Practical tips for preparing your trip to Venice Article

A trip to Venice requires a little planning ahead, especially for accommodation. Prices vary widely depending on the season, weekends and major events, while some monuments now require or recommend a timed booking. Since 2024, day visitors must also pay an access fee on certain dates. A few guidelines can therefore help you avoid unpleasant surprises.

When to go: high season, low season and periods to watch

In Venice, the notion of high season is less straightforward than a classic “June–August”. The most popular periods often correspond to spring, from Easter to June, then September and October, when the weather remains pleasant and major events attract many visitors. September is even one of the months when hotel rates are generally highest.

July and August remain very busy, especially around weekends and the Festa del Redentore, but the heat and humidity discourage some visitors; some accommodation may then be cheaper than in May, June or September. The real low season is mainly between mid-November and January, excluding Christmas and New Year, as well as certain periods in February and early March.

Watch out for the calendar, however: Carnival generally turns several weeks of February into peak high season, with heavy crowds and rapidly rising prices. In 2026, it ran from 31 January to 17 February. Spring is also marked by the opening of the Biennale, while the Venice Film Festival in early September can put strong pressure on prices, especially on the Lido and in central areas. The Festa del Redentore in July and the Regata Storica in early September also create occasional spikes in visitor numbers.

Acqua alta is mainly associated with autumn and early winter, although major events are now partly limited in the historic centre by the MOSE system. It should therefore not prevent you from coming at that time of year, but it is worth taking into account.

How much does accommodation in Venice cost?

Price differences are considerable depending on whether you stay in San Marco, Cannaregio, Dorsoduro, on a lagoon island or in Mestre. As a guide, for a simple double room or a 2–3-star hotel in historic Venice, you can generally budget around:

• €100 to €160 per night in low season, with sometimes better deals by booking early;
• €150 to €250 in mid-season;
• €220 to €350 and more in spring, September–October or during major events;
• €300 to €500 or more for well-located hotels during Carnival, the Mostra or certain very busy weekends.

These ranges remain orders of magnitude: in Venice, the same room can easily cost twice as much depending on the date. In any case, the differences are very large between the cheapest months and periods of high demand.

For peak periods, it is better to book several months in advance. For November, December outside the holidays or January, you can generally keep more flexibility. Staying in Mestre often allows you to reduce your budget significantly, at the cost of an extra daily journey.

Eating in Venice: what budget should you plan?

It is possible to eat well without spending half your trip in restaurants, provided you move away from the most touristy terraces. A simple lunch in a trattoria, a pizzeria or with a few cicchetti generally costs €15 to €25 per person. For a more complete lunch, budget rather €25 to €35.

In the evening, a classic dinner in a mid-range restaurant generally costs around €35 to €55 per person, excluding a bottle of wine. A more elaborate meal or one in a very central address easily exceeds €60 to €80.
As a reference, a three-course meal for two people costs nearly €85, excluding drinks.

To limit expenses, bacari remain a good solution: several cicchetti, accompanied by a glass of wine or a spritz, allow you to have a light lunch or dinner for around €12 to €20.

What daily budget should you plan?

For a traveller staying in Venice, excluding transport to the city, the following orders of magnitude can be used:

• €100 to €150 per day per person for a budget trip, with shared or cheap accommodation, simple meals and selected visits;
• €180 to €280 per day for a comfortable stay in a 2–3-star hotel, classic restaurants, vaporetti and several paid visits;
• €300 and more per day for a good central hotel, more refined restaurants and numerous activities.

The access fee for day visitors

Since 2024, Venice has been experimentally applying an access fee to visitors who come to the historic city without staying overnight, on certain particularly busy days.

In 2026, the scheme covered 60 days between 3 April and 26 July, generally Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Visitors staying in the municipality of Venice do not pay this fee, but must be able to prove their exemption.

Islands such as Murano, Burano or Torcello are not covered when they are the destination of the visit without passing through the historic city.

Booking your visits and organising your stay

Beyond accommodation and meals, you need to plan for vaporetto transport (see our page Transport in Venice), entry to museums and monuments and, possibly, a guided tour or a lagoon excursion.

For the most visited sites, especially St Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace or certain temporary exhibitions, it is better to book a time slot, particularly between April and October, during Carnival and around major events.

There is no need to turn your stay into a military schedule: book only the essential visits, two or three maximum per day, and leave yourself time to walk, cross less frequented neighbourhoods and accept getting a little lost - which remains one of the best ways to discover Venice, and many other cities besides. For your planning needs and to find ideas, use our itinerary tool: add the places that interest you as you read, then find them on the dedicated page to organise them and gradually build your route through Venice.