Island Guide
The beach island. Twenty minutes by vaporetto from San Marco, a bicycle in your room, and a hotel tradition that goes back to the 1920s.
In 30 seconds
Lido is an eleven-kilometre sandbar running along the eastern edge of the Venetian Lagoon. It is the beach, the film festival in late August and early September, and the closest thing Venice has to a suburb. Twenty minutes by vaporetto from San Marco.
Best for: families with children, longer trips where the beach is the point, Biennale del Cinema week, couples who want a quieter evening after a Venice day. Skip if: you are here for three nights in winter, or you want to walk home from a late dinner in San Marco.
The island
The Lido is a narrow strip of sand, trees, and low-rise villas between the lagoon and the Adriatic. The main vaporetto stop, Lido Santa Maria Elisabetta, sits on the lagoon side. Five minutes east on foot, across the Gran Viale, and you are on the Adriatic beach. The beach itself runs for the whole eleven kilometres, from San Nicolo in the north to Alberoni in the south. Some is free, most is divided between hotel concessions and stabilimenti, the private beach clubs that rent cabanas and umbrellas from June to September.
Most Lido hotels still trade on their founding year. Villa Stella has been family-run since 1940. Hotel Excelsior, the Moorish-styled beach resort on Lungomare Marconi, opened in 1907 as the island’s first purpose-built luxury hotel. The feel is interwar Italian seaside, not Adriatic coast package. In late August and early September the Biennale del Cinema brings film crews and photographers, and the Excelsior and the Casino host the main screenings. For those two weeks, rates double and rooms close out early. Outside of the festival, the Lido runs at a regular resort pace, with bicycles, children, and older Venetian couples who return for their forty-sixth summer.
Vaporetto: Lido Santa Maria Elisabetta is served by lines 1, 5.1, 5.2, 14 and 17, with direct service to San Zaccaria (around 20 minutes), Piazzale Roma (around 45 minutes), and Punta Sabbioni for the Cavallino beaches. The 14 also runs to the airport via Punta Sabbioni with an Alilaguna connection.
Where to book
Five hotels, from the grand Excelsior to a 19th-century villa with eleven rooms.
Grand beach resort · 5 Star · Film festival
Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort
A grand beachfront hotel with two restaurants, three bars, and an outdoor pool. Private beach concession of its own, striped cabanas and waiter service. The Biennale del Cinema base hotel. Books out nine to twelve months ahead for the festival week and drops to reasonable rates in June and late September.
- Lungomare Marconi, 41, directly on the Adriatic beach
- Private cabanas, pool, two restaurants
- Closest vaporetto: Lido S.M.E., then bus or five-minute walk
- Skip if you want a small hotel feel
Liberty-style · Rooftop bar · Gran Viale
Ausonia Hungaria
A Liberty-style hotel on Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta, the main pedestrian street between the vaporetto stop and the beach. Chic rooms, a rooftop bar, a Venetian restaurant, and a Thai spa. Two minutes from the boat, five minutes to the sand. A stronger mid-Lido choice than most for travellers without a car.
- Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta, 28
- Rooftop bar, spa, two minutes from the vaporetto
- Closest vaporetto: Lido S.M.E.
- Skip if you want a beachfront hotel
Family-run · Opposite the vaporetto
Hotel Panorama
A warmly styled hotel on Piazzale Santa Maria Elisabetta, directly opposite the vaporetto stop. Rooftop terrace with lagoon views, bar, free breakfast. The easiest Lido hotel to get to and from. Closer to a city hotel than a beach one, so book with that in mind.
- Piazzale Santa Maria Elisabetta, 1
- Rooftop terrace, fifty metres from the boat
- Closest vaporetto: Lido S.M.E.
- Skip if you want beachfront
19th-century villa · Lagoon views · Editor’s pick
Hotel Villa Laguna
A 19th-century villa on Via Sandro Gallo, with refined rooms and suites, lagoon views, a restaurant and a terrace. Small and owner-run, a couple of minutes inland from the San Nicolo beach. The Lido villa-hotel we would book if the rest of the trip was in San Marco.
- Via Sandro Gallo, 6
- Lagoon-view villa, restaurant and terrace
- Closest vaporetto: Lido S.M.E.
