Exploring Venice with children

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Venice is a unique city and because of this our children absolutely loved it. It’s the perfect destination either for a self-contained family city break or as a stop-over while exploring more of Italy or the surrounding region. But what are the considerations when thinking about a visit to Venice with children?

You will most likely have read or heard numerous reports of over-tourism in Venice and the negative impact this is having on the city and it’s population. Over half of Venice’s tourists come on a day trip only. So by staying for a few days you will contribute more to the local tourist industry.

Venice is a city built on a group of islands in the shallow Venetian lagoon. Many of the islands are separated by canals of varying sizes with other islands being separated by larger expanses of water. The largest and most famous canal is the Grand Canal, which is the Venice equivalent of the motorway/ highway. A fascinating place to look out over as numerous boats of all varieties use it as the main way of getting around. 

How to get to Venice with children

If you are arriving from another part of Italy or a different nearby country such as Slovenia you may well be arriving by car or train. Many years ago on a student inter-rail trip we arrived in Venice by train. We found it fairly easy to walk from there to our accommodation in central Venice. With lots of luggage or very young children you may prefer to take a water-taxi or Vaporetto rather than walking. If you’re driving you will have to pay to park in an out of town garage and then get a bus or train into central Venice.

If arriving by air into Marco Polo airport, you can get a bus to the city. However, I believe the best way to arrive in a city built on water is by boat. There is the option of a water-taxi which you can arrange either as a private transfer or shared and can arrange to go straight to your accommodation. The other option is a larger boat transfer which stops at specific stops along three different routes and runs on a specific timetable- much like a bus would. Both of these options depart from the water-taxi dock which is a short walk from the main terminal- it is well signposted. 

We took the cheaper boat-transfer option. You can check out the prices for both options to compare them here.  Arriving in a city by water is such a unique experience and introduced the children perfectly to what a remarkable city Venice is. 

Where to stay in Venice with children

As with any city-breaks the main choice will be between a hotel or apartment. We usually choose an apartment for several reasons. Being a family of five, finding hotel rooms to sleep us all can be tricky and expensive. It also gives us more flexibility in terms of eating some meals in the apartment and usually has more space for somewhere to escape to for a few hours rather than being out all day.

Having spent many hours trawling hotel and apartment sites we opted for this fabulous Airbnb apartment. We would highly recommend it and felt the location was perfect. It was close enough for a stroll to St Mark’s square and the busiest areas of the city but without being too much in the thick of it.  A terrace and canal views as well as plenty of space made it perfect for us. 

Many others prefer the convenience of a hotel. There are plenty to choose from depending on your budget and location preferences.

Getting Around Venice with children

Central Venice is very walkable, in fact wandering around the maze of small backstreets is part of the city’s charm. To travel further afield e.g. to other islands the best option is to take a Vaporetto, the local waterbus. These aren’t cheap for non-residents so if you’re on a budget, you may need to pre-plan how many journeys you are likely to take. It may be cheaper to get a travel-pass; there are various options for 1, 2,3, days etc. Children under 6 are free. You can find current information on ticket-prices and route maps at the ACTV website. 

When walking around Venice, although possible, strollers aren’t particularly recommended. There are numerous bridges with steps which can start to feel like hard work. We would recommend a baby carrier if you have a baby or toddler that is unable to walk on their own. Also bear in mind that there are often no barriers at the canal edge so keep a close eye on young children to ensure they don’t take an unexpected dip. 

Top sights in Venice with children

To be cost-effective we tried to organise our Venice days into days where we got around on foot and days were we used the Vaporetti to explore some of the other islands. This meant that we could buy a travel pass for the day we moved around more and not need one for the other days. 

St Marks Square (Piazza San Marco)

You can’t go to Venice and not visit St Marks square can you? Probably the most famous attraction in the city and rightly so. This large square is impressive and dominated by the incredible St Marks Basilica. The area around St Marks square is the busiest part of Venice though so it may be worthwhile choosing carefully when you visit particularly if you are in Venice with young children. We found early in the morning best, before day trippers have arrived and there are generally fewer crowds.

