Venice insider tips 2024

Welcome to this list of my best Venice travel tips.

Getting ready for a trip to Venice is no easy job and you won’t be the first nor the last to feel overwhelmed while planning a trip to the city of canals and bridges.

That’s where I come in to be your ‘local travel friend’ that will help you find your feet from the moment you land in Venice, right up until the final moments of your trip.

This guide aims to give you answers to some of the most popular questions that thousands (if not millions) of travellers have and which many leave the city unanswered after an overwhelmingly, but more often than not, positive experience.

These tips will be useful for you, no matter whether you’re still planning a trip to Venice, or you have already booked one and looking for extra inspiration or advice.

In this guide you’ll find information about:

• Best time to visit Venice;
• How to get from/to the airports;
• Where to stay in Venice (best neighbourhoods to visit in the city);
• How to eat like a local… and much more!

I’ll invite you to read my blog to further delve into each travel tip. In my posts you’ll find insights and detailed information you may need to know before your trip.

Venice Travel Tips 2024

Before I start listing some of my best Venice travel tips below, I would like to introduce myself and quickly mention why I decided to start this blog about Venice.

Who is Maddy?

I’m Maddy… (the person who writes these travel blogs) and I’m from Castelfranco Veneto, a quaint mediaeval town located just 45 minutes north of Venice.

As a young girl back in the 90’s, I remember how I would go on day trips to Venice with my family, usually packing our paninis and wearing a pair of the most comfortable shoes, equipped to walk around Venice’s calli for the whole day.

It goes without saying that the Carnival was the most awaited event of the year for me as a youngster and spending it in Venice was my favourite event of the year!

Over the years, I would continue to travel back and forth to Venice mainly to spend the day there with friends (and sometimes drink a cheeky Spritz 😉), explore the most beautiful corners of the city and try new restaurants and Venetian street foods.

In 2014, I started my Masters degree in Tourism studies at Ca’ Foscari University. During this time, I’d spend at least 3 days in Venice each week, attending classes, doing exams and doing teamwork with my class mates.

This time of assiduous presence in Venice set the foundation for my passion and deep connection with Venice that I have been unable to shake off to this very day.

Even though I was going to Venice with the purpose of attending my university classes, at some point, I started to spend so much time there (more than my actual home) it became completely natural for me to start to feel like a real local.

If you’d like to get to know me more and why the Venice Travel Tips blog can help you plan your trip to Venice, read more about me here if you’re interested.

Venice Entry Fee 2024

Venice is one of the most touristic cities in the world, and even though it brings a lot of money to local businesses, it comes at a high cost.

Together with other European cities such as Barcelona and Amsterdam, Venice suffers from overtourism. I’m sure you’ve seen videos and photos of the hordes of tourists in St. Mark’s Square in the summer or during the Carnival period.

From spring, travellers planning to visit Venice will have to pay an entry fee to enter the city. See my guide to the Venice Entry Fee 2024 that covers the details.

Got travel insurance for Venice?

World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while travelling and claim online from anywhere in the world.

Venice Travel Tips by a Local

Now, let’s get into my best Venice insider tips so you can feel more acquainted with the city once you arrive here. I want to start these tips by reminding you that…

You can visit Venice all year long

Venice is always a good idea and it’s beautiful in every season. From spring to autumn is a great time to enjoy the long days, warm temperatures and to explore the city by foot.

Winters are perfect for avoiding the biggest tourist crowds but prepare for cold foggy days (carry this stylish poncho with you for the ultimate keep-dry solution) and to encounter the ‘acqua alta’ (high tide). In Venice it is forever high season, but there are months during which the tourist flow drastically decrease.

October and November and then January, March and April till mid May are the best months to visit Venice as during this time you can avoid most of the crowds, long queues in front of popular attractions and the weather is quite pleasant, after all.

Visiting Venice in spring and autumn is a good way to save money on your flights and accommodation too.

The closest airports to Venice city centre are Venice Marco Polo or Venice Treviso

The closest airports to Venice are Venice Marco Polo or Treviso Antonio Canova. Venezia Marco Polo is 13 kilometres north of Venice and it takes at least 20 minutes.

Then you have Treviso airport which is 40 kilometres north of Venice, and it takes between 40 minutes to an hour and 10 minutes to get to Venice.

From both airports there are good public transport connections (buses and water buses) or you can enjoy a more exclusive experience by arriving in the city (and your accommodation) by water taxi – why not? It’s a unique experience after all.

Travellers expressed their preference for the water taxi because it means arriving in Venice in great style and seeing the city for the very first time from the water!

There are no direct trains from the airports, you’ll first have to get to either Mestre or Treviso railway stations by bus and from there get a train to Venice.

You can find more information about how to get to Venice from the airports here: how to get from Venice Marco Polo airport to Venice or Treviso airport to Venice.

Book sightseeing and transport passes in advance to save money

Venice is an expensive city and unfortunately, there are not many free things to do in Venice to do. Buying in advance and online sightseeing and transport passes is a valid way to save time, money and see more things during your stay.

For example, if you choose to buy the Museum Pass to the Doge’s Palace with access to the St. Mark’s Square museums, its cost is 25 euros if you purchase it online 30 days before your visit.

As an alternative, you can pay 30 euros, at the ticket office in Venice. There’s a reduced price for children and free entrance for disabled visitors and their carers.

