Visiting Venice with kids is great! Here find all you need to know to plan the perfect family trip to Venice. Practical tips for visiting Venice with a baby or toddler, best things to do in Venice with family!
Visiting Venice with kids
Venice is magical for a child, with its streets made of water and its homes emerging right from the canals
There are many child-friendly things to do in Venice such as learning to blow glass in Murano or taking a ride in a real gondola. Venice has an incredible carnival and masks that are great fun for kids to see ( but it is more expensive!).
Venice is on water and is car free, there are many areas where the kids can roam freely and run!
What to do in Venice with kids
What to do in Venice with kids? Run after the pigeons in Piazza San Marco! The one thing all children remember about Venice are the pigeons in Piazza San Marco.
St Mark’s Basilica – if you have very small kids, get them to find and notice all the amazing animals sculpted and depicted around the cathedral, there are quite a few! Climb the top tower, suitable for kids 6 and up. Visit Doge’s Palace and spot the lions, symbol of Venice!
Visit Libreria dell’Acqua Alta, a magical place children but also adults are likely to adore in Venice. This is a magical bookshop with books old and new gathered into any container you can imagine, including bath tubs and gondolas!
Visit Peggy Guggenheim Museum, one of the most family-friendly museums in Venice! The museum has free art workshops for kids on Sundays (age 4 to 10), discounts for families and wonderful tactile tours too. You can read more about the kids’ programs at the Peggy Guggenheim here.
Taking a gondola is usually high on the list of children visiting Venice and can indeed be fun, especially if they are old enough to appreciate the stories told by the gondoliers. If gondolas are a hit with your kids, then you can go see a ‘squero’, the place where gondolas are made.
Tell them the story of the Ponte de’ Sospiri. The bridge is suspended high above a canal and connect the Doge’s Palace to the Prison. It was the bridge prisoners had to walk before their judgment and the one they had to walk back when condemned.
Children’s parks in Venice
During your visit at Venice with kids plan a playground break, getting a break from the crowds is more important than ever!
Good parks / playgrounds in Venice are:
- Parco Savorgnan – Cannaregio
- Giardino Papadopoli – Santa Croce
- Giardini Napoleonici- Castello
- Pineta di Sant’Elena – Castello
When visit Venice with kids?
Venice is wonderful any time of the year!
The summer: the summer is my favorite time to visit Venice! In summer you can take the children for a boat ride to the islands of the lagoon or go to the sea on the nearby beaches.
The fall: this is a good time also to avoid crowds. Depending on when exactly you go, rain and colder temperatures are possible but it is still a good time for sightseeing.
The winter: In Venice the time in winter is rather cold and humid, as you can imagine, and does not allow for a lot of time in the park or playing outside. But in winter you can visit the funny and historical carnival.
The spring is perfect time to visit Venice in terms of weather. During the spring you can visit the city without excessive heat and children can play in the playgarden.
Personally, I do not recommend visiting Venice with kids during the carnival due to the crowds and spike in the cost of accommodation.
