If you’re travelling during the summer months, it won’t take much sightseeing and museum watching before you’re searching for the best beaches in Venice. This guide is a sure-fire way to get you there, with our list of the best beaches in the city showing a breakdown of the most kid-friendly beaches and how the beaches in Venice will enhance your romantic getaway.
Best beaches in Venice
When it comes to picking the best beach to visit in Venice, there are a few things to consider. Avoiding the main beaches means fewer people, but they’re also the main beaches for a reason. If you’re travelling with kids, there are beaches better suited to them. Regardless of your needs, Venice beaches will not disappoint.
Lido di Venezia – closest beach to Venice
If you hear people talking about Venice Beach, they’re usually talking about Lido, which is located in front of the city and connects to the mainland easily by ferries. This long, thin beach is a vast stretch of sandy shore, lined with beach clubs offering loungers and umbrellas to make your beach day even more comfortable. It’s also decorated with beautiful Art Deco architecture, where the big festivals take place. This beach is the closest to the mainland and an easy escape for a spur-of-the-moment getaway.
Caorle – best beach for the family
If you’re looking for one of the top beaches in Venice to take a family, including your little kids, Caorle is the way to go. Caorle is situated north of Jesolo, a little further away from the city centre than some of the other beaches, and offers a beautiful long stretch of beach with pristine sandy shores and clean, clear water. It’s separated into two parts, Spiaggia di Ponente and Spiaggia di Levante.
Spiaggia di Ponente is perfectly suited for swimmers and those unafraid of deeper waters, with floating devices available during the summer months. Spiaggia di Levante is wider and offers shallower waters, which is best suited for family beach days. Here, your kids can spend their time frolicking in the low tide whilst you splash around with them or spend your time on the sand soaking in the sun.
Spiaggia Ca’ Roman – for nature
Spiaggia Ca’ Roman is a beach ideal for any nature lovers amongst you. This beach is utterly unique to the area because it’s located on Pellestrina island, which is protected by the Italian bird conservation organisation named Lipu. It offers some of the most uncontaminated dunes of all the beaches, as well as a wide variety of local ocean birds. If you’re interested in a day in nature or some bird watching, plus a wide range of educational kids activities, Spiaggia Ca’ Roman is the perfect opportunity for you.
Alberoni Beach – a lesser known gem
Alberoni Beach is situated at the southern-most tip of Lido di Venezia. Despite the absolute exquisiteness of the beach, it’s somehow managed to stay under the radar of many Venice visitors. Sand dunes and pine trees surround the beach as the soft white sand stretches far and wide, providing the perfect opportunity for peaceful relaxation and contemplation. Not only does Alberoni offer beautiful surroundings, but it’s also lined with a couple of bars and restaurants offering snacks and drinks.
Beach of Sottomarina – a modern beach for lovers
One of the most modern beaches in Venice is located on the south end of the lagoon and is connected by several bridges to the nearby island of Chioggia. These two connected islets make for a beautiful ocean getaway, especially for those couples looking to make the most of their stay in Venice. The beach is long, with endless white sand and an array of cafes and snack bars to suit your every whim. Chioggia, nearby, is teeming with picturesque churches, galleries and beautiful scenery.
Cavallino Treporti and Punta Sabbioni – best for campers
Punta Sabbioni is a port close to Venice, and Cavallino Treporti is the peninsula that the port sits on. Along the stretch of land, you’ll find a wide range of beaches opening out to the Adriatic Sea, with a lagoon on the other side. All of these beaches offer nice golden sands and shallow clear waters. They’re incredibly popular amongst campers, with an array of campsites nearby offering accommodation such as pitches, glamping opportunities and bungalows.
Rosolina Mare Beach – coastal hideaway
Rosolina Mare Beach is a 9-kilometre stretch of beach in Venice, located along the Venetian waterfront. This beach is quiet and hidden away from many visitors, making it an uncrowded, low-key getaway only a short trip from the city centre. This quiet and secluded beach requires that you bring your own loungers and/or parasol, as they’re typically harder to find here than at many others. If you’re planning on staying outside of the city centre and looking for a less conspicuous stay, consider finding something close to Rosolina Mare Beach.
Eraclea Mare – another beach for the family
Eraclea Mare is one of the top beaches to head to if you’re heading out with your family, especially if you’re joined by younger children. You’ll find Eraclea located close to Jesolo, offering all of the modern comforts you can expect from high-class beaches in and around Venice. Young children can spend their time splashing around in the wider shallows along the coastline, watched over by the watchtower guards located along the beach. The wide range of restaurants, art galleries, horse-riding facilities and other entertainments give you ample opportunity to experience different sides of this incredible beach.
What to know before visiting beaches in Venice
Venice is one of the most unique cities in the world and a highly sought-after holiday destination for tourists from around the world. There are, however, a few things to be aware of before visiting the city and heading to the beaches with your crowd.
1. Be aware of crowds
Thanks to the popularity of Venice, it’s teeming with tourists throughout the year but especially during peak season, which also happens to be the best beach-visiting time. Expect to encounter crowded narrow streets, especially around the famous sights in Venice. If you want to avoid the crowds and get a good spot on the beach before the others, consider visiting during the beginning to middle of Spring. If you’re there during high season, wake up early to get to the beach before everyone else floods in.
2. Expect premium prices
With the recent increase in popularity, the price of many things in Venice has increased as well. If you’re travelling on a budget, we suggest avoiding the beach bars and restaurants as much as possible. Make some food at home and take it with you to the beach. If you’re not concerned about a budget, enjoy the top-quality food and drinks offered throughout Venice but expect to pay handsomely for them. You can bypass many of the higher-priced venues and restaurants by avoiding the main city attractions and sticking to the lesser-known spots.
3. Make sure you have cash
Cash on hand will make your life a lot easier whilst moving through the streets or beaches of Venice. On the beach, you’ll find a variety of vendors that’ll only accept cash. There’s also a choice of restaurants, shops and bars that won’t accept credit cards.
4. Be prepared to walk, a lot
Whether you live in a large city and are used to walking a lot or not, Venice is a different story. Be prepared to spend most of your time walking or standing whilst in and around Venice, and be fully prepared for the number of stairs. If you’re able to pack luggage that’s easy to carry, keep this in mind. The stairs make rolling luggage very difficult to transport.
5. Waterproof shoes
It goes without saying that travelling through Venice can get slippery and wet. It also tends to rain a fair amount in Venice, especially during the summer. Thanks to the rain, there are usually several puddles, which can make walking around very uncomfortable if you get wet socks. Another reason for waterproof shoes is riding in a gondola, which you’re likely to do; it’s very difficult to keep the water out of your shoes on one of those.
