Gillian Knows Best guide: Teenagers in Venice
15+ ideas to keep them busy
A question I get asked quite a lot when I am helping people plan an itinerary is what is there to do in Venice with teenagers? It has been a long time since I have had teenagers in my house but I do remember the challenges of keeping them engaged and fed when on a family vacation. My first piece of advice is the always the same and it’s extra important when traveling with kids. Slow down. Do less. Second, make sure you have a food plan and a back-up plan. Just one piece of cichetti or a scoop of gelato can save your entire afternoon. Third, many of these suggestions require two hands and full attention erasing the put down your phone conflict for a few hours. These three things are good advice for just about any situation really.
A few of these ideas are good for little kids too. Be a Better Traveler is my trusted source for traveling with a baby advice.
WalksDevour has private tours. Some include a gondola ride
Candle workshop at Relight Venice
Michela Bortolozzi is passionate about Venice and about sharing what is most magical and special about her home. Her colorful shop that is filled with candles that sit on recycled wood bases from a nearby fórcola workshop and brass jewelry strung on long thick silk cords is also her workshop. She offers classes where you can make your own colorful candles.
Mask workshop at Mater Domini
You don’t have to be in Venice during Carnevale to decorate your own Carnevale mask. Inside Mater Domini, Michela Franceschin’s small workshop you can draw and paint and glue a traditional design (I made a harlequin one) or something completely original.
Watch and/or make glass on Murano
Wave Murano Glass is the most low-key glass factory on the island. Young artists come from all over the world to learn the craft from Venetian masters. They offer regularly scheduled tours and demonstrations or you can book a private visit and even take a private glass blowing class.
Lampwork is a more delicate glassmaking technique. This is how beads for jewelry are made. Make your own bead with Monica Cavaletto at Ferro Vetro.
Learn to Row like a Venetian with Row Venice
The gondola is one of the most iconic symbols of Venice. You have probably noticed the unique style of rowing that a gondolier uses, standing up and using only one oar. This style of rowing is called voga alla valesana. With Row Venice you can learn how to row like a Venetian. Your teacher will be one of the Venetian or international women who have made Venice their home and rowing voga, their passion. You can take a detail oriented lesson or combine learning a few basic skills with a cichetti tour.
Take a cooking class
Spend a few hours on Giudecca with Francesco Colabella making pasta and discovering the flavors of the Venetian lagoon. Is your teenager a musician? So is Francesco! He can share some great live music spots too.
Go on a graffiti safari
Venice is full of historic graffiti. Hunting for it is a fun family activity. These books are only in Italian but you can probably figure out the locations. I love this one next to the statue of the Tetrarchs in Piazza San Marco. You can also seek out lions, camels, birds and porcupines.
Make something from the timber history of the lagoon
Venice is built on top of squillions1 of wooden posts that were pounded into the silt and mud. Lunardelli Venezia offers visitors over 12 years old the opportunity to make their own piece of sculpture from reclaimed wood.
See the sunken crypt
The Bellini altarpiece here is lovely and I love the facade but the flooded crypt downstairs is the real thrill here. The crypt used to hold the bodies of eight Doges from a centuries ago Venetian republic.
Get lost in a maze
The Borges Labyrinth is on the island of San Giorgio. Finding your way through the shoulder high hedge comes with a soundtrack that was composed specifically for this activity. While you are over there go to the top of the bell tower for an incredible view of Venice and the lagoon.
Museum Visits
Smaller museums help to avoid the crowds and with the overwhelm conflict. I love the Museo Fortuny and the Museo di Palazzo Grimani. There are some dinosaur bones at the Natural History Museum.
Shopping with teenagers in Venice
The new OVS department store near Rialto has well priced makeup, clothing and accessories. You can create your own necklace or earrings with pieces of Murano glass at The M Venezia. The candy aisle at the grocery store or a local business is a much better alternative to the garish candy shops. The best chocolate is at Vizio Virtu. Caddy’s has Italian drugstore shampoo and soap and lotions.
Visiting Venice in high summer? Book a hotel with a pool or plan on spending a day at the beach.
Bonus activity
Legend says that the condemned could escape execution of they could complete the impossible task of circumnavigating a lagoon side column at Doges Palace without falling in. Try a much less perilous option with any of the columns facing the piazza. You must put your back against the column and not fall off the narrow white marble ledge and touch the gray masegni paving stones.
I visit Venice with my two teens (boys) last year. They play soccer themselves and I took them to a match of the Venice team. We had an amazing evening. The stadium is wonderful and one of the few places with most locals.
I think I might be a teenager because this list sounds perfect for me 😉