Where to stay

Staying in an apartment is a great option if you’re after extra space and flexibility.

Residence Art Deco (00 33 41 277 05 58, locandaartdeco.com) provides centrally located apartments, a short walk from all of Venice’s main attractions. Each apartment has a kitchenette and dining facilities, and a much homier feel than a hotel.

For a taste of five-star luxury, Luna Hotel Baglioni (00 39 41 528 98 40, baglionihotels.com) is housed in a magnificent Venetian palazzo just off Piazza San Marco, with decadent and sumptuous rooms or suites.

Novecento Boutique Hotel (00 39 41 241 37 65) is decorated in a distinctly oriental style and, like the Baglioni, boasts a prime location: even the smallest of strides will find it easy to walk the ten minutes to Piazza San Marco or the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

The friendly staff at the traditional Hotel al Ponte Mocenigo (00 39 41 524 47 97, alpontemocenigo.com are great with children and happy to arrange tours of the islands and other sights.

Travel Information

GETTING THERE
British Airways and Easyjet fly from London Gatwick to Marco Polo Airport Venice, and Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Venice Treviso. From Marco Polo airport, an Alilaguna water bus takes you to the centre in just over an hour (alilaguna.it). From Treviso, it’s a 40-minute coach ride to the city.

GETTING AROUND
Children under six are eligible for free transport and entrance to museums and other attractions; youngsters aged 6-14 pay reduced fees Vaporetti are the most widely used mode of transport. It’s cheapest to buy a one, three or five-day pass (actv.it). There are only four bridges across the Grand Canal, so sometimes it’s best to cross it in a traghetto, which will ferry passengers over to the other side for a small fee. If using water taxis, agree a price before setting off. Many of Murano’s glass factories lay on free water taxis from the main island (you might even get a return trip if you buy something).

Where to eat

During the day, Venice’s numerous bacaros are good options for kid-friendly snacks on the go. Refuel with pizza or a selection of cicchetti – Venetian tapasstyle dishes. Another family favourite is the city’s renowned gelato.

Gelateria Alaska (00 39 41 71 52 11) in San Croce has mouth-watering, hand-made flavours. For meals, try to avoid venues with a menu turistico – generally a sign of unimaginative fare.

Hostaria Galileo (00 39 41 520 63 93) is a traditional, homely spot, serving Italian classics.

Ristorante alla Basilica (00 39 41 522 05 24, allabasilicavenezia.it) has a good-value fixed-price lunch menu; and expect well-priced pizza and pasta at the rustic Osteria Al Non Risorto (00 39 41 524 11 69).

If you go to Murano, Trattoria Busa alla Torre (00 39 41 73 96 62) serves fantastic fresh seafood (the spaghetti alle vongole is superb).

A ferry to the isle of Mazzorbo and its Michelin-starred Venissa (00 39 41 527 22 81, venissa.it) is worth the trip, especially for wine buffs: the restaurant, set among vineyards, is a wonderful fine-dining experience; it also has six rooms.

Food Glossary

Food and Travel Review

Depending on whether you’re someone whose glass is half full or half empty, when you glance out of the plane’s right-hand windows as you come in to land at Marco Polo airport you’ll either see Venice rising from the lagoon in majestic Lady of the Lake fashion – or see it sinking, like King Canute, beneath the rising tide. It’s quite surreal, but it does instantly bring home that this is a city with a difference – and the quicker you embrace the water, the more you’ll enjoy it.

Turn left out of the airport terminal and it’s a short walk to the Alilaguna water bus. You can also hire a water taxi, but as you’ll be crossing a wide stretch of empty sea it’s best to save your cash (and any upset stomachs). Spend it instead on a gondola once you’re in the city and explore the narrow canals that serve as streets. Every corner you turn here opens another page in a visual history book. Similarly, every bridge – and there are many – is an opportunity for the kids to burn off energy as they race back and forth over them, or use them as vantage points to play I spy and spot gondoliers.

You will quickly get the hang of which water bus (vaporetti) goes where. Each commute, if you can call it that, provides a bit of fun for every member of the family as craft of all shapes and sizes bustle around the main arteries and the islands. Taking the water bus must be a contender (alongside feeding the pigeons in Piazza San Marco, one of the world’s great public squares) for best-value excursion.

The fish market, just off the Rialto bridge, is a piscatorial wonder and watching the traders prepare the day’s catch then hawk it to locals and chefs is great (and free) street theatre. Just around the corner, the fruit market is a source of healthy snacks. Arrive early to see the barges unloading (it’s closed on Sunday and Monday).

If the kids crave sandcastles and beaches (there are none in Venice) then a five-minute vaporetti ride to Venice Lido gives you access to an 11km-long sandbar and a haven from the bustle of the city.

DON’T MISS

No visit would be complete without a tour of the awe-inspiring Piazza San Marco. Queues for its majestic Basilica can be long, so pre-book with Veneto Inside (venetoinside.com). An elevator ride to the top of the St Mark’s Campanile gives you a great perspective of the city. Around the corner is the Doge’s Palace. Discover its hidden treasures with a Secret Itineraries guided tour (palazzoducale.visitmuve.it) that delves into areas usually closed to visitors. For modern art lovers, a trip to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (00 39 41 240 54 11, guggenheimvenice.it) is a must. It runs a ‘kids’ day’ every Sunday that introduces children to Picasso and Pollock in a fun way. Families who want a guided tour will enjoy Context’s ‘Lion Hunt’ (contexttravel.com/city/venice), which tracks down the city’s many lion figures. When you’re ready to put your feet up, take to the water. Gondola rides (a flat fee of £68 for an hour, seating six) are the classic way to soak up Venice’s atmosphere. You can swim from the beach at Lido or explore this sandbar on bikes (venicebikerental.com). Visit Murano to see its famous glass being blown, or take the ferry to the colourful houses of Burano, famed for its hand-made lace.