You may want to sit and enjoy a coffee in one of the many cafes and restaurants that surround the square. Be warned it will be a lot more expensive than most other areas of the city but for many it is part of the Venice experience. For the children there is plenty to take in here too. For a start there are hundreds of pigeons. I haven’t met a young child yet that couldn’t be entertained for a good while just chasing pigeons around! Have your children look around and see how many winged lions they can spot. Alternatively allow them to take in the sights and have a play while you get yourself a drink!

St Marks Basilica

From St Marks square the obvious next attraction is St Marks Basilica. As one of the top attractions in Venice it obviously gets incredibly busy so we would recommend going early in the day if possible. You can line-up to get tickets on the day. But if you can pre-plan, booking a timed-slot online will save you queuing time. Buy tickets here. Remember that it is a religious building so shoulders need to be covered. They aren’t usually as strict with young children on dress.

Once in the Basilica it is a one-way route to explore the huge church. We enjoyed playing games of giving our children things to spot in the decorations of each part. This meant they would stick around a bit longer and allow us all to take it in. 

Just in front of St Marks Basilica in the square you can’t miss the Bell Tower. From the top there are fantastic views of the whole of Venice, definitely worth the cost and queue to go up in my opinion. At the time of writing it is €16 per tickets, with children under 7 years free. You can check the up-to-date pricing and  buy timed-tickets in advance from here.

Doge’s Palace

Adam and I had both visited Venice before and been to the Doge’s palace. This is probably the most famous of several palaces in Venice and is located on the edge of St Marks square. Entry fees can start to add up, especially for a family of 5, so we decided to skip this on our family city break in Venice.  If in Venice for the first time though it is definitely worth a visit to admire the grand interior.

Get lost in the Venice backstreets

Take a Gondola ride

Venice is synonymous with gondolas. These flat-bottomed wooden boats are mostly now used for tourists. However, you may still see some being used to transport goods around the smaller back canals. Although the stereotyped image is a romantic couple being poled along the Venetian canals, I think it is also a perfect activity when in Venice with children. Our children just loved the whole experience. We found a small dock just off the grand canal, where we were easily able to find a gondola available. The price for half an hour seems to be around €80. Depending on how many are in your party you may be able to pre-book a shared experience for a little cheaper. Have a look for options here. 

Visit the outer islands

We bought a 24 hour Vaporetti ticket to allow us to explore some of the outer islands. Probably the most famous of these is Murano, famed for it’s beautiful glasswork. Firstly, we caught a vaporetto on the 12 line from Fondamente Nove to Faro on Murano.

Murano

Once you disembark there are numerous glass factories and showrooms to explore. We visited the OMG factory shop a short walk from the dock. We were able to watch a fantastic demonstration of glass blowing which the children were fascinated by.  There was also a large shop with hundreds of glass pieces in all shapes and sizes. You can book a tour here. You need to pick a day and time but in their booking info it states that you are not restricted to the time you booked. Children don’t need tickets and are free. If you don’t want to book ahead there may be others that you can turn up to on the day.

The main canal through the island is Fondamentan Manin. This is lined with bars and restaurants where we sat and had a drink right next to the canal. It’s a lovely place for a drink or even lunch. Because of it’s glasswork fame Murano can be pretty busy but you don’t need to wander far into the backstreets to find some calm. 

Burano

After a wander around Murano we hopped back on another Vaopretto to Burano. Although less famous we actually preferred Burano. It is known for making lace and you will see numerous small shops selling their lacework. However our favourite thing about Burano was the colours! The houses there are a myriad of bright colours which I think was our families favourite part of our Venice trip. There aren’t any major sights here but it is a lovely place to meander and take in all the colours. 

From Burano we struggled to get a direct Vaporetto back to central Venice. We had to change at the Lido, which is the beach area. If you have more time you may want to head to the beach for a couple of hours. It was fairly late in the day when we were there so changed boats and headed back to our accommodation for a bit of downtime before dinner. 

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All in all we loved our trip to Venice with children. It is a place that they often remember and talk about, much more so than any other city-break destination. Highly recommended and let us know of any hidden gems that we missed in case we make it there again. Other city breaks we have really enjoyed include Porto, Dubrovnik and Copenhagen.

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