There’s nothing like exploring a metropolis with an area to find the hidden corners and quirky tales you’d in any other case miss – and a tour of Venice with children is the right option to hold youngsters entertained as you stroll.
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With a alternative of excursions of Venice for teenagers, we liked our expertise with Lucia from Venice Walks and Excursions, a superb scavenger hunt beginning within the oldest a part of the town and taking us to the Rialto Market, and thru the streets to the Basilica San Marco.
However in addition to visiting a number of the key landmarks and sights of the floating metropolis, we obtained a whistlestop journey via Venice’s historical past, noticed particulars we’d by no means have seen in any other case, and discovered recommendations on every little thing from navigating the maze of alleys to discovering the very best gelato in Venice – only for starters.
The place higher to start out than at first, in San Polo – the oldest of Venice’s six sestiere – on the Campo San Giacomo di Rialto, dwelling to the town’s oldest church.
After a short introduction to Venice’s geography by Lucia, together with an opportunity for us all to determine which animal we thought the map of La Serenissima appeared like, we picked our group identify (‘The Lion Hunters’) and set off to trace down the primary locations on our Venice treasure hunt.
It’s the right option to get children engaged: my daughter may be shy with strangers at first, however Lucia is implausible with children and shortly had her chatting away as we scampered across the sq. on the lookout for the primary locations on the scavenger hunt tour.
With so many centuries of historical past behind virtually each stone, it took us quarter-hour to make it out of the primary sq. – a reminder of simply how a lot there may be to find within the metropolis.
For extra concepts of the very best issues to do in Venice with children, try my high picks
The statue, Il Gobbo di Rialto, for instance is quirky for teenagers to take a look at and likewise has a string of tales connected to it – it might supposedly talk with the speaking statues of Rome, the place satirical notes about these in energy could be connected to the bottom.
Across the nook sits the Rialto market, which has been feeding the residents of Venice from this web site for over 900 years.
Between recognizing the catches of the day and eyeing up the fabulous recent produce, we discovered extra about the place native fruit and greens are grown within the lagoon, obtained recommendations on nice locations to eat and snack as we explored, and located extra historic particulars to tick off on our hunt.
Whereas many vacationers go to the Rialto market, most will head again over the bridge to San Marco or all the way down to Dorsoduro with out exploring the oldest a part of the town.
With out a information, you definitely wouldn’t admire every little thing that’s to be discovered on this maze of slender, twisting alleys: a spherical opening on the base of a door to roll barrels via, curved brick or stone constructions within the corners of buildings to cease males, ahem, utilizing them as bathrooms.
You realize you’ve discovered the very best tour in Venice for teenagers when it’s obtained all of the grotesque and yucky bits of historical past left in!
I additionally felt much less unhealthy at continually dropping my bearings when Lucia defined how Venice’s complicated avenue and home numbering system got here into impact as nicely.
Though handily she additionally had a tip on learn how to navigate the town, with letters exhibiting the district on lampposts, in addition to the occasional indicators on the partitions exhibiting which space you had been getting into.
For extra recommendations on visiting Venice with children, try my full set
As we strolled, we had a bonus sport to play – recognizing lions. The image of Venice, they’re on the town’s flag, in addition to sitting proudly on high of columns, on door-knockers, adorning outlets and numerous different locations.
We obtained to 100 lions impressively quick, however it was a useful sport to play for the remainder of our day in Venice too.
Alongside the best way, as we walked alongside the Ruga dei Oresi and its painted arcades to the Rialto Bridge, there have been extra tales of the town – together with a barely impolite and risque one concerning the carving of the girl with flames!
The story behind it? Ah, you must go on the tour to search out out…
Lucia was a fount of knowledge, mentioning the pharmacy the place you could find the present inhabitants of Venice and an older one with a golden head above the door, famed for its cure-all concoction (which seems to have contained opium).
We discovered extra about Venice’s well-known cicchetti and the place to search out them (in addition to the locations the place Venetians go to eat, away from the vacationer traps), learn how to inform a actual gondola from a sandalo and why you may stroll via numerous squares however there’s just one piazza within the metropolis.
We crossed the bridge to heaven, mimicked grotesque faces on buildings and discovered how aristocratic Venetian women made the many of the Italian solar and the town’s tall buildings to get the trendy blonde-haired however nonetheless pale-skinned look.
Round each nook, there was a brand new reality to be taught or surprising sight to identify, all informed in a child-friendly and interesting means – with thieving monks, a long-running feud with Istanbul, a sinking metropolis and the infamous enforcers and informers of the Council of Ten, Venice’s historical past isn’t uninteresting, in spite of everything!
Finally our Venice tour led us to the Piazza San Marco, dwelling to the town’s well-known basilica and the Doge’s Palace itself.
We’d prebooked tickets to enter the Basilica and see the Pala D’Oro, with some extra recommendations on how finest to do it from Lucia – the massive bonus of a non-public tour of Venice with children is that you could additionally adapt what it contains, so she very kindly accompanied us inside to disclose a number of the basilica’s secrets and techniques.
Then after studying the key behind the 2 pink columns on the Palazzo Ducale, the place the Doge would announce dying sentences – and heading to a different close by column to aim the close by unimaginable problem which might let the condemned escape execution, virtually three hours had passed by, apparently in a flash.
With every little thing ticked off our scavenger hunt, there was one final bonus on our implausible household pleasant tour of Venice: discovering out concerning the finest free view in Venice on the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the place Lucia had booked us free tickets to go and luxuriate in trying down onto the Grand Canal for ourselves.
To not point out testing out her suggestion for the very best gelato in Venice too!
Effectively, you may’t have a terrific tour of Venice for teenagers with out some ice cream…
For extra of the very best issues to do in Venice with children, try my high picks
Tour of Venice with children: must know
Venice Walks and Excursions has a number of totally different selections for households if you wish to take a tour of Venice with children, together with the highlights of Venice and routes off the overwhelmed observe.
You can even organize tailored excursions and personalised choices, in addition to heading contained in the Doge’s Palace or making your personal Venice carnival masks.
Try my full information to Italy with children for extra info and household journey inspiration
Disclosure: Our tour was free for the needs of evaluate – all opinions about whether or not that is the very best tour in Venice for teenagers are my very own (and my daughter’s!) This publish incorporates affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I could obtain a small fee
Photographs copyright MummyTravels
