Lido
The Lido di Venezia is a narrow, 12-kilometer barrier island that separates the Venetian lagoon from the open Adriatic Sea. It is the only part of the Venice municipality where cars drive on proper roads, trees line the streets, and buildings have front gardens, giving it a character that feels closer to a seaside resort town than to the car-free labyrinth of the historic center. The Lido's golden age was the late 19th and early 20th century, when it became one of Europe's most fashionable beach destinations. Grand Liberty-style hotels, including the iconic Hotel Excelsior and the Grand Hotel des Bains (the setting for Thomas Mann's novella "Death in Venice"), rose along the seafront. Every September, the Lido takes center stage as the home of the Venice Film Festival, the oldest film festival in the world, held at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lungomare Marconi. Outside festival season, the Lido is a pleasant, low-key place to spend a day: the public beaches at the northern and southern ends are free, the private beach clubs (stabilimenti) offer sun loungers and cabanas, and the wide Lungomare promenade is ideal for cycling. For visitors staying in central Venice, the Lido provides a welcome change of pace, with sand, sea air, and open sky.
Highlights
- Venice Film Festival (Palazzo del Cinema)
- Lungomare beach promenade
- Hotel Excelsior
- Grand Hotel des Bains
- San Nicolo church and cemetery
- Murazzi sea walls
- Blue Moon public beach
- Liberty-style architecture on Gran Viale
Frequently Asked Questions
3 QuestionsHow do I get to the Lido from Venice?
Vaporetto line 1 runs from Piazza San Marco (San Marco Vallaresso) to the Lido in about 15 minutes. Lines 5.1 and 5.2 also connect the Lido to Fondamente Nove and other parts of the city. The vaporetto drops you at the Santa Maria Elisabetta landing, from where the main street (Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta) leads straight across the island to the beach in a 10-minute walk.
Are the beaches on the Lido free?
The Lido has both free public beaches and paid private beach clubs (stabilimenti balneari). The free public beach at San Nicolo on the northern end and the Alberoni beach on the southern tip are spacious and uncrowded. The central stretch is dominated by private stabilimenti where you can rent sun loungers and umbrellas for a daily fee, typically ranging from 15 to 40 euros depending on the club and position.
When is the Venice Film Festival?
The Venice Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica) runs for about 10 days in late August and early September. During the festival, the Lido fills with film industry professionals, journalists, and cinema fans. Some screenings are open to the public, with tickets available at the Palazzo del Cinema box office. Even if you cannot get into a screening, the atmosphere on the Lido during the festival is electric.
