Venice is known for its stunning beauty. It is one of those destinations that anyone slightly interested in traveling should visit at least once in their lives. The city has been fighting with overtourism related problems for the last ten years and is one of Europe’s most popular cruise destinations. Venice can therefore be so busy that it is best to plan outside of active months.
The worst month to travel to Venice is most certainly August. August is Europe’s busiest travel month, and Venice gets exceptionally crowded. We define overtourism by showing a picture of San Marco’s square during a weekend in August. Hotels will be expensive, restaurants will be full, bars will be packed, and the streets will be full of crowds blocking the regular flow of ‘traffic.’
If you want to travel to Venice, we highly recommend reading this post carefully. Also, be aware that information on many other websites is wrong: it never gets quiet in Venice, and the low season is much shorter than many other websites claim.
Although the pandemic has led to smaller crowds, in the beginning, we believe that 2022 might even be busier than before COVID-19. With cruise ships already back in the city (the cruise ban is fake) and the American travel ban ended, we expect large crowds. As soon as travel from Asia picks up, we expect crowds in Venice beyond 2019 levels.
Best months to visit Venice: Shoulder season (before June – after August)
Worst month to visit Venice: August
See details below
Best weather in Venice: June to August
Busiest months in Venice: July & August
Weekends are best to avoid in Venice
One good thing to know about Venice is that it is more crowded during weekends than during the week. This is because the city of Venice has a massive problem with scheduling cruise ship arrivals. The majority of all cruise ships will arrive on either Saturday or Sunday.
On top of the many cruise ship passengers, day trippers will make Venice more crowded during the weekend. Italians and people living in neighbouring countries have the ability to come to Venice for a weekend trip. That means that when the weather is good, people can make a last minute decision and decide to jump in their cars and make a short trip to Venice. People with jobs will not be very able to take off from their jobs last minute. This good weatehr day tripper effect therefore is mostly limited to the weekends.
Select your month
When is Venice’s low season?
Venice never gets quiet. The city, therefore, doesn’t experience a true low season. But despite things never calming down, there is seasonality in Venice. Despite some websites claiming the low season lasts until the end of February, it ends earlier! Most of these websites forget Venice’s famous Carnival celebrations. That is why we argue the ‘low season’ in Venice starts early November and ends half February.
But before you start booking a trip to Venice in the ‘low season,’ there are a few things to consider. Even during the low season, there are a few busy periods. While November and early December are quiet, things get hectic around the holidays season. Christmas and New Year’s can get crowded in Venice. After the holidays are behind us, things calm down. However, there is a highly crowded period in the middle of winter: Carnival. Carnival in Venice can get extremely crowded and takes place in late February.
January
Visiting Venice in January
January 1 is a public holiday in most European countries. Many countries, including Italy, will still have school vacations during the first week of January. Therefore, the first week of January might be busier than regular winter months. After the Christmas break, basically any week but the first week of January, it is truly low season. Although Venice attracts tourists 365 days per year, it will be much less crowded than any other period during the year.
January weather is however very unpredictable. While it is the driest month of the year, it is also the coldest. With average temperatures ranging from 0 degrees Celsius (32 °F) to 7 degrees Celsius (45 °F), you will have to bring warm clothes. Wind chill is also a factor during the winter. Skies will also be grey most of the time and temperatures could drop well below freezing point.
COVID-19
Although COVID-19 will continue to play a role in 2021, we all hope we can travel again. This blog is written under the assumption that we are able to travel. In any case, please follow all rules and measures in place at home as well as at your vacation destination.
February
How busy is Venice in February?
February is a good time to visit Venice if you don’t like crowds. Especially the first part of the month is true low season. There will be (almost) no cruise ships visiting the lagoon. Similar to January, the weather in Venice can be unpredictable and cold. Average temperatures swing from 1 degrees Celsius (34 °F) to 9 degrees Celsius (48 °F). The infamous wind chill can make the city feel colder than usual. Although Venice doesn’t really know (very) wet months, February is one of the driest months. The skies will be grey and there could be cold waves where temperatures fall well below freezing point.
