Venice when to go

• Essentials
  • Overview
  • Basics
  • Getting there
  • Getting around
• City sights
  • Top sights
  • Tourist trail
  • Offbeat sights
  • Nearby trips
  • Gondolas
• Things to do
  • Eating out
  • Cafe bars
  • Shopping
  • Nightlife
  • Festivals
• Planning
  • When to go
  • Where to stay
  • Find a hotel

When to go

Venice is a city that can be enjoyed at any time of the year. Clear blue skies and balmy weather make spring and autumn the most popular times to visit.

Although cold and damp in winter, the misty lagoon adds to the city's romantic appeal.

In high summer the weather can be unbearably hot, with teeming crowds of tourists adding to the sweltering atmosphere.

See the Venice When To Go Travel Guide on Weather2Travel.com

Venice in spring

March to May sees a sharp rise in average temperatures - from 7°C to 17°C. Average monthly rainfall tends to stay relatively high at around 77mm when the sea and mainland mountains combine to keep the clouds rolling in.

Spring visitors not only enjoy temperate weather conditions in Venice, but can also visit many mainland gardens of the Veneto. The snow melt on the nearby mountains triggers the flowering of many rare orchids in alpine meadows and even the harvesting of early crops. Verona, for example, holds an annual cherry market in the spring.

In and around Venice there is the Festa del Marco, with gondola races across the lagoon on April 25th. In May the new season's asparagus is marked with the Festa della Sparesea on Cavallino in the lagoon. May also sees many local festivals, including La Sensa, which draws huge crowds, and Vogalonga, when hundreds of boats race from San Marco to Burano and back.

Venice in summer

July is the driest month in Venice with an average 30mm rainfall. Any day the weather holds the possibility of showers, thanks to the towering Dolomite mountain range nearby. Temperatures can soar at the same time, creating very humid conditions, with an average of 24°C.

Summer also brings the crowds, not only longer-term holidaymakers but day trippers arriving in droves. A record 105,000 arrivals were recorded on a single August day - all in a city with a regular population of just 67,000.

June sees the opening of the glamorous Biennale art festival in every odd year and Venice commemorates its deliverance from the plague of 1576 at the Festa del Rendentor with a bridge of boats across the Giudecca Canal and a big firework display.

Venice in autumn

September to November sees average rainfall rise to more than 60mm and visitors to Venice can expect at least one rainy day in a week. But temperatures hold up well at 15°C. Seasonal mushrooms figure on most restaurant menus and the grape harvest is a major feature in the Veneto.

In Venice the annual film festival on the Lido attracts an array of stars and paparazzi, while on the first Sunday in September gondoliers test their skills with races in the Regata Storica.

The harvest in, the Festa del Mosto is celebrated on the market garden lagoon island of San Erasmo on the first weekend in October. In November a pontoon bridge is thrown across the Grand Canal to La Salute in another festival held in thanks to the end of the plague.

Venice in winter

Winter still brings many visitors to Venice to enjoy an average four hours sunshine daily. Temperatures average a chilly 4°C but is rarely below freezing. Rainfall also tends to drop to a moderate 58mm, with February one of the driest months of the year.

Churches throughout the city obviously celebrate Christmas but in Venice that means a great many services. In February there is the famous pre-Lent Venice Carnevale when locals don masks and cloaks and parade around the city, ending the fun with a massive celebration party in the Piazza.

• Venice Travel Guide- Travel guide to the canal city with things to do, see and enjoy.