Hi there! I am thinking of taking my two kids ages 10 and 13 to carnival in 2014. Has anyone out there done this? Is it fun and safe for kids? Any events that are must see or do? Any suggestions of where to stay? Thanks for your help!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16235 posts
I've been to Venice at Carnival countless times when I was living there. I had no kids with me, but I saw many kids of all ages with their parents, all of them duly dressed up in their cute costumes. It is fun and it is very safe. But it is very crowded everywhere. There are events and festivities taking place in many Campi (squares) where they set up stages with music, concerts, dancing etc. There is a very busy calendar of events. This is the official site where a lot of info is reported every year. www.carnevale.venezia.it/ You need to make reservations for hotels way ahead of time. I would usually make the reservations around October or November. Some years I tried just days ahead, but accommodations were difficult to find. One year I ended up at a pensione at the Lido that had no heating (it was a summer place). It was snowing that year and I froze my tail off.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
I have also been to Carnavale and while I did not have kids with me and do not remember seeing tons of children there I think it would be a great experience. It can be cold, and yes, it is crowded near the main tourist areas, but a few blocks off the main drag and it can be quiet and empty. To make it fun you definitely need costumes. I took my clothes, but bought a beautiful mask there. It's also great fun to go to a Ball. We went to the cheapest one we could find and it was a Hot Chocolate Ball. Despite thinking we were going to get a cup of hot chocolate for about $100, it was lovely. In an incredible 'villa' we had a beautiful concert, cookies to dip in a hot chocolate fountain, wine, and other snacks. It was so much fun. We also took a day and went on the boat to Burano, and it was sunny and beautiful that day. From there we went to a spa town in Tirol which was also great. I am a photographer so every morning we were up at dawn as the Venetians were all over in full costume. I thought I would never need to go again but it has now been a few years and I am thinking of going again. It's a whole different Venice.
Posted by
Cesena, Italy
791 posts
We did it in 2012 with our kids, 10&16, and they enjoyed it. We didn'tgo all out with full costumes but only masks but we had a good time. Drawback was that it was the coldest weekend of the coldest year in decades that year and we froze our butts off. Made for less crowds also.