Venice: What to Know Before You Go

Short answer: stay at least two nights on the islands rather than visiting as a midday excursion, pack a light bag you can lift up stepped stone bridges, buy a multi-day ACTV waterbus pass, and follow the yellow street signs rather than trusting phone GPS blindly in narrow alleys.

The Venice Access Fee (Contributo di Accesso)

On designated high-season dates (mainly Fridays to Sundays and public holidays between April and July), Venice applies a daytime registration rule for visitors entering the historic city between 08:30 and 16:00. If you are staying overnight in a hotel or registered flat inside the municipality, you do not pay the fee (since you already pay the nightly tourist tax), but you still register your hotel dates on the official city portal (`cda.ve.it`) to receive a free exemption QR code. Day-trippers without an overnight stay pay online in advance and carry the QR code for spot checks at Santa Lucia station and Piazzale Roma.

Addresses by sestiere, not by street

Venice does not number houses along individual streets. Instead, each of the six historic districts (sestieri: San Marco, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce, Cannaregio and Castello) has a single continuous numbering sequence running into the thousands. An address like Castello 3250 means little without knowing the nearest bridge or square (campo). Always ask your hotel for the nearest vaporetto stop and which bridges sit between that pier and their door.

Strict city rules and bridge etiquette

To keep narrow walkways moving, Venice enforces on-the-spot fines by municipal stewards: never sit on the steps of bridges, church thresholds or the arcades of St Mark's Square to eat a sandwich; never swim or dangle your feet in a canal; never walk shirtless; and never stop in the middle of a narrow bridge Crest when people with bags are climbing behind you.

Drinking water and public toilets

Tap water and the cast-iron public fountains (fontanelle) in almost every campo run with cold, clean drinking water, so carry a refillable bottle. Public toilets are scarce and charge a fee; have coins or a card handy, or time stops with museum visits and morning espresso breaks at a bacaro bar, explained in our food guide.