Venice can be cold and wet in winter. But still worth the trip as there are low crowds.
February in Venice can actually be busy as well. Although it is unlikely that this will happen in 2021. During the second part of the month, many European countries will have winter school vacations meaning that Europeans will start to travel again. This effect will continue in March. On top of that one massive popular event will make Venice feel extremely crowded in some areas: Venetian Carnival taking place during the later part of the month. We went to see how crowded Venice gets during carnival last year’s edition and found out you can happily survive the crowds if you know where to go.
March
March is an amazing month for Venice
March might be a good month to visit Venice if you don’t like crowds. The weather remains unpredictable but the city will slowly start to warm up. Meanwhile, the massive Carnival crowds have left the city. Although more cruise ships will start to set sail to Venice, it is far from peak season. One thing to consider is the European school holiday season that might make Venice busy during some weeks. The weather will be considerably better at the end of the month than at the beginning. The average temperature in Venice will be 4 to 13 degrees Celsius (39 °F – 55 °F) with very limited rain.
April
April is also a good month to visit Venice
During April, things start to heat up in Venice. Temperatures are on the rise. Larger cruise ships begin to arrive in Venice, and also, the bigger crowds find their way to the lagoon. Add in the Easter holidays around the weekend of April 4, and overtourism will hit Venice badly for the first time in 2022.
Although there are some very crowded days in April, it doesn’t mean it is a bad month to visit the city. There are many days when the city will not be crowded. It is, however clever, to carefully plan your visit. Not only should you watch out for busy days, when local events or big cruise ships are arriving, you should also think about what you will do during your visit. We have eleven tips to avoid crowds while on vacation in Europe.
April is the first month of the year where it can get seriously crowded in Venice!
The weather in April can already be good. Although the average temperature is not yet so high (8 to 16 degrees Celsius (46 °F – 61 °F)), some days will be warmer than others. Especially at the end of the month, it will be warmer. There will be slightly more rainy days in April, and the weather remains unpredictable.
May
May 2022 in Venice
May is an excellent month to visit Venice in 2022. The weather is improving week by week, and the massive cruise crowds have not yet found their way to the city. However, there will be significant fluctuations in tourism throughout the month. Although the majority of days will be good, some days will be better to avoid. The weather will be pleasant. Not as warm as the hot summer but also not so rainy as March or April. However, there can still be some colder days at the beginning of the month. The average temperature will be between 13 and 22 degrees Celsius (55 °F – 72 °F).
Although May is the second busiest month in cruise ship traffic, arrivals are mostly limited to the weekends. If you want to visit Venice on the weekend, it is best to check the cruise ship schedule. If there are several large ships bringing cruise passengers to the lagoon, it can get very crowded. It is good to know that cruise passengers need to get back their ships late afternoon on those days. From 3 pm onwards, things will quiet down again—other things to consider: school vacations. Many European countries will have school vacations in May. This will also affect how busy Venice will become.
June
June is a ‘ok’ month to visit Venice
June is probably the best month to visit Venice during the summer. Although it can already get busy, the weather will be perfect. Avoid weekends if you can run due to the before-mentioned cruise ship scheduling problem. It is also good to know that more and more Europeans will be able to travel at the end of the month. That means that although June is an excellent month to travel, it will get busier and busier as days pass by.
Average temperatures in June are between 16 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius (61 °F – 77 °F). It will be summer warm on most days, but rain is possible as thunderstorms can break out late afternoon. On some days, it can be colder as the wind from northern and central Europe can bring chilly weather. Overall, temperatures in June will be suitable, and there (usually) is no need for a jacket.
July
July 2022 in Venice, a month to avoid
We believe July and August are two months to avoid. Although the weather will be at its best with warm temperatures and almost no rain, it will be very crowded. Through the city’s own crowds tool, Venetian local authorities advise tourists to come during other months. Average temperatures in July lay between 18 degrees 28 degrees Celsius (64 °F – 82 °F).
