3 Days in Venice - Itinerary help

Just #5. IMO best time is after sunset when its light enough to still see, but dark enough for all the restaurants and cafes along the Grand Canal to be lit up, and when motorized traffic has dropped off.

I will say Burano is worth a visit. Its very photogenic.

Yes to Burano and Torcello over Murano.

From the dates you have provided you have 1.75 days max for sightseeing not 2.5
1. Vaporetto passes pay themselves off very quickly as a single ticket is 7 euro. So considering that you have a very short stay you would benefit a lot from the 48 hour pass.
2. I don't think you have time enough for paying off the museum pass. As it is with a short time in Venice it's better to appreciate the city itself rather than be inside in a museum, unless u are big art fans.
3. You may squeeze in time for one island , most people in the forum will advise against it. Of the two Burano is the prettier. Murano is more known for its glass making.
4. I am sure u have researched a lot for the trip. IMHO the St Marks basilica , San Giorgio Maggiore for its bell tower and the Frari church and Scuolo San Rocco beside it is amazing. Others may have their own favourites.
5. Gondola at sunset is supposed to be the best. I don't have any first hand experience of the same as I wasn't too interested in a gondola ride myself, I would rather walk around the beautiful city and get lost.
Hope that helps.
Have a great trip!!

I would recommend the vapparetto passes, we are walkers too (I walk between 5-8 miles on a normal day) but Venice is a different animal!

We didn't think the pass was worth it in Venice.

We enjoyed Murano but with your short time I would wait till your there then decide.

Rick gives a good guide on the museums and churches, always follow The Ricks advice!!

We had more fun riding the vaparreto and laughing at how bored all the texting kids loooked on the Gondolas. Ok maybe we're weirdos but just never wanted to do it once we were there, although before it was at the top of my list. Venice is always beautiful though so if you do it anytime is perfect!

Enjoy we loved it so much we're headed back in a few weeks!!!!

For a nice bird's eye view of the main sites of Venice, you can either go up the Campanile in San Marco piazza, or to combine a small group tour with nice views, we took the Clock Tower Tour (Torre dell'Orologio). You have to get a reservation ahead of time. Here's the info. It included a visit to the Correr Museum in the price of the ticket when we visited last year.

Tour in English: Monday to Wednesday: 10 am and 11 am Thursday to Sunday: 2 pm and 3 pm
http://torreorologio.visitmuve.it/en/pianifica-la-tua-visita/opening-times/

1. Venice Museum Pass - don't bother with this. Limit your time indoors in Venice because the city itself is the most interesting and unique. Spend time walking in the neighborhoods. Stop at San Marco during the day, but be sure to return at night when the piazza is illuminated, and the orchestras are playing - very beautiful.
2. If it's raining, you might want to go to the Accademia. If you're also going to Florence, I would skip it on this trip.
3. A Gondola ride is a must for your first time to Venice. Go early evening.

How is afternoon on the 18th to morning in the 20th 2.5 days? Even leaving late morning on the 20th is only one full day and two partial days.

Murano and Burano are worth a visit but, in my opinion, you just don't have enough time. Yes, you can go there but it will be at the expense of "losing" 1/2 or 3/4 of a day that could be spent in Venice itself. Believe me, you can spend all of your time in Venice itself and not even scratch the surface. Even though you are avid walkers, a vaporetto pass will probably be a good idea as individual rides are somewhat expensive.

You are not going to see it all in 1 1/2 days. You say Cannaregio, 10 minutes east of Rialto. It would be more like north and a bit east. Are you planning on walking from/to the train station? Better pack very light, it could be a long walk. At 30 EUR for a 48-hour pass, and 7.50 EUR per ride, 4 rides and you break even, not including the time at the ticket machines buying individual per ride tickets. You might want to take a vaporetto from the train station to the closest stop to your B&B. Besides, I never tire of riding the vaporetto on the Grand Canal.
October will still be crowded, just not the soul-killing crowds of summer. But you'll still have to spend some time in the Piazza San Marco, or you couldn't really say you were in Venice.
I've never done a gondola ride, but if I did, I'd take something on the back canals and stay off of the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal is best seen from a vaporetto, the only way to see some of the sights on the back canals is from a gondola.

Edit-You might enjoy a cicchetti wine and nibbles tour by Alessandro Schezzini. Give him a call to see if he has anything available before you get in.
Alessandro Schezzini
Cell +39 335 53 09 024