Last updated on November 26th, 2024.
I was fortunate to spend a birthday in the scenic Lido of Venice (Lido di Venezia).
With its laid-back vibe, and vacation feel, it’s a perfect location to celebrate a special occasion.
But there are other reasons to visit Lido Venice, the best of which I’ll be sharing in this travel guide. I’ll be listing the 5 best things to do in Lido Venice, most of which you can do in 1 day.
Where is Lido of Venice?
Lido di Venezia is an island in the Venetian Lagoon in north-east Italy.
Situated to the east of Venice’s main islands it acts as a barrier between the lagoon and the Adriatic Sea.
The island is accessible by water buses (vaporetti) from Venice and other parts of the lagoon. If visiting by car, you can travel directly using the ferry service from the mainland.
What is Lido of Venice famous for?
Most visitors come to Venice to see Piazza San Marco, for Carnival in February or to visit other islands like Murano.
However, come September, these sights are set aside temporarily and it’s Lido di Venezia that takes center stage.
The Lido is well-known for its beaches, luxury hotels, and the Venice Film Festival, which takes place every year.
Welcoming big-name movie stars like George Clooney and Brad Pitt from across the globe, you might have seen photos/video of A-list celebrities rocking up to the lido in a water taxi.
But when visiting Lido of Venice outside this period, it’s business as usual for the island and its locals.
And this travel guide will show you how to enjoy this side of the island but without the glitz and the glamour.
Why you should visit
One of my top Venice day trip recommendations, Lido of Venice is a must see when visiting Venice. We visited Lido during the height of summer in late July as it was my birthday. Not usually my first choice of season, but we found that the island wasn’t as busy as mainland Venice.
Celebrating my birthday on the island was a big change from the previous year in which I spent at Mayfield Lavender Farm just outside London.
Perfect material for your Italy bucket list, use this post to help plan your trip to Italy.
How to get to Lido of Venice
Lido Santa Maria Elisabetta (S.M.E) is the vaporetto stop for Lido of Venice.
The vaporetto is the most popular, and cheapest, way to get around Venice (see how to use the vaporetto). This ticket is for a single vaporetto ride but there are more economical options if you’re stay longer in Venice.
Depending on which vaporetto you take, a direct ride from Piazzale di Roma to Lido of Venice can take around 15 minutes.
Piazzale di Roma is the main port from which the buses arrive and depart for Venice Marco Polo airport.
From here, it’s also possible to take a vaporetto directly to Murano, Burano and Torcello.
Arriving at Lido of Venice
Stepping off the boat at S.M.E is a welcome sight.
The first thing you notice upon disembarking are the number of cars and buses around. It’s something that you don’t see in Venice (for obvious reasons) and it’s surreal upon first glance.
Despite the many buses — and seemingly regular services— walking around Lido of Venice is my favorite way to visit the island. We’ve also visited by car and it was helpful for getting to one side of the island to another.
Another option is to join a bike tour of Lido di Venezia. A fun way to familiarize yourself with the island, you’ll also be in the company of a knowledgeable local guide.
However, in the early evening, a light sea breeze cools down the lido, making for a comfortable night out.
5 best things to do in Lido Venice
Visit the beaches on Lido di Venezia
The longer I live in Italy, the more I learn about the differences between the country’s beaches.
And unlike the beaches in Genoa, the coast of the Lido of Venice lies along the Adriatic Coast.
This means sandier — as opposed to pebble — shores, and a sea temperature (similar to what we experienced in the Bahamas) that suits me perfectly.
A short walk from S.M.E is one of the main beaches called Blue Moon (Spiaggia Blue Moon).
It’s open to the public and comes with plenty of wide-open spaces to relax and swim. Clean, sandy and chilled out, it’s one of the best things to do in Lido Venice.
A short walk to the east of Blue Moon Beach is the eclectic Hotel Excelsior Venice (Hotel Excelsior Lido di Venezia). A 5-star resort with sea views and a range of water and indoor activities, it’s an ideal beachfront choice.
Visit other beaches on Lido di Venezia
Blue Moon Beach isn’t the only beach to visit on Lido di Venezia.
Once you pass the stretch of sandy shore in front of Hotel Excelsior Venice, there’s more beachfront to enjoy. While some of these spots charge to use their loungers and umbrellas, other areas are designated ‘free spots’.
This means you can bring your own equipment and stay for as long, or as little, as you wish. Marconi Beach (Marconi Strand) and Murazzi Beach (Spiaggia Murazzi libera) are two such examples.
Make the trip to Alberoni
Situated at the other end of Lido Venice is Alberoni Beach (Spiaggia degli Alberoni). Part of the charming small town of the same name, there are few tourists that visit this part of Lido.
While here, I strongly advise to make a reservation at Trattoria SCARPA. Possibly the best seafood risotto we’ve eaten in Italy it was excellent.
On top of this, the fish and seafood dishes were incredibly fresh and satisfied all our tastebuds.
Trattoria SCARPA, Via Ca’ Rossa, 5
Choose your time
Services at the beach include places to eat and drink as well as sunbeds and cabanas for hire.
If the hot weather doesn’t bother you, come early to claim your spot. If it does, come around 4.30pm. It’s a glorious time to swim, plus many of the early attendees will have already left by then.
Stroll the main promenade
Granviale Santa Maria Elisabetta is the main street that leads from the port of Lido of Venice to Blue Moon Beach.
