is this itinerary for Venice OK?

It's an opinion, but, I think you may have too much in there.

Your focus is on seeing the major sights and as such, you can expect to be in crowds
much of the time.

On Day 3, trying to see what you have listed, and then getting back to your hotel, getting
to the train station, and catching the train seems ambitious, unless you are thinking of
spending most of the day sightseeing and then catching a train late afternoon +. More
doable if your hotel is in proximity to those sites. But it's ~45 minutes from there on the
vaporetto back to the train station.

Most of all, you don't seem to be leaving any time to just wander around a less touristy
part of Venice, get lost for a while, and just soak in the ambiance of Venice.

In any case, whatever you end up with, buy advance tickets for at least St Mark's and Doges
Palace to minimize lines.

Enjoy!

My favorite way to enjoy Venice is by getting lost in the passageways, wandering.

I think you may not be able to do all that you have planned. We had a less intense schedule and did not accomplish it all. I would prioritize what is most important to you to see/do things.

Day 3 in particular seems impossible. I would pick one art museum -we went to the Academia and really enjoyed it. No way we would have enjoyed another museum the same day.

We went to San Giorgio Maggiore instead of Campanile di San Marco on the advice of a friend from Milan. San Marco has very long lines while we were able to take an elevator to the top at St Giorgio Maggiore without waiting. The view is back to Venice instead from Venice which we actually preferred. It is a vaporetto ride from St Marks square and we did it the day we saw Doges Palace.

Your desire to see the major attractions is understandable. However, Venice is such a unique place that the best "attractions" are the non touristy parts of the city. Slow down, wander the back streets, get lost, stop and eat gelato. Venice is a city to be savored -- not gulped down.

What time of year? One thing to keep in mind is that vaporetti can be crowded. Occasionally not everyone waiting for a vaporetto is able to board the first boat that comes along; there's a minder who keeps the boats from getting dangerously overcrowded.

Much of the joy of being in Venice comes from experiencing the back streets and little canals, and even if you don't specifically plan to do that sort of wandering, a mistaken turn can take you off the planned path to the tune of an extra 15 or 20 minutes as you move from Sight A to Sight B (or when heading to a vaporetto dock). It's smart to expect some glitches as you move around the city.

Your trip is coming up in December, correct?

You haven’t asked about advance reservations, but I will suggest a couple.

The Basilica San Marco has a long line, so “skip the line” reservations are recommended, even in the off-season. I just checked for availability and there are no reservations available on the official website until October 31. Tickets for early November are about half sold. December still has lots of availability, ut many tickets have been sold already.

Book on the official website here:

https://basilicasanmarco.skiperformance.com/en/store#/en/buy?skugroup_id=2524

You have to select a ticket type from the options listed, and I suggest you choose Basilica +museum, so you can go upstairs to see the museum and especially the famous horses. You also have to choose a time. Around 11:30 to noon is popular, as that is when the interior of the church is lit and the mosaics really shine. The early slots are also good, as the interior is much less crowded.

For the Fondaco dei Tedeschi rooftop terrace, reservations are mandatory. They are released 21 days in advance, and when I was looking for tickets for late September I saw they were all booked with 15-20 minutes of the time they were released. Now it is not quite as crazy; I see that tickets have been released for dates up through 12 November, and there are still some tickets available for Nov. 6-9, early in the day. But Nov. 10, 11, and 12, the weekend dates, are all sold out.

Going late in the day for sunset is my preference, and those tickets sell out first. Sunset in Venice in mid-December is around 4:30 pm.

https://www.dfs.com/en/venice/service/rooftop-terrace

Personally, I would drop everything from Day 3. What makes Venice unique is not the indoor sites (although your Day 1-2 sites are great), but the quantity of tiny islands linked with so many bridges, in an amazing network waiting to be explored! It would be a shame to not just put away the maps, the phone apps, etc. and just roam the paths, deciding at each intersection whether to go left or right. Getting tired and stopping for something to eat, and only then pulling out a map to see where you’re sitting.

That’s what’s kept Venice at the top of our list, and why we have returned several times to spend more days there. It’s magical & unique!

It might be smart to buy an online entry for the Guggenheim a bit ahead of time. The museum doesn't sell out really early, but it is very popular, and I twice saw a line at the door. I assumed (perhaps mistakenly) it was a line for buying tickets. The line was outdoors, and I wouldn't want to be stuck in an outdoor line in Venice in December (if that's your timing). In September 2022 I had no problem buying my ticket just a few days before I wanted to go to the museum.

The Accademia was no problem at all in September 2022. Nowhere near as many people as at the Guggenheim, and no delay at the entry point.

Thank all guys for your suggestions. Yes, when I read different itineraries, several people mentioned that Venice’s beauty may not completely be the attractions on the itineraries. Visitor need wander around to find it. I will think about it.

