Acqua Alta - Venice Oct 2019

Good question. For what it's worth, this is a public bulletin board and not a way to ask questions of the official RE tours. Surely they provided you with an 800 number or email address for questions like this. Good luck.

There are 'contact us' links in the blue bar at the bottom of this page.

Acqua Alta would be a unique experience. How fun! Think of the photo ops. As an aside, I have tried the email contact for RS and never got a response. Your best bet is to call them if you are concerned about this.

i'd be about 98% sure the tour will stay in Venice, perhaps with some itinerary changes, but the best way to find out is to call them -- or you could ask the question under "Rick Steves Tours" in this forum.

As others have said, you need to check with the tour office. However, an acqua alta comes and goes with the tide, and lasts for a matter of hours, not days or weeks. In most cases, the flooding affects only the lower elevations -- especially St. Mark's. I would guess that the tour would stay in Venice, although they might rearrange the schedule a bit. I missed one by a few days on one visit, but my friends who were already there and experienced it said that it didn't affect their activities very much. If an acqua alta happens while you are there, just grab some plastic boots and have a uniquely Venetian experience.

Thanks everyone. Not worried just curious.

We weren't on a Rick Steves' tour but we were in Venice last October during the Aqua Alta and it didn't stop us a bit! They put up the raised sidewalks in St. Mark's Square that you can walk on or you can buy shoe covers from vendors in the Square for 10€ that come up to your knees and you can wade right through the water (which is what we did)! One time we'd be there and it was flooded and several hours later, it was dry again. Next morning the sirens went off for the Acqua Alta again! I'm glad I can say I experienced it! I loved Venice ... Even flooded!

In October it's much more likely Venice will be flooded with people than with water. It would have to be a truly epic acqua alta to be an issue. And it's hard to see how RS could change the schedule, other than alter the order of the sightseeing.

I arrived in Venice just as one was beginning and the only thing that stopped me was a huge puddle 200 meters between me and my hotel and that was only because I had a suitcase. I spent an hour in a cafe and got to the hotel after the water had subsided.

Thanks for all the info. Seems like everyone takes the high water in stride. I’ve seen pics of the walking platforms in St Marks Square. Really excited about our Oct trip to Europe.

FWIW, Piazza San Marco is what they always show when there's acqua alta because it's the lowest point in Venice, so it floods first.

I'm glad I can say I experienced it!

I was thinking the same thing when I read about it. I'll be there in early October, so I'm pretty sure I'll miss it :(