When is the best time to visit Venice? (Hint: it's not summer)
With 150 canals connected by almost 400 bridges, Venice is one of the most extraordinary places on earth.
But big crowds, summer heat, wintertime aqua alta, when the streets are flooded, and many other factors can make your trip to Venice a living hell.
So when is the best time to visit Venice to enjoy its beauty to the fullest and without hurting your wallet too much? Read further!
1. Travel in spring and fall when crowds are gone and weather is nice
The best time to visit Venice is between April and June in the Spring and September and October in the fall when the weather is cooler but still pleasant to walk outside and the herds of tourists are gone.
However, Venice is a popular destination year-round, and there can be a lot of tourists visiting practically at any given day.
2. Don’t travel to Venice during special events (and there are many!)
Venice is known to hold special events such as the Carnival in winter, or the Venice International Film Festival in late summer. So if you are not planning to be there for these events, make sure to check that you are not traveling on those dates since your accommodation will likely cost more.
Here are some of the most famous Venice events (check the links to see exact dates):
The Venetian Carnival takes place every year 40 days before Easter. Venetian Carnival has a long tradition and is probably one the world’s most extravagant masquerades: Link
The Biennale is a prominent international art exhibition organized once every two years held over the course of several months. In addition to the Biennale of Art, Venice hosts the Biennale of Architecture, and other similar events: Link
The Venice International Film Festival is one of the most recognized film festivals in the world, attracting celebrities from all around the globe: Link
But there are many other events in Venice, so it’s worth Googling if there is something major going on there at the time when you plan to visit.
3. About aqua alta
Unfortunately, Venice is sometimes flooded, in fact, it happens so often that the phenomenon has its own name: aqua alta, or high water in English. The risk of aqua alta gets higher in winter.
In fact, aqua alta is such a common phenomenon that the Venetians invented a special app called Hi!tide Venice that tells you how high the water is in real-time. You can download it here:
4. What’s the weather like in Venice?
Venice has a Mediterranean climate with four seasons and the temperatures range from 32 °F (0 °C) in winter to 95 °F (35 °C) in summer. However, due to the nearby sea, the temperatures are usually not too low even in the winter. The air is usually humid year-round. Rain is difficult to predict, and the weather can change within a few hours.
Spring offers moderate temperatures with lows in the 40s and highs in the 70s (4-21 °C).
Summers are hot and humid, ranging from the 60s to 90s (17-32 °C).
Weather in the fall is again more pleasant with temperatures ranging between the 40s and low 70s (4-21 °C).
The winter months are not extremely cold, usually between 30s and low 50s (-1-10 °C).
So make sure to check the weather forecast even when you’re in Venice.
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