At this time of year the first spring sun begins to illuminate the streets of Venice, enveloping the city in a magical light. The secret gardens awaken from their winter sleep, offering flowering views to those passing by. The city's campielli (small squares) fill up with people sitting on red benches, finding sweet comfort under the sun that warms their faces.
Children fill the squares to play and tourists walk along the fondamenta of Venice enjoying an ice cream. This is the right time to enjoy a long open-air itinerary, to get to know all the hidden corners of the city, through all its districts. Let's discover the places to see in spring in Venice.
10. Giardino Mistico degli Scalzi
In the Cannaregio district, near the Santa Lucia train station, we find a garden hidden within the walls of an ancient convent: it is the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelites.
Since 2015, after a careful restoration, the garden has reopened to the public. The aim of this green treasure is to safeguard the lagoon biodiversity.
Today the garden is divided into seven thematic areas, including one dedicated to the cultivation of medicinal herbs, the heart of the production of the Venetian Discalced Carmelites' Acqua di Melissa (Carmelite Water) since 1700.
9. Burano
The colourful houses in Burano
As spring arrives, it is also the right time to set off from Venice to visit its beautiful islands. First of all Burano, the colourful island known all over the world.
Burano, with its brightly coloured houses, the smell of freshly baked butter biscuits, women embroidering precious lace, flowery balconies and immense tranquillity, seems to be a place where time has stood still, estranged from the rest of the world.
The small island of Burano can be visited in a handful of hours, in complete tranquillity, during which it is worth wandering through the calli, callette and alleyways off the beaten track that lead to the main square, Piazza Galuppi, the only one on the island. One of the most beautiful views of the colourful houses that stretch along the shores is certainly the one you get from the "Tre Ponti" bridge.
To reach this magnificent colourful oasis, simply take the line 12 of the vaporetto from Fondamenta Nuove and get off at the Burano stop, enjoying the spectacle of the lagoon.
8. Torcello
Another wonderful island in the Venetian lagoon to visit in spring is Torcello. A quiet and peaceful corner of the Venetian lagoon, Torcello is one of the most enchanting islands of the Venetian archipelago, characterised by its decadent charm.
Strolling through the streets of this small island, now mostly uninhabited, is like taking a plunge into the past: the atmosphere of Torcello is suspended in time. Delicious restaurants and some typical inns, among other cultural attractions such as the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, populate the small streets of the island.
Torcello is only a few minutes away from the beautiful Burano, and is easily reached by waterbus from the city. The route to get there is the same as that to Burano.
What you notice as soon as you disembark is the silence and the huge green spaces. A place to spend a few hours away from the chaos and breathe deeply.
7. Island of San Giorgio Maggiore
The bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore and the Borges Labyrinth
From Riva degli Schiavoni, in front of the Doge's Palace, you can admire the island of San Giorgio overlooking St Mark's Basin. It is only a 3-minute journey by vaporetto from the San Zaccaria stop, 200 metres from the Doge's Palace.
Once on the island go to the Giorgio Cini Foundation to visit the incredible Borges Labyrinth, open to the public from 2021.
Moreover, to see one of the city's breathtaking panoramas, simply go up the 75-metre-high bell tower of the Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, from where you'll have a complete view of the city and, on the right day, even see the Euganean Hills in the distance and the Dolomites.
6. Ca' Rezzonico
An iconic Venetian Baroque palace, Ca' Rezzonico now houses the Museo del Settecento Veneziano, one of Venice's most fascinating museums. Overlooking the Grand Canal, it exhibits furnishings, paintings and sculptures from that historical period.
A place brimming with romance. What's more, this Venetian attraction can be visited free of charge thanks to the Venice Pass, the pass to experience Venice like a Venetian.
5. Venice Lido
Venice Lido
On warm days like those in spring, a walk by the sea is always a good idea.
Venice's best known beach is certainly its Lido, a thin island that stretches for about 12 kilometres between the Venetian lagoon and the Adriatic Sea, which represents the perfect combination of art and sea: Art Nouveau palaces, lush green areas, nineteenth-century buildings and beaches formed by natural dunes of soft sand.
Here you can stroll peacefully along the golden beach, admiring the immensity of the sea.
4. Castello district
Take advantage of the fine weather to visit Castello, the city's easternmost sestiere.
Castello is one of the areas of Venice least visited by tourists, and for this reason also one of the most authentic; it is the largest district and also the only one that does not overlook the Grand Canal, and like every corner of Venice it is rich in hidden treasures.
Here you will be immersed in a green corner of Venice as there are several green spaces in Castello, including the Giardini della Biennale and Spazio Thesis.
3. Fondamenta delle Zattere
Fondamenta delle Zattere at dusk
Fondamenta delle Zattere, located in the Dorsoduro district, is a long fondamenta that forms the southern limit of the city of Venice. It overlooks the Giudecca Canal and runs along it for almost its entire length, with a path approximately one kilometre long.
Since it faces entirely south, it is very sunny and is a traditional destination for spring and summer walks, also favoured by the presence of numerous bars, ice-cream parlours and restaurants with their terraces.
Enjoy a leisurely stroll along this long street, soaking up the sun and why not with a glass of spritz!
2. Chioggia
Chioggia, known as 'little Venice', is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy, recommended also by the New York Times as one of the 52 top travel destinations 2022.
It is a pretty little fishing town on a group of small islands connected by bridges in the southernmost outpost of the Venetian lagoon: a small world known to few.
But Chioggia is also an ancient city rich in history and culture. It is cheerful and lively, with its characteristic colours and scents, immersed in an area whose identity is inseparable from the sea. A perfect destination for a spring trip to the edge of the lagoon!
1. Royal Gardens
A few steps away from St Mark's Square we find the Royal Gardens, reopened in 2019 after a long period of renovation. The origins of the Royal Gardens date back to the Napoleonic reform project of the Marciana Area in 1806.
In 1920 the Royal Gardens were fully opened to the public and handed over to the City Council, unfortunately over time the garden gradually fell into disuse so much so that in 2014 it was given in concession to the Venice Gardens Foundation Onlus which restored it to its former glory, both architecturally and botanically.
Immerse yourself in this oasis of peace in the heart of the historic centre, among the wonderful spring flowering.
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