Venice crowds

Posted by nlatour413 on 05/01/24 03:52 PM

I have another post, but doesn't cover this. We are coming to Europe in June and looking at maybe changing the back end of our trip from Wengen, Switzerland and heading to Venice instead June 14-17 (Fri-Mon) from Munich. My spouse has pretty bad anxiety with big crowds, but she also wants to see Venice. From the research I've been able to do, it seems like if we avoid St. Mark's basilica at peak times, the crowds shouldn't be too bad. We could check out the busy places early in the morning or at night and then during the day wander, take a vaporetto or go visit Murano and/or Burano and it shouldn't be too bad. Would that plan allow us to avoid too big of crowds?

Thanks in advance to everyone, these forums have been a great help to me on planning our trip!

Posted by shoeflyer

Chicago

05/01/24 03:58 PM

662 posts

I'm not a Venice expert, but my experience last fall lines up with what you say. In fact,
allocating time to just wander around and get lost for a while is a great way to explore.

Get tickets for the big attractions ahead of time, and if you want peace of mind, get
an unlimited vaporetto pass for the time you're there.

Posted by TC

Atlanta

05/01/24 04:08 PM

5237 posts

...if we avoid St. Mark's basilica at peak times...could check out the busy places early in the morning or at night...during the day wander...visit Murano and/or Burano...

Good plan. Avoid St. Mark's and the Rialto Bridge area during most of the day. Getting an early start will allow you to see those places without the mob scenes. During the day just walk in a direction that seems to have fewer people. Soon you'll find yourself in an off the beaten path area that will show you the real Venice. Murano and Burano are not as crowded, but can become somewhat busy during the middle of the day. Get a really early start and you'll avoid the crowds. You can have lunch on one of them and still be back in Venice by 2 or 3 p.m. Oh, almost forgot. Do visit St. Mark's at night and listen to the music and perhaps have a sit down drink at one of the places. A bit pricey, but a wonderful experience.

Posted by Barbara

Arcadia, CA

05/01/24 04:09 PM

592 posts

I was in Venice last October and I have to say the crowds were everywhere, not just in St. Mark's Square. Also, remember, that the transportation is mostly by vaporetto, and they were jam-packed with people. If you can afford a private boat transport, that might help. Munich is going to be really crowded too. So if you want some quiet, nature, and fewer people, I'd pick the Wengen choice.

Posted by Lola

Seattle, WA

05/01/24 04:27 PM

17563 posts

I agree with Barbara. It will be crowded everywhere except the really out-of-the way areas. And the vaporetto in particular will be packed—-in the morning it will be people going to work and kids going to school, or tourists heading to the airport.

We love Venice. We spent a full month in the city 10 years ago, in October when the crowds were down, but even then some of the streets were mobbed, particularly with tour groups following guides. We learned then how to avoid the busy areas, but when we were there last September with our grandkids, we found the crowds had metastasized to areas where we normally would not encounter them.

I see from your other post that you are flying home from Zurich, so would need to get back there from Venice. The Venice airport was a zoo the last time we flew from there, in 2022. The cruise ship crowds filled up the limited space, and the lines for check-in and security were very long. Once we got to the departure area there was no place to sit (the few seats all taken) and little room to stand at a reasonable distance away from others. We swore off Venice airport (VCE) for good that trip.

On the other hand, we visited Venice for a week last March (2023) and it was great. (We arrived and departed by train). Nice weather, much lower crowd factor. If your wife suffers from crowd anxiety, I suggest you give her a chance to actually enjoy Venice and come back sometime in the off-season (I recommend March or early April, or later in October.)