Our Top Tips for Venice with Kids – By David Hochman
For family fun and cultural immersion, the “Floating City” makes a serious splash.
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 …
Seek Perspective …
Lose Yourself …
Date Night …
Hit the Water …
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.