10 things to do in Venice with kids on a tiny budget

The wonder of Venice is timeless and is able to fascinate adults and children of all ages.
There are no cars; to get from one part of the city to the other, one uses gondolas, the same ones used as early as the Middle Ages to transport people. As you navigate the canals, you pass under the many bridges that cross the streets.
Venice is often considered an overpriced, family-unfriendly city: IT'S NOT! Follow us on our tour to discover all the stops to get to know Venice while spending less than 10€ per person!

Here's what Silvia, mom of a 6-year-old from the Its4Kids group, says about Venice: "we go home with eyes full of beauty and a belly full of cicchetti!!!"

Gondola ride

€2 per person
Anyone who visits Venice dreams of traversing its canals aboard the many gondolas that can be found on every corner; rides on antique gondolas, accompanied by gondoliers in classic straw hats are one of the most authentic experiences one can have in this city.
Unfortunately, however, gondola rides cost a lot, prices being 80€ for a half-hour ride during the day and as much as 100€ for the same leg during the evening. Here to book the traditional gondola ride.

What if I told you that it is possible to cross the Grand Canal in a gondola for only 2€?
That's right, that's right, with only 2€ you can cross the Grand Canal, the historic canal that bisects the historic center. The banks overlook wonderful period palaces and churches, all while passing under bridges that connect the various parts of the city.
Of course given the reduced price, the tour lasts only a few minutes, just enough time to cross, but it still allows you to see Venice from a privileged vantage point: its canals. This ferry is for all intents and purposes a public transport service, and in ancient times it was called a traghetto da Paràda and denoted precisely the transport of people from one point to another in a canal.
Today, there are five stations, called "stazi," from which it is possible to board the gondola-ferry. Customs - Santa Maria del Giglio - San Tomà - Riva del Vin , Riva del Carbon - Santa Sofia
Simply go to the stop or "stazio" and wait for the gondola to arrive to take you to the other side. Easy and cheap!

Credits Pixabay Grand Canal with gondolas

Tours and games to discover Venice

In Venice, especially for older children or young kids, there are wonderful treasure hunts that can be downloaded directly via App to your cell phone.
They are a great way to discover the city while having fun, at your own family's pace.
Find some of them here:
👉 Autonomous walking tour with treasure hunt
👉 Thief Hunt: Venice exploration game

Credits Youflavio Interior of the historic La Fenice Theater in Venice

Fondaco dei tedeschi in Venice

Free
For those who don't know, the fondaco is a building of medieval origin that, in seaside cities, served as a warehouse for goods or accommodation for foreign merchants. In Venice there is the Fondaco dei tedeschi: this is because German merchants were numerous in the city and so the senate decided to assign them a palace that had an entrance on the Grand Canal, near the Rialto Bridge. Today, this structure has become the T Fondaco (T for Travelers), a kind of shopping paradise.The interior architecture has been modified and made more modern, but still very charming; a fourth floor has also been added for exhibitions, shows and events.
By booking onlineyou can get free access to the top-floor terrace and see the view of the city from above: the roofs of the houses, the gondolas crossing the canals, and the wonderful palaces.

Credits Gvf Fondaco dei tedeschi entrance in Venice

Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo

7 euros adults, free for children
The very old palace was built between 300 and 400, and was the home of an important family of Venice, the Contarini. So what does the name "Bovolo" stand for?
Let's unravel the mystery right away, "Bovolo" comes from the Venetian dialect and means "spiral". The palace in fact has a wonderful 15th-century spiral staircase, called the Bovolo staircase. Legend has it that Pietro Contarini had it built to get up to his bedroom on horseback. The Contarini palace has a very special location: it lies halfway between the economic heart and the political heart of Venice: Rialto and San Marco.

Trivia:
Arnaux Marseille, known as "The Maltese" during the last century used this palace as a modern airbnb: he decided, in fact, to rent rooms to visitors to Venice, just like an inn, calling it precisely "Locanda della Scala". People liked the name so much that it was extended to the street leading to the palace, which, even today, is called Calle delle Locande.
Apparently, it was this singular character that inspired the great Hugo Pratt in the writing of his famous comic strip Corto Maltese.

It is also said that a German astronomer named Tempel, during a stay at the Locanda, climbed the famous spiral staircase to the terrace (also called Terrazza Belvedere). Here, looking at the sky with his telescope, he made two incredible discoveries: comet C/1859 and the Merope nebula of the Pleiades.

I recommend that you book tickets for your family to pay a visit to this beautiful palace, climb the 80 steps and be amazed at the view from the belvedere! over the rooftops of Venice and St. Mark's bell tower. When you reach the second floor, you can visit the Tintoretto room, where works by the most illustrious protagonists of the Venetian artistic scene between the 16th and 18th centuries are on display.

Here for skip-the-line tickets for the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo.

