If you’re planning a trip to Italy, a visit to Venice is a must. Located in the northeast of the country, this floating city is one of the most iconic and visited cities in Italy for its incredible beauty and magical atmosphere. Venice is famous for its romantic canals, Renaissance architecture and for being the setting for countless works of art and literature, as well as its famous Carnival. From gondola rides along the canals to visiting St. Mark’s Square, there is much to explore and discover in this unique city.
If you’re looking for tips on how to organise your trip to Venice, you’ve come to the right place. At Passporter we provide you with all the information you need, from the necessary travel documents to the best places to stay and the most recommended restaurants. In addition, our app provides you with a useful tool to plan every detail of your trip, guaranteeing you an unforgettable experience in the city of canals.
1. Have your travel documents ready to travel to Venice in the Passporter App
When planning a trip to Venice, you may be wondering what documents you need to present at the airport. If you are a citizen of one of the member states of the European Union, you will simply need to present your national identity card. However, if you are travelling from a non-EU country, you will need to present a passport with six months’ validity and a special visa if you want to stay in Italy for more than 90 days.
Remember that with the Passporter app you can have all your documents in digital format, including your visa, accommodation bookings, activity bookings, etc., so you’ll always have them to hand. But don’t forget to bring the official versions whenever you need them, like at the airport, for example.
Travel Tip: To organize your trip we recommend using Passporter totally free. You can be inspired by the experiences of other travelers, choose the places that interest you most, create the travel route with a geolocated map, upload all important documents such as reservations and invite your friends so that everyone can participate in the organization of the trip.
2. Choose the date to plan your trip to Venice
When planning your trip to Venice, you’re probably wondering what is the best time of year to visit. Although Venice is a beautiful city that has a lot of charm at all times of the year, in our opinion it is best to avoid the summer months, due to the high temperatures and humidity and the large influx of tourists. As for winter, temperatures can be very cold with lows of around 0ºC and the days have fewer hours of daylight, so it’s not the best time of year either. However, you may be able to find better prices on accommodation in the low tourist season.
That’s why we think spring and autumn are the best times to make the most of your trip to Venice. During the months of April, May, September and October, temperatures are mild and pleasant, avoiding the extreme heat of summer and the cold temperatures of winter. In addition, these months experience slightly less tourism compared to the summer months, allowing for a more relaxed and comfortable experience when exploring the city and its main attractions.
3. Compare and find accommodation with Passporter
Venice is one of the most touristic cities in Italy for many reasons: its stunning colours, the beauty of its canals and bridges, its gastronomy, its famous Carnival… And although there is always room for improvisation, if you don’t hurry to look for accommodation, it can be a bit difficult to find your ideal hotel. That said, what are the best areas to stay in Venice?
- Historical centre: around St. Mark’s Square, ideal for being close to the main tourist attractions.
- Cannaregio: Less crowded and more authentic, with a variety of restaurants and local shops.
- Isle of Giudecca: Quiet and picturesque, offering views of the Grand Canal and a more relaxed experience.
It’s worth remembering that researching and booking in advance is advisable to ensure a comfortable stay that suits your needs and budget. In addition, we suggest that you go to the Passporter App and book with Booking for the best accommodation in Venice. On the app itself you can also save your bookings and keep them organised.
4. How to get to and around Venice?
To get to Venice from abroad, the most common option is to fly into Venice Marco Polo International Airport (VCE), which is the main airport serving the city. Several airlines offer direct flights to Venice from different European and international cities, including airlines such as Alitalia, Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France, among others. From nearby cities in Italy, such as Milan, Florence or Bologna, Venice can be reached by train to Venezia Santa Lucia station. It is also possible to arrive by bus, but the train is a more efficient and comfortable option.
Once at the airport, you have several transport options to get to the centre of Venice. The most convenient option is to take the vaporetto (water public transport) on the Alilaguna line. It offers a regular service from the airport to various stops in the centre such as St Mark’s Square and Santa Lucia train station.
As for the best way to get around Venice, there are mainly three ways: by vaporetto; by gondola, a traditional, if more expensive, sightseeing experience; and on foot, as the historic city centre is small and many of the streets are pedestrianised, making it easy to explore the city on foot.
5. Find the best restaurants with Passporter
In this beautiful Italian city, choosing what to eat and where to eat can be a real experience in itself because of the variety of restaurants and places with the best Italian food. Here are some suggestions, but remember that with the Passporter app, in addition to seeing what places to visit in each city in Italy, you can find the best restaurants, as well as some photos and the opinions that other users have uploaded about them.
Venetian cuisine offers a delicious combination of flavours from land and sea. Some must-try dishes during your trip include “risotto al nero di seppia“, an exquisite black risotto made with squid ink, “baccalà mantecato“, a creamy baccalà puree served on slices of toasted bread, and “cicchetti“, the Venetian aperitif that can be enjoyed in local bars with a “spritz“. Also, you can’t miss the classic “tiramisu“, the famous Italian dessert that originated in the Veneto region. Some of the most famous restaurants in Venice where you can try these and many other dishes are: Impronta, Osteria Fanal del Codega, Restaurant San Silvestro and Bacaro Quebrado.
