A car-free city on 118 islands linked by canals: St Mark's Basilica and Square, the Doge's Palace, the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge and gondolas; nearby are Murano, the glass island, and colourful Burano. For art, romance and seafood; children love the water buses, glass-blowing demos and the Lido beach. On 60 days in April–July 2026 day-trippers pay a €5–10 access fee; overnight hotel guests are exempt. There are no direct flights — connect via Frankfurt (MIAT) or Istanbul. Mongolian citizens need a Schengen visa; the Italian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar takes applications directly.
🛂 Visa: Visa required · 90 days✈ Flight: 14h☀ Best months: April, May, June, September
#canals#gondolas#art#islands#seafood#Schengen visa
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: April, May, June, September, October.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
St Mark's Basilica and Square
CultureBasilica from €10 (timed online ticket required); with Pala d'Oro or museum €20–30; bell tower €15Basilica roughly Mon–Sat 9:30–17:15, Sunday afternoons; check times on the official site
A Byzantine basilica clad in gold mosaics, beside the square called 'Europe's drawing room' and the 99 m bell tower. Since 2025 tickets are timed and sold only on tickets.basilicasanmarco.it. The nearby Libreria Acqua Alta bookshop keeps its books in boats and bathtubs — free and fun for children.
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goThe Italian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar takes Italian visa applications itself; sort out Venice's access fee and timed tickets in advance.+
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Schengen visa: Italian Embassy (no VFS)
If Italy is your main destination, apply at the Italian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar (ICC Tower, 14th floor). Book the appointment by registering on prenotami.esteri.it; appointments run Mon–Fri 9:30–13:30, and you must bring a printed confirmation — building security checks it. Fee €90 (ages 6–11 €45, under 6 free), with no third-party service fee.
Tip: Prenot@Mi slots fill fast — start 2–3 months before your trip.
A decision usually comes within 15 days, up to 45 if extra checks are needed; you cannot apply more than 6 months ahead. Attach medical insurance of at least €30,000 valid across Schengen, a return ticket, hotel bookings, bank statements and an employment letter.
In 2026, on 60 days from 3 April to 26 July (mostly Fri–Sun and holidays), day visitors aged 14+ entering the old city 8:30–16:00 pay a fee: €5 if paid four or more days ahead, €10 in the last three days. Overnight guests in the city don't pay but register on cda.ve.it for a QR code. Islands such as Murano, Burano and the Lido are not included. The 2027 calendar will be announced later.
Tip: Buy timed tickets for St Mark's and the Doge's Palace only on the official sites (tickets.basilicasanmarco.it, palazzoducale.visitmuve.it).
🛬Landing and getting to the cityFlights land at Marco Polo (VCE); cars cannot enter the old city, so go by bus to Piazzale Roma or straight in by boat.+
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Bus to Piazzale Roma
AVM bus 5 (Aerobus) or the ATVO express reaches Piazzale Roma in about 20–25 minutes. AVM single €10, return €18; a combined bus + 75-minute water-bus ticket is €18. From Piazzale Roma continue to your hotel by vaporetto.
Tip: If your hotel is far, you'll carry bags over many bridges from Piazzale Roma — pack a small wheeled case.
From the airport dock, Alilaguna's Blue and Orange lines go straight to Murano, Rialto and San Marco in about 70 minutes. Single €18, return €32, one large bag included; children under 6 free. Private water taxis are fast but cost several hundred euros.
If your phone supports eSIM, buy and install a travel eSIM from Airalo, Holafly or similar before you leave: it works as soon as you land in Frankfurt or Rome. Pick a Europe-wide plan and it works in your connecting city too.
Tip: Download Rome in Google Maps and Italian in Google Translate for offline use.
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Italian prepaid SIM
Buy a SIM at a TIM, Vodafone or WindTre store with your passport — registration is required by law. TIM has a tourist plan. Iliad needs an Italian tax code, so it does not suit tourists.
🚇Getting aroundVenice has no cars or bikes — you walk or take the water bus (vaporetto).+
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Water-bus tickets
A single ticket is €9.50 (75 minutes), so passes pay off: 24 h €25, 48 h €35, 72 h €45, 7 days €65. Ages 6–29 get Rolling Venice + 72 h for €33. Tap your ticket on the reader at the stop before boarding.
