Unmissable tips for Venice with kids

If you think Venice isn’t family-friendly, it’s time to rethink that position: I’ve got 27 reasons to visit Venice with kids here – but there’s no denying this city break is a little different from the average.

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So if you’re considering a trip there with your family (and you really really should), I’ve picked out my top tips for Venice with kids to help you get the most out of your visit.

As well as information on getting around on the city’s famous canals, there’s advice on escaping the crowds, what to eat, where to stay and how to plan your family city break in Venice.

When to visit Venice with kids

Having visited Venice in spring, summer and autumn over the years, my first piece of advice is to avoid peak summer if you possibly can.

Venice is always humid, so add in high temperatures and big crowds, and it all combines to make this a far less pleasant way to explore the city.

The temperatures during shoulder season, in spring and autumn, are usually perfect for wandering the streets without melting and while you might have to dodge a few showers, we’ve enjoyed sun and temperatures of 20-22C in October.

People also flock to Venice for Carnevale, in the two weeks running up to Shrove Tuesday (usually in February) while Easter is also considered peak season, so also usually best avoided.

Otherwise March to May and September to October are ideal. While winter is quieter, the weather is likely to be worse so strolling the streets and travelling by boat with kids is much less fun.

Getting around Venice with kids

While the idea of travelling by water might seem overwhelming (although also exciting!), Venice’s transport system really isn’t too complicated to use.

Travel from Marco Polo airport to Venice

The closest airport to the city is Venice Marco Polo airport, but some low-cost airlines will travel to Treviso airport (officially known as Canova Airport) – scroll down for details.

If you’re travelling from Marco Polo airport to Venice with kids, there are a couple of different options for your journey.

Buying tickets for Venice public transport

By far the easiest way to get tickets for public transport in Venice – including bus, vaporetto and Alilaguna services – is to use the machines in Marco Polo airport.

There are machines near the baggage carousels for ATVO, ACTV and Alilaguna (read on to see which company you need) where you can pay by card and with the option to see instructions in English so it couldn’t be easier.

In the time it took me to wait for our case, I had bought three separate tickets covering the whole of our stay in Venice – coming into the arrival hall, there was a big queue to buy them at the ticket desks, where you also need to exchange any vouchers for prebooked tickets.

By boat

One of the easiest is the Alilaguna boats, which run from the airport to Murano, the Lido and the main islands of Venice – there are two lines which operate year-round (blue and orange) plus another seasonal line (red).

Depending where you’re staying in the city, this might not be the fastest route, but it might mean you can avoid changing boats, so it’s well worth checking the timetables.

The Linea Blu, for example, takes around 90 minutes to get to San Marco and Zattere in Dorsoduro, but around half that time to get to stops in Cannareggio and Castello. The Linea Arancio, meanwhile, takes around an hour to get to Rialto – a similar amount of time to taking a bus and vaporetto.

You can buy return tickets for slightly less than the cost of two single tickets, and they’re easy to pick up from the machines in the airport or the office in the arrivals hall.

By bus

There are two bus lines which run from Marco Polo airport to Piazzale Roma in Venice – the city itself is car-free, so this is the closest point before you need to switch to a vaporetto.

Piazzale Roma itself is very well connected on several vaporetto lines – it’s only a couple of minutes walk to the vaporetto stops, but it’s worth checking which one you need, with the various stops given different letters.

The two bus routes are run by separate companies, ACTV and ATVO (unhelpfully similar, so it’s easy to get the pair confused).

The ATVO service is ideal as the airport bus is an express, with no stops between Marco Polo airport and Piazzale Rome – the journey takes around 20 minutes and there’s space for suitcases.

You can buy single or return tickets from the machines in the airport or by the bus stop (and a return is slightly less than two singles). You must validate the tickets before you board.

The ACTV bus 5 also follows the same route but may stop along the way, there’s no separate space for luggage and it’s exactly the same price as the ATVO bus.

By water taxi

Is there any more glamorous way to arrive in Venice than in one of the sleek wooden water taxis – very James Bond.

Plus it will whisk you directly to your accommodation (or as close as you can get by water) rather than all the many stops along the way, so the journey can take as little as 30 minutes.

The downside, of course, is the price. Starting rates for a private water taxi are normally around 120 euros, but you can usually expect it to cost around 150-200 for multiple people with luggage – the water taxis can fit as many as 10 on board, so if you’ve got a big family or you’re travelling with friends, it’s worth considering for a memorable way to arrive.

