ONE WEEKEND IN VENICE WITH KIDS

After leaving Verona, we drove about two hours east to Venice! Gregg and I traveled from Florence to Venice for a day trip about 15 years ago. Because we were only there for a short time, we didn’t remember it as being a great experience. This time, we were better prepared and very excited to check it out again and give it another shot. So, what did we do in Venice? Well, keep reading below to see what we did with our one weekend in Venice with kids!

Parking and Transportation

We drove to Venice on a Saturday and unfortunately, ran into some traffic. You are not able to park in Venice due to the canals, obviously, so we parked in the Tronchetto parking area. There are two options for parking: Garage San Marco (32 Euros per day) or Tronchetto (21 Euros per day). From Tronchetto, we walked to Piazzale Roma (or you can take a bus) and then hopped on a Vaporetto, or water bus.

If you are planning on being on the canals or visiting the other islands at all, I highly recommend getting a tourist travel card, which covers the Vaporetti and buses. It costs about 30 Euros per person (including kids) for a two-day pass, and we definitely got our money’s worth! If you choose to pay for each ride, it costs 7.50 Euros per ride.

Day One in Venice!

Once we were settled in our Airbnb, which was incredible, we headed out to check out a free walking tour with Touring Different. So, you may now be thinking… You took your kids on a walking tour? Well, yes, and they did great and learned a lot! We walked a short bit to different areas throughout the tour. If they were tired, they would sit down and listen while our tour guide was talking to us. One woman on the tour had an adorable dog that the girls fell in love with, and her and her dog were just so sweet, so that was a big help as well.

After our amazing tour, we then headed toward a gondola spot in order to take one of the infamous rides throughout the canals! While we were in Las Vegas, the girls experienced a gondola ride at the Venetian, and they loved it, so we were super excited to take them on the real experience! It is a flat rate all over the city of 80 Euros for 30 minutes during the day and 100 Euros for 35 minutes between 7PM and 8AM.

Our gondolier was great and very informative. He let us know that all of the gondolas are run by one company in Venice, and there are over 400 licensed gondoliers and gondolas. He also mentioned that it takes about two years to become a licensed gondolier. It was so amazing to watch our gondolier navigate through the tiny canals with an eleven-meter-long boat. I have heard many people say that the gondola ride is an overrated experience, but we all found it extremely worth it and really fun.

Day Two in Venice!

After a wonderful first night, we could not wait to get up and check out some of the other islands. We chose to first go to Murano and then Burano. We hopped on the Vaporetto for a short twenty-minute boat trip to Murano. Murano is known for its glass-making, and it did not disappoint.

We booked a slot at Ellegi Glass for 5 Euros each, which you can use for shopping afterwards. The glass-making demonstration was amazing to see! We visited on a Sunday so the kiln was closed. Unfortunately, the beautiful glass horse and vase that were made for our group cracked due to not cooling in the kiln. The girls thoroughly enjoyed shopping at the store afterwards, as well as window shopping on the island. I could have spent an entire day looking at all of the beautiful glass pieces.

Once we were done in Murano, we jumped on the next Vaporetto to Burano, which took twenty-five minutes. Burano is famous for its fish dishes, lace, and colorful houses. The girls and I completed a 500-piece puzzle of Burano last year for our unit on Italy, and I have wanted to visit this beautiful island since then.

So, why are the houses all painted in bright colors? Well, Burano has always been a fishing village, and it is believed that the houses were painted with bright colors so that the fisherman could see their way home in the fog! Ahhh, that makes sense! So, why are they famous for lace then too? The wives of the fisherman started lacemaking back in the 16th century to supplement their husbands’ fisherman income. I have always been a fan of lace, and the lace in Burano is very intricate and extremely beautiful.

I think it is safe to say that we were all exhausted after visiting these two amazing islands so we boarded the Vaporetto and headed back 45 minutes to Venice. The Vaporetto was packed so make sure to get in line early that you can grab a seat once you board!

We were so thankful that the border between Switzerland and Italy finally opened up. The trip was absolutely amazing, and I think all of us wished we could have stayed longer! To see more of our weekend in Venice, make sure to check out the Youtube video below!

Would you like to visit Venice? Thank you so much for wandering along with us!