Line 1 is the slow Grand Canal line stopping everywhere; Line 2 is faster and reaches San Giorgio Maggiore; 4.1/4.2 go to Murano and Line 12 from Fondamente Nove to Burano and Torcello. Google Maps sometimes gets lost in the alleys — follow the yellow 'Per Rialto' and 'Per S. Marco' signs.
From Santa Lucia station Trenitalia trains reach Verona (Juliet's balcony, the Roman arena) and Padua — good day trips. The Dolomites (Cortina d'Ampezzo) are reached by bus and are far for a day, so stay a night.
Most places take cards, but small cafés and markets need cash. Withdraw euros from bank ATMs (Bancomat); independent ATMs at tourist spots charge high fees. A 'coperto' (bread and cover charge) on the bill is normal, and tipping is optional.
Tip: If the ATM offers to charge you in tögrög, say no — choose euros.
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City accommodation tax
Venice's old city charges a per-person, per-night tax by accommodation class: from €1 at 1-star to €5 at 5-star, for up to 5 consecutive nights in one place. Children under 10 are exempt. Hotels usually collect it separately in cash; staying overnight exempts you from the access fee.
Non-EU visitors who spend more than €70.01 in one shop on one day can reclaim VAT. Show your passport in the shop to get a Tax Free receipt and validate it at the airport where you leave the EU.
🍜FoodVenetian food centres on seafood and small bites called cicchetti.+
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What to eat
At 'bacaro' bars, cicchetti — creamed salt cod on bread (baccalà mantecato), fried fish balls, 'sarde in saor' (sardines in sweet-sour onions). Squid-ink pasta 'nero di seppia', risotto and 'fegato alla veneziana'. Children enjoy pizza, gelato and fritto misto (fried seafood).
Tip: Café tables on St Mark's Square add a music surcharge and very high prices — Cannaregio and Castello are cheaper and better.
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Meal times and the bill
Restaurants close between lunch and dinner, and dinner starts late. Bills include a 'coperto' (bread and cover) and sometimes 'servizio' — check that the menu states it. Coffee standing at the bar is cheaper.
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Markets and water
The Rialto fish and produce market runs in the mornings. Buy cheap groceries at Coop, Conad and Despar. Water from the cast-iron street fountains is drinkable and free — refill your bottle.
The EU number 112 works anywhere in Italy — free, even from a phone without a SIM. Veneto is still completing its 112 rollout, so ambulance 118 and police 113 keep working directly. The old-city hospital is SS. Giovanni e Paolo, and ambulances arrive by boat.
From October to January tides can flood low spots like St Mark's Square. When a tide above 110 cm is forecast the MOSE barrier closes the lagoon, so serious floods are now rare. If sirens sound, check the Centro Maree forecast and get rubber boots.
Keep your bag in front at Rialto, San Marco, Santa Lucia station and on crowded water buses. Agree gondola and water-taxi prices first. If you lose your passport, report it to the police and contact the Embassy of Mongolia in Rome.
Swimming in canals, picnicking on bridges and steps, dangling feet in the water and walking around in swimwear or shirtless all bring fines. Keep right in narrow alleys and don't block bridges by stopping.
In the old city and on Murano, Burano and Torcello, tour groups are capped at 25 people and loudspeakers are banned. Churches refuse bare shoulders and knees, and large bags must be left in storage at St Mark's.
Say 'Buongiorno' (or 'Buonasera' in the evening) entering a shop or restaurant and 'Grazie, arrivederci' leaving. You ask for the bill — 'Il conto, per favore'. Don't pose on residents' doorsteps or private bridges.
📱Useful apps+
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Transport and tickets
The AVM Venezia app — e-tickets for water buses and travel cards. Trenitalia — trains to Verona, Padua and Rome. The Venezia Unica site books museums and the access fee in one place.
The 'Hi!tide Venice' app or the city's Centro Maree page shows the high-water forecast. Google Translate's camera mode translates Italian menus on the spot; download Venice in Google Maps for offline use.
