The top Carnevale celebrations in Italy are Venice and Viareggio. I have been lucky enough to celebrate Carnevale in both Venice and Viareggio. If you only have a weekend to visit Venice or Viareggio for carnevale, I suggest going the weekend before Fat Tuesday because it’s the largest party and the most events happen on that weekend.
VENICE
Venice is one of the most unique cities in Italy. Venice is a group 117 small islands in the region of Veneto that inhabits roughly 240,000 people. The only means of transportation is through boats and gondolas who transport people and goods through the canals.
Venice is one of the oldest locations to host a Carnevale celebration which was in 1268. I visited Venice during the last weekend of Carnevale so a lot of tourists lined the streets from the morning until night. During the day, many face painters set up on the streets who will paint your face for free suggest giving donations. I chose to get my face painted rather than purchase an expensive mask from one of the shops in Venice. Venice is already an expensive island so any way you can save money is worth it. If you prefer wearing a mask, purchasing them off the island is a much cheaper option.
Accommodations
While you can stay on the Island, its much more economical to reserve your accommodations off the island. I visited Venice three times in my travels to Italy and stayed off the island in the city of Mestre.
Camping Fusina– Via Moranzani 93, Mestre, Italy.
The Room: This accommodation is for people who are on a strict budget. The linens are provided but you have to pay extra for a towel. The lowest price room doesn’t include bathroom so you must walk to the communal showers/bathrooms in a section of the campsite. If you require a bathroom/shower, rooms with these are available for a bit extra.
The Crowd: This location attracts many young travelers who enjoy partying and staying up late so if you don’t see yourself in that crowd I wouldn’t stay here. On the lateral, I had a great time the first night I stayed here that we never left the camp ground. The campsite includes a bar called the Beer Garden with cheap drink prices and places to sit indoor and outdoor.
Transportation to Venice: The water taxi dock is a two minute walk from the campsite entrance. You can purchase a weekend pass for about €25 which is super convenient when staying off the island.
B4 Venezia-Mestre– Via Don Luigi Peron 4, Mestre, Italy
The Room: The rooms are comfortable, well lit, and spacious. This hotel is new so it has a pretty modern vibe to it in the lobby as well as in the rooms. The wifi in the rooms isn’t free but you can rent an internet cable for a low cost of €2 per day.
The Crowd: This hotel is aimed at couples, families, friends, and even for business. A lot of people stay here while traveling through Italy because it’s reasonably prices while being super clean and modern.
Transportation to Venice: In order to reach Venice, you must take a couple means on transportation from B4 to the island. You can take a taxi from the hotel to the parking lot on the island but this is the most costly option. You can go by train which takes you into the Santa Lucia station and costs €2.15. Additionally, you can take the bus into Venice which takes roughly 30 minutes and costs €2.50 (make sure to validate the ticket). The last option is to take a water taxi from the main land to the island of Venice.
Places to Go in Venice
St. Marks square is one of the most popular places to hang out and celebrate Carnevale. Keep in mind that while this is the best place to party, I would recommend purchasing food and drinks away from the square to avoid high tourist prices. Make sure you drink a Bellini or a Spritz; typical Venetian drinks! If you have no set plans or activities while you’re there I suggest taking a gondola ride around this enchanting island. It only costs €25 per person and includes a half hour ride and a bottle of champagne. It may be touristy but you’re a tourist too! I took some of my most picturesque scenes of Venice from the gondola! During the day, you can wander into the streets, maybe even get lost, which isn’t hard to do. St. Marks Basilica is open for free during the celebration as well as many other museums throughout the island. The Murano glass factory attracts many visitor who are looking for a glass making demonstration or to purchase glass pieces.
Carnevale di Venezia Official Site
VIAREGGIO
Viareggio, situated on the northern coast of Tuscany, extends 12.31 square miles. Viareggio is know for its seaside attractions as well as it Carnevale celebration. Viareggio makes up 6.2 miles of coastline on the Ligurian Sea.
Viareggio has celebrated Carnevale since 1873 and main parades “Passaggiata al Mare” takes place on the four Sundays leading up to Fat Tuesday. The parade includes paper-pulp floats with themes of famous people such as actors, politicians, and athletes. Spectators are line up along the edges of the streets awaiting the parade of floats. In between the floats you can find dancers who break up the way of the floats. The last parade takes place during the night at 6:30pm rather than 3pm.
One of the floats from the 2014 Carnevale
A friend and I at the Parade (I’m in the pink!)
A group of dancers in the parade!
Ticket Prices
€15 Regular Ticket Entry
€13 Group Ticket Entry (min 25)
€10 Children Ticket Entry (7-12)
€13 Senior Ticket Entry (over 65)
€10 Stands Ticket Entry
€27 Five Ticket Entries (all 5 parades)
How to Get to Viareggio
The best means of transportation to Viareggio would be the train. Multiple trains leave from Pisa and Florence hourly. Both Pisa and Florence have airports that connect by train to their train stations which connect to Viareggio.
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