You can also get shared water taxis – children aged six and under travel free, although you may need to wait for other passengers so it’s not always quite as fast as a private water taxi.

Travel from Treviso airport to Venice

A lot of low-cost airlines which previously flew to Treviso airport (or Canova airport, to give it its official name) have switched to Marco Polo airport now, but you may still find some flights landing there for Venice.

By bus

There are two bus lines which run from Treviso airport to Piazzale Roma in Venice – the city itself is car-free, so this is the closest point before you need to switch to a vaporetto.

Piazzale Roma itself is very well connected on several vaporetto lines – it’s only a couple of minutes walk to the vaporetto stops, but it’s worth checking which one you need, with the various stops given different letters.

The ATVO service takes around 70 minutes to get from Treviso airport to Venice, via Mestre, and there’s space for suitcases.

Alternatively, the Barzi bus takes just 40 minutes to reach Venice as it uses the motorway, stopping at Tronchetto vaporetto stop. Children under 10 travel free and there’s a return ticket option, which needs to be used within 10 days. You can buy tickets from the driver or at the airport.

Taking the vaporetto in Venice with kids

You’re unlikely to get through a family city break in Venice without taking the vaporetto at least once – and honestly, it’s half the fun. An ordinary bus can’t compare to a water bus, after all.

While the Alilaguna lines also operate in central Venice (including two additional tourist lines), the easiest option is using the ACTV network – bear in mind that you can’t use the same tickets for both.

Children under six travel free, but otherwise a single journey costs 9,50 Euros for all ages and the ticket is valid for 75 minutes from the time you validate it.

Unless you know you won’t be using the vaporettos much, the day passes are better value though, especially if you’re staying for more than one day. A one-day pass costs 25 Euros, while a 48-hour pass is 35 Euros, a 72-hour pass is 45 Euros and a seven-day pass is 65 Euros.

If you make two trips a day during a three-day stay, you’re already saving: this includes boats to Murano and Burano (as well as the Lido) too and saves you clock-watching or problems if you try to board a vaporetto at a stop without a ticket machine.

It’s well worth buying your travel pass at the machines in Marco Polo airport – you’ll find them by the baggage carousels while you’re waiting for your luggage to appear. They’re easy to use, with an option to use English, and it saves you queuing, plus if you know you’ll need a spare single ticket once your pass has expired, you can pick that up at the same time to validate and use later.

You’re likely to do a lot of walking, so having the option to hop on even for one or two stops to save tired feet is great as well.

You can also create your own mini boat tour in Venice: take line 2 and you can do a loop (almost) aound the city. Board at San Marco Giardinetti and the route takes you under the Accademia and Rialto bridges, out to the west past the cruise port and down towards Dorsoduro and Giudecca, then back to San Marco San Zaccaria, around five-minutes from your starting point.

Alternatively Line 1 travels along the Grand Canal for the key sights.

You can download the free Che Bateo app to work out routes, but I found Google Maps was just as good at giving the different options and tended to have better real-time information.

You must always validate your ticket before boarding (some stops require this to open the gates but others will have a machine so just hold the ticket close until it beeps and the light goes green.

Ticket inspectors do check and won’t be sympathetic if you haven’t, so you can expect to be fined. You can use a single ticket on more than one mode of transport during the 75-minute window but always validate each time.

How else to get around Venice with kids

Having no cars in the centre of Venice is a distinct bonus when you’re exploring with kids – just watch out for the canals instead of the traffic.

Scooter, bike and buggy

Kids aged under 14 are also the only ones allowed to use scooters and bikes within Venice’s narrow streets, so if you are visiting Venice with younger kids, it’s worth bearing in mind.

As you’ll encounter plenty of narrow alleys, streets thronged with other visitors and countless steps to the steep little bridges across the canals, having a scooter isn’t necessarily always going to make life easier though.

Once kids are old enough to explore on foot (including the occasional bribe of gelato), this is really the best way to get around (other than by boat).

If you’re visiting with younger kids, you’ll hit similar problems if you’re using a buggy – be prepared to have to carry it up and down steps, manoeuvre narrow winding streets and sometimes uneven surfaces.

A baby carrier solves that problem but as you’ll probably be doing a lot of walking (and as it’s usually warm in Venice), it’s likely to be hard work if you have a young toddler.

Considering this and the fact there’s nothing between the banks and the water of the canals (dirty as well as dangerous), a city break in Venice is definitely not ideal with toddlers. While I strongly believe it’s possible to keep travelling with young kids, Venice is one city break I’d be tempted to postpone until they are older.