The bus from Piazzale Roma takes about 20–25 minutes, the Alilaguna boat about 70 — leave earlier if going by water. Be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight: the EES exit check and Tax Free validation can be slow. If you connect via Frankfurt, you exit Schengen there.
Leave the Schengen area no later than the date on your visa — EES records your exit day automatically, and an overstay will hurt your next application. Carry Tax Free goods in your hand luggage and validate them before check-in.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
Culture
€30 (bought 30+ days ahead), €35 after that; ages 6–14 €15; free under 6; includes Museo Correr
Daily 9:00–19:00
The Gothic palace of the rulers of the Venetian Republic: huge Tintoretto canvases, an armoury, and a walk across the Bridge of Sighs to the old prisons. One ticket also covers the Museo Correr and the Marciana Library. Buy official tickets from palazzoducale.visitmuve.it.
CitySingle ticket €9.50 (75 min); 24-hour pass €25Daily from early morning to midnight, every 10–20 minutes
The slow Line 1 water bus runs the whole Grand Canal from Piazzale Roma to San Marco in about 45 minutes, past 170-plus palaces and the Rialto and Accademia bridges. The cheapest 'cruise' in town — grab a seat at the front.
The 1591 stone bridge above a 1,000-year-old fish and produce market. In the afternoon locals stand at nearby 'bacaro' bars for Venetian small bites, cicchetti — creamed salt cod (baccalà mantecato), fried fish balls. Cannaregio's Fondamenta della Misericordia is liveliest in the evening.
RelaxCity tariff: day €90 / 30 min, evening (from 19:00) €110 / 35 min; up to 5 people, priced per boatDaily, roughly from 9:00 until late
A ride through the small canals in a black-lacquered gondola is the symbol of Venice. The city sets the price and every station posts it — agree on price and time before boarding. Up to five people share a boat, so it is cheaper per head for a family. The budget version is a 'traghetto', a gondola ferry across the Grand Canal for a few euros.
Culture€20 (from 6 May 2026); EU youth 18–25 €2; free under 18Tue–Sun 9:00–19:00; closed Mondays
The greatest collection of Venetian painting — Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese — and Leonardo's 'Vitruvian Man' (rarely shown). The wooden Accademia Bridge outside gives the classic Grand Canal photo.
Culture€18; free under 10; family ticket €25 (2 adults + children under 18)Daily 10:00–18:00; closed Tuesdays
Picasso, Pollock, Magritte and Dalí in a one-storey palazzo on the Grand Canal — Italy's top museum of 20th-century art. The garden and canal terrace make it easy with children too.
ShoppingGlass Museum €15 (ages 6–14 €7.50); glass-blowing demos usually €5–10Museum daily 10:00–18:00 (to 17:00 Nov–Mar)
An island that has blown glass for 700 years: in the furnaces masters shape horses and fish from molten glass, which children love. The Glass Museum runs from Roman times to today. Genuine Murano glass carries the 'Vetro Artistico Murano' mark — cheap imitations abound. Water buses 4.1 and 4.2 from Fondamente Nove.
CityIsland free; combined Glass + Lace Museum ticket €20Island always open; museum about Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00
A fishermen's island where every house is painted bright pink, blue or yellow — the most photogenic spot in the lagoon. A lace museum, a leaning bell tower and 'bussolà' biscuits. About 45 minutes on Line 12 from Fondamente Nove; tour groups over 25 are banned, so it is pleasant on your own.
NatureBasilica €5, bell tower €5, combined €9Daily roughly 10:00–17:30 (varies by season)
Venice's oldest settlement, now a quiet green island with a handful of residents. The 7th-century basilica holds a gold 'Last Judgement' mosaic, and the bell tower overlooks the whole lagoon. Five minutes by boat from Burano — combine the two in a day.
Palladio's white church on the island facing St Mark's. Take the lift up the bell tower for the best, queue-free view of St Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace. One stop on Line 2 from San Zaccaria.
BeachPublic beaches free; umbrella and loungers on private beaches €20–40 a daySwimming season June–September
An 11 km sandbar between the lagoon and the Adriatic: sandy beaches and an ordinary town with cars and bikes. The Film Festival is held here in September. A museum-free day for families — about 15 minutes by water bus from San Zaccaria; rent bikes and ride to Malamocco.
