Campsites and Holiday Parks in Venice: The Best Spots for Living La Dolce Vita
It’s not all about hunkering down in hotels when on a hol in one of Italy’s most sought-after spots – savvy travellers tend to choose campsites and holiday parks in Venice for a cheaper break with tip-top facilities. After all, who wants to be squished in the middle of a busy city when they could stay in the calmer countryside and zip back and forth to the urban sights?
With that in mind, here’s a guide to the best holiday parks and campsites in Venice (plus the hotspots to hit up while you’re there).
The lowdown on the top campsites and holiday parks in Venice
Cheap campsites in Venice are a cinch to seek out for travellers looking to save their euros, with options starting from under a tenner per person. Less expensive parks are usually simpler affairs a little way outside the main city, yet are reasonably close to public transport for fuss-free forays to the centre.
If you’re roaming in an RV, camper or caravan, consider motorhome campsites in Venice. These tend to have spacious, flat pitches with electric hook-ups for touring travellers, plus essential amenities like waste disposal and laundry facilities.
Always thought the City of Love would be off-limits until the nippers grew up? Think again. Booking a holiday park in Venice with action-packed amenities for the bambinos, including multiple swimming pools, kids’ clubs, sports facilities and evening entertainment, is a first-rate plan for families.
Small sorts will also be chuffed with a break at a beach campsite near Venice. Snap up a sun lounger from the vendors that line the sea, invest in a bucket and spade, and watch as the kids recreate the Doge’s Palace on the sand.
This being Italy, there are also sites with restaurants and pizzerias serving local meals of the mouthwatering kind. Pick a place with an alfresco terrace bar for aperitifs out in the open air (ours is an aperol spritz if you’re asking... ) and cafés for strong morning espressos, Italiano style.
Campsites and holiday parks in Venice by the beach
The closest campsites to the city are accessible over the long Ponte della Libertà bridge linking Venice to the mainland. But if you’re keen on having a break mainly on the beach, with a few days dipping in and out of the centre to boot, these are the resort areas to have on your radar.
Cavallino-Treporti sits on a 10-kilometre-long sandbank opposite Venice. Driving between here and the city takes an hour but those in the know recommend taking the 40-minute ferry from the Punta Sabbioni port to the Riva degli Schiavoni, a couple of minutes’ walk from Venice’s Rialto Bridge, the Accademia and St Mark’s Square.
Jesolo, one of the busiest resorts on Veneto’s Adriatic Coast, is around 50 minutes from Venice by bus and boat. Select a site here with bike rental and steer your way through the surrounding countryside on cycle rides when not soaking up the city’s sights.
Often called ‘Little Venice’, Chioggia is a compact, canal-lined version of its big sister. Tramp towards the Torre dell’Orologio S Andrea, a watchtower with a medieval clock, while at this seaside resort and skedaddle over to Sottomarina beach and the 14th-century Forte San Felice on a nearby island too.
The former fishing village of Caorle, just north of Venice (an hour’s drive), has a brightly coloured centre, as well as a handful of beaches lapped by the Adriatic. This is one for the drivers as it’s not as easy to get to on public transport.
Top tips for taking on Venice (without staying in the centre)
When choosing a campsite in Venice, go for a park near public transport. As a rule of thumb, buses and trains are cheaper modes of travel than the vaporettos (taxi boats).
If you’re dead set on speeding around the canals via a vessel, invest in wallet-friendly vaporetto tickets covering multiple journeys. Those ambling with their amici (mates) should look into booking a private water taxi – the bigger the group, the cheaper this usually works out compared to bobbing along in separate gondolas. (Plus, some boats come with bubby free of charge…)
The terrain around Venice is mostly flat, so biking is an especially nifty option for navigating the region.
Venetian attractions to venture towards when staying at a campsite in Venice
St Mark’s Square is seen as the centre of Venice and is just the spot for starting your explores. Bimble over to the basilica and gawp at the Byzantine mosaics, then brave the steps up to the Campanile bell tower for views over the city’s palatial architecture.
Venice has over 400 bridges, but the fancy-pants Ponte di Rialto is the most well-known. Folk flock to this 16th-century structure for panoramas over the canal from the grand staircase and to browse the bijou boutiques lining the top.
Outside the centre, mosey to Murano island while camping in Italy and get a glimpse of the glass-making traditions that have flourished here for more than 1,000 years, whether at the main museum or in the Fornace Ferro Murano factory.
A trip to Venice isn’t just about ticking off the top tourist attractions, though: the magic of spending a stint in this spot is to meander through the labyrinthine lanes while taking in the grandeur all around…
After you’ve navigated the City of Romance, take a look at all the campsites across Italy on Pitchup and start planning another cultural adventure.
