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Venice with kids: a family day out

Brick Campanile with its green spire above Piazza San Marco, the basilica domes and procuratie arcades on a sunny daySt Mark's Square at dusk: lit arcades of the procuratie, the tall Campanile and the basilica domes under a blue skyGondolier in a striped shirt steering a black gondola down a narrow green canal between old houses with balconies

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
2 of 4 free; paid: St Mark's Campanile, Gondola ride
Duration
6 h 10 min · 09:30–15:39
Start and finish
St Mark's Campanile → Murano
On foot
≈ 6 min in total
Transport
1 ride, ≈ 23 min
Lunch
around 11:16
With kids
fine: short walks
Best time
Spring and autumn. Summer is hot and busy, so start early.

The plan, stop by stop

Times include walking and lunch. Drag a stop by ≡, remove it with the cross or add one nearby — the plan updates.

Venice09:30–15:39 · 4 places · 6 h 10 min

  1. St Mark's Campanile

    · 30 min · Paid

  2. 3 min on foot

  3. Piazza San Marco

    · 30 min · Free

  4. 3 min on foot

  5. Gondola ride

    · 40 min · Paid, per boat

  6. Lunch · 1 h
  7. 23 min · transport or taxi

  8. Murano

    · 3 h · Free

Go · start

Add nearby

Places near the plan — Yes puts one into the day and the times update.

What the route costs

2 of 4 are free; 2 charge entry — prices below, check them on site.

1St Mark's Campanile4730 minPaid
2Piazza San Marco5530 minFree
3Gondola ride4840 minPaid, per boat
4Murano423 hFree
Total4 h 40 min2 of 4 free

Tips for each stop

  1. 1

    St Mark's Campanile. The ≈ 98.6 m bell tower with a lift: the whole city and lagoon from above, no stairs.

  2. 2

    Piazza San Marco. Venice's main square, with the basilica, Campanile and cafés with orchestras. Free; almost empty before 9am.

  3. 3

    Gondola ride. About 30 minutes through the canals at a city-set price per boat for up to five; more in the evening.

  4. 4

    Murano. The glassmakers' island: furnaces, the Glass Museum and a 12th-century basilica. Water bus 4.1, 4.2 or 3, 10 to 20 minutes.

Who this route is for

Good for
  • Children of any age
  • A family with one day in Venice
  • Boats rather than museums
Not for
  • Long museum visits: see the 2- and 3-day routes
  • Buggies: the bridges have steps
Best time

Spring and autumn. Summer is hot and busy, so start early.

Things to do in Venice with kids

For children Venice is a fairy tale on water: everyone walks or goes by boat, and even ambulances and taxis are boats. The route keeps plenty of water and few museums. The Campanile has no stairs, as a lift takes you up to views of domes, canals and islands.

A gondola is pricey but memorable: about 30 minutes at a set price per boat for up to five. On a budget, cross the Grand Canal by traghetto, a gondola ferry for a couple of coins.

Remove any stop with the cross or drag it with ≡, add something nearby, and the timings update.

Murano: watching the glassblowers

Murano is 10 to 20 minutes by water bus. Many furnaces give demonstrations: a master takes a glowing blob of glass and, in a few minutes, shapes it into a horse or a vase. The Glass Museum has antique goblets, chandeliers and mosaics.

Venice is hard going with a buggy, as nearly every bridge has steps. A carrier or a light folding buggy is easier, and water buses take buggies between districts.

More for families

On a second day, visit colourful Burano, the Lido beaches in summer and the Grand Canal on water bus no. 1, a tour on the water. Older children enjoy the Doge's Palace with its golden halls and the walk across the Bridge of Sighs.

How to do it right

  • Take the lift up the Campanile: no stairs.
  • Try a traghetto across the Grand Canal instead of a pricey gondola.
  • Bridges have steps, so a carrier beats a buggy.
  • Italy uses the euro. Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere; carry a little cash for cafés and markets. Buy museum tickets ahead on official sites, where closing days are listed too.
  • On Murano, pick a furnace with a glassblowing demonstration.

Questions

What can kids do in Venice?

See St Mark's Square, ride the lift up the Campanile, take a gondola and watch the glassblowers on Murano.

Is Venice buggy-friendly?

Not really: almost every bridge has steps. A carrier or light folding buggy is easier.

How much is a gondola ride?

A city-set price per boat for up to five people for 30 minutes, higher in the evening.

Where can you watch glassblowing on Murano?

Many of the island's furnaces give demonstrations, and the Glass Museum is nearby.

Does Venice have a beach?

Yes, on the Lido, about 15 minutes by water bus, where people swim in summer.

Sources and fact-check

  • Prices, opening hours and time on site come from each place's page, with its own sources and check date
YesGo editorial team ·
How we checkedDays are grouped by hand by neighbourhood, so each day's places are within walking distance. The YesGo planner sets the order, walks and lunch from each place's coordinates and visit time. Prices, hours and closing days come from the place pages; where we haven't confirmed them with an official source, the place page says 'checking'.

More Venice routes

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