Tree-lined streets dotted with bars, restaurants and cafes on either side make it a popular spot among visitors. It’s also worth mentioning that there are plenty of good shopping options on Granviale Santa Maria Elisabetta.
From chain stores like OVS (Italian brand) to independent boutiques, they’re worth perusing. Many run sales during summer and the prices are reasonable for practical items like beach towels and bathing costumes.
Walking in the height of summer in Venice can take its toll on even the most active of traveler.
So if you feel your legs are about to give out, consider hiring a bike or scooter to get around Lido Venice.
Venice Scooter Rental and Venice Bike Rental are two places, both of which are located on Granviale Santa Maria Elisabetta.
Best things to do in Lido Venice
Admire the Liberty-style villas
While walking, or biking, along Granviale Santa Maria Elisabetta, there are several noteworthy villas to look out for.
Built in a Liberty style, these grand houses now masquerade as shops, restaurants or hotels. The Liberty period was popular in the early 20th century in Italy, and was renowned for turning ordinary features into something unique.
One fine example of a Liberty-style villa in the Lido of Venice is Grande Albergo Ausonia & Hungaria.
This 5-star hotel head-turner immediately grabs your attention upon first sight. Its facade of multi-colored tiles and arched windows makes it a natural contender for your Instagram feed.
Photograph the sunsets from Lido Venice
During lazy summer evenings, one of the best things to do in Lido Venice is to photograph the sunsets.
One of my favorite pastimes, the sunsets here play out a long-drawn and colorful performance. Walk along the Riviera Santa Maria Elisabetta to capture the ever-changing colors of the sun setting over Venice.
We arrived about 7.15pm (in July) and were able to photograph, and enjoy, a superb sunset.
If you continue walking along Riviera Santa Maria Elisabetta, you eventually reach Riviera San Nicolò. This stretch of road overlooking the water leads to a small airport called Aeroporto Nicelli. Bring your camera and a fully-loaded battery and snap away.
Take the ferry to Pellestrina
One of our favorite things to do in Lido Venice is to take the ferry to neighboring Pellestrina island.
Ferries depart from the port at Alberoni but check the timetable first before arranging your visit. Times will vary depending on when your visit.
The ride only takes around 10 minutes, but the sunsets from this side of the lagoon are spectacular.
Beware the mosquito swarm
It’s worth mentioning the aggressive swarm of mosquitos that frequent Lido of Venice and especially Pellestrina during summer.
Because as someone that mosquitos always gravitate towards it was unbearable. My standard non-DEET mosquito spray did nothing to keep the swarm at bay.
Instead, I had to invest in a stronger insect repellent spray (with DEET), wear long pants and keep my arms covered for our Pellestrina trip.
Dinner at Agriturismo Le Valli
Upon disembarking at Pellestrina, we made the short walk to Agriturismo Le Valli.
The restaurant and hotel specializes in serving home-style Venetian dishes and fresh fish and seafood. A delicious and local way to spend the evening, it was 100% worth battling through the army of mosquitos.
Agriturismo Le Valli, Via dei Murazzi, 1d
Have dinner at La Favorita
Please note, La Favorita is now permanently closed.
End your stay in the Lido of Venice on a delicious note at La Favorita.
A place, which on first glance, doesn’t appear to be anything special, I implore you to take a closer look. Like many restaurants in Italy during the warmer months, outdoor dining is the norm.
Serving up classic Venetian dishes and some of the freshest fish and seafood, we’d return in a heartbeat. A delicate seafood salad, perfectly cooked ravioli with prawns, and a fish skewer with polenta, my husband and I were in foodie heaven.
An operatic surprise
While I thought that the food, wine and company was going to be the evening’s highlight, I was proven wrong.
An impromptu performance of Nessun Dorma in the restaurant grabbed all of our attention. Accompanied by an accordion player, the singer sang his heart out, hitting the high notes and blowing us all away.
The icing on the cake was, upon finishing his performance and receiving his applause, the singer returned to his table. It turned out that he was a diner just like the rest of us.
With our stomachs happily satisfied from our meal, unfortunately we’d no room left for dessert. The menu included Italian classic desserts such as Venetian tiramisu and Crema Catalana.
Whatever you do, don’t miss booking a dinner at La Favorita. It was the perfect end, not only to my birthday, but also to our time in the Lido of Venice.
What do you think of this guide to the best things to do in Lido Venice? Does it look like somewhere you’d like to visit one day? Leave me a comment and let me know below.
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ABOUT me
Welcome to my site. I'm Lisa, an Italy-based travel and lifestyle blogger behind Following the Rivera. Find out more about me and my story.
I can’t believe I’ve never been to the Lido the few times I’ve visited Venice! I have always been short on time and trying to see the sites but missing great things like this. Making a point to see this next time I am there. I love how the water is warmer and sandier on this side too!
It’s definitely more my cup of tea than the Med! The water is far warmer and more to my liking 🙂
Such amazing timing. It seems my path is sort of linked right now to some of your favorites as we just scheduled flights this morning to experience Venice with a little less tourism. This, as always, is amazing info and full of great tips! I’m not sure we’ll make Lido this time but I’m pinning it for later!!
Great to know Kevin! Venice, as you’ll soon find out, is much quieter than normal, but with a relatively healthy number of tourists. Enjoy it 🙂