Your cartVenice is a one of most romantic and popular city in all world, but not only! It’s also great for kids!
The reason why it’s a perfect place for a trip with kids it’s simple, every turn in the street brings a new series of colorful houses, fanciful architecture, or boat-filled canals, there is always something to grab kids' attention - even for families with children of different ages and interests.
One of typical characteristic of this very particular city are the numerous canals and you can move by boats because there are really hundreds of islands in a lagoon, connected by over 200 bridges, You must remember that cars are not allowed in the city, Venice is a real pedestrian city and for this reason there are thousands of typical boats called “gondola”.
Gondola rides usually last about half an hour, nighttime is an especially magical time to go. The Gondolas can hold six people (excluding the gondolier), and there are plenty of places to pick up a gondola on canals throughout the city (not just in front of Piazza San Marco). Tell your gondolier to explore the smaller canals it will be a very typical and unforgettable experience!
During our Venice Tour for kids, we visited the Doge’s Palace, once the residence of the ruler of Venice. Here our kids had lots of fun and not only because they have learned many fun stories about the rulers of Venice and how they lived and what they do. Before your kids tour in Venice ends, you will also see the famous Bridge of Sighs, (very impressive) where the whole family will be fascinated to learn all about the poignant significance behind its extraordinary name.
We have chosen a 3-hour walking tour led by our child-friendly private guide, definitely it has been our best and enjoyable experience where all of us learned a lot of cultural information.
We also visited during our tour the impressive St. Mark’s Museum (trust me it’s an incredible tour to visit!). A firm favorite amongst kids, St Mark’s Museums houses original Byzantine Bronze Horses from Constantinople, the symbols of Venice. The museum also preserves beautiful Venetian clothes that belonged to the ancient noble families.
Here You the link for this magical experience!
One of the characteristics of this place (not only for kids) is carnival masks. But to find an authentic mask that is made in Venice, cross Rialto Bridge and head into the warren of lanes in the San Polo neighborhood. Look for windows with only masks and carnival costumes and look inside to see if artisans are working there. If so, you've hit a real mask maker. There are several mask makers in Dorsoduro, as well. Both these neighborhoods have concentrations of traditional craft studios and workshops, where you'll also find artists in paper, fabric, and other crafts and typical Venetian masterpieces of the artistic mask.
And now this illustration is for little kids; There's a bit of a history lesson disguised in the game; Everywhere you look in Venice, you'll see lions, most often the winged lion that's the symbol of the city's patron and founder, St. Mark. The lion became the city's symbol in AD 828, when the saint's relics were spirited away from Alexandria by two Venetians and brought here.
The Venetians themselves collected lions (along with anything else they fancied in their travels and conquests), which is how many of the older non-winged ones got here. One of the oldest and best-loved, the well-worn stone lion in the little piazza beside St. Mark's, is a popular prop for photographing children. Spotting these lions is a game everyone can take part in and gives kids a reason to look up and look around. While lions appear all over Venice, and in every medium, they divide into two groups: winged and not winged. And the winged lions of St. Mark divide again by whether the book in his paw is open, which indicated that Venice was at peace, or closed when the republic was at war.
In a city with so many quirks, eccentricities, and treasures to be discovered, it's easy to make a good list for a treasure hunt that can easily involve children of various ages. It encourages them to look around, and some of the places are bound to lead to some hidden historical or cultural insights. Some things on the list can be found in several places, while others, which can be good for extra points, are one-off sights that you may come upon as you are on your way to other attractions.
You'll think of some, but here are a few ideas to get your list started: a lion with a closed book (meaning that Venice was at war), an ambulance, a garden, a pointed window, a golden lion, a well, a door that opens into the water, a horse, a saint, an angel, a dragon, a singing gondolier, a grocery store on a boat (you'll find one just off Campo San Barnaba by the Ponte die Plugin), a leaning tower (San Stefano, San Giorgio dei Greci, and others), a bride in a gondola, and a gelato stand (everybody will be looking for this one).
One of best children’s book is the Carnival at Candlelight, the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne that has become the base of an exciting saver hunt to discover the Doge’s Palace in Venice. The book is referring to a Venice of 300 years ago where Jack and Annie decided to do an important mission in Venice helping Merlin wizard in his mission. Children love to hear engaging stories and to solve some riddle games and look for fantastic creatures around.
Finding playgrounds are an important part of our family travel routine. You can find a decent playground for younger children just before the Giardini della Biennale and if you find yourself in the Canareggio district head to Parco Savorgnan where there are two small playgrounds catering to different age groups. Also, you can make a lot of fun with “Caccia al Tesoro” – hunting treasure” where your children can learn by playing and discover historical and cultural things simply having fun.
Also walking in Venice is really, even if your children will have tired little legs lure they will love an ice cream treats. Luckily, many “gelateria “ make the ice-cream fabulous especially if it "Gelato Artigianale" (artisanal-making ice-cream in natural mode) style.
In Venice there is a lot of humidity, there is very cold in winter and ridiculously crowded and hot in summer. To have the best family trip to Venice, try to visit in the shoulder months March, April, May, October and mid- November. For this reason, you will not need to have warm clothes.
At this time there are fewer people and you can explore the city in an enjoyable way. There is a lot of fun in this fantastic and bizarre city for kids and not only! You must go there!
