Planning Ahead
Planning AheadBring luggage you can carry, or be ready to hire an official portabagaglio (porter). Porters receive a fee for the baggage, plus their vaporetto fare if they accompany you; you also pay a charge for carrying more than one suitcase on the vaporetto. Porters are available at major landings as well, in case you need assistance in getting to your hotel.
In summer, be prepared for the parking lots at the piazza Roma to be full, especially if you arrive late in the day. Check at the Marghera tourist office (Mestre Rd.) before bypassing outlying lots, like Tronchetto, which is the most convenient one. Better yet, try to arrive by train or bus, not car—and try not to arrive on a weekend.
Venice is packed with tourists in summer and, though rumors that the number permitted on weekends would be restricted turned out to be false, try to plan your visit outside July or August and definitely avoid weekends in the high season. Also, plan your sightseeing so that, for example, you visit St. Mark's very early or late, when day-trippers are less likely to swell the crowds.
If you want a hotel with a quiet garden or a canal view, make reservations two months in advance, if possible. If crowds bother you, select a hotel away from San Marco—say, in Dorsoduro.
Minor flooding still occurs in Venice, especially during the rainier winter season. Usually the aqua alta recedes within a few hours and affects only the lowest areas—but you might want to check conditions in advance, at any season, if there has been an inordinate amount of rain in Italy.
When to Go
The official off-season in Venice is November into March, when, like the rest of the north, the weather is foggy and cold, with an average high in January of 6° C (42° F), and an average low of 1° C (34° F). That's when, unique to Venice, rains most often create the aqua alta, high tides that splash quays. But snow is rare, and although fogs make for airport delays and some difficult driving, travel certainly is feasible. In fact, Venice has started promoting winter travel with a revival of Carnevale celebrations, and some travelers are finding the off-season special, with its lack of crowds. Summer is, of course, the most crowded, and the weather can be sultry hot. The average high in July is 31° C (87° F), and the average low 20° C (67° F), sending the Veneziani to the Lido, Lake Garda, or the Asolo Hills. For the entire region, the fall and spring offer the best conditions, with average highs in the high teens (60s F) and lows in the low teens (50s F).