From a gondola ride to a museum visit and dinosaurs!: here are the must-see attractions on a day-trip to Venice with kids.
Venice in a day with children: impossible? Not at all! Even just one day in the lagoon city will be a truly unforgettable experience for young and old alike.
Of course, you must plan for contingencies and plan your itinerary thoroughly. To help you organize your family day in Venice, we have selected six must-see stops in the city: from monuments and museums to vaporetto rides, the kids will have a great time, and you too can appreciate the wonders of La Serenissima once again. Even if you’ve been there before: Venice is always a thrill!
© Franco Celant via Flickr
In Venice with children – gondolas and masks
Venice immediately impresses children with its unique features: it’s not every day you see a city on the water, with canals instead of streets! For this very reason, one of the first things to do when you arrive is an enchanting gondola (or vaporetto) ride. Little ones will be able to see the buildings and bridges from the water.
Once off the boat, sticking with the traditional attractions, another must is a trip to one of Venice’s best mask shops – it’s guaranteed: the kids will be enchanted indeed!
© Atelier Marega
The exciting climb to the Clock Tower
When you arrive in St. Mark’s Square, the heart of the city, in addition to admiring the wonderful Basilica and Doge’s Palace, we recommend climbing to the top of the Clock Tower (of course, if your children are not too young). From inside the building, you can admire the workings of the large astronomical clock with its gears, and then tackle the narrow stairs that climb to the top.
There are many steps (which is why children must be over six years of age), but the climb is an adventure itself, and once you reach the top, the view of the city is priceless!
Discovering dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum
As you already know from our guide to Italy’s best science and interactive museums, knowledge and education can be a lot of fun for children. That’s the scenario at Venice’s Museum of Natural History, where children can get a close-up look at some wonders including a dinosaur skeleton over seven meters long, the skull of a giant crocodile, a collection of butterflies and many exiting fossils.
The museum’s exhibits and multimedia itineraries make the laws of nature interactive and practical… wonderfully child-friendly!
© Venice Museum of Natural History
Kids, off we go to the Peggy Guggenheim!
Venice with Children also means a visit to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, which on Sundays organizes Kids Day, free workshops aimed at children between four and ten years of age who can discover and experience the beauties of modern art: while they have fun, you can appreciate the masterpieces of Picasso, Dalí, Magritte and many others.
© David Norfolk via Flickr
The Girotondo… a walking tour of the churches
Another intriguing option is the Girotondo tra le chiese, an educational-cultural route organized by the Artemisia association, which takes children to discover the sacred places of Venice, from the Temple of the Most Holy Redeemer to Santa Maria dei Miracoli.
And last but not least… a Vaporetto trip to Murano!
Finally, after visiting the center, we suggest you take a vaporetto and take the kids to Murano to learn about glassmaking in one of the island’s many traditional workshops. They are sure to be amazed as they watch a glowing, almost liquid “ball” turn into a transparent, precious vase!
And if you want to see more, discover the ten best things to see in Venice in two days!
To Venice with Italo
The charm of Venice enchants everyone, young and old. To make your short trip even more unforgettable, we give you one last tip: leave by train, taking advantage of one of the many connections to Venice that Italo offers from all parts of Italy (for example, did you know that the train trip from Milan to Venice takes only 2.25 hours?). Arriving at Santa Lucia Station, your children will experience the thrill of seeing the train “glide” over the water!
