We travelled to Venice in December 2017, and didn't really know what to expect.
If anything, from what we had heard, it wouldn't be very festive at all.
Thankfully that wasn't the case, as we love Christmas, and hope you find these ideas handy if you visit Venice during the festive season.
Check out the Christmas Tree in St Marks Square
St Marks Square is beautiful at any time of the year, but it's extra special to see it with the large Christmas Tree set up and with the lower crowds at this time of year.
Be sure to go and see it in the daylight and in the evening. The streets and arcades off St Marks Square had some lovely decorations as well.
Christmas Tree by Day
Have a Cocktail or Two at Hotel Danieli
Unless those lottery numbers come in one day, we will never be able to stay at this wonderful old hotel, but we wanted to feel like film stars for an hour, so we headed here for (what was supposed to be) one drink.
If you like a Cocktail (or any other beverage) we recommend popping in. It's not cheap, but you'll soon see why.
There was a magnificent Christmas Tree set up in the lobby area, and a brilliant pianist providing the background music.
We may have stayed longer than intended, and had to have supermarket sandwiches for lunch the next day, but it was certainly worth it.
Cocktails at Hotel Danieli
Grab a Mulled Wine and Wander
One of the most enjoyable things we did on this trip, was to grab a hot mulled wine from a little stand on the far side of The Rialto Bridge, and then just wander through the streets, full of festive cheer (and wine) and check out all the little shops, patisseries, bars and alleyways.
There's not many things better than getting lost in Venice - throw in a mulled wine or two and it's almost unbeatable.
Mulled Wine Happiness
Take a Vappretto up and down The Grand Canal
This one isn't specific to Christmas, but it needs to be done.
Rather than fork out for a Gondola or Water taxi (we had cocktails to buy), we decided to just buy a one day ticket for the Vaporetto.
You can also get longer passes, but we knew we would be happy walking most days on this trip, so the one day was fine for us.
Once you have your pass, just jump on any Vaporetto that is going the canal route, try to get one of the outdoor seats at the front or back, sit back and enjoy some of the most beautiful sights on earth, such as the incredible piece of art below. I will leave a link to our full Venice blog below, which contains a video we took on the canal as well.
Grand Canal Art
There is so much more to do in Venice, no matter what time of year it is.
Happy Travels
