Venice in May

Nowadays, I think the busy season in Venice runs from January 1 to December 31.

Overall, famous European tourist destinations are a lot more crowded than they were 20 or even 10 years ago. If you go in August it'll be even more crazy crowded, but I think you'll find plenty of tourists in Venice every day of the year.

I've gone to Italy last two years my birthday in May the 2nd week. I have found that it is still busy in the touristy places like Venice and Verona that time of year. But on my day trip to Venice I did not have any advance tickets, but found that the lines to enter the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, climb the St Marks Campanile and enter the Cathedral not long at all. Kids all over the world are all still in school the first weeks of May. So there is still less people. I was in the touristy area of the Amalfi Coast last year May and it was crowded but not in the smaller towns like St Agnello where we stayed still on the coast.

We were in Venice in early May of 2018. I can attest to the crowds!! Cruise ships frequent Venice, and the tourist areas become shoulder to shoulder by 10 am. Complicating matters was the May 1 holiday that encompasses all of Europe. We learned that Venice is also a tourist destination for Europeans! (A young couple from Austria told us this as we dined next to them.) It was so bad that some places were restricted due to horrendous crowds! We escaped by staying in a hotel on the San Stae vaporetto stop and dining in that quiet area. I agree that Venice is a tourist destination just about all the time, but particularly Spring, Summer and Fall!

Same - we were last in Venice in May '17. Expect the vaporettos to be packed and the main walkways as well. I think the only off-season now in Venice is perhaps mid-November to mid-January. While lines to the sites in St. Mark's were not long there is a large crowd daily in the square. I think a stay in Venice would actually improve your trip since you will be able to wander in the early morning and later evening hours when the crush is lessened. We last stayed in a more residential area and found it to be delightful. I'd suggest looking in the Campo San Polo area.

Have a great trip!

Actually, since you've been there before I suggest you not go back this trip - keep your memories of it the way it was. I've been several times (once in March, the rest in summer - March was noticeably less crowded) but the only time I didn't really love it was the time I went as a day trip from Padua. I went several times before 2008 and then not again until 2015 and there was a really significant increase in crowds.

The other places you mention are all wonderful plus there are lots more near each of them. I'd spend your time there. If you had never been to Venice it would be different - I do think everyone should see it once. But if you do decide you want to go either spend the night or plan your day trip to include either as early in the day as possible, or staying till evening. Padua is so close that doing so is possible, trains runs all day and into evening.

Oh boy. We're going to be in Venice the beginning of May for a couple of days at the start of our Italian visit. We booked a small group tour for Friday morning (first full day there) to get our bearings straight, but have not booked any of our museum time yet.

Sounds like it should be busy time.

I was in Venice toward the end of May last year. There were plenty of people but I didn’t think of it as crowded

We spent several nights in Padua in 2008. We had been to Venice, twice in fact, so a day trip was fine for us. From Padua we also took day trips by train to Verona and Vicenza. Trains ran all day and travel time was about an hour, so easy to do. We liked staying at the hotel Al Cason. Convenient to train station and easy into town, nice family, restaurant. We visited Padua off and on in between and had a nice time. A highlight was the Scrovegni Chapel. Safe travels.

" I am thinking it might make sense to just do a day trip from Padua for old times sake, to see Venice again without having to deal with the hassle."

I think this would actually give you the hassle you are seeking to avoid. You'll not only be in Venice during the most crowded time, but you'll be going "with traffic" - from the train station to the center in the morning, and back to the station in the afternoon.

If you do want to go back to Venice, stay there at least one or two nights. Stay in a less visited sestiere, like Dorsoduro or San Polo. This way, you get to walk around areas the tourists aren't mobbing, and get to see the crowded areas before and after the crowds.

I was there in 2010, and found Rick's advice to be 100% accurate:

"While 80 percent of Venice is, in fact, not touristy, 80 percent of the tourists never notice. Hit the back streets."

If you go to Piazza San Marco, the Rialto, the train station, and the most direct pedestrian routes connecting these, you'll find the vast majority of the tourists. If you go elsewhere, you won't. The Ghetto, Dorsoduro, Castello, San Polo - all will be much less crowded, even at the height of midday and even with cruise ships crowds in town.

Even better, if you go early in the morning, you will miss most of the tourists even in the places that will be mobbed a few hours later. Even if it's just one day, it's worth getting up really early, going out and sightseeing, then coming back for breakfast. An early vaporetto is also fun - they're nearly empty and most of the other passengers will be Venetians on the way to work. And I took a late vaporetto not going on the Grand Canal, and it was mostly Venetian teenagers going out for the night; I think I was the only non-local aboard.