The Museum Pass Plus gives you access to 10 other museums around Venice and other islands and it’s worth getting it because you have 180 days to use it. Both tickets include the Chorus Pass, which gives access to 16 churches around Venice.

On the Venezia Unica website you can find discounted rates to the ACTV water bus service tickets and other deals, if you purchase your sightseeing or transport pass 30 days before your visit.

Eat Venetian food where Venetians eat

The best way to eat well in Venice is researching beforehands where to go out for your meals. Tripadvisor and Google reviews are precious tools available online, but sometimes it’s difficult to say how authentic the restaurant is.

So how can you identify authentic Venetian eateries? If you’re planning a trip to Venice or have just arrived, read my posts about the must-try street food in Venice and Venetian foods where I go in to more detail about what and where to eat.

See my local tips for eating authentic and delicious food while in Venice:

If you have the time, you can join my Facebook group and ask me any questions there, where you can also tap into the rest of the Venice travel community as well.

Know which neighbourhood of Venice to stay

Tourists normally stay in Venice city centre or Mestre. Mestre is in the mainland and the last stop by train before arriving in Venice.

I recommend staying in Venice’s historic centre, so you can easily reach its attractions and don’t spend your time getting on public transport.

Venice is divided in 6 neighbourhoods:

• San Marco
• San Polo
• Dorsoduro
• Cannaregio
• Castello
• Santa Croce

When deciding where to stay, I highly suggest that you take a few key factors into consideration and understand how important they are to you.

Below are some of the deciding factors:

• Travel budget;
• Proximity to the tourist attractions;
• Stay in a quite area or prefer to be in the middle of the action;
• If you’re interested (or not) in the nightlife.

If you are undecided on which neighbourhood is best for you, why not head over to my post about where to stay in Venice to learn what each neighbourhood offers, things to do and a selection of the best hotels and B&Bs to suit every budget?

Get the skip-the-line tickets for popular attractions

Attractions such as the St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace and the St. Mark’s Campanile are extremely popular. I’ve seen long queues outside their entrance and that makes me always think about how much time you can end up wasting.

For this reason, I strongly recommend booking online skip-the-line tickets to these landmarks to help you save time and avoiding queues under the sun (or the rain) depending on what time of year you decide to visit, for hours.

Here’s an handful list of skip-the-line tickets to buy in advance:

• St. Mark’s Basilica Fast-Track Entry and Audio Guide
• St. Mark’s Campanile
• Doge’s Palace Skip-the-Line Ticket with Guidebook

After visiting myself St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace with and without guides, I came to the conclusion that it’s better to book a guided tour.

The reason why, is that both attractions are steeped in history and the risk is missing out precious and curious information that only expert guides can actually provide.

Here’s a highly-rated guided tour to St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace that I recommend booking if you want to learn more and save time.

Learn what to wear in Venice and travel light

Venice is a walking city and there are many bridges to cross along the way. Unless you book a Venice water taxi that will take you from the airport directly to your accommodation, think twice before leaving with heavy or bulky luggage.

It can be really tiring walking around Venice, with all the crowds and, depending on what time of the year you’re travelling, very cold or hot days.

Having said that, aim to pack light and leave space for some souvenirs to carry at home with you, it’s actually the smartest way to travel here!

The best way to explore Venice is by foot

Venice is a city best explored by foot. Each and every corner could just well conceal something unexpected and beautiful. Venice is an open-air museum and there are plenty of ‘lesser known sights’ worth seeing along the way.

It’s easy to get lost, but that can turn out to be a real blessing, allowing you to see more of the authentic side of this incredible city!

You should be able to find more or less everywhere yellow signs directing you towards the main locations such as Rialto, St. Mark’s Square, Ferrovia (railway station) and Piazzale Roma (bus and tram station).

If you love discovering a city on foot like I do, then in Venice you can book a walking tour with a local tour guide that will show you around ‘their’ city.

This Venice walking tour is perfect if you want to discover hidden corners and secret spots of the city accompanied by a local. You’ll be surprised by how much more beauty there’s in this city, far away from the most popular attractions.

Visit other islands in the Venetian lagoon

If you’re spending more than a day or two in Venice, it’s worth planning a half day or day trip to other islands in the lagoon.

You can either opt for the popular Murano and Burano tours or if you prefer, arrange your own transportation to the islands and stay as much as you like.

In alternative, there are other lesser touristic islands you can go to. San Giorgio Maggiore, Giudecca, Sant’Erasmo, Lido of Venice are just a few names of the other islands worth visiting from Venice.

The reliable water bus service connects the historic city centre to all the other populated islands of the Venetian lagoon. You can find a interactive map here.

Venice Insider Tips

Thats all for now, hopefully you’ve found my Venice travel tips page useful and it has helped you to get to know Venice a bit more than you did before.

I just want to reassure you that, even though it’s a city where you don’t move around as you would in any other city in the world, it’s absolutely easy to do so.

If you want to prepare yourself more, here’s a practical transportation guide of Venice too. There you can find travel tips on how to move around, how to make the most of your precious time and where to stay in this wonderful destination.

If you need more advice and want to get personalised tips for your trip to Venice, you can book a call with me and we can start planning together!

I wish you a wonderful time in Venice!

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