Our Top Tips for Venice with Kids

Bringing your family to Venice is a guaranteed memory of a lifetime, and it starts the moment you and yours first glimpse the Grand Canal. “With such a rich history, so much character, and those glittering ‘streets’ of water, it’s a place that kids especially don’t forget,” says Laurel Perry, a Virtuoso travel advisor from Clearwater, Florida, who lives half the year in Italy with her husband and three children. Two to three nights are plenty, but the key is to have a plan. For families, here’s an approach that won’t leave you screaming “Mamma mia!”
 

Stir Some Excitement

Since anticipation is half the joy of travel, build enthusiasm at home with stories and books about the magical water world. For younger children, pick up This is Venice, a classic picture book that introduces the major sites. Zoe Sophia’s Scrapbook: An Adventure in Venice follows a 9-year-old and her dachshund as they tour museums, shop for masks, and ride a gondola. Daughter of Venice is a historical novel set in 1592 for young adult readers.

Seek Perspective

Venice covers six neighborhoods, or sestieri, though visitors typically stick to three or four. In the center of Piazza San Marco, take the elevator to the top of Saint Mark’s bell tower, the Campanile, for a panoramic overview from the outdoor loggia. Dorsoduro, across the Accademia Bridge, is chic and entertaining, and home to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection of art in Mrs. Guggenheim’s former palazzo. Featuring colorful Calder mobiles and fantastical Dalí dreamscapes, the gallery is irresistible, even for short attention spans. Farther along the Grand Canal is the sixteenth-century Rialto Bridge, with its countless souvenir shops, pizza stands, and Instagram possibilities. In Cannaregio, stroll the narrow lanes of Il Ghetto, the storied Jewish precinct made famous by Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice (hey, extra credit!).

Lose Yourself

“Getting lost happens to everyone in Venice, so enjoy the adventure,” says Perry. Keep a close eye on the little ones, but consider letting older children take the lead, particularly between San Marco and Rialto (arrows pointing to both landmarks are everywhere). It’s wise to snap phone pics to remember key turns, though it’s hard to get too far off track on an island this compact. “Venezia is all about interesting sidetracks – tucked-away shops, hidden bridges, tiny neighborhood trattorias,” Perry notes. “You want kids to go, ‘Where the heck are we? This is fun!’” One tip: Have children “collect” sightings of winged lions, the ancient symbol of the city – they’re mounted, painted, and carved all over town.

Date Night

Nothing beats Venice after dark for romance, with moonlight rippling off the water and endless canals to stroll. Harry’s Bar is where Hitchcock and Hemingway sipped the evenings away, and it somehow still feels like a find. Afterward, there’s no grander place on earth to take in an opera or dance performance than the landmark Teatro La Fenice. The gilded ceiling alone is worthy of a standing ovation.

Hit the Water

Venice has 177 canals, splitting the city into 118 separate islands. It’s impossible to experience the place without hopping on a boat. You’ll feel like a local on the public water-buses known as vaporetti, though it’s worth noting that they can be hot and crowded. Private water taxis aren’t cheap, but they almost double as guided tours since most drivers will point out the sights. The ultimate thrill, of course, is a gondola ride, but buyer beware, Perry advises: A popular bait-and-switch is for a charismatic pitchman to lure you into the vessel, only to pass you off to someone less experienced, whose personality and language skills aren’t as great for kids. “It’s better to have your travel advisor book a gondola with a city tour – perhaps even a spooky ghost tour of ‘haunted’ sites – in advance to avoid that common but expensive mistake,” she says.

Get Out of Town

The nearby island of Murano is a world unto itself, with a thousand-year-old glassblowing heritage (and, at some shops, pressured sales spiels nearly as old – just walk away). The Murano Glass Museum there tends to be a hit with teens. Venice’s classic seaside resort, the Lido, is a narrow, seven-mile-long barrier island just south of the city. Bikes are the ride of choice, and families love pedaling along the seafront promenade, or lungomare. Just west of Venice, off-the-tourist-path Villa Pisani has what some consider to be the world’s most challenging garden maze – a trip highlight for many families.