One day in Venice: a self-guided walking itinerary

San Marco before the crowds

Start in Piazza San Marco while it is still calm, then step into the basilica for the golden mosaics and the Pala d'Oro on a booked time slot. Ride the campanile lift for the view over the lagoon and rooftops, give the Doge's Palace the late morning with a timed ticket, and finish on the Ponte della Paglia to frame the Bridge of Sighs.

• HoursThe basilica opens Monday to Saturday at 09:30, with last admission at 16:45; on Sunday and holy days the basilica opens at 14:00, while the museum and loggia open at 09:30.SourceSt Mark's Basilica opening hours
• CostBasilica entry is €10, the campanile is €15, and a full ticket covering the basilica, Pala d'Oro, museum and loggia is €30.SourceSt Mark's Basilica ticket prices
• TicketsThe Doge's Palace is part of the St Mark's Square Museums ticket: €35 full, €30 if bought online at least 30 days ahead, and €15 reduced. It opens at 09:00, with last admission at 18:00 from April to October and 17:00 from November to March.SourcePalazzo Ducale visitor information

Rialto market and lunch

• 1Ponte di Rialto4 min
• 2Rialto Market2 min
• 3Cantina Do Spade6 min

Walk west out of San Marco to the Rialto Bridge, then drop onto the market side, where the Pescheria fish stalls are at their best before 11 and rest on Sunday and Monday. Watch the mongers and the barge deliveries, then step into Cantina Do Spade for cicchetti and a glass of house wine at the counter before the afternoon crowds arrive.

• TransitA 75 minute ACTV vaporetto ticket is €9.50 and a 24 hour card is €25, useful if you want to ride part of the Grand Canal instead of walking.SourceAVM Venezia vaporetto tickets

EatCicchetti and a glass of house wine at Cantina Do Spade, the bacaro on Calle Do Spade.

San Polo's painted rooms

• 4Campo San Polo5 min
• 5Basilica dei Frari2 min
• 6Scuola Grande di San Rocco

Cross into San Polo and let Campo San Polo open up around you. Step into the Frari for Titian's soaring Assumption and his tomb, then walk the short way to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, where Tintoretto's canvases wrap three rooms. Reach San Rocco before 17:00, when its ticket office closes.

• HoursThe Frari is open Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 18:00 in winter and until 19:30 Monday to Friday in summer; Sunday and holiday opening begins at 13:00, and last admission is 30 minutes before closing.SourceBasilica dei Frari opening hours
• CostThe Scuola Grande di San Rocco is €12 (€10 reduced), open daily from 09:30 to 17:30 with last entry at 17:00; on Sunday it opens at 13:30.SourceScuola Grande di San Rocco information

Dorsoduro to the Zattere at golden hour

Cross the Grand Canal to the domed Salute and step inside, then stand at Punta della Dogana where the Giudecca Canal meets the basin. Walk the Zattere with the water on your left and the low sun on your face, pass the San Trovaso gondola yard on the opposite bank, and finish in Campo Santa Margherita, where the bars fill as evening comes on.

• HoursThe Salute is open daily from 09:00 to 17:30, and the main rotunda is free to enter.SourceBasilica della Salute official site
• TicketsA St Mark's Basilica ticket that includes the basilica also covers the sacristy of the Salute and the Pinacoteca Manfrediniana, valid for six months from purchase; the sacristy keeps shorter daytime hours than the basilica.SourceSt Mark's Basilica opening hours

EatAperitivo and cicchetti at the bars around Campo Santa Margherita.