Venice day one Piazza San Marco – copyright Stephany Wiestling, all rights reserved.
Piazza San Marco (or St Mark’s Square) – The world-famous pigeons are everywhere and seem to think that the chimes of St. Mark’s Cathedral signal feeding time. Be mindful of food you intend to eat, as the birds will try to steal it. Not a great place for a picnic! However, the piazza is beautiful and full of life – tourists, shopkeepers, musicians, street performers, and of course, the birds. You almost can’t leave Venice without a pigeon photo.
One of the best things to do in Venice with kids is to visit Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square). Toddlers and young children will have fun chasing the birds in the square. Don’t forget to save some bread from dinner to feed the birds with! — Family-Travel-Scoop
Gondola Ride in Venice – To Europe With Kids.com
Gondola ride – One of the nice things about taking a gondola ride is that it’s like a moving history lesson on the city of Venice. The gondoliers (many of whom are 3rd generation or more) tell you all about Marco Polo and how the islands used to not have bridges connecting them, and how deep the canals are, and how high the water comes at high tide, and more, all while effortlessly gliding across the water surrounded by beautiful and ancient buildings. Of course, you can save a little money and skip the history lesson by taking a water taxi. Kids are enthralled with the fact that the streets are filled with water and everyone travels by boat… even the mailman.
Would you go to Paris and not visit the Eiffel Tower? Would you go to London and not hear Big Ben, or to Rome and not tour the Colosseum? Nor should you go to Venice and not ride on a gondola. YES, gondola rides are unreasonably expensive and every gondolier will quote you a different price, but with a little time, knowledge, and negotiating skill you can take your family on that boat ride and enjoy it without feeling like you’ve been had with every stroke of the oar. — To Europe With Kids
Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido
Lido beach – The main city of Venice doesn’t have any beaches. Each block (or cluster of blocks) is it’s own island built out to the very shore. To get an actual beach with actual sand, you must take a ferry to Lido. Just a short ferry ride from the city of Venice, staying on Lido will let you sneak in a family beach vacation too!
Unless there’s a storm, Lido rarely sees breaking waves, and the water is so shallow you have to walk out at least 100 ft before you can swim. It makes these beaches ideal for toddlers and young children, who can safely play in the water and hunt for the few surviving crabs… — NY Times
Gelato for the Jolie-Pitt clan – photo courtesy PopSugar.com
Gelato – Italian ice cream. Need I say more? Seriously, if you haven’t had gelato, it’s the best ice cream you’ve ever had. (ok, so it’s not technically ice cream but that’s another topic) There are so many cute little gelato shops around random corners, and they all offer a delicious break from sight-seeing. Plan your trip in summer to really appreciate this treat, but any time of year is worth it. Speaking of summer, one thing worth mentioning, is to choose your dates carefully because of flooding. We went in August when many things are closed, which meant less tourists, but great weather… and no flooding. I don’t worry too much about crowds honestly, as typically that’s part of going to any city at any time of year.
The fall is a lovely time to visit Venice, but it is also when the acqua alta (flooding, or literally “high water”) is more likely to occur. October through January is the typical high water season, though flooding can occur at any time during the year. — About.com Italy Travel
Rialta Bride Venice Italy – copyright Stephany Wiestling, all rights reserved.
Rialta bridge – there are literally hundreds of bridges, but the Rialta Bridge is a showplace. It’s also near lots of shops and cafes and the wonderful Rialta Fish Market:
If your kid is adventurous, take a spin around the Rialto Fish Market, where they can see squid, shrimp, lobster, crabs, sword fish and other interesting specimens of sea life up close and personally. — Charming Italy
Venice with kids – photo credit: DesignMom.com
There is really so much to see and do there, I could go on for days, but DesignMom sums it up best in her post: “We Took 6 Kids to Venice and Nobody Fell in a Canal”
…really, just show up and walk around and take photos. Walk until you’re hungry. Then eat. Then repeat. That’s all it takes to have a grand time in Venice. — Designmom
Leave a Reply