- Skip if you want to walk to the beach in sandals
Quiet 3 Star · Garden · Value
Hotel Villa delle Palme
A tranquil three-star on Via Enrico Dandolo, set back in a palm garden with water views, a bar and included breakfast. Good shoulder-season rates, quiet even in August, bicycle rentals available. An honest pick when the budget stops at four-star.
- Via Enrico Dandolo, 12
- Palm garden, bar, bicycle rental
- Closest vaporetto: Lido S.M.E., ten-minute walk
- Skip if you need beachfront access from the lobby
Laid-back 4 Star · Lagoon-side · Families
Hotel Villa Mabapa
A laid-back hotel on Riviera San Nicolo with complimentary breakfast and Wi-Fi, a restaurant, a bar, and a lagoon-facing garden. Reliable for families and for travellers who like a view of boat traffic over the sound of surf. Fifteen-minute walk to the beach on the Adriatic side.
- Riviera San Nicolo, 16
- Lagoon-facing garden, restaurant, bar
- Closest vaporetto: Lido S.M.E., eight-minute walk
- Skip if you want beachfront access
What is walking distance
- Lido beach (Lungomare Marconi). The main Adriatic stretch, cabana concessions from June to mid-September, free beach (spiaggia libera) at the south end.
- Spiaggia degli Alberoni. The quieter offshore beach at the south tip, wild grass and a lighthouse walk. Reached by the Lido bus from Lido S.M.E. or by bicycle.
- Faro di San Nicolo. The landmark red lighthouse at the north end, popular for walks and bike rides.
- Parrocchia di San Nicolo di Lido. Landmark church with Renaissance paintings and relics of St Nicholas.
- Palazzo del Casino. The 1930s rationalist building that hosts the Biennale del Cinema red-carpet screenings.
- Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta. The main pedestrian street from vaporetto to beach, cafes and gelaterias open late.
Insider Tip
Rent a bicycle for a week, not a day. The Lido is eleven kilometres long and the south end beaches are the best ones. A weekly rental from the shops on Gran Viale works out cheaper than four day hires, and a bike in the hotel means you can get to dinner in Malamocco, the old fishing village halfway down the island, in twenty minutes.
Who this is wrong for
- Three-night first trips. You will spend a lot of the time on the vaporetto. Pick San Marco.
- Winter travellers. The Lido closes out between November and March. Most hotels go into low-season mode, half the bars shut, the beach is grey and empty.
- Late-night diners in San Marco. Last vaporetto means dinner ends at 22:30 if you want the public boat home. Book dinner for 19:30 or accept the water taxi cost.
If it were our trip
For a family with children in late July or August, Hotel Villa Laguna. Small, owner-run, a short cycle to the beach, a lagoon-side garden for the evening. For Biennale del Cinema week, Excelsior if you can get a room, Ausonia Hungaria if you cannot. We would only stay on the Lido itself from June to early September. Outside that window, book in Venice proper and come across for a day.
Travelling with family?
See our family travel guide for the Lido and the best vaporetto routines with a pushchair.
Family guide Compare sestieriCommon questions
How long is the vaporetto from the Lido to St Mark’s?
Around twenty minutes on the 1, fifteen on the direct 5.1 or 5.2 to San Zaccaria. The number 14 also connects to Punta Sabbioni and the airport.
When is the Venice Film Festival?
Late August through to the first week of September each year. The official Biennale site confirms the dates. Hotels sell out six to nine months ahead.
Is the Lido good with children?
Very good. Safe beach, shallow water, cabanas you can close for a nap, a bicycle-friendly promenade. A week on the Lido is the single most relaxed family Venice trip available.
Can I hire a car on the Lido?
Yes, you can drive onto the Lido via the ferry from Tronchetto. Parking is easier than on the mainland but a bicycle is much faster on the island itself.
Is there nightlife on the Lido?
Modest. A few bars and beach clubs run late in summer, but this is not Rimini. For a bigger night, take the vaporetto across to Dorsoduro or San Polo.
Do I need a car to get to Alberoni beach?
No. The Lido bus runs the full length of the island from Lido S.M.E. to Alberoni in about thirty minutes. Or cycle it in forty minutes on the dedicated bike path along the lagoon side.