’re on the bridge, take a moment to enjoy the view of the Grand Canal. You’ll also get a lovely view of Chiesa di San Simeon Piccolo, with its distinctive pale green dome.
It’s also a great spot to watch Venice slowly waking up, as locals go about their morning routines on the water.
Second Stop: Ponte delle Guglie
Cross Ponte degli Scalzi to the northern side of the Grand Canal. Then head east along Rio Terà Lista di Spagna. The next bridge you’ll come across is Ponte delle Guglie.
Along the way, you’ll pass Campo San Geremia and, just across from it, the Sanctuary of Lucia – Church of Saints Jeremiah & Lucia.
If you felt like having a drink the night before, chances are you picked one of the bars in this area. Of course, Venice has much better places to enjoy a drink, but we’ll save those for another time! For now, we’re supposed to be getting some healthy morning exercise!
Ponte delle Guglie offers lovely views in both directions, north and south. By now, the rising sun should be making its appearance between the orange rooftops of Venetian houses.
And remember, this isn’t just about walking from one place to another. At every stop, take a moment to look around and pay attention to the city and its morning life.
This section of the route is also about 400 metres long and takes roughly five minutes to walk.
Third Stop: Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro
Continue along Rio Terà S. Leonardo, then take Rio Terà de la Maddalena. We’ll be walking a little way back from the Grand Canal, which is now on our right.
Our third stop is Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro. Of course, at this early hour, like many other attractions in Venice, the building won’t be open to visitors. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to enjoy. We can still admire the architecture and the beautiful details from the outside.
If you’ve ever taken a boat trip along the Grand Canal, you’ve probably seen this building before. Its delicate marble tracery windows are quite distinctive and feature in many Venice travel photos and promotional images.
The walk from our previous stop is about 900 metres, so let’s allow around 13 minutes to get there.
Along the way, we’ll also pass several other interesting sights, including Casino of Venice – Vendramin Calergi Palace, Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena, Santa Fosca, Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Felice, and the Statua di Paolo Sarpi.
And, of course, there are probably plenty of other interesting things along the way that I simply can't remember right now. My memory isn't quite as reliable as Google Maps!
Fourth Stop: Ponte di Rialto
There’s a shorter way to reach Rialto Bridge, but my suggested route takes you past two other interesting sights along the way.
Continue south along Strada Nova. I’m assuming, of course, that everyone reading this has a smartphone and a decent navigation app! First, enter Church of St Mary of Miracles, Campiello dei Miracoli into your map and follow the directions. Once you’ve explored the church and its surroundings, enter Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo as your next destination. After visiting this church, we’ll finally head to our main stop: Rialto Bridge.
Yes, this means walking about 1,400 metres and spending roughly 25 minutes on this part of the route. But I think both churches are well worth the detour. Besides, wandering through Venice’s old streets in the early morning, when the only people around are mostly locals heading to work, is an experience in itself.
The exterior of the Church of St Mary of Miracles, with its beautiful light blue façade, is quite something. The square of Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo is also worth a visit, especially the equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni standing beside the magnificent Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo.
You’ll have to retrace part of this route on your way back. So, if you can, try taking different streets and alleyways. Trust me, Venice has plenty to offer even in the simplest moments of everyday life.
And finally, here we are at Rialto Bridge!
Standing on the bridge, you might find it hard to believe that this is the same place where, by sunset, even walking across can become a bit of a challenge. Take a look at the restaurants and the gondola piers along the canal. And if you’re as lucky as I was, you might even get the chance to take some photos in the morning mist.
Fifth Stop: Piazza San Marco
From Rialto Bridge to Piazza San Marco, it’s about a 600-metre walk, taking roughly 10 minutes.
You have two options for getting there. You can continue straight south along Salizada Pio Decimo and enter the square beneath the Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio). Or you can walk west along the canal and then head south along Calle dei Fabbri. The choice is yours!
Not every part of our walking tour needs to be a round trip. After all, unless you’re planning to spend a whole month in Venice, you simply won’t have time to explore every single street and alleyway!
Along the way, feel free to do some window shopping and make a mental note of anything you’d like to buy. Unfortunately, the actual shopping will have to wait until another time!
At this time of the morning, Piazza San Marco is almost empty, apart from a few other early birds like yourself.
There are plenty of landmarks to admire here, including Saint Mark's Basilica, Correr Museum, St Mark's Campanile, Marciana National Library, Doge's Palace, and Ponte della Paglia. For now, though, we'll be admiring them from the outside and appreciating their architecture.
Remember, we're here to explore the city, not to spend hours visiting museums and historic buildings. If you want to go inside the basilica or climb to the top of St Mark's Campanile, you'll have to save that for another day!
From Ponte della Paglia, you can take some fantastic photos with the Bridge of Sighs in the background. Along the waterfront, you'll also find rows of gondolas waiting to give you some great photo opportunities.
Sixth Stop: Scala Contarini del Bovolo
You’ll probably end up spending quite some time in Piazza San Marco. There's something special about this square when everyone else is still asleep. Of course, it's beautiful when the city wakes up too, but the crowds of tourists make it much harder to enjoy the place in peace.
From Ponte della Paglia, search for Scala Contarini del Bovolo on your phone's map. You have about 800 metres ahead of you, which should take roughly 10 minutes. You can make your way through the narrow streets or follow one of the canals. It all depends on your mood at the time.
By now, the cafés are probably starting to open for breakfast. You can do what I did and save breakfast for the end of the walk, or stop at one of the cafés along the way. Just promise me you won't pick one of those international coffee chains! As far as I'm concerned, when local places are available, there's little reason to go elsewhere.
Personally, I'd rather have breakfast when the tourists are slowly starting to fill the streets. Although, perhaps stopping for a quick coffee along the way isn't such a bad idea!
Final Stop: Campo San Polo
If you’ve taken your time and really enjoyed exploring the city, like I did, by the time you finish visiting Scala Contarini del Bovolo, the other tourists will probably have started showing up too.
From here, you could head towards Ponte dell'Accademia, cross the Grand Canal, and explore the other side, where you'll find Basilica Santa Maria della Salute, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and Gallerie dell'Accademia.
I decided not to do that and saved Ponte dell'Accademia and the other attractions across the canal for the following morning. I'd suggest you do the same.
Instead, enter Campo San Polo as your next destination in your navigation app and follow the route. You'll have to cross Rialto Bridge again, although hopefully it won't be too crowded just yet.
There is another way to get there, but it involves taking a ferry. Since I haven't tried this option myself, I can't really recommend it.
Along this stretch of the Grand Canal, there are only two bridges connecting the two sides: Rialto Bridge and Ponte dell'Accademia, which I've already mentioned saving for the next day.
The walk to Campo San Polo is about 1,100 metres and should take roughly 15 minutes.
Once you arrive, find a bench under one of the trees and take a seat. This could be the perfect place to enjoy a proper Italian breakfast. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants around the square, so you won't be short of options!
A Few Final Words
The entire route is about 6 kilometres long. If you take your time and stop to enjoy the sights along the way, as I did, you'll need somewhere between 3 and 4 hours.
For me, it was a lovely walk and a chance to capture some photographs that I still cherish. I hope it turns out to be just as enjoyable and memorable for you!
