Venice in December

Christmas in Venice was an amazing holiday experience. Venice starts decorating for the Christmas season in early December. The museums are open with shorter hours, there are Christmas markets to visit, the gondoliers are busy giving gondola rides, and yes there is even a slight chance of snow. While we were in Venice the weather was clear and the sun was shining. The average high this time of year is 46 degrees Fahrenheit. The beautiful part of this time of the year in Venice are the smaller crowds.

We arrived in Venice late after 11 pm. Our hotel had arranged for a water taxi to pick us up at the airport. Our water taxi driver found us after we collected our bags. We had our heavy coats and hats with us. It was cold out but we were comfortable. even though it was late the buildings were lit up. The taxi took us right to our hotel. We spent two night in Venice. We had one full day and one half day. On the second day, we left in the early afternoon and headed on to Montagnana Italy.

Accommodations

Al Ponte Mocenigo – To visit their website Al Ponte Mocenigo

We all loved where we stayed. The rooms were clean and comfortable. Breakfast was included. It was wonderful to take the water taxi right to the hotel.

Food Experiences

Cichetti local finger foods, served at happy hour at local bars in the lagoon

Rossopomodoro Pizzeria excellent pizza and very busy. Near St Marks Square

Osteria Al Nono Risorto Historical with venetian cuisine. wonderful in the fall when you can set outside in their garden. for more info Osteria Al Nono Risorto

Osteria Mocenigo This was a very good restaurant, with Venetian food. We made reservations in advance. It was wonderful because the food was excellent and it was very close to our hotel. The restaurant was very busy and we were happy we had reservations. Our hotel made reservations for us.

Pasta Go Espresso We also tried Pasta in a box which is Italian fast food, You pick your noodle (they cook it fresh) and you pick your sauce. It is served to go in a box. This was a new Venetian experience for us. It was fast and inexpensive. Next time, I would like to Try Dal Moros Fresh Pasta to go. They are the original to go pasta and have 12,000 4.5 star reviews on Trip Advisor, To see them on Trip Advisor Dal Moros Fresh Pasta to Go

Christmas in Venice

What We Did

When we left our hotel It was a ten minute walk to the Rialto Bridge

From Rialto Bridge 7 minute walk to St. Marks Square

From Saint Marks Square we headed to Murano. It is a 15 minute walk towards lagoon F. te Nove B

When we arrived in Murano we visited a blown glass factory. We had a hard time finding one. You have to pay to go to the demonstration and need a reservation in advance. Luckily, there was room at the demonstration and we were able to get tickets. We visited Elligi Murano Glass. To visit there website Elligi Glass Factory Murano Italy

Once we got back to Venice from Murano we had lunch at RossoPomodoro Pizzeria. It was very good and very busy. It was near St Marks Square

Over the remainder of the afternoon and the next morning these are the additional sights we visited

Rialto Market We visited on our way to Rialto Bridge. It is a large canal front covered market selling fish, seafood, vegetables and pasta kits

St. Marks Square

St Marks Basilica-reserve tickets in advance

Doges Palace and Prison reserve tickets in advance

Campanille -Bell tower in Saint Marks Square

Gondola ride Gondoliers all around town expect to pay 80 euros during the day and 100 euros after 18:00

other places we didn’t make it to, but would like to see

Naval History Museum

Campo San Stefano in San Marco municipality becomes a Christmas Market 10 minute walk from St. Marks Square. We walked there but the market wasnt taking place at that time

Fondaco del Tedeschi View Terrace roof top terrace a top luxury mall with views over Grand Canal

How we Got There

We arrived at The Venice Airport. We had arranged a water taxi to pick us up and take us to our hotel in Venice. When we left Venice we took public water ferry back to airport to pick up our car. It was a Sunday and this was the only rental car location open. This took forever, with all of the stops we had to make. Next time, I would pay for a private water taxi.