Just the mention of Venice, Italy conjures up images of a romantic gondola ride along the canals. If you are traveling to Venice with a baby or toddler, a romantic gondola ride might just need to wait for a subsequent visit, but you can still make your family trip to Venice incredibly memorable.
If you are traveling to Venice with a baby, your biggest challenge will be traversing the many bridges and steps with your stroller. Visiting Venice with a baby carrier and a light travel stroller is highly recommended.
If you are traveling to Venice with a toddler who is walking, exploring the car-free narrow streets will be lots of fun. Don’t forget to be extra diligent watching your little one to make sure they don’t get too close to the channels or get lost in a crowd. A light travel stroller or toddler carrier will also be a must when visiting Venice with a toddler as their little legs will likely get tired from walking.
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Looking for a kid-friendly itinerary for Italy? This Italy Itinerary with kids includes day-by-day instructions for 6 amazing destinations in Italy!
Top 7 Things to do in Venice with a Baby or Toddler
1. Visit Piazza San Marco
Many of the most famous buildings in Venice are found in the beautiful Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark’s Square). While you take in the incredible architecture of the Basilica San Marco, the Torre dell’ Orologio (clock tower), the Campanile, and Doge’s Palace, let your toddler chase all the pigeons.
Find out why traveling to Europe with a toddler is so amazing!
2. Take the #1 Vaporetto
A Vaporetto is a public bus, except it’s on water – only in Venice! Although there are 19 Vaporetto routes to choose from, we recommend the #1 Vaporetto, which is a highly scenic 40 minute public boat ride along the Grand Canal (considered the main street in Venice). If you take the Vaporetto from Piazzale Roma to San Zaccaria you’ll be treated to some excellent Venetian scenery. Little kids love being out on the water, making this a very fun thing to do in Venice with a toddler.
3. Search for the Winged Lions of Venice
Another very fun activity for toddlers in Venice is to explore the narrow streets and have your toddler search out the winged lions of Venice. Your toddler will enjoy having some time to run and if you are lucky you can find some uncrowded streets.
4. Visit Beach Lido
Regardless of whether you are visiting Venice with a baby or toddler, be sure to take some time to visit Beach Lido. A beautiful, long stretch of beach along the Adriatic Sea, a day at Lido Beach is fun for kids of all ages. Be sure to pack your toddler beach essentials!
5. Visit the Iconic Bridges of Venice
One of the best parts about traveling to Venice with a baby is that you can slow down and take your time to wander and soak in the beauty of Venice. To fully appreciate the charm of Venice, we recommend you take the time to visit the famous and iconic bridges of Venice with your baby, like the Ponte di Rialto that spans the impressive Grand Canal.
6. Visit the Islands of Venice
Spending time on the water is an essential part of any family trip to Venice. Why not try taking your little kids on a cruise to the famous islands of Murano, Torcello, and Burano around the Venetian lagoon. Visiting Murano, Torcello, and Burano Touring on a baby-friendly Venetian island tour allows you to see a difference side of Venice.
7. Don’t Forget the Gelato!
When you are done exploring Venice with your toddler for the day, be sure to treat the whole family to a tasty gelato!
3 Best Parks and Playgrounds in Venice
And after you’ve taken the time to see the sights around Venice with your baby or toddler, what’s next? Give your little one some much needed time to play at a Venice playground or park!
1. Garden Park Savorgnan
Parco Savorgnan is located in the district Canaregio, between the Santa Lucia train station and the Guglie bridge (Ponte delle Guglie). This Venice park is well-treed, very clean and well-maintained.
There is a playground for children with slides, swings, a wooden house, a climbing gym and see-saws for the little ones. For the bigger kids, there is also a climbing structure and monkey bars. There is also plenty of space for children to kick a ball around, ride a bike and enjoy the refreshing shade of the trees.
Parco Savorgnan is a great park in Venice to let your toddler run around or let your baby practice her first steps. Don’t forget to pack a picnic as it’s the perfect spot with lots of benches in the shade and a drinking fountain.