6. Take out health insurance: cover yourself against unforeseen events
While we always want our trip to run smoothly, it’s essential to be prepared for the unexpected. That’s why it’s always a good idea to take out insurance when planning a trip to Venice or any other destination.
Health insurance will provide peace of mind and protection in case of illness, accident or any medical emergency during your stay. Make sure that the policy you take out covers medical, hospital and repatriation expenses, as well as other extras such as trip cancellation or lost luggage.
Before taking out an insurance policy, carefully examine the terms and conditions to understand the clauses and make sure you agree with them. We suggest you compare different options and choose the one that best suits your needs and the activities you plan to do during your trip. Travel without worries!
7. Choose the activities to do in Venice
A crucial part of planning a trip, as in this case to Venice, is the selection of activities and the elaboration of the itinerary of places to visit. To organise your ideas, we recommend looking for inspiration on Passporter, where thousands of travellers share their itineraries and experiences through photos and comments. You can also create your own itinerary using information provided by other users and online resources, with all points of interest geolocated on the map for easy reference. Anyway, here are some of the most important places to visit in Venice.
The Saint Mark’s Square, with its majestic Basilica and Doge’s Palace, is the epicentre of the city and an ideal starting point from which to explore it. The Grand Canal, crossed by picturesque bridges such as the famous Rialto Bridge, offers unforgettable scenery with its Renaissance palaces and sailing gondolas. At the same time, wandering through the narrow streets of San Polo and Cannaregio reveals hidden gems such as the Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and the Jewish Ghetto, respectively. These are just a few of the must-see sights in Venice – discover them all on Passporter.
8. How to plan a trip with friends to Venice
Travelling with friends is a wonderful experience where the best memories are made. However, planning the trip, whether to Venice or another destination, can be a considerable challenge. Coordinating schedules, keeping everyone informed and setting a budget that satisfies all participants can be a more arduous task than you might think at first.
With the Passporter app, organising such trips becomes easier, as you can plan your itinerary from start to finish with everyone’s input. Invite your friends, get inspired by the experiences of other travellers and create your ideal route together. You can also share your experience through the photos you take during your trip. To help you even more, we have prepared an article with useful tips for travelling with friends: Group travel: The best way to travel with your group of friends.
9. How to plan a travel itinerary to Venice?
Register or download the Passporter App and discover all its possibilities.
- Get inspired by other travellers’ experiences, photos and itineraries.
- Organise your trip by the categories that suit you best: dates, number of days or type of trip (beach, mountain, restaurants…).
- Add your friends so they can see and modify all the plans and trip information.
- Create your own itinerary of your destination with everything you want to visit each day.
- Add the stops that interest you the most, including your accommodation, restaurants, museums…
- Book your flights, accommodation, transfers and activities through a single app.
- Save all your documents in the app so you always have everything at hand: reservations, boarding passes, important documents…
- Make any changes you need to make and you’re all set for your trip.
- Share your experience with other users. Upload photos of the places you’ve visited on your trip to the app and inspire other travellers with your experience. You can also share your own tips on planning a trip to Venice.
- Enjoy your trip to Venice!
If you have any doubts about how to do it, you can check our post: How to create a travel itinerary in Passporter.
10. Frequently asked questions about a trip to Venice
Venice has a humid subtropical climate with a continental influence. As a result, summers are hot and humid, with average temperatures between 25°C and 30°C, while winters are cold, with temperatures that can drop to below 0°C and not rise above 10°C. Spring and autumn are usually mild and pleasant, with maximum temperatures in the mid-20s. Rainfall is present all year round, but is more frequent in autumn and winter.
The best time to travel to Venice is during April, May, September and October, when temperatures are mild and pleasant, avoiding the extreme heat of summer and the cold temperatures of winter. In addition, these months experience fewer tourists compared to the summer months, allowing for a quieter and more comfortable experience when exploring the city and its main attractions.
Venice has a humid subtropical climate with a continental influence. As a result, summers are hot and humid, with average temperatures between 25°C and 30°C, while winters are cold, with temperatures that can drop to below 0°C and not rise above 10°C. Spring and autumn are usually mild and pleasant, with maximum temperatures in the mid-20s. Rainfall is present all year round, but is more frequent in autumn and winter.
The best time to travel to Venice is during April, May, September and October, when temperatures are mild and pleasant, avoiding the extreme heat of summer and the cold temperatures of winter. In addition, these months experience fewer tourists compared to the summer months, allowing for a quieter and more comfortable experience when exploring the city and its main attractions.
To get to Venice from abroad, it is most common to fly into Marco Polo International Airport (VCE). Some airlines that fly to Venice are: Alitalia, Lufthansa and British Airways. From the airport, you can take a vaporetto or bus to Venice city centre.
From nearby cities in Italy, such as Milan, Florence or Bologna, you can reach Venezia Santa Lucia station by train.
In Venice, the main means of transport are the vaporettos (“water buses”). They run along the canals of the city and connect the main points. You can also get around the historic centre on foot, as many streets are pedestrianised and distances are short. To reach nearby islands or the mainland, you can take ferries and water taxis.
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