Venice isn’t just about gondolas and palaces, it’s a city where every bridge and campo leads to another bite worth remembering.
My name is Maddy and I’ve designed this 3-day food itinerary especially to help you taste your way across the lagoon. Follow it and you will get to try early morning pastries, market-fresh seafood, rustic cicchetti and Venetian fine dining with a view.
You’ll balance iconic spots with neighbourhood gems, mixing tradition with modern twists, while also leaving room for gelato, spritz breaks and sunset dinners.
Are you ready to dive into it? Let’s go!
Venice food tour itinerary (3 days)
What you’ll get from this 3 days Venice food itinerary:
- A step-by-step plan to explore Venice through its food traditions.
- The confidence to order cicchetti like a local and try regional dishes.
- Recommendations for both splurge-worthy meals and authentic budget bites.
- Option to tailor Day 3: Choose between an island escape or a Dorsoduro stroll.
This itinerary includes many restaurants and bacari, but if you want to get access to more of my (and locals’) favourites, get my traditional restaurants map.
Or, if you want even more options… check out my Venice Unlocked Visitor Map with more 250 pinned locations including bacari, restaurants, pastry and coffee shops!
Day 1
Welcome to the Flavours of Venice – Rialto & San Polo
Start in the heart of Venice, where the Rialto Market and the backstreets of San Polo reveal the city’s freshest flavours, traditional bacari and the old Venetian dishes.
Morning
📍Market Day at Rialto
Start your day with breakfast at Pasticceria Rizzardini. Try their frittelle available over Carnival (Venetian doughnuts), their krapfen or other freshly baked pastries.
Ideally, head to the Rialto Market before 9:30 AM to watch the local chefs and locals shop. Don’t miss the Pescheria (fish market), one of the oldest fish markets in the world.
A place to explore slowly, passing by the stalls and observing how Venetians interact in this environment. The fruit and vegetable market is a must too and it’s called Erbaria. It’s just a few meters away from Pescheria.
Optional Add-on: Book a guided market-to-table cooking class, where a chef takes you shopping and then leads a cooking class in their Venetian house.
Lunch
📍Casual Seafood
Grab a plate of fresh seafood pasta or risotto at Antiche Carampane (book ahead) or Cantina do Spade which is a more low-key alternative and there’s no need to book in advance.
For more casual options, go for a frito misto (mixed fried seafood) at Acqua e Mais – Venice’s seafood street food stand. There are a lot of other options including meat and vegetable dishes to try.
Another great on the go lunch spot is WeVenice just next to the Rialto fish market, or across the Rialto Bridge, you can find Rosticceria Gislon and Osteria Gastronomica Sepa. Both great lunch spots to sample traditional foods.
Grab a portion of seafood risotto or pasta. Or eat different cicchetti, accompanied by a Cabernet or other regional wines.
Afternoon
📍Wine & Cicchetti Crawl in San Polo
Join a self-guided cicchetti crawl. You can learn how to do your own bacaro tour here, but here’s some suggestions:
- Cantina Do Mori – oldest bacaro in Venice (since 1462), famous for artichoke hearts and meatballs.
- All’Arco – local favourite with mortadella truffle bites and marinated anchovies.
- Al Merca – great standing spot for mini panini with cured meats, generous cicchetti with baccalà mantecato and a Spritz. I also recommend trying the Raboso wine (if you like sweet wines).
If you don’t know yet how to order cicchetti in Venice at the bacaro and want to learn more, check out my cicchetti guide.
Tip: Alternate bites with small glasses of ombra (Venetian wine by the glass). You can pick either red (Cabernet or house wine available) or white wine (Prosecco, Pinot Grigio or other house wine). House wines are generally cheaper than other wines available on the wine list.
Evening
📍Sunset Walking Tour or Traditional Romantic Dinner in Castello
Now you have 2 options: join this sunset food walking tour, I show what it’s like in this reel, or book a table at a traditional restaurant not far from San Marco.
For your first dinner, I suggest reserving in one of these 2 iconic places (high prices): either Osteria alle Testiere, a tiny seafood restaurant beloved by locals and critics alike. Try the razor clams, spider crab and seppie al nero or any other seasonal dish available on the menu.
