Is Venice a walkable city?
Known as the Floating City, Venice is one of the world's best walkable cities. The historic centre is compact with smooth and flat pavements and – crucially – most of Venice is car-free, so you can enjoy its peaceful streets without having to negotiate traffic.
To help you plan your sightseeing, we've listed our ideal itineraries for Venice, whether you're going for one day, two days, three days, or more. Venice is small. You can walk across it, from head to tail, in about an hour.
Venice is one of the most walkable cities in the world. It is one of the best ways to discover the city. I would suggest you get a map though to help you understand the layout.
The first thing you should know about Venice is that it is very small; therefore, if you are staying in the center, you won't need to take any means of transport to move around the city. It is possible to get from one end of Venice to the other by foot in just half an hour.
Also yes you can just walk all over Venice and that is a great way to discover Venice. Very sturdy comfortable shoes are a must for such long walks. The one place close by that you probably have no plans to go to and is reached by boat is Giudecca Island. You will not miss much by not going there.
While some people only visit Venice on a day trip during a visit to Italy, it is recommended to spend at least 3 to 4 days in Venice to really soak up all the beauty and excitement the city has to offer.
How Many Days Do You Need in Venice? Ideally, plan on spending two or more days in Venice. With 2 days in Venice, you have just enough time to visit the highlights of Venice and stroll the canals. It will be a busy but wonderful 2 days in Venice.
Venice was really easy to walk in, too, with no hills (though steps over bridges), but if you want to see views over cities, you will need to walk up steps, as very few have elevators.
There are no specifically unsafe neighborhoods in Venice, though the part of Cannaregio around the Santa Lucia train station is exceptionally busy during the day and somewhat sketchy by night. Watch out for pickpockets on vaporetti and also in any seriously crowded place such as the Piazza San Marco.
Considering how much there is to do in the Veneto region, 4 days is a decent amount of time to spend in Venice. Two days in the city itself, a day visiting the islands around Venice and a day to visit one of the nearby cities in the Veneto Region with a day trip to Padua, Verona, Treviso or anywhere else you fancy.
How do tourists get around in Venice?
You can traverse the canals by vaporetto or water bus/ferry (relatively affordable), water taxi (pretty pricey) or gondola (very expensive). To get from the Marco Polo Airport (VCE) to central Venice, you should take an ATVO bus (the Venice Airport Bus Express) or Alilaguna water bus.
Venice is a car-free city, but yes, it is possible to drive to Venice by car. You'll have to leave your car in one of the parking areas outside the historic city center and explore the city on foot or by boat.
The advantage to staying in Venice is being able to get out and around early, before the bulk of the tourist crowd arrives. Likewise you can stay out after they are gone. Walking the city streets when the only folks around are earlbirds like yourself and folks on their way to work is worth the extra money.
The best time to visit Venice is from September to November when tourists desert the city. Although the temperatures – which range from the upper 30s to mid-70s – necessitate some layers, the lowered hotel rates and the barren canals make it worth it.
The price for a gondola tour is 80 euros if you book it before sunset or 100 euro if you want it after and during sunset. The price isn't per person but per gondola, which means that if you're in Venice with your family, it won't be 80 or 100 euros per person but for the entire family.
No, there are many families who do not have a boat. Taking a boat is a pleasurable way to enjoy the warmer months, but is not essential to living in Venice.
In most Italian cities, public transit options are plentiful. In Venice, they're extremely limited. There are buses that only go as far as Piazzale Roma (near the train station), but otherwise you're talking about different kinds of boats.
Venice was really easy to walk in, too, with no hills (though steps over bridges), but if you want to see views over cities, you will need to walk up steps, as very few have elevators.
In Venice there are no streets, sidewalks and pedestrian crossings: the entire city has a different toponymy than the others.
The primary means of getting where you need to go in Venice are by boat or on foot. In the lagoon and along the canals, travelers have the option of several types of public and private boat options: vaporetto, alilaguna, private water taxi, gondola, and traghetto.
