Venice is incredibly crowded, but for obvious reasons!  There’s no where on earth quite like it.  But heat, crowds, and lines during popular tourist seasons can take away from the whole experience of Venice.  The quite corners, winding canals, and hanging laundry is not as magical when you’re fighting the mosh pit to see it.  

We’ve visited Venice twice in July.  The second time was with our children ages 5, 8, and 10.  We really debated skipping the three days there and headed over to Istria because of the hordes of tourists we knew would be there.  But we are so glad we didn’t skip it!  It ended up being our 5 year old’s favorite part of our month long trip.  He was in tears on the water taxi back to the car because he didn’t want to leave.  

We focused on making it as authentic as we could.  In a place that doesn’t feel real, this is not an easy task.  And of course there are some must sees for any first time visitors, so we found the key was mixing in less popular activities to give our selves a more authentic, relaxing, and money saving experience in one of the most popular cities in the world.

Here are 6 easy ways to make your time in Venice authentic.

1.  Skip the private transfer (water taxi)  from the mainland and navigate the vaporetto public boat transfer system.  There are several lines and its fun to navigate with the family because it is such a unique system!  Think the city metro, but by boat!  (tickets can be purchase by single ride, day, or multiday passes.

2.   Walk the canals to find small cafes with locals or grocery shops.  Venice is full of tourist trap restaurants.  And when on a family vacation, sometimes, sitting at a fine dining meal isn’t really an option.  One of our favorite meals was a little pizza by the slice shop way off the main square where people sat at a counter and had a drink.  We also had great fun grabbing simple pre-prepared items for the grocery story and having a picnic by the water.

3. Take a vaporetto to the colorful island of Burano.  Like Murano, it is often a stop for people staying more than one day, but Burano’s beautiful colored houses is a must see from the water and the canals.  On our first trip to the island, we went at night when the tourist shops had closed.  We stumbled upon a local festival where we spent hours listening to music, eating street food, and playing games.  

4. Wander the canals at night.  This is an obvious one but with kids, bedtime may get in the way.  We forgot bedtime the nights we were there and wandered along the back canals and get lost multiple times.  It’s so much quieter away from the main squares and sights.  A highlight was hearing people dining from their homes or rentals-the sound of conversation and silverware.  It’s a must do in Venice.

5. Pick an Airbnb off of St. Mark’s square.  Though its a first choice for where to stay, it is SO busy and crowded.  We stayed on a canal in a great Airbnb two bridges down and it was much more authentic and quite.  We felt we got the best of both worlds by staying there.

6. Take a walk all the way down to the Castello nieghborhood.  There are waterside parks, playgrounds, and cafes.  This is where most of the locals live and it gets you away from the crowded areas, while still enjoying the views of Venice!

We are so glad we spent 3 days of our trip in Venice.  These things helped to make it feel more authentic and less crowded and overwhelming with kids.  We mixed in one sight to see each day and it ended up being a high light of our trip.

DM me with any questions about Venice with kids Instagram: @Beyondtheusualtrail 

Be sure to follow along for more authentic travel tips. 

Get Out There,

Meghan