Pro’s And Con’s Of Visiting Venice Out Of Season
Last November during my trip to Italy I spent four days in the lovely city of Venice and it was most certainly out of season for the city. During our time we didn’t encounter anywhere near as many tourists as I’d expected and the least out of any city break I’ve done before.
I am very much an advocate of going to places out of season for a variety of reasons but for a city like Venice, there are certainly some pro’s and con’s which I’m going to explore so you can make a decision as to whether it’s the right time for you to go.
Fewer Crowds
For me, one of the biggest pro’s to going anywhere out of season is the fact that there are fewer crowds and this is pretty much the same anywhere. Navigating around the windy streets of the city and getting on and off transport from the hotel was so much nicer with fewer people around. Around the location of our hotel, we didn’t encounter a lot of tourists and even the restaurants seemed to host a lot of locals. Having fewer crowds means you can explore at your own pace and have a bit more of a relaxed time.
It’s Windier
Due the number of of canals and how close you are to the sea Venice does get quite windy and there were times where this was a bit of an issue trying to navigate around the city. If you’re not a fan of colder temperatures then you might want to consider going to Venice at the start of summer when it’s a bit warmer as there were situations where gloves would have been a good option.
Restaurants are quieter
With less people around the restaurants which we went into were much quieter this generally meant a quicker more attentive service, although I’ve always found Italians pretty attentive anyway (outside of Rome that is!) The great thing is you can get into really nice restaurants at peak times and not have to worry about pre-booking or there being queues, especially at the weekend.
Not everything is open
In contrast to my point above, out of season, not everything is open. When walking along the streets in Venice I did see a number of shops and restaurants closed, and while this didn’t affect the more touristy areas it did affect the more off the beaten track places which is where we would have wanted to eat in the first place.
It’s worth looking on Trip Advisor in advance at reviews and opening hours to see if places are open in your area. Find the best places to visit in this guide.
You can get better quality hotels for cheaper costs
Hotel rooms always cost more during peak seasons and you find the further you go from the traditional ‘summer’ time the better deals you can find. Hotels want to fill up their rooms so will drop prices during off-peak seasons in order to attract visitors and just by going in November we were able to afford a suite in a very nice hotel which at any other time of the year we’d have had no chance of being able to afford.
This works two-fold so you can either save money by going for the same room you’d have chosen in the summer, or you can get more for the budget you’d have looked to spend.
Potential Floods
The final potential con about going to Venice out of season is the chance of flooding. Forus we only hit a snag on this mildly but it can be an issue depending on when you go and how the weather is doing. As Venice is built entirely on canals most days the water level rises to some degree and this can cause water to spill out onto the streets. Thankfully shops, restaurants and hotels are just used to this and many have measures in place to stop the flooding, or they just push out the water when the levels go back down.
On one of the days we were out we did have quite heavy rain which caused some roads to become flooded so thankfully although it came above ankle height and our feet were soaking we were only on our way back to the hotel.
There are both pro’s and con’s to visiting Venice out of season, although personally for me I felt like the pro’s outweighed the con’s as it meant for a relaxing, affordable trip away.
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27 responses to “Pro’s And Con’s Of Visiting Venice Out Of Season”
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All About Me
Rhian Westbury
Travels and Destinations
Nothing currently planned
I’m going to Venice next week. I’ve heard February is much better as its quieter so less crowds
Venice is gorgeous, I went there during peak season in August and it was indeed very crowded! I’d love to visit it during off season, I bet it’s more fun. Your pictures look incredible 🙂 x
amerzwithlove.com
I think it would be really interesting to see venice when it floods- it just seems so unreal!
I’m going to Italy for the first time at the end of February, with my husband for our 15th anniversary. Rome – Florence – Venice. Only my 2nd time ever in Europe! I really enjoy and appreciate your site… read this and your post about Rome, and both were super helpful.
Thank you!! I’m SO EXCITED!!! hahah 🙂
Tami
Oh my goodness. It’s amazing to hear how they treat floods, but I guess they have to! We went to Venice in April last year and it was sooooooo busy. I would much rather go when it’s less busy. I’m very jealous.
I have to admit I rather explore places out of season but I do find the fact that some places are closed is a little sad.
I think off-season is always the way to go….you get so much better service,no crowds at tourist sites. I like the idea of just relaxing instead rushing to beat the rush.
The floods need to be spoken about more. I remember a friend laughing at me when I told her to take wellies with her. Sadly, she wasn’t laughing when her trainers were ruined.
C x
I really want to go Venice and did not know that there is the potential for floods out of season, so thanks for the heads up x
I have heard bag the crowds in Venice at peak season are just insane. I would love to go and I would definitely be going low season.
I’ve never been to Venice but I would love to go. Hopefully we’ll get round to it ‘child free ‘ if possible
I would absolutely love to visit Venice. For me, the pros definitely outweigh the cons visiting out of season, I would love to explore with less crowds 🙂
Oh, Venice is sooo beautiful! 🙂 I would love to visit! :d
really interesting I am a fan of off season due to crowds or lack there of. I keep thinking venice might ave to wait as I am worried about toddlers and canals…
I remember reading your original post as me and my partner were planning on going early this year but we had to change our plans a little. I am a massive lover of going to places out of season, I love that you seem to be able to explore more freely due to their not being as many tourists. But, like you say not everything is open and that can be a bit disheartening especially if you wanted to go or see somewhere in particular x
The fewer crowds and quieter restaurants would be a win win for me to go out of season for sure
I love visiting places out of season as I can’t deal with the crowds generally but I had no idea Venice woudl be windy and I’d hate those floods. Thanks for the heads up. Mich x
I never knew it flood in Venice but that makes sense! I have plans to visit soon so I appreciate your tips!
I’d love to go to Venice. It’s on the bucket list. I never really thought about it flooding before, but now it seems like such an obvious thing. It sounds like off peak visitors should take wellies! 😀
I’ve also heard it said that Venice doesn’t smell as bad out of season which is a huge pro for me. Restaurants being slightly quieter is another plus point for us!
I think we’d risk visiting Venice out of season as we can’t stand crowded places and it sound like you money goes further off season too. It would be good for photographs with less people too x
I have never visited Venice – I would love to visit at any time of the year. Kaz
I much prefer visiting anywhere when it’s less busy. It really allows you to explore more, fewer queues and hustle and bustle. I would love to visit Venice in the future 🙂
Oh i have never that Venice has a flood places. But i would love to visit here someday with friends.
I have never been to Venice before but it constantly WOWs me that it’s underwater and you get everywhere via boat!
We loved visiting Venice in January, it really felt like we were getting under the skin of it BUT we found so many restaurants shut, that was really hard to deal with on some days.
It’s actually on my bucket list to visit Venice, but I”ve never been. Visiting out of season can be great for being cheaper and also less crowded. I liked your pros and cons that you mentioned!