BethFL, if I make a ticket reservation on Campanile di San Marco, do I still need wait for a long time?

acraven, I will be in Venice in early December. Don’t know whether vaporetti will be crowded at that time.

Lola, Secret Itineraries Tour of Doges Palace in English only happens at 10, 11:30 and 1pm each day. If the most popular time with light for St. Mark’s Basilica is 11:30am-noon, then what are the best time slots I should choose for Doges Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica?

Note that I also want to visit terrace of Basilica. Any suggestions?

I will be in Venice in early December. Don’t know whether vaporetti will be crowded at that time.

I've only been in Venice in December. The two times i went, I did not find the vaporetti crowded prior to Christmas. Both times we found a seat in the front to sit back and enjoy the Grand Canal (bundled up).. Now after Christmas, the numbers seemed to double and it got very crowded. I don't think you will have any issues. Dates traveled, mid Dec 2019 and a few days prior and after Christmas 2022.

thank you. do you know how long to tour St. Mark’s Basilica?

how long to tour St. Mark’s Basilica?

60 minutes to 90 minutes depending on how much you like mosaics. I'll let others weigh in on this one. I'm guessing you want to book the 1:00 Secret Itineraries Tour. Could always book St. Mark's Basilica at 11:00, look around and then wait for it to be illuminated at 11:30.

The outside terrace at San Marco is included if you book the museum option. This one:

https://basilicasanmarco.skiperformance.com/en/store#/en/buy?skugroup_id=2524

You go upstairs to the museum, see the original bronze horses ( amazing in their detail and expression) and have access to the outside terrace with the replica horses. This now comes after you do the lap of the basilica floor. The path is clearly marked.

If you are doing the Secret Itineraries tour the same day, I suggest you book the 9:30:entry for San Marco, and the 11:30 Secret Itineraries tour. Arrive early (9 am) to queue for the basilica entry—you will be among the first to enter,, when it is not crowded. You can take your time to see the main basilica, then go upstairs for the museum, the bronze horses, and best of all the outside terrace. If you take 90 minutes to enjoy all this, you still have 30 minutes to get to the Doge’s Palace and meet your Secret Itineraries tour. That timing would be comfortable for me. It means missing the 11:30 illumination in the basilica, but we have been there both with and without, and actually I found the less crowded early entrance more rewarding than the 11:30 entry crowded entry with the lights on.

Sorry. You replied late. 11 for St. Mark’s Basilica and 1 for Secret Itineraries Tour just has been booked.

I am thinking if I should book 9:30 Campanile di San Marco. Any suggestion?

Why do you include the Ponte dei Carmini?
Day 3 is impossible. Two galleries, the Salute, San Georgio Maggiore (which is a vaporetto ride), get to hotel, get train. No, that won’t work.

Day 1 won’t work either.

I think you need to read more books, to determine what you REALLY want to see. Also, make allowance for walking between places, and probably getting lost. Get a paper map now, and mark up your route.

I think you have gotten a lot of good advice so I am not going to add too much other than to say that you should try to get an early start each day to maximize you time, and try not to duplicate things. For example, the campanile at St.. Marks always has a long line, but the one at San Giorgio generally does not, but you need to take the vaporetto to San Giorgio. So, on day one when you plan to ride the vaporetto down the grand canal, buy a day pass and visit San Giorgio on this day. Skip the campanile and the rooftop terrace. Then spend the rest of your day with the vaporetto pass visiting locations where you want to see a church or a bridge and just get lost in the alleys. On day two it makes sense to visit St. Marks and the Doge’s Palace as they are in the same place, but other than that, just wander the area. The Acedemia is a location that opens quite early. I arrived at 0830 and there was only three other people there so you could do that on day three and then catch a train, but I wouldn’t do much else. Skip Peggy Guggenheim this visit, it will eat up too much time.

the campanile at St.. Marks will be at 9:30am on Day 2.

I am always curious about those ticket reservation in Italy. I believe once I made the reservation from official websites, I can skip the line in front of ticket office. This is so-called skip-the-line ticket. Am I right? Of course, if I join some guided tour, the tour companies will prepare that kind of ticket for me. However, I don't understand is why so many people still talk about long wait time in some sites. Given each person have a time reservation, you should be guaranteed to enter without waiting for the reserved time slot. Am I right?

For example, the campanile at St.. Marks will be at 9:30am in my case. Should I still need wait with the ticket purchased from https://basilicasanmarco.skiperformance.com/
With my tickets for St. Mark's Basilica at 11:00 and the 1:00 Secret Itineraries Tour, should I still need arrive there half an hour earlier to wait for the line to enter?

In addition, for all three sites, the time on the reservation tickets are also confusing. For example, Valid xxx December 2023 from 09:30 to 10:00. What does it mean from 09:30 to 10:00? From 09:30 to 10:00 for me to enter? or for visit?

