Lido di Venezia

The Lido is the thin strip of land that protects the Venetian lagoon from the Adriatic, a barrier island some eleven kilometres long, and it feels like a different world from the historic centre. Here there are cars and buses, tree-lined avenues, gardens and a long sandy beach facing the open sea. At the turn of the twentieth century the Lido became one of Europe's most fashionable seaside resorts, and its grand hotels and Liberty-style villas, the Italian version of Art Nouveau, still line the Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta, the main street that runs from the vaporetto landing on the lagoon side straight across to the sea. Thomas Mann set Death in Venice here, and every late summer the Venice International Film Festival, the oldest film festival in the world, brings stars to the Palazzo del Cinema and the red carpets of the Lido's seafront. For visitors the Lido offers something rare in Venice: space. The beaches are a mix of private bathing establishments, with their rows of traditional wooden capanne, cabins with verandas rented by the day or season, and free public beaches, including the dunes of San Nicolò and Alberoni, the Murazzi sea walls and the Bluemoon beach near the main landing, which has showers and toilets. The sea shelves gently and is sheltered by breakwaters, which makes it good for young children. Rent a bike to ride south along the lagoon side to Malamocco, a tiny village whose name recalls one of the lagoon's earliest seats of government, with its own bridges, canal and campo, and on to Alberoni, where a WWF-protected oasis of dunes and pinewoods shelters birds including bee-eaters and plovers.

Getting there: the main stop is Santa Maria Elisabetta, served by several vaporetto lines from San Marco and the station, including the slow line 1 down the Grand Canal; the trip from San Zaccaria takes about fifteen minutes. A vaporetto travel pass covers it. From the landing, it is a ten-minute walk down the Gran Viale to the sea. Local buses run along the island, and bike rental shops cluster near the landing; the island is flat and cycling is the best way to explore it. The day-tripper access fee does not apply to the Lido, and the scheme is paused until the end of 2026 in any case, with 2027 dates not yet announced.

When to go: the beach season runs roughly from late May to September, when the private establishments are open and the lifeguards on duty. Outside the season, many beach facilities close, but the Lido is still lovely for a bike ride, a walk on the empty sand and a seafood lunch, and in autumn and winter it feels like a real place where Venetians live rather than a resort. During the Film Festival, from late August into September, the area around the Palazzo del Cinema is busy and some roads are closed, but there is a buzz to the whole island.

Who it suits: families, above all, who need a break from bridges and museums, as well as cyclists, beach lovers and anyone staying several days who wants to see a quieter side of Venice. Staying on the Lido is a genuine option for families, with more space and larger hotel rooms than in the centre, at the price of a boat ride each way. Combine it with the Arsenale and Giardini area, which you pass on the way back by boat, or with a sunset view of the San Marco basin from the vaporetto deck.