Welcome to Venice Italy, one of the most romantic cities in the world! It is also the gateway to the majestic Dolomite mountains, or the Dolomitis as the Italians call them.
Plan to spend several days exploring the canals and alleyways of magical, historical Venice. Take a canal boat ride with a gondolier -yes, it’s cheesy touristy, but still, it’s something you need to experience.
Eat your way through Venice tasting all the amazing delicacies – be sure to take a Venice food tour! You won’t have a bad meal in Italy!
Get up early to explore the winding streets before the crowds arrive to soak up the atmosphere, and then take a city walking tour to learn about the history and culture of Venice. Below are some of the best offered by my affiliate City Experiences, the city tour company I trust to give me an excellent overview and experience of whichever city I am visiting. Check out some of their tours below. Using my links helps to support the show at no additional cost to you – thanks!
Key places to visit in Venice:
St. Marks Basilica and the Piazza San Marco Doge’s Palace
Grand Canal Campanile de San Marco Rialto Bridge
After exploring Venice, be sure to hike the Dolomites – one of the prettiest mountain ranges in the world! Check out the podcast and photos HERE, and discover why Annie, a world traveler, called this Dolomite adventure vacation the ‘perfect’ active holiday. She sold me, so I did it myself in 2021. Listen to both shows, get more info and see pics HERE.
Best Walking Tours and Things to Do in Venice
Take a Carnival Mask Making Class!
Venice is more than charming canals, cobblestone alleyways, St. Marks Basilica and other historical sights, it is also home to one of the best Carnival scenes in the world! So after your fill of walking tours, consider taking a Carnival Mask Making Class to make your own souvenier!
Carnival is the period before Lent and the main festivities last about a week. It is famous for its wild abandon before the austerity of Lent. During Carnival, you’ll find street music, clowns, circus theater, acrobatics and clowns, plus an hour long nightly boat festival on the waterfront starting at 20:00 from Venice Station to Venice Station Dogana da Mar .
Venice Carnival 2024 will be held February 3 – 13
Where to Stay in Venice Italy
Venice is a VERY popular tourist destination with over 11 million visitors per year! There are accommodations in every price range, but frankly, Venice accommodations are expensive, so brace yourself.
Here are my recommendations for Luxury, Three Star and Budget lodging in Venice. Or use the Booking or VRBO links below to customize your search.
Luxury Venice Recommendation: Baglioni Hotel Luna is a 12th century Venetian palazzo (Venice’s oldest hotel!) located just steps from St. Mark’s Square and across from the Lagoon for unparalled views.
Three Star Lodging Recommendation: Hotel Antiche Figure is in a beautiful XV building that overlooks the grand canal and is near the Central Trains Station (S. Lucia), Venice Shore and the entrances to the city.
Budget Lodging Recommendation: Combo Venizia is a former convent converted to a hostel where you can book a provate room or apartment, some with a kitchenette.
Even the ‘budget’ Venice is expensive! Here are links if you want to explore other Venice accommodations:
Booking.com VRBO for apartment rentals
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When to Visit Venice Italy
You can visit Venice year round, but some months are definitely more pleasant times to visit Venice than others.
The best time to visit Venice is in the spring and fall, when the weather is pleasant and before the summer crowds arrive. Many Venetians take the hot, muggy month of August off, so that is the worst month to visit Venice.
If you visit Venice for Carnival, be sure to bring a warm jacket as the temperatures tend to touch freezing at night and hover in the 40’s (F) during the day. Of course, always pack a rain jacket as it can rain any month of the year in Venice, with a thirty percent chance in May and June, dropping to under twenty percent for the rest of the year.
Plan and Book Your Flight to Venice
The main international airport serving Venice, Italy is the Venice Marco Polo (VCE), located on the mainland near Tessera. There are direct flights from throughout Europe, and from JFK (and seasonally from Atlanta).
I like to just get to Europe the least expensive way and then transfer from there.
If you are switching airlines, allow for delays by maybe spending the night in your first destination. Low cost carriers Ryan Air and Wizz service Marco Polo, as well as another somewhat nearby airport called Trevisso, 25 miles (40 km) away. You can take a bus from Trevisso to the city center.
How to Get from Marco Polo Airport to Venice
You’ve got several options to get you from the airport to your accommodations:
BY PUBLIC BUS
There are two bus services that run often and will take about thirty minutes:
The ATVO bus runs every thirty minutes and currently costs under 10 euro. Go to the ticket office to buy a ticket if the machine is broken. Save a little money buy purchasing a round trip ticket (same with all options). Luggage is stored under the bus.
The ACTV bus runs every 15 minutes. Luggage is stored inside the bus where you can watch it better.
Both buses leave you at the Piazza Roma.
BY WATER
The least expensive way to take a boat from the Venice airport to the city is a Water Boat. This will take about 1.25 hours, and can be a nice way to relax before you enter the city, plus you get to see Venice from the sea. These yellow bottomed boats are easy to find about a ten minute walk from the airport. Just follow the signs.
IMPORTANT: Ask your lodging WHICH stop you need to get off as you will most likely want the Blue or Orange line to get closest to your Venice accommodations. Water boats depart every hour.
More expensive (unless you have a large group) is a personal Water Taxi. These can take you privately to the stop nearest your lodging.
IMPORTANT: When taking ANY water taxi in Venice, be sure to agree upon the price in advance!
You can also take a Shared Water Taxi, which saves you money, but will take longer depending on the other guest’s stops.
Stop by the Taxi Stand to get a water taxi (or a regular taxi, but those will be very expensive).
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Venice Checklist : Planning your Trip
1. Choose which tours you want to do to determine how many days you want to visit. Are you planning to hike the Dolomites (you’ll be happy you did:)
2. Choose approximate dates. Shoot for spring/early summer or early fall unless you are going to Carnival. Avoid August! You can hike the Dolomites from June – September. Email me for an exclusive $200 discount from Active Adventures, the adventure tour company that Annie and I chose (they won’t let me publish the discount code).
3. Search and book your airfare
4. Book your lodging
5. Plan your airport transfer
6. Buy your Travel Insurance
7. If you are hiking the Dolomites, train for your adventure. Visit Trailblazer Wellness and mention Active Travel Adventures to get 10% Off any at-home custom training program.