Living Venice
How to enjoy Venice without annoying Venetians
A few simple manners for enjoying the city as a guest, without forgetting that people really live here.
Venice has a curious effect on visitors: you look up, suddenly stop for a photograph and, for a few minutes, forget that the calli are real streets. That is understandable. A few simple habits are enough to enjoy the city better while leaving space for people who are not on holiday.
Calli are our streets
Keep to the right and, if you need to check Maps, photograph a pigeon or decide where to go, move to the side. Stopping is not the problem; stopping as a group at the narrowest point while someone behind you is trying to get to work is.
Bridges are not benches
Sitting on bridge steps to eat may seem romantic, but that bridge is a street. People carrying groceries, pushing a stroller, making a delivery or simply going home need to get through.
The vaporetto is our bus
It is not a sightseeing vehicle designed only for tourists. Let people get off before you board, move forward when staff ask you to, do not block doors or corridors, and take your backpack off your shoulders when the boat is crowded.
Photograph everything, but step aside
Venice is extraordinary and taking photographs is natural. Before stopping suddenly, however, check that there are not twenty people behind you. This matters especially on bridges, narrow calli, at vaporetto exits and in front of the station.
If you need a toilet, ask
Venice has public toilets as well as bars and cafés. If a child urgently needs the toilet, ask politely; where appropriate, buying something small is a courteous way to return the favour. Calli, sottoporteghi and hidden corners are not toilets.
Rubbish and dogs
If you cannot immediately find a bin, keep your rubbish with you until you do. Dog waste must always be picked up. If you travel with a dog on public transport, also carry what ACTV rules require, including a muzzle.
Suitcases, waterfronts and canals
Do not leave suitcases in the middle of a passage and do not occupy waterfront edges or landing areas used for loading, unloading and transport. Canals are not swimming pools: they are real transport routes used by vaporetti, taxis, work boats and emergency services.
The simplest rule
Remember that someone lives here. The calle you want to photograph is someone’s street; that vaporetto is someone’s bus; that postcard canal is also a transport route. Enjoy Venice, get lost and take as many photographs as you like—just leave a little space for those who are not on holiday.
Marghera Venice Apartments tip
If you hear a colourful Venetian expression behind you, first check that you have not stopped exactly in the middle of the calle. 😄
Official information
Dates, programmes, fares and conditions may change. For variable information, always check the official source before your visit.
City of Venice ↗