Don’t be shy and ask the waiter or chef for recommendations. Another great alternative, to book in advance, is the restaurant Al Covo (medium-high prices).
For travellers with a low-medium budget, these 3 are all great options: Osteria Antico Dolo, Trattoria da Fiore or Osteria ai Assassini.
🔒 Click Here to Unlock My Top Travel Resources
Day 2
📍Authentic Eats in Cannaregio – The Local Way
Step into Cannaregio, a neighbourhood where everyday Venetian life unfolds—perfect for cicchetti-hopping along quiet canals, discovering hidden bacari and tasting dishes loved by locals.
Morning
📍Slow Start + Sweet Treats
Coffee and croissant or fresh pastry at Pasticceria dal Mas, near Santa Lucia train station. If you feel like having already a savoury snack, you can stop at Cantina Carbonera for some cicchetti and wine.
Otherwise, continue on Strada Nova for around 10 mins until you reach Ponte delle Guglie, from where you’ll leave the touristy path and start exploring more of Cannaregio.
Not sure what to do in between one meal and the next? Get my neighbourhood maps that will show 15 locations of must-see attractions, hidden gems and unique experiences. It also suggests a path to explore each neighbourhood of the city!
You can purchase the full bundle for a discount or the single neighbourhood map.
If you are now ready for some food and drinks, one of my favourite Spritz spots in Venice is Al Parlamento and it’s only a few steps away from Ponte delle Guglie.
Grab some cicchetti that you can choose from the counter. Eat inside or by the Cannaregio canal. This place is very frequented by students as one of the Ca’ Foscari campuses (San Giobbe) is just a few minutes away from there.
You can always leave this spot for later, for aperitivo time! Then, head towards Fondamenta della Misericordia, this is where you can really start your bacaro tour.
Midday
📍Bacari Crawl, Part II – Cannaregio Edition
Kick off your cicchetti crawl with a mix of polished and low-key bacari:
- Oficina Ormesini — Gourmet cicchetti, plus fresh seafood, pasta and proper cocktails if you decide to sit and linger.
- Vino Vero — Natural-wine heavyweight pouring rotating glasses; grab crostini at the bar and hover by the canal.
- Bacaro ae Bricoe — Easy-going canalside spot with a daily cicchetti spread and sandwiches from morning till late; good for a spritz and a local crowd.
Alternative option: Book a small group food tour through Cannaregio with a local guide that might cover some of the bacari above and other hidden gems.
Still hungry?
Trattoria da’a Marisa is the classic trattoria where nonnas cook for you, the menu changes daily based on what’s fresh and seasonal. There are just a few tables, both inside and out by the canal. Like the sound of it? Be sure to book in advance.
If you prefer to hang around Fondamenta de la Misericordia: go to Il Paradiso Perduto, a beloved institution known for hearty Venetian dishes, live music in the evening and big portions.
Local tip: Try the risotto with porcini mushrooms and spaghetti alla busara.
Afternoon
📍Digest and Explore
Visit the Jewish Ghetto and grab a kosher pastry from Panificio Volpe Giovanni.
Optional: go on a gondola ride down quieter canals, visit the neighbourhood (download my Cannaregio neighbourhood map to explore beyond the surface!) or relax at Parco Sovergnan or Parco di Villa Groggia with your book.
Dinner
📍Lagoon-Inspired Fine Dining
If you like the idea of including a fine dining experience, but without the Terrazza Danieli splurge, then give Algiubagiò a go!
It’s a refined Cannaregio restaurant blending Venetian tradition with creative twists, known for fresh lagoon seafood, seasonal ingredients and a panoramic terrace overlooking the northern lagoon and more precisely, the San Michele island.
I suggest to get here for sunset and start the evening with a drink and continue with your dinner. I recommend booking in advance, especially in high season.
Day 3
📍The Islands Flavours OR Dorsoduro Foodies
Choose your finale: escape to the colourful lagoon islands for vineyard dining and seafood traditions, or stay on the mainland to savour Dorsoduro’s pastries, trattorie and lively aperitivo scene.
