I live in Venice – here’s why you should visit in winter

‘Venice in winter?’ I hear you cry. ‘You must be joking.’ After all, the floating city is a city of the seaside, isn’t it? A place to drink waterfront spritzes, meander through the lagoon, lounge on the beaches of the Lido and clack your way through the alleyways in strappy sandals in the sunshine. 

But hear me out. I’d done Venice in the summer, when it‘s packed, sweaty and full of tourists. It never did much for me. And it’s only getting more extreme – things have got so crowded here that this year, the city even introduced an entry fee for tourists during the summer months, set to be extended next year once again. 

My own love story with the city started when I spent a full December here some years ago, which was the first time I really understood the magic. It was then that I saw La Serenissima at her most serene as the fog rolled in across the lagoon, chomping away at grand palazzos, unfurling around the waterfront, and swallowing up every sound except my echoing footsteps. Venice in winter is beautiful, mystical, melancholic and gothic all at once. It is Romantic with a capital R. 

🏨 Discover the best hotels in Venice

What is Venice like in winter?

I’d be lying if I said winter here was always easy. I’ve lived in the city since 2020, and it can be bone-chillingly cold. It can be windy, especially if you’re on the north side. It is, it goes without saying, pretty damp at times. Sometimes there’s acqua alta (flooding) – much less than there used to be, thanks to the MOSE flood barriers, but Piazza San Marco still regularly gets ankle-deep. 

The lofty churches and palazzos-turned-museums tend to be cold, and they can get gloomy once the light dwindles – but if you can deal with that, you’ll see the city at its best. Fewer crowds, easier to score restaurant reservations, and a seriously amped up atmosphere – if you want to understand the real magic of the lagoon, you need to visit in winter. What’s more, there are things in Venice that only happen in winter, so you’ve got to do it at least once.

Winter things to do in Venice

See Burano’s watery Nativity scene

In December, once the season’s crowds have cleared, the waters off Burano become home to a watery presepe – a Nativity scene composed of around 60 lifesize figures rising up from the depths. With central Venice’s spires as a far-off backdrop, it’s a beautiful, ethereal scene which shapeshifts as the sky and lagoon change around it. 

Feel the spirit of Torcello

Venice as we know it is relatively new – the first lagoon settlement was at Torcello, 40 minutes from today’s city. It boomed in the early middle ages, until residents moved south to what would become Venice. Today it has less than a dozen inhabitants, and is best known for its Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, clad in glittering 12th-century Byzantine-style mosaics. Plagued in summer by mosquitoes and tourists, it comes into its ghostly own in winter, when the mist swirls around the mudflats. Combine it with a walk over ‘Devil’s Bridge’, ruined buildings and the glowing mosaic wall? It’s as atmospheric as it gets. 

Drink the hot chocolate of your dreams

Italian hot chocolate isn’t like what you’re used to at home – it’s a thick, almost spoonable concoction served in small cups. You’ll find it all over the city’s bars but for sheer atmosphere try it at Florian on St. Mark’s Square – either sitting in the warren of cosy 18th-century rooms (pricey but worth it) or perched at their bar for a more affordable drink. For quality, you’ll need to head to Vizio Virtù, the city’s finest chocolatier – their Goldoni spiced hot chocolate is made from a 1750 Venetian recipe. Grab a bag of homemade pralines while you’re at it – it’s winter after all.

Gear up for Carnevale – responsibly 

Yes it’s touristy, crowded and expensive, but Venice’s Carnevale is a way to see the city in a completely different light. And you needn’t splash the cash: streetside performances are free, including Flight of the Angel (which sees a woman glide from the Campanile). Just be sure to visit responsibly, as Carnevale takes it out of the city: instead of a cheap factory-made mask, invest in a beautiful handmade one by an artisan (try Ca’ del Sole), rent costumes instead of buying and chucking away, and don’t throw confetti – someone has to sweep up every piece by hand. Most importantly, sample the frittelle, Venetian doughnuts made only at Carnevale. Pasticceria Rizzardini’s are to die for.

Try panettone and pandoro

Italy’s ubiquitous festive treat is panettone, a kind of sweet brioche dough filled with candied fruits. Though it was invented in Milan, Venetian pasticcerie hold their own – we’re partial to the standard panettone from Rosa Salva, and the special variants (like fruits of the forest) from Didovich. Pandoro – best described as a plain panettone, topped with snowy icing sugar – hails from Verona, one of Venice’s ‘neighbours’ in the Veneto region. For a really special one, take the train (25 minutes) to Padova, where La Bottega del Pane makes cloud-fluffy pandoro.

Watch for the acqua bassa

You’ve heard of acqua alta, Venice’s ‘high water’ floods. But around January and February you’re likely to see the opposite: acqua bassa, or ‘low water’. As the name suggests, it’s a natural phenomenon where low tides and high water pressure combine to essentially suck the water out of the canals (temporarily). The exposed mud in the canals isn’t always pretty, but you can still take gondola rides on the Grand Canal, plus you’ll get good views of Venice’s famous palazzos – as the water levels go down, detailed carvings emerge out of the depths, revealing friezes on the bottom rims of buildings, hand-carved to wow passersby before the palazzos started to sag.

Enjoy the romance

If you like things slightly gothic, you’ll be in your element in Venice in winter. This is, of course, one of the world’s most romantic cities, and in winter, it gets properly Romantic – you can imagine Byron and Shelley striding around in their tabari (thick Venetian cloaks). As mist and fog roll in from the Adriatic, take a (careful) walk along Giudecca’s waterfront, where you can no longer tell where the pavement ends and the water begins. Take a vaporetto down the Grand Canal to see the palazzos rearing up in the afternoon darkness. And make sure you stay overnight to have an evening walk where the only sound will be your own footsteps.

Go full-on festive

If you’re travelling around Christmas and New Year, there’s a host of activities laid on by the authorities, from an ice rink in Campo San Polo to New Year’s Eve fireworks in St. Mark’s Basin, and candlelit Christmas mass in the Basilica di San Marco (on Christmas Day, the famous Pala d’Oro – the gold altarpiece slathered in precious jewels – is on special display). There are often late opening times for major sites during the holiday period too – few things are as atmospheric (or creepy, depending on your point of view) as wandering through the prison cells of the Doge’s Palace at 10pm. There’s also an annual New Year’s Day dip in the freezing waters of the Adriatic on the Lido, Venice’s beach island.  

📍 Discover the best restaurants in Venice, the best things to do in Venice and the best places to spend New Year’s Eve around the world.