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Things to Know Before Visiting Venice

August 30, 2022

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Venice is one of my favorite cities of all time! For me, it lived up to the hype of everything I had seen in movies and books. However, it can be an overwhelming place. Here are some tips for visiting this water-filled city.

Venice Tourist Tax

If you plan on day-tripping to the city, you will need to sign up online and state the day you plan on visiting and pay the fee. The cost should range from 3 euros to 10 euros per person depending on the time of year and how crowded the city is. Should you decide to be a little rebel and try to skip out on the fee, you could be fined up to 300 euros. If you are travelling with children under 6, they will be exempt from the fee. Should you be planning on staying the night in Venice, you will be exempt from the fee since you will already be paying a 5-euro city tax per night.

This fee is designed to assist with the protection and safeguarding of the floating city and its many monuments and attractions. Thankfully, as of 2021, Italy banned large cruise ships from the lagoon near St. Mark’s Square and thus earned a reprieve from being included on the UNESCO World Heritage danger list.

Want a FREE printable downloadable itinerary on this city? Simply click the image and it will take you to the PDF itinerary, download it, and print it for easy use.

If you want more information about this incredible city, check out the Venice destination page for all my insider tips and information about all the things you need to see while visiting this great place.

How Long to Stay in Venice

You cannot spend too much time in this city in my opinion. However, if you are trying to create an itinerary figure on spending at least two to three days exploring this city. Venice is a great place to wander around without a map.

Take your time and feel free to go down each and every alley. It’s not hard to find your way back to the main square, Piazza San Marco. If you need help, consult your map, or ask someone. Do not rely on your phone, the GPS service isn’t great. Everyone is very friendly.

Where to Stay in Venice

One of the biggest decisions you need to make is where you want to stay. I usually use AirBNB, Hotels.com, and Booking.com to make my reservations. Here are some of my favorites:

If you want some luxury options to check out: The Gritti Palace , JW Marriot Venice Hotel and Spa, Belmond Hotel Cipriani, Ca’ Segredo Hotel.

If your wallet isn’t quite prepared for those rates, look at Hotel Moresco Venice, H10 Palazzo Canova, or Hotel Galleria.

Also, I love renting space on Airbnb to truly feel like I am a resident, if only for a few days. One of my favorites is this amazing waterfront apartment you find HERE on AirBNB. One more that I really enjoyed staying at was this one CLICK HERE.

What to Pack for a Visit to Venice

Do not bring a bunch of luggage! If you wonder why, just google photos of Venice and you will easily see what I mean. It can be very challenging to navigate the extremely tight alleys, steep staircases, and bridges while fighting the crowds, restaurant tables, and cobbled streets with your luggage in tow. So I urge you to pack light.

Because I usually have a car and plan on leaving Venice at some point to travel to other locations, I always pack a small backpack that I can fill with the items needed for my stay in Venice.

Travel Tips: You must bring comfortable shoes to Venice. As a female you will need to keep a wrap/scarf with you for entry into several churches. Some of these places have a dress code that does not allow sleeveless shirts, short skirts, or crop tops; so this wrap is necessary to cover up for entry.

Below are some of my must haves while visiting Venice.

Where to eat in Venice

Do not visit restaurants in the major tourist areas if you want authentic Venetian cuisine.

Consider grabbing an Aperol Spritz (the orange drink you will see everyone drinking) near the Bridge of Sighs or the Rialto but do not eat there. Instead, find a place outside the main area to sit and enjoy a meal.

Some of my favorites are:

For an elegant outing try Bistrot de Venise
If you are looking for a casual, locally run restaurant then try Trattoria Bar Pontini
For authentic Venetian cuisine, which differs from other regions in Italy, go to Taverna Scalinetto
One of my absolute favorite pizza places is Al Nono Risorto. It can get very busy on the weekends so you may want to snag a reservation.

Best Time to Visit Venice

There are almost always crowds and during the high tourist season which runs from June to August, the population grows exponentially. This means that you will be one of many in the biggest tourist sites such as St. Mark’s Square, the Bridge of Sighs, the Rialto Bridge, and the Academia. If you decide to visit during this time, be patient.

If you want to have the city more to yourself, consider visiting during April-May and September-November. The prices will be lower, and you will not have to fight your way through the alleys and wait for your turn to photograph some of the biggest and most well-known monuments.