Option 1
The Islands Flavours
📍Morning: Lagoon Escape to Mazzorbo, Burano & Murano
Take a vaporetto to Mazzorbo. Visit Venissa, a vineyard and Michelin-starred restaurant. Enjoy a tasting menu lunch surrounded by vines and the lagoon breeze, they grow Dorona di Venezia, an ancient grape native to the region.
More traditional alternative: In Burano, try Trattoria al Gatto Nero and try the risotto di gó, a traditional Burano dish. Enjoy the slower pace. Other options, same old style: Trattoria da Romano or Trattoria da Primo. While in Burano, make sure to try the buranelli biscuits from the historic bakery: Carmelina Palmisano.
Afternoon
📍Prosecco & Sweets
Stop for aperitivo and try the fried fish selection at Pescaria Vecia in Burano or even their cicchetti and enjoy a relaxing view of the lagoon from the tables outside.
If you want to move to another island for sunset, then head to Murano, where you can conclude with an aperitivo at Osteria ai Cacciatori in Fondamenta dei Vetrai.
Back in Venice, grab a gelato from Gelateria Gallonetto. Don’t be surprised if you have to queue, this is one of the best gelateria in the city.
Final Dinner
📍Hidden Gem Farewell
End with dinner at Osteria alla Frasca, a tucked-away favourite near Fondamente Nove. This welcoming osteria serves seasonal Venetian dishes with a creative touch, think fresh lagoon seafood, homemade pastas and perfectly-paired wines.
Its quiet courtyard setting makes for a relaxed and memorable final evening in Venice. Make sure to book in advance.
Option 2
Dorsoduro Foodies
Morning
📍From delicious pastries to cicchetti by the canal
- Breakfast at Pasticceria Tonolo
Start with something sweet at Pasticceria da Tonolo, an historic Dorsoduro pastry shop since 1953. Famous for its frittelle, custard treats, cream puffs and other classic Venetian pastries. It’s a perfect morning pick-me-up. - Cicchetti & Wine – Cantine del Vino già Schiavi
Ease into the day at this traditional bacaro and wine cellar, select cicchetti from the counter and pair them with a glass of wine in a relaxed, authentic setting. - Adventure Through Local Flavours – Osteria al Squero
A few steps away from the above wine cellar, facing the historic squero (gondola boatyard), Osteria al Squero offers simple yet flavorful cicchetti. Order at the counter and let the bartender know if you wish to eat inside or outside as they will give a plastic glass.
Look for classic cicchetti with seafood and seasonal options. From crostini topped with radicchio or pumpkin in autumn to artichoke cream and asparagus in spring. Local cheeses and cured meats that can be savored with views of the boatyard.
Warning: If you do decide to eat by the canal instead of inside, remember to watch out for seagulls eyeing your cicchetti — never leave your feast in plain sight!
Lunch
📍Trattoria Ai Cugnai or Agli Alboretti
For a sit-down meal, opt for a traditional lunch at Trattoria Ai Cugnai, a family-run spot serving Venetian classics in a rustic setting, or Agli Alboretti, known for fresh seafood and pasta with a touch more refinement.
Afternoon
📍More Treats & Aperitivos in Campo
- Afternoon Treat – Gelateria Nico
Stop by Gelateria Nico on Zattere and try their famous gianduiotto: a block of chocolate-hazelnut gelato dunked in whipped cream, beloved by Venetians. - Aperitivo – Bakaro, Campo Santa Margherita
If you linger in the lively Campo Santa Margherita around aperitivo time, join locals at Bakaro for spritz and cicchetti before dinner. - Dinner – Osteria Enoteca Ai Artisti
End your Dorsoduro crawl at Osteria Enoteca Ai Artisti, small, intimate and deeply local. Seasonal dishes like duck ragù tagliatelle or baccalà mantecato pair perfectly with their excellent wine list, making it a warm and memorable finale.
My Venice itinerary for foodies
Whether you follow every step or mix and match, this itinerary shows you how to eat like a Venetian, at the market, in bacari, at trattorie and even at hidden fine-dining tables with views of the lagoon.
What other culinary experiences would you add to this itinerary? Got any better suggestions? Email me at [email protected] and let me know.
Remember to check these guides too:
- 7 Street Food spots in Venice
- Traditional Venetian food guide (eBook)
- Best food tours in Venice
- Must Eat Food in Venice
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