Gondola ride

A ride in a gondola is the classic image when you think of a city break in Venice, being rowed along the canals while you recline and savour the scenery.

Usually, the romantic dream focuses on more – well – romance, than having kids in the gondola too.

And with prices starting from 90 Euros for a 25-30 minute trip during the daytime (110 Euros at night), it’s not the cheapest option. There is space for up to five on board though.

As a rule, the trip returns to its starting point, so it’s more of an experience than a chance to travel from A to B. The gondolas have their own set routes, so you could ask to be let off along the way, but it doesn’t work like a taxi – it also means that not all gondola trips will be the same, so it’s worth choosing carefully to try to get a taste of the quieter little canals and the gorgeous views of the Grand Canal, for example.

Mornings can be quieter if you’re looking to avoid gondola jams, and do avoid the hottest part of the day if you are visiting in summer – there’s no shade.

If you fancy a sunset trip, try to time it for just before the evening rate begins at 7pm – if you get aboard while the day rate still applies, you won’t have the evening surcharge but still get the same atmosphere.

How to spot a gondola – did you know?

While you’ll spot the gondoliers nonchalantly wielding their oars and ducking under low bridges around almost every corner, not every sleek black boat you’ll spot is a gondola. Look closely and some of the elegant dark crafts are actually the flat-bottomed sandalo – much cheaper to make, it’s also lighter than a gondola.

The quickest way to tell the difference is to look at the prow – gondolas have high curved prows which help it cut through the water of the lagoon.

A true gondola takes around two months to be made in the squero – the special gondola workshops – are 36 feet long and weigh 1,300 pounds. Made from eight different types of wood, they’re actually asymmetrical to compensate for the gondolier standing at one end.

And the decorative metal touches on the front aren’t merely decoration. The shape of the ‘bow iron’ symbolises the different areas of Venice – the S shape for the curves of the Grand Canal, six teeth to represent the main districts and an extra one for the island of Giudecca. Look out for extra decorations including lions, the symbol of the city, and pine cones – thought to be lucky.

Gondoliers have their own oars, tailored to them, and need to be licensed after around 400 hours of training – they also have their own uniform, although it’s a myth that the ribbon colours on the hat tell you whether they sing or not. Because that’s the one thing they don’t do outside the movies. Unless they’re feeling particularly musical of course.

Traghetto

One much cheaper alternative (if less romantic!) is a journey in a traghetto. Looking a little like overgrown gondolas, the traghetti cross the Grand Canal at half a dozen stops between bridges – the Grand Canal only has four bridges, so if you want to get from one bank to another, this can save you a detour.

Just look out for the signs reading ‘Traghetto’ – one of the most useful is from San Marco (near Harry’s Bar) across to Salute.

The trip costs 2 Euros for tourists (less for residents) and usually takes only a couple of minutes to travel from one side to the other. If the traghetto is on the opposite bank, it’ll usually cross when they see people waiting, so there’s no official timetable.

Traditionally you stand up in the traghetto, and locals will still often do this: they’re a LOT wobblier than they look though, so happily visitors are directed to sit down.

Planning days out in Venice with kids

If you’re looking for ideas of the best things to do in Venice with kids, check out my top picks – plus some more tips for planning days out in Venice with kids before you visit.

The best things to do with kids in Venice

If you think Venice only appeals to adults, think again – there are so many reasons to visit with children, who’ll be as entranced by this wonderful city as their parents.

For all of the best things to do with kids in Venice, check out my post with the top family-friendly attractions and highlights.

Prebook your tickets

Venice really is a wonderful city – and millions of people agree, flooding into La Serenissima every year. So as well as choosing when to visit, it’s well worth planning what to visit – and prebooking your tickets whenever you can.

Basilica San Marco

If you want to head into the Basilica San Marco, for example, the line to buy tickets can easily last an hour, often several hours in peak season. Even during our most recent visit in October, the queue for those who hadn’t prebooked stretched to the Doge’s Palace.

There are limited numbers and morning tickets are particularly popular. The lights are usually turned on between 11.30am and 12.30pm, so it’s one of the best times to see the gold and mosaics shine.

You can prebook tickets here, including additional tickets for the Pala d’Oro (well worth seeing: there was no queue to buy once we were inside, but it’s only one euro extra to prebook to be on the safe side) along with the museum, plus the nearby belltower.