Anita, I will put San Georgio Maggiore on Day 1. Any suggestions on Day 1? What other places should be moved to Day 1 to best use the vaporetto day pass?

"I am always curious about those ticket reservation in Italy. I believe once I made the reservation from official websites, I can skip the line in front of ticket office. This is so-called skip-the-line ticket. Am I right? Of course, if I join some guided tour, the tour companies will prepare that kind of ticket for me. However, I don't understand is why so many people still talk about long wait time in some sites. Given each person have a time reservation, you should be guaranteed to enter without waiting for the reserved time slot. Am I right?"

There can be long lines for purchasing a ticket. And also a long line for those who have a ticket but are waiting to reach the entrance. As an example, if a venue allows 80 people in every 30 minutes, you could be in a line of 70 people - all with their reserved time slot tickets for that half hour. The "skip-the-line" ticket may be a ticket that allows you to enter before the general timeslots, or it can be a ticket with a tour guide who is able to enter without waiting.

At San Marco there is a separate entrance for people with reservations, like you. So you “skip the line”;in the sense that you do not have to wait in the long queue to buy tickets. Nor do you go to the head of that line with your ticket. You join the people in a much shorter line to the left (as you face the Basilica) that is clearly marked for people with reservations. If your ticket says “entry 9:30-10” that is your time frame for going in, but once in you can stay as long as you like (within reason). You cannot show up at noon and get in with your timed entry ticket.

A line does form at the entrance for people with reservations because many arrive early. And the line moves slowly as there is a security check to pass. But if you join the line at 9:30 you will get in within your time slot.

The Secret Itineraries tour is an actual tour with a start time. You should be at the designated meeting point 5-10 minutes in advance, just to be sure you are in the right place for that particular tour.

The Fondaco dei Tedeschi is very strict about the timing, and the visit is limited to 15 minutes. If your reservation is for 15:30 for example, they will not admit you to the waiting area until 15:20 or 15:25. They check everyone’s reservation and then let you into the waiting room, where you form a queue. At exactly 15:30, after they have cleared the terrace of the previous group, they let all of your group in at once. Anyone who arrives late will still be admitted, but they will have a much shorter time up there.

"if a venue allows 80 people in every 30 minutes, you could be in a line of 70 people - all with their reserved time slot tickets for that half hour."

Let us use my St. Mark's Basilica 11:00-11:30 ticket as example. Suppose there are 60 people who were admitted before 11:00 and still stay inside the Basilica and 80 people are allowed in every 30 minutes. Suppose there are another 70 people who had the tickets reserved for 11:00 or earlier (e.g., 10:30-11:00) waiting for entry. In this scenario, 20 among those 70 people will be admitted at 11:00. Then other 50 among those 70 will have to wait. Is that right? if that is the case, if no one among those 80 (=60+20) would leave the Basilica between 11:00-11:30, do you mean my 11:00-11:30 ticket will be voided since my time window passes?

If that is the case, do you mean in order to enter the Basilica smoothly, I would better to leave the Bell tower like 10:20 and wait in front of the Basilica from 10:25 to get the chance to be among those first 20 people?

Since my Secret Itineraries Tour is guided tour, do you mean I don't know wait so earlier like for the Basilica?

San Marco doesn't restrict the number of people inside the basilica to my knowledge. It only sells a certain number of advance tickets (reservations for entry) for each time period, and then there are the on-site ticket sales. I don't remember being held at the door after buying my ticket, but it may have happened. The basilica is large, but the entryway is a bit of a pinch point.

If there's a crowding issue, it will be the folks buying tickets onsite who end up with delayed entry, not people like you who bought in advance online. You don't need to worry about not getting in during your allotted time period. Getting there a bit earlier will put you closer to the front of the line of people who have tickets for entry at the same time you do. I think that would be a good idea since you don't have a large gap between your ticket time at San Marco and the starting time for your Secret Itineraries Tour.

With a vaporetto pass for the day I would ride the complete circuit at least once, which takes about 45 minutes. Make note of areas, churches, or bridges you want to explore then ride back the other direction and get off at those stops and explore. You can get off at Rialto bridge and explore the shops, and end up walking to another stop before you know it. Just get back on the vaporetto, but make sure it’s going the direction you want or you will end up going back where you came from (I never did that 😃)If you want to get out to Murano to see all the glass shops, then walk to the Fondementa Nova stop on the top side of the ‘fish’ and catch the vaporetto there. It will be a quick couple of stops to Murano ( don’t take the one from St Marks it will take you 45 minutes). Get familiar with the map of Venice as much as you can before arriving, and find some landmarks you can see to help you navigate. Then, after dark I would take another ride down the grand canal to see Venice in a different light.