If you want something to do with your baby near Parco Savorgnan, try a stroller-friendly tour of the nearby Jewish Ghetto.
2. Giardini della Biennale
Giardini della Biennale is another of the best parks in Venice, just a 20 minute walk from St. Mark’s Square.
This Venice playground has equipment for kids of all ages. There is a wooden playground structure complete with wooden house, slides, swings, climbing frames, an obstacle course and many others play structures.
Giardini della Biennale is a very beautiful and peaceful park in the heart of Venice, along the shores of the Venetian Lagoon. It can been reached also by water bus (vaporetto) lines 1 and 4.1.
3. Gardens of Sant’Elena
Giardini di Sant’Elena is the greenest public area of Venice, immersed in the beautiful pine forests on the Venetian island of St. Elena.
Within Giardini di Sant’Elena there are large areas for picnics, for playing basketball, football, volleyball and skating. There is also a very nice playground area with all the playground equipment guaranteed to delight kids of all ages. You can also enjoy a spectacular view of the south lagoon.
Things to do in Venice with a Toddler on a Rainy Day
Wondering what to do with your toddler on a rainy day in Venice? Don’t worry! Venice is full of surprises and has thousands of secrets, perfect for discovering while it is raining outside.
If your baby or toddler is great at napping on-the-go, then take in some of the spectacular museums in Venice like the Gallery of Academy (Le Gallerie dell’Academia), the Museum of the 18th Century Venice (Museo del Settecento Veneziano) or the Gallery Giorgio Franchetti.
In these museums you’ll find Venetian masterpieces while you explore real Venetian palaces from the Gothic and Baroque periods.
If art isn’t your thing, try the Museum of Natural History in the Fontego dei Turchi in the district Santa Croce. Your toddler will love seeing the many dinosaur skeletons on display!
If you’re really lucky, your baby or toddler will nap while you enjoy a cappuccino in one of the many Venetian cafes.
What to Bring to Venice for your Baby or Toddler
With so many must have baby travel items and toddler travel essentials, parents may think it’s impossible to pack lightly for a family trip to Venice with little kids.
They need a portable baby crib, a stroller, a travel high chair and so much more. What’s more, you’ll be walking so much in Venice you’ll likely want to take a break from baby wearing or have your baby sleep in the stroller while you enjoy a meal.
If the thought of packing all that baby gear to Venice is a bit daunting, don’t worry – it is possible to travel without all that baby equipment. You CAN arrive in Venice with just your baby carrier and suitcases.
MamaRent has all the baby equipment you need for your trip to Venice with a baby or toddler. Mama Rent offers travel cribs and strollers suitable for walking in Venice. The strollers are easily maneuvered by one hand and can be folded up quickly prior to boarding the water bus. These are the best strollers for visiting Venice with a baby as you’ll be carrying it up and down on the many bridges.
Where to Stay in Venice with a Baby or Toddler
Vacation home rentals are an excellent choice for parents traveling to Venice with a toddler or baby. You will love having separate bedrooms, laundry facilities and your own kitchen.
Browse Venice vacation home rentals on VRBO.
If you are OK with your baby sleeping in the same room as you and you don’t necessarily need the a kitchen or laundry, there are plenty of excellent family-friendly Venice hotels.
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This post was written & edited by:
Olivera
This guest post was written by Olivera of MamaRent.com where you can rent all your baby equipment for your trip in Venice, Brenta Riviera and Padua.
Celine Brewer is the owner of Baby Can Travel. Not only does she have years of experience traveling with babies & toddlers, but she's helped millions of new parents travel with their babies and toddlers for over a decade. In addition to writing on her baby travel blog, she has shared her expertise on traveling with a baby or toddler by contributing to articles about traveling with a baby with the Washington Post, USA Today, the Lonely Planet magazine and Pregnancy & Newborn magazine.
Celine also writes about family travel on the site FamilyCanTravel.com, which she co-owns with her husband. Being from the Canadian Rockies, she shares her passion about her home and travel to Banff National Park and area on their site TravelBanffCanada.com.