Head to the main door and show your prebooked tickets in order to skip the queue (although also don’t be surprised if you find yourself directed to go in via the exit if the water is higher than usual).

You’re told to choose a time slot to enter but we were told that you could enter at any point on that day – although we didn’t test the theory, and you may not want to risk it at peak times.

If you haven’t prebooked and tickets have sold out, either arrive before the Basilica opens at 9.30am in order to be one of the first in line, or head there towards the end of the day – last entry is at 4.45pm, so aim for around 4pm to give time to explore before it closes.

The Doge’s Palace

Another fantastic place to explore in Venice with kids, it’s also worth prebooking tickets for the Doge’s Palace – or Palazzo Ducale. This won’t let you skip the security queue (which does move fairly fast) but means you don’t have to queue up twice.

You can also get combined tickets allowing you access to the museums of the Piazza San Marco, including the Museo Correr, plus the chorus pass for entry to 12 of Venice’s churches, and an option to upgrade to get the museum pass which gives you access to some more of the smaller museums, including the glass museum on Murano.

We booked through GetYourGuide, and you just need to exchange your voucher for tickets – this can be done at the nearby Alilaguna desk at San Marco Giardinetti. Do check you’ve received all the tickets you ordered in exchange for the voucher though.

The best views in Venice

Heading up to the top of the belltower in Piazza San Marco is one of the best known spots to get a great view of Venice – and for a good reason, from the Campanile, you can see right out beyond Santa Maria della Salute in Dorsoduro, as well as down to the Basilica and all across the rooftops of Venice.

It’s also where Galileo tested out his own telescope, for some added history. Do take a one euro coin to operate the modern-day equivalents for an impressive close-up of some of the buildings.

It’s therefore unsurprisingly popular, and while the queues aren’t as long as for the basilica, it’s still worth prebooking your ticket and timeslot so you can stroll straight in.

If you prebook, it costs 15 Euros for all visitors aged 19+ and 7,50 Euros for kids aged 10-18, so if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, there is another option (although sadly the free rooftop at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi has now closed).

Head over to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, where the impressive church has its own campanile and great views back towards Venice.

Entry to the church is free, while it costs around eight Euros to climb the belltower. You’ll get a better view of the Doge’s Palace from here than from the belltower in St Mark’s Square too.

Line 2 is the only one which stops at the island: you can take it from San Marco San Zaccaria or from Zattere B in Dorsoduro (as Line 2 makes an almost complete loop along the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, be careful to get the one going the right way).

The free viewing terrace at the top of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi store is currently closed

Visiting Murano and Burano

While there’s plenty to tempt you to stay in central Venice, it would be a shame to visit without making it to any of the other islands – and Murano (known for its glass) and Burano (famous for its lace and colourful houses) are a popular combination.

While Murano is on the way to Burano, and often visited in that order, I think it’s actually better to head out to Burano first.

Not only do you skip some of the crowds if you get to the smaller island early, giving you more chance to appreciate the rows of brightly painted homes, it can be easier to find space on a boat heading to Murano afterwards.

For more tips of things to do in Burano with kids in one day, check out this post

Arriving at Murano at around lunchtime, the queues for the vaporetto travelling on to Burano stretched along the quayside – and as there are limited boats running, you could find yourself waiting a while.

With multiple vaporetto stops on Murano itself, and several lines running back to Fondamente Nove in Cannaregio, it’s usually easy to head back to central Venice though.

You can also book tours to Murano and Burano, which solves the question of transport, but it’s easy to plan it independently and gives you more flexibility in how long to spend in each island – personally I much preferred Burano, although the glass blowers on Murano are well worth seeing. We visited Fornace Mian – the tour cost us 10 Euros for adults but was free for kids.

Top tip: You can also see some of the glass creations being made at New Arte Fuga on Burano – while it’s a different experience to visiting a glass factory, the demonstrations are a great chance for kids to get closer and watch the glass being heated, beaten and shaped.

Finding toilets

It’s worth keeping a stash of small coins to hand for public toilets while you’re out and about in Venice with kids. There are several dotted around central Venice – you’ll see signs as you walk – including near Rialto and the Accademia Bridge, and cost 1.50 Euros.

Some have attendants who can change a note as well, but otherwise you’ll need to feed the coins into the turnstile. Some also said card payment was an option, but we never actually found it working anywhere.

Incidentally, if you’re visiting Venice’s islands, you’ll find similar paid public toilets here too, although it’s cheaper to use the facilities – only 1 euro on Burano, for example!

