Carnival in Venice: How to Avoid the Crowds

The Venice Carnival is world-famous, but it differs from the carnival in Cologne or Mainz in one key respect: It lasts exactly 14 days and is then heading toward the big final weekend.

Rumor has it that Venetian hoteliers deliberately chose this time frame to boost business in the winter. A carnival that begins on November 11, as it does in Germany, would simply be too long for the lagoon city. So the entire spectacle is concentrated into two intense weeks.

My top tip: Make the most of the middle of the week

Even though I keep warning about it: Most visitors only have time on the weekends. Bus companies from all over Europe bring tens of thousands of day-trippers into the city on Saturdays and Sundays. The result? Venice is hopelessly overcrowded.

Come visit us Monday through Friday! That's the secret of experienced mask-wearers and professional photographers. During the week, almost all the masks are already there, but the large crowds of tourists are missing. You can enjoy the colorful spectacle at your leisure, without being jostled.

Avoiding the „bottleneck“ on the weekend

Carnival madness this weekend: When St. Mark's Square turns into a dead end. If you don't want to get jostled here, you're better off visiting during the quieter middle of the week.

If you're in Venice during the main weekend, get ready for chaos. The area around St. Mark's Square is often „a living hell“:

• Pedestrian congestion: In the narrow alleys, you often can't go forward or backward for 20 minutes.
• One-Way Street Rules: The police often have to spontaneously direct pedestrian traffic and designate alleys as one-way streets to manage the crowds.

How to Save Your Carnival Weekend

If you do happen to arrive with a tour group over the weekend, I have two golden rules for you:

1. The early bird sees the masks: Be from 6:00 a.m. In St. Mark's Square. The light is fantastic, the atmosphere is magical, and the crowds are still asleep.
2. Evacuation plan starting at 10:00 a.m.: As soon as it gets unbearably crowded (usually starting at 9:00 or 10:00 a.m.), leave the city center.

My insider tip: Drive to Murano or Burano. While St. Mark's Square is packed with people, the outlying islands are „dead quiet“ in the winter. There, you can visit museums or churches in peace and quiet and leave the hustle and bustle of Carnival behind.

Enjoy Carnival—but be prepared!