If you can only visit Venice in July, plan ahead! Buy tickets to main attractions and plan your day. Get up early and try to avoid weekends. It might also be worth it to skip some of the main attractions and explore some of the lesser known parts of the lagoon.
August
August is the worst month to visit Venice in 2022
Where we believe you should avoid the lagoon in July, we are even more severe about August. August is set to be the most crowded month of the year. Maybe the most crowded month ever as more and more people are traveling these days. Why will it be so busy? Because Europeans and tourists from all around the world will travel this month due to school vacations. In addition, cruise ship arrivals will also peak in August. Large cruise ships will be docking in the city every weekend. Average temperatures in August lay between 18 degrees 28 degrees Celsius (64 °F – 82 °F). Such fabulous weather will attract last-minute day-trippers.
We have some tips if you cannot resist going to Venice during the worst month of the year. Don’t go at the beginning of the month. The beginning of the month is worse than the end. By the end of August, at least some European countries are back to school. Also, avoid weekends at all costs. We already spoke about the notorious Venetian cruise scheduling problem. That problem gets even worse during peak season. If you still decide to go to Venice in August, we wish you good luck and advise you to plan carefully.
September
September, a good month to visit Venice in 2022
In September, we will slowly leave the craziness of a busy summer behind us. Although it can still be alive in September, the crazy big crowds will be gone. With most Europeans back at their jobs or school, it will get less crowded week by week. Good to know is that during the first week of September, the Venice Film Festival will make some areas feel incredibly crowded.
Most tourists will leave after August making the city quieter. Weekends remain busy.
With an average temperature of between 14 and 24 degrees Celsius (57 °F – 75 °F), the weather in Venice in September is still good. It will be getting slightly colder as the month progresses. Our favorite time of the year to visit Venice is late September. Although there is a chance of chilly weather, the crazy big crowds will have left the Lagoon. Due to the cruise scheduling problem, weekends are still best to avoid.
October
October is normally a busy cruise month in Venice. Who knows in 2022?
In terms of arriving cruise ship passengers, October is usually the third busiest month in Venice. In total, 186,773 cruise passengers were scheduled to arrive in Venice in October 2020. Of course, due to COVID-19, these passengers never arrived. But we don’t yet know whether cruise ships will arrive in Venice in 2022 due to the pandemic. Important to understand is that most of these ships will reach Venice during weekends. That means that during the week, almost no cruise ship passengers will arrive.
If you are lucky with the weather, which is usually the case at the beginning of the month, October will be an excellent month to visit Venice. With average temperatures between 10 to 18 degrees Celsius (50 °F – 64 °F), it is good to know that the weather will turn for the worse later in the month.
November
November, good month to visit Venice if you are lucky with the weather
All over Europe, November is one of the slowest months in terms of tourism. There are no school vacations, public holidays, or events. By now, many cruise ships have relocated from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. As a result, the city’s streets will be (relatively) quiet. The weather, however, is unpredictable. It can be cold, grey, and wet. If you are lucky you can catch a sunny day and your experience will be perfect. The average temperature in November is 4 to 12 degrees Celsius (39 °F – 54 °F).
In 2019, Venice was hit by severe flooding in November. According to CNN.com, it was the worst flooding in 50 years, resulting in severe damages. Although floods this extreme are not happening each year, it is something to keep your eye on. In 2020, the Mose system successfully kept the water out of the lagoon.
Venice can be cold and wet in November. You can be very lucky as well with good weather and very low crowds. November is Europe’s slowest travel month!
December
December in Venice: cold and some crowds
December is one of the coldest months in Italy. There will be frost at night, and the wind chill will make it feel colder. There can be cold waves with temperatures dropping well below freezing point. Despite the cold, it can be a bit busier than in November. It gets busier because people can travel once again. Many Europeans will have vacation later in the month to celebrate Christmas. Although most people don’t use this time to travel, some do. Nothing will be as crazy as during the summer, but you can expect some crowds in Venice. The temperature? It’s similar to other winter months with an average temperature of 0 to 7 degrees Celsius (32 °F – 45 °F).
