emcash

I have always said i would avoid Italy in August, but i am trying to plan for a BIG birthday next year and it appears that the only time we can go is in late August. I really want to return to Venice, with my daughter and husband this time. Would love to hear some first hand accounts about Venice in late August. Is it terribly crowded? Is it really malodorous?

Part 2 of our trip will be in Como- i don't think i have too much to worry about going there in August, do i?

Price will be what it will be, but other than that, wondering if any one can lend some insight in touring those parts of italy that time of year. TIA!

dfourh

I went to Venice every August for 10 years straight. Temps once or twice were comfy 70's, a couple times were unbearable 90's, but mostly humid '80s. Rain was rare, though fast, cloudburst thunderstorms are possible.

I never experienced the stench people keep talking about. But HORDES of tourist yes - - though they arrive and leave at predictable times and keep to predictable, well-trodden lanes.

What works best: mid-day, lagoon trips on the vaparetto (like to Murano/Burano or swimming on Lido) keep you cooler and away from the hordes; another option is to stick to less-touristed narrow lanes with tall buildings that maximize shade (e.g., a broad swath around Campo Santa Maria Formosa to Arsenale, OR between Rialto and Accademia in the areas of San Polo & Dorsoduro).

Before 1030am and after around 3 or 4pm you can start to feel halfway sane around San Marco - - evening strolls between San Marco and Accademia are nice; Rialto is basically empty around 9pm; a vaporetto ride on the #2 all the way down the Grand Canal is fantastic when it's dark, and it's also wonderful around 8 or 9am.

Most of the time I stayed on Lido, because basically it is a bright, pleasant Italian holiday resort, with nice cafes, shops, and passagiata - - though most people will tell you not to stay there because it is not the 'real' Venice (there are a few actual motor vehicles on actual streets; it's not all dense clip-cloppy lanes like in Venice proper) - - but the hotel prices are cheap, and you're 15 minutes gorgeous minutes away from San Marco on the vaparetto, and you can be first on the #2 in the morning for best viewing seats down the Grand Canal. I've stayed in Venice proper in August but prefer Lido - - it's all-around easier, breezier, and more comfortable.

traveller1959

Another vote for staying on the Lido. We enjoyed the beach and usually took the vaporetto (12 minutes to San Marco!) in the afternoon after the tourist hordes had left and enjoyed the cooler hours of the day.

Lake Como is always on the temperate side.

nytraveler

Be aware that the Venice Film Festival usually takes place in late August - and if you are there at that time it will be practically impossible to get a hotel - and prices are usually at least double the regular high season rate.

Also if the festival is on you don;t want to be near the Lido - since that's where the Convention Center is and you can have waits of 30 minutes or more just to get on a vaporetto back to San Marco.

We did a meeting there one year right after the Film Festival and since I had to be there early to set up my hotel room (on the Lido) was almost $600 per night and after the first two days (end of festival) it went back to the regular $280 or so.

emcash

Wow- thank you for your help dfourh, traveller1959 and Nytraveler. Great advice. Didnt even consider the film festival. Will have to see if that coincides with our possible trip. Very helpful!

emcash

It appears that the Venice Film Festival was in September this year and is schedule to be in September next year.

emcash

Silly question, maybe, but is there any difference in traveling to italy in late august as opposed to early or mid august? Are the locals still on vacation late august?

nytraveler

Yes, europeans are often on vacation the entire month of August (they get much more vacation than we do in the US). So while they may be headed home in the last day or two it will still be very crowded.

suze

I've been to Venice just twice. Both times happened to be in August. No it didn't stink. Yes it was hot. I can't make a comparison about "crowded" since I've only been in summertime.

I wouldn't want to stay out on the Lido myself. Doesn't seem very convenient fro what I wanted to do in Venice.

greg

I was in Venice three weeks ago. While it might have been less crowded compared to August, it was still insanely crowded with cruise day trippers as well as never ending parade of tour groups especially from Asia. As long as you are in popular areas, it probably makes minutia of difference between a few weeks earlier or later. However, realized that tour groups are quite myopic and spend most time selfie that "I was there" pictures, and if you venture away from San Marco/Rialto into Cannaregio or Dorsoduro just a couple streets away from the main tourist path, you are suddenly walking in neighborhoods only traveled by "locals".

Torcello and Mazzorbo still seems to be off mass tourist routes while Burano gets massive dose of group tours arriving on piers near Chiesa di San Martino side of the island.

PalenQ

Though Como itself is not inundated with tourists the highlights of the lake are - like Bellagio - the most crowded place I've ever seen (besides Portofino) - and Venice is an absolute zoo in August.

suze

<Venice is an absolute zoo in August>

That's a ridiculous generalization. Not all of Venice, not every neighborhood or every little street is a "zoo".

PalenQ

Yes suze is correct - I should have said the main gauntlet from the Pxa Roma car park/bus depot and train station area to St Mark's Square is a zoo - often elbow to elbow with day trippers and bus tours - there are however as suze says lots of areas of Venice where few tourists venture - especially at the eastern tip and northern side of Venice proper.

thanks for correcting my statement and putting it in a better term.

emcash

All great advice- thank you. I think I will book the trip as planned and do what you all suggest. I have been to venice in October and it was lovely. We will stay away from the touristy sites during the day and pass through them late run the afternoon/evening with out daughter to show her then. Excellent advice all. Thank you!

simpsonc510

My DH and I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the San Marco cafes, listening to the orchestras, and sipping our late evening grappa after dinner. This was the end of August just about 7 weeks ago. It was crowded with tourists, but you expect that during the day time, with cruise ships in port. The evenings in San Marco were just delightful!