Best Place to Buy Toiletries in Venice

At a supermarket. There's a large Coop store near Campo Santa Maria Formosa that's probably shown on a map in Rick's guidebook. If you're staying in another area of Venice, ask your hotel staff or host where the nearest supermarket is located.

Thanks Frank!

You will most likely run across a Coop grocery store while you're walking around the city. There are quite a few.

However, if you have some special "must have" toiletry item, take at least a little bit with you. Our then 19-year-old son assumed he'd be able to easily find his hair products in Italy. It was nothing too exotic (some kind of hair paste), but we spent far too much time wandering around trying to find someplace that sold something other than hair gel (which was totally unacceptable, you know). We went into pharmacies, groceries and other stores seemingly all over Venice, doing our best to ask locals where we might try next.

Finally, someone told us there was a beauty salon nearby. Twelve turns and eight narrow streets later, we stumbled across a shop with an old-fashioned stand hair dryer sitting outside the door. With a little bad Italian, broken English and much gesturing, our son and one of the staff communicated and, at last, found something that would meet his hair-care requirements.

We took pictures of him standing outside the shop to document the Quest for Hair Product. We laugh about it now, but there was a definite edge of parental frustration as we trudged about the city. I know wandering is supposed to be part of the charm of Venice, but this was not quite what we had in mind.

We did meet several nice dogs as we queried their owners where we might find the elusive hair product.

Ciao!

"You will most likely run across a Coop grocery store while you're walking around the city. "

You must have walked different routes than I did. There are a few supermarkets in Venice, but they're small and the entrances are easy to miss, and they're overwhelmed by the shops selling glassware, masks, and other items for tourists (those are indeed unmissable).

So, I agree with the advice to look on Google Maps and/or ask specifically at your hotel. Wandering around and hoping to happen upon one is going to lead to frustration.

I like the brand L'Occitane. They are a french company with stores in the US and Europe. There are 3 in Venice. Google it. Because I use their products, I usually check their locations in towns/cities I visit. It has gotten me out of a bind many times. They do have travel sizes, too.

Debbie

Stoutfellas’ reply, above, exemplifies what I consider the drawback of the advice often promoted on this site; namely bring carry-on bags only. IMO, the corollary, “you can find anything you need when you get there,” is also misleading. Maybe you can find it, but you may eat up a lot of time looking. Or, it may cost a lot more than you anticipate. Or, it’s just not sold in Europe.

If you are wedded to “carry-on only,” my advice is to buy travel size containers of those products; or fill your own 3 oz. plastic bottles. For just 11 days you should be okay.
For neophytes, it is important to know that European retail is organized differently from American. First of all, many products we’d find in supermarkets; e.g., aspirin, other pain killers, cold remedies, etc., are available only in pharmacies, and usually in small quantities. Huge, multivariety stores, like CVS, Walgreens, and Target exist only outside historic centers. OTC drugs are very expensive. ( The trade-off is that prescription drugs are usually relatively cheap.). Finally, Sunday closings are still common.

You can purchase shampoo and conditioner at any Co-op grocery store. We had one around the corner from us at our flat and when we arrive in Venice, went there and stocked up on what we needed. Also, our college-aged girls forgot calamine lotion for their poison oak, easy to get at the pharmacy and not really more expensive than at home. Also, the great tradgey for the girls was that they could not carry on all their make-up. We made a special trip to Sephora and some of the local brands. Since we were checking our bags back, this made a great souvenir as well.

Also for me, I love going into Pharmacy’s and grocery stores in different countries. You get a different feel of a place when you to the everyday places in which people live their lives. It was a hoot in Venice when we couldn’t figure out what sparkling water was called (Frizantee).

Have a great trip,
Sandy

Thanks everyone! I'll do my homework before we go to figure out where a Coop store is in relation to our hotel as I definitely don't want to waste time searching once we are there. I do plan to bring a travel size bottle of my usual stuff but as my hair is very thick, I go thru a lot this my need to buy bigger bottles once I'm in Venice or I'd need to bring multiple travel size ones.

42 days and counting!!

If you take the bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma there is a Coop right there. There is also one near Commissario Brunetti's Questura, if you are walking out that way - just across the small canal bridge next to the park (where I got a bandage for a small cut - neat souvenir).

If you lower your sights for a large store there are lots of little ones of various sorts that help you with almost everything. After all, Venice is a city, and although the population has shrunk the remaining residents need pretty much what everyone needs.

Conad is a chain of supermarkets without numerous outlets in Venice.

While not all the hotels we stayed at had hair conditioner, all had shampoo.

You may want to fill travel size containers, at home, with conditioner and see how much you use in 11 days. I was amazed how far a sample size toothpaste tube went.

My wife’s fnavourite is l’Erbolaria in Campo San Zacharia, San Marco (or maybe it is just in Castello).
I am visiting Venice in a month. As penance for taking a solo trip to our favourite city, I shall take a shopping list for l’Erbolaria.
I expect to be two or three hundred euros poorer on my return.

Unless you are looking for something out of the ordinary, any grocery store will sell toiletries.
Pharmacies sell that stuff but are more expensive.
Don’t expect to find large supermarkets in any historical center of any city. Building zoning restrictions restrict big box stores to outside historical centers only.

Also: Italian products from supermarkets tend to be highly perfumed and not always in a good way.
I bring my own laundry soap as theirs is really chemically- whiffy- smelling.
I would take a few travel size bottles of what you need and recycle the empties as you go.
Italy is big on recycling.
I agree with Peter about the Erbolaria shops.
I always buy tons of lovely soap from there to bring home.
However, have a look round the grocery stores anyway, they are interesting in themselves!
There is one in Venice that is in an old theatre, complete with box office and proscenium arch and frescoes.
It's near the Guglie Bridge, in the next Campo along towards San Marco.
Worth a look!

Keep in mind that the 311 quart ziplock is not just for 3 products. You can put in as many 3 oz bottles as will fit and still close.

Just chiming in to thank Peter for L'Erbolario suggestion. I just looked it up and it's a 10 minute walk from our hotel. We will be here a few more days. We were actually in Campo S. Zaccaria yesterday. Grazie.

Okay, found the L'ERBOLARIO Cosmetic shop today. As others mentioned, a great find. I did some gift shopping and a few things for myself! Damage done. I saved some items for Peter's wife!

There’s a Sephora in the train station if you want higher end international brands. Grocery store if you want less expensive. Also, if you aren’t picky about the details almost all hotels and apartments have shampoo, often conditioner too. Maybe check in first and see if what’s provided is acceptable.

I also go carry on only and a 2-3oz Travel size shampoo bottle lasts over 2 weeks for me. Same for conditioner. I’d suggest making room in your liquids bag for it instead of spending time trying to buy them. Either buy travel size ones or get travel size empty bottles and fill with your preferred brand.

At CVS, you can buy travel size cheap 3oz bottles for shampoos and lotions. They don't take up much room and I've traveled for two weeks using them. It's harder to find another shampoo that you like especially in a foreign language. I know a woman who moved to France and it took her a few tries to find a shampoo that worked for her.

Just a thought. Also most hotels, except for budget ones seem to have shampoo/conditioner in every room.