Otherwise, the city’s attractions often have toilets too, including the museums and the Doge’s Palace (head up the stairs as there’s usually less of a queue than those on the ground floor). Restaurants will have toilets for customers as well.

The Flush app (free to download via the Google Play store or Apple Appstore) is also a good option to find the closest toilets. But it’s well worth seizing the opportunity while you can, in case of urgency, as you’re not guaranteed to find anywhere nearby.

Finding your way around

One of the joys of exploring Venice is getting lost and stumbling across somewhere new and delightful, as well as slowly working out landmarks to help find your way around.

And with lots of twisting little lanes ending unexpectedly at canals, and a maze of tiny alleys alongside some of the bigger paths through the city, it’s very easy to get lost, even with a good sense of direction.

The city isn’t huge, so if you keep wandering, eventually you’ll come to a spot where you can get your bearings again too.

You’ll also find arrows on the walls directing you to various popular spots, such as Rialto and St Mark’s – don’t be confused if the arrows point both ways, it simply means you can take either route to get there.

But while ambling aimlessly is always fun in Venice, sometimes you just need to be able to get from A to B – Google Maps is your friend here. Having explored in the days before smartphones, a paper map only goes so far.

Just be aware that Google Maps isn’t always 100% accurate – it often showed us on the opposite bank of a canal, or occasionally walking serenely along the water itself, so don’t follow it blindly!

Did you know? You can find out which of Venice’s six sestiere (or areas) you’re in by looking up at the metal brackets holding the street lamps – many have a two-letter code on: SM for San Marco, CS for Castello and so on.

Alternatively consider a tour of Venice for kids to ensure you see the highlights without getting lost

What to eat in Venice with kids

Like everywhere in Italy, you’ll find wonderful food that’s sure to appeal to kids – while pizza and gelato aren’t traditionally Venetian, you certainly won’t struggle to find both across the city.

Equally, don’t expect to find children’s menus, although restaurants are usually happy to do smaller portions or let kids share a plate of pasta, for example.

Some of the city’s most famous dishes aren’t the most child-friendly, unless you have a mini gourmet – such as sarde in saor (sardines in a sweetened vinegar with onions, pine nuts and raisins) or seppie al nero (cuttlefish stewed in its own ink, often served with polenta).

But you can also find options like baccala mantecato, a creamy salt cod concoction usually served with bread or polenta, which my daughter devoured, along with lots of fish and tramezzini, sandwiches made with crustless white bread.

The city is also famous for its cicchetti, little snacks – often deep fried – served at a traditional bacaro, one of the old bars dotted around Venice. Often eaten standing up counters, more and more have tables which are more family-friendly.

You’ll find plenty of bacari in the San Polo area, including around the Rialto market, or near Campo San Bortolomio on the opposite bank – look out for SEPA, Rosticceria Gislon and Corte dell Orso.

If you’re looking for the best gelato, the huge heaped tubs showing all the different flavours are very tempting, but while it’s rarely a bad idea to give in to temptation, the best gelato will be hidden away.

Head to a gelateria where there are metal lids over the tubs and it’s a sign of quality, with the ice cream being kept at the perfect temperature. Gelateria Gallonetto has perhaps the best ice cream in Venice… and you don’t get long queues of people taking selfies, as at some other shops popular on Instagram.

Where to stay in Venice with kids

There are some truly glorious hotels in Venice, set in old palaces or overlooking the Grand Canal – but while a stay at any one would be memorable, finding an apartment is still often more practical.

You don’t have to sacrifice style for practicality though. I’m a big fan of the apartments on Plum Guide – the hand-picked collection includes a list of ‘home truths’ for each one, picking out anything from WiFi speed to noise to whether you’ll need to climb several flights of stairs.

The apartments themselves are all glorious, with everything from a place in Dorsoduro with your own private terrace to another with Murano glass chandeliers just two minutes from St Mark’s Square, as well as places on the Lido and Giudecca. You can also filter by properties suitable if you’re travelling with an infant under one year, as well as family-friendly options for those with kids under 12.

We also loved the Truly Venice collection (which can also be booked via AirBNB). As well as a string of lovely places to stay, you’ll be met at the vaporetto stop and taken to the apartment, rather than trying to navigate Venice’s maze of streets with a suitcase.

There are also a string of apartments (along with hotels if you prefer) in Venice on booking.com.

For more tips for visiting to Venice with kids, check out my guide to Italy with kids, as well as my pick of the best things to do in Venice with kids

*First published 2022, last updated 2025*

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