Credits Flickr Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo

Acqua Alta bookstore in Venice

Free
The Acqua Alta bookstore in Venice is a must for book lovers, but not only. Don't expect the classic city bookstore, with volumes neatly arranged on shelves and a digital catalog; here you'll find a real labyrinth, a unique sight. The librerai is located 10 minutes from St. Mark's Square, the city's main pizza, so it can easily fit into your travel itinerary. The name is not accidental: in fact, it refers to one of the most common phenomena in Venice, precisely high water.
This is nothing more than a high tide peak that occurs mainly in the winter months and causes the water level in the city to rise. As you can imagine this is not easy to handle for those who have a bookstore, in fact books once wet are ruined forever.
This is precisely why there are no low shelves, but the volumes are contained in a bathtub, a gondola, a canoe and a boat. Every detail is unique, even the stairs at the back are made from books destined for pulping that have now taken on the function of steps. Once you have finished your visit inside, you can in fact climb the particular staircase and see the panorama of the canals of Venice from above-a beautiful view to take many photographs!

Credits Pixabay Acqua Alta bookstore in Venice

Museum of Natural History and Leonardo Museum

For budding little scientists, here are two addresses not to be missed: the Natural History Museum and theDa Vinci Museum

Museum of Natural History

We are in the sestiere of Santa Croce, in the Fondaco dei Turchi, and here is the Museo di Storia Naturale, beautiful to visit for the whole family. Not to be missed by dinosaur lovers and those curious to find out all about their history. The museum is divided according to the exhibits present, so you can find a section dedicated to insects, one to marine biology, one to fossils, and, of course, one to dinosaurs.
On the ground floor there is a photo exhibit entirely devoted to marine animals.
Almost all rooms are very interactive and therefore perfect for curious children!
For the little ones who love dinosaurs, the real highlight is the room with the skeleton of Ouranosaurus, preserved almost in its entirety: fascinating for both older and younger children. In the same hall you can also see the remains of a giant crocodile.

Da Vinci Museum

In front of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, there is the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, an interactive, multimedia exhibit that tells us about the inventions of the Florentine genius, one of the museums dedicated to Leonardo not to be missed.

Here info and tickets Da Vinci Museum .

Credits Ricardalovesmonuments Dinosaur in the Museum of Natural History

Eating in a Venetian bacaro

From 2 € per portion
You often hear that Venice is very expensive, that only a coffee in the square can cost a capital...of course you have to know the right places to go to. Venetian bacari are typical places, similar to small osterias where you can taste the traditional dishes of this city at really reduced prices. There are many bacari, you can find them on the corners of every square and they are a meeting point for young and old. Here they serve the famous cicchetti, mini-tastes perfect for a snack or, for older people, to accompany an aperitif. Cicchetti can be seafood-based, for example, crostini with cod mantecato, marinated anchovies or fried seafood, or even simpler with cold cuts and cheese. Prices can range from 1€ for fried ones to 3€ for fish-based ones.
The beauty of these places lies precisely in the simplicity: the ambiance is very cozy and familiar, as if it were a reunion among old friends.

Credits Pixabay Aperitivo con I cicchetti

See the making of glass

Glass blowing is a truly ancient art, and watching a craftsman create a glass object is mesmerizing: impossible to take your eyes off. It is a craft that has always carried with it an aura of fascination and mystery, given also the use of special tools such as kilns and pliers.
This tour gives you access to a glass factory and a guided tour to learn all the secrets behind this wonderful art. An experienced artisan will show you all the steps of glassware production and of course glassblowing. Be careful and pay close attention because this technique was kept hidden for centuries by the Republic of Venice!
The tour also includes a visit to the glass factory exhibition, which contains all kinds of products that can be made from glass. At the end you can get a small glass souvenir as a gift to remember this wonderful experience forever!
Here to reserve Venetian glassblowing tickets in St. Mark's Square for less than 10 euros!

The Murano Glass Museum

A tour to discover the islands of Murano and Burano, the former famous for its historical glass manufacture and the latter for its handmade lace production. If you are in Venice, I recommend you also visit the nearby islands of Murano and Burano, which are easily reached from the center by special ferries. The ferries are priced from €7 to €7.50 and run every 20 minutes.
The beating heart of this island, often called Venice in miniature, is glassmaking. Glassblowing is the oldest and most widespread art in the entire lagoon.The imperfections found on the final products testify to the fact that they are made entirely by hand and are unique pieces. There are plenty of small stores where you can buy some souvenirs: from glass lamps, to glasses, but also necklaces and bracelets.

Once you arrive on the island of Murano, I recommend you take a tour of a glass factory where you can learn about all the blowing techniques and visit the beautiful Colleoni glassworks.
You can buy the jump tickets to the Colleoni glass factory here.

Credits Pixabay Glassblowing in Murano

The colorful little houses of Burano

Burano is famous for its colorful houses, as you approach the island in fact you will see a riot of wonderful colors: they immediately bring joy
a beautiful legend lies behind the origin of lace making on this island.
It is said that it all originated with a fisherman who, tempted by the sirens' song, decided to remain faithful to his betrothed. The mermaid queen, impressed by his confidence, gave him a wonderful wedding veil created from sea foam. On her wedding day the bride was envied by all the women of the island, who began to replicate the bride's lace, using needle and thread, creating ever more elaborate embroideries, giving rise to a tradition that is still passed down today.

A bit more expensive than the other tips in the article, but well worth it, is the boat tour of the three islands-Murano, Burano and Torcello-with a demonstration of glassblowing in Murano.
boat tour of the three islands

) Credits Pixabay ) Beautiful colored houses in Burano