Venice - late night walking

Venice is a very safe city at almost all times of the day. We have been visiting her for many, many years and have always felt quite safe. There is not a lot of late night activity in most of the city, so you may feel on some of your trek that youare the only ones about. Having said that, you might want to bring a small flashlight with you. Most pathways are fairly well lit, but there are areas where a bit of extra illumination would be nice to have. We usually travel with one of the small LED lights you can find rather cheaply.

I've stayed in the S. Zaccaria area a couple times and it never felt dangerous, even late at night. In the first hour of my first day ever in Venice, I got lost - like walking in circles lost - trying to go from Pz San Marco to Rialto without a map. Once I got a map and a pen light I never got lost again. Venice's streets can be a little dark, hence the pen light. I recommend that you take the walk during the day, before doing it at night. There is no point doing this walk via Pz San Marco, that would go out of your way and you would just end up on the same streets that you would have used without the detour. You will love walking in Venice it is one of the best walking cities, anywhere.

Rugga Guiffa isn't too far from Piazza San Marco so depending on the address of your accommodation I'd say hoof it through the plaza. As far as safety, walking in downtown LA is more of a concern than Venice. Congratulations on getting tickets to see a performance at the La Fenica Opera house!! Stunning piece of architecture. Take the small flashlight, comfortable shoes and enjoy.

Thanks so much to everyone for your very helpful suggestions.
We now have a clearer idea of the area through which we will be walking and you have reassured us by relating your experiences. So with comfortable shoes and an LED light for the return trek, we are looking forward to our night at the opera

Not only is Venice one of the most beautiful cities on the planet, it's one of the safest. That's probably partly because there's not an easy way to make a quick getaway for a thief or mugger - no Vespas or cars. Have a great time. You're going to love Venice.

We went to Venice for my 60th, staying in the area where you're staying. One evening we attended a concert of Vivaldi music in St. Mark's Square and when we came out, we got completely lost. Ended up seeing a lot of youngsters at some kind of open air disco. We never felt threatened or unsafe, but I wish we had a map and a flashlight as others have so wisely suggested. It was quite an experience walking through the darkened city. Very atmospheric and so different from the daytime. I enjoyed it.
Have a great trip! Maggie

Una, On our first trip to Venice, my husband & I, also seniors, got lost one evening. We were walking down one small, dark street that we thought would put us back on the right path. Eventually we realized that this wasn't it, but kept going because we didn't think that we could find our way back to the starting point. After all, it's an island how far can it be? We started hearing footsteps behind us and I held his hand. Then we see that we are at a dead end and have to turn around. Now I'm worried. Turned a curve and here comes a little grandmother, with her arms full carrying baskets. Relieved, we said" buona sera" as we passed and got a big smile from her. Then we figured out that she was probably wondering where the heck we were coming from! After that we walk everywhere in Venice, and I mean everywhere. Never have we felt unsafe again. We've seen the garbage boats in the morning, and a funeral procession on boats. We got lost around the university and got big grins from the students. I agree that a small flashlight could have been helpful but not absolutely necessary. Have a great trip and be sure to get lost.
Mimi

The only time I ever felt a bit of danger (and this was a false feeling, there ended up being no danger at all) was when I walked back to my hotel from sitting along the Grand Canal with two of my other friends. We are all young women, and while walking down a darker street we saw a group of 6 or 7 people heading towards us. We didn't feel truly endangered, but to be cautious turned around and walked back to the lit area. As they ended up passing us, we saw that they were friendly, well dressed business men and women coming back from dinner or such. There was no reason to feel troubled! All in all I felt very safe in Venice, especially at night.

Walking at night in Venice is very quiet. The worst I would worry about is seeing a scurrying rat or, more likely, getting lost. Remember to get your bearings by looking behind you and noting landmarks when you walk to the vaporetto and opera. Expect things to look different at night when you're heading home. Have a great time, Venice is a truly magical place.

Night and early morning are the best times in Venice! My husband & I spent 3 night/4 days there last fall, and every day we kept getting up earlier, coming back to our hotel for a catnap during the day, and staying out later at night to get some time with just Venice. A lot of the crowds in Venice are from either tour groups that come in during the day or from the cruise ships, so to avoid the crowds, get up early and stay up late. Be sure to grab some gelato for your walk back after the opera!