R8 652+ Cheap flights to Venice

Venice climate

Summers (June to August) are hot and sticky with daytime temperatures around 27 degrees and higher. The pollution limits the view, and the sirocco winds bring in more heat from the south. Late afternoon thunderstorms often hit briefly in summer. Winter starts with heavy rains, and there is a chance of flooding in November and December. January and February are the coldest months with temperatures ranging from -1 to +7 degrees. Spring is clear and crisp with lots of rain into June.

Getting around Venice

Venice’s unique geography limits transportation to two methods: walking and boating. Cars and bicycles are banned in the city, but you can take water buses/ferries, water taxis and gondolas. The water buses (vaporetti) mainly serve the Grand Canal and you’ll have to wrestle with crowds in the summer. Water taxis aren’t cheap, and they’ll cost extra if you have large bags or are travelling at night, on Sundays or holidays. While gondolas may be the quintessential Venetian form of transport, they’re also very costly. Walking is the most enjoyable way to get around the city. Embrace getting lost. The city isn’t very big and wandering through unknown streets and squares is part of its charm. 

What is good to know if travelling to Venice?

• The bridges are instantly recognizable – Rialto Bridge, Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) and Ponte degli Scalzi (Bridge of the Barefoot). Ponte dell’Accademia gets its name from the Accademia di Belle Arti, Venice’s school of art, which has a magnificent collection of paintings by artists including brothers Gentile and Giovanni Bellini, Canaletto, Tintoretto and Titian.
• Tour of the Doge (the residence of the ruler of Venice) includes the administrative offices, torture chambers and the prison cell from which Casanova, the famous adventurer, writer and lover, escaped.
• While touring the Grand Canal (the main street) by vaporetto (waterbus) or gondola, feast your eyes on the palaces. The most sublime are the Doge’s Palace, Palazzo Grassi, Ca’ d’Oro (Palazzo Santa Sofia) and Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, which houses the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
• The Piazza San Marco is dominated by Saint Mark’s Basilica, which was built in the 11^th century. The remains of Saint Mark the Evangelist, Venice’s patron saint, lie in the basilica.
• The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute (Basilica of St Mary of Health/Salvation) is known as the Salute, and is one of the largest – and most beautiful – churches in Venice. It owes its existence to the plague, or more correctly, in 1630 with the city ravaged by plague, the Senate decreed that if Venice was spared further deaths, they would build a new church and dedicate it to the Virgin Mary.
• Take a day trip from Venice to the outlying islands in the lagoon; Murano, for its glass work, or Burano for its lace. Torcello, meanwhile, has a 7th-century cathedral. And there is also the beach of Lido di Venezia.
• For a taste of “local” Venice, head to the Rialto Market. That’s where Venetians go to buy fish and vegetables.