Venice in November

I love Venice in winter, although my love skews toward mid-December due to the holiday atmosphere.

SInce you are from Texas, you'll probably find it chilly, so you need to layer up. A down jacket would not go amiss. It will rain, in all likelihood, but not all of the time. There will be fog some mornings; very atmospheric. There will (likely) also be sun. You might get to experience Acqua Alta. Lodging will be at off-season rates and the cruise ship hordes will be history.

You can easily visit Padova, Vicenza, and Verona by train. Or go off the beaten and try Bassano del Grappa by bus. And don't miss Murano, Burano, and Torcello, the Laguna islands, on a sunny day.

They do have trains to Bassano del Grappa.

Hi. A bunch of years ago now, I took the Venice in 7 Days tour with RS over Thanksgiving week. I loved it! But, I was ill prepared re wardrobe. It rained; it was damp; it even snowed. I know better now. Layers - silk long underwear- smartwool socks.

Of course, a huge benefit of going in November is the reduction in tourists - at least I hope that is still the case.

I visited Bolzano after the tour. The Christmas market had begun, and I had never been in that region before. I took a small lift up to Oberbozen where it was bright and sunny and snowy. Magical.

I hope to return to Venice in November sometime. Enjoy your trip.

I was in Venice that time of November a few years ago and experienced cool dry weather; no rain that I recall and definitely no snow. It was less crowded and hotel prices were much lower than in high season. I thought it was great time of year to visit Venice. Nothing to add to Laurel's day trip suggestions.

Venice in November ...perfect. I was there in the first two weeks. Really delightful ...need some warm clothing

You are right, Sam, of course. I knew there were trains. Sorry!

It's been quite a few years since we were in Venice in late November. It was chilly and rainy. Be sure to take warm gloves and a
warm scarf. If you like hats, find one that would work and take that too. And oh yes, an umbrella.

I love Venice in winter. That being said, November of 2013, we were eating outside in t-shirts and got a little sun burnt! I'd say book your trip and then watch the weather just before you go for your final packing. We've been to Venice in April, May, October, November, and January - and getting ready for 4 days in September - it is one of our very favorite places. I agree with the comment suggesting the outer islands, I'll bet Torcello is magical in November.

I'd second Bassano del Grappa as the perfect little quaint town. Vicenza could probably qualify as a big town/small city (the historic center is compact and beautiful) but Verona and Padova are bigger cities.

Thank you. This was all very helpful! Is a car needed or just use the trains/Bus? Jim

Car? Venice? No cars in Venice, none. No scooters, no bikes. Just boats.

I like Verona a lot. I wouldn't describe it as quaint but the historic center is a pedestrian Zone and very lovely. Padua has some interesting sights, but no pedestrian zone, just busy streets with trams and buses. Maybe Vicenza? (I haven't been but others recommend it.)

You'd probably enjoy spending a few hours in Burano, maybe also the islands of Torcello and Murano, all accessible by boat.

We loved Venice in November last year. We were there for just 2 nights. It rained on one day and we got to experience a minor Aqua Alta in St Mark's Square. The crowds were minimal and it was a pleasure walking around. The second day started out cloudy but ended up being sunny and wonderful. We visited Burano and its colourful houses lined canals are beautiful. Since you are there for a prolonged period you are sure to get all types of weather. But Venice is just as beautiful in every weather.
After reading about the heat and crowds of July August , I feel that we visited Venice at the perfect time and if we ever go back it will be either April- May or November.
Have a great trip

Is a car needed or just use the trains/Bus?

Don't waste our resources on a car. Easy to go to any of the mentioned towns by train. The Rick Steves Italy Guidebook will tell you all you need to know for Padova, Verona, the Laguna Islands.

I looked into hotel Fontana. It's in the guidebook. Any other suggestions for hotels?

The Festival of the Salute happens on 21st November each year. A temporary bridge is erected across the Grand Canal, and the whole festival is a lot of fun.

Very few tourists do a 7-night stay in Venice. Most tourists do a one or two night stay, if that. Not easy to get a good sense of the weather or Acqua Alta from a short visit.

Most tourists avoid November because of Acqua Alta. Many Venetians dread the month of November. I can think of many benefits to visiting Venice in November, but it would be prudent to research Acqua Alta and how to prepare for it before settling on a November visit.

Certainly acqua alta can be a problem from late October throught end February, but I would not see it as a deal breaker. If you search the app store for “water Venice floor” (iphone app, not sure if there is an Android version), you get a three day prediction of the tide level. Flooding in Venice is tidal, influenced also by heavy rain in the Veneto, low atmospheric pressure and southerly winds in the Adriatic.
If acqua alta is likely, you can buy plastic overboots, around ten euro a pair, prices seemingly rise with the water level and client desperation.

Venice has been surveyed to a contour interval of onecentimetre, and the map is here:

http://smu.insula.it/index.php@option=com_content&view=article&id=114&Itemid=81.html

It indicates that the Piazza will see serious water at a tide level of about 78cm, so that’s maybe not a good time to take coffee at Quadris, and a day trip to Padua, Bassano del Grappa, Treviso or Vicenza might be a better use of your time.

Without exploring the contour map too much, my gut feel is that Dorsoduro, Santa Croce and San Polo are a bit, only a few centimetres, higher that Cannaregio, San Marco and Castello. However those few centimetres can make all the difference.

You should consider the impact of acqua alta when you are planning your departure, as you won’t want to be wading through water, luggage aloft. We left a couple of hours early one time to avoid just that.

I arrived in Venice (by train) in during acqua alta. I was able to get to a piazza in the Dorsoduro that was maybe 200-300 meters from my hotel but because of the flooding, I couldn't get farther because I had my wheelie suitcase with me. I just waited it out at a cafe. Typically the flooding lasts for 3-4 hours till the tide goes out. On one hand, it was a little inconvenient, but on the other hand, I got to see how the city and its residents cope with this not infrequent phenomenon.

While Venice is very pretty in sunlight, it is magical in the early morning mists.