We arrive on Thursday, April 19th at 915am. We will have our 8 and 9 year old boys with us. Hoping to get to the apartment by noon. We are staying close to Campo Santa Maria Formosa. If we get in early enough, we will stop by the Rialto Market for some produce. If not, we'll go there the next morning and stop by a grocery store to tide us over.

Thursday: Arrive. No real plans. Not sure how the kids will handle jet lag. We will buy a 72 hour vaporetti pass and my just take a ride down the canal and wander around a bit.

Friday: Rialto Market. Wander around, 1pm Macaco Tour, then St. Marks and the Campanile.

Saturday: 955 Secret Itineraries, San Zaccharia, maybe vaporetti over to San Giorgio Maggiore. Wander some more.

Sunday: 10am train to Rome.

Is there anything specifically kid friendly I should add in? Also, where do you recommend for casual dinners that we can get earlier than most Italians eat?

Thanks for your help!

Have you thought about taking a boat ride out to Burano, or Torcello?

The Rialto market is great, but don't go with super-high hopes. It's small by comparison to many European fresh markets and kind of heavy on the fish and seafood aspects, as might be expected. You don't want to trail around Venice with fish in your pockets. There will of course be some good produce - artichokes should be great, a specialty,

Can't help with early eating, sorry - dinner at 9:30pm is normal for us, but Venice should afford plenty of opportunities for casual early meals

kids- how about a real gondola ride? Gelato always is nice. Maybe a boat ride to outer islands like Burano and Toricello - the latter with its infamous feral cats lurking all over the place (as to a smaller extent in Venice too).

Be sure to take a boat ride down or up the Grand Canal both at night and during day.

If they still allow feeding of pigeons at San Marcos = food being sold by vendors - kids could enjoy that.

The 10 Best Children's Activities in Venice

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2...great-for-kids

Gondola rides may appeal to those who have an ingrained televised romantic view of Venice, but they are terrifically expensive, hokey beyond belief, and you can full well enjoy Venice without spending the equivalent of a fancy meal with a good wine on a boat ride with a costumed guide singing O Sole Mio! OTOH, there must be a reason why people fork out the 80+ euros to do this, and I did it myself decades ago, and I think I enjoyed it, though it doesn't rank all that high in my travel experiences.

Of course they still allow feeding of pigeons in San Marco - who could stop it? - but does anyone travel to Venice to feed pigeons and be shat upon? I don't get the attraction San Marco, of course, it;'s majestic, but feeding the pigeons? Think about it. Who travels to another continent to feed pigeons?

Feral cats? Do you think people will shell out good hard-earned money to go to Italy to see feral cats? You can come chez moi and find them all over the village in winter.
Pal, your impressions of Venice are rather base and simplistic. It's a rich city that has way more to offer than pigeons and gondolas.

I thought about going to Burano or Torcello, but wasn't sure if it was the best use of our time. I'm keeping this part of the trip pretty low key since Rome will be very busy.

Also, where do you recommend for casual dinners that we can get earlier than most Italians eat?

pizza... outdoors... overlooking a canal... seriously

St-Cirq I have spent days wandering around Venice - I know the city at least or probably better than you - not just the main island but Guidecca, outer islands, Lido, etc.

My simplistic comments here only applied to Venice and kids. Yes I think gondola rides hokey and hackneyed but kids could like them and adults too. Feeding pigeons too and feral cats.

These were simplistic impressions only meant for kids' interests and if you have read what I wrote carefullly you would have realized that rather than have it escape you in your high dudgeon to be critical of any thing I say - and again even though I have not been in Venice since 2010 I will put my knowledge of it up against yours any day. In 2010. I spent a week there ferreting out every little area and all main sights when I was writing for publication in a travel magazine a guide to Venice off-the-beaten-path (as well as on it)

Now what would you think could be fun for kids to do in Venice, if anything?

And while you're at it any grammar errors?

Was also thinking of visiting Osteria Al Squero and watching the gondolas being repaired across the canal.

Near Campo Santa Maria Formosa, this pizzeria/casual restaurant should work for your family. I stumbled into it on a rainy day and have returned for their pizza and more. I've seen gondolieri eating here--a sign of approval for me. Opens for dinner at 6:30p.
https://www.veciocanton.it/

You and your children might enjoy a visit to the Clock tower in Piazza San Marco. It is by appointment only, a guided tour for only 12 people at a time, and offered in English only at certain hours--check schedule and reserve ahead! You must be able to climb to the top of the tower, though the climb is done in spurts, floor by floor as you are guided. You will visit the inner workings of the clock and learn about the family of timekeepers who lived among the clockworks. You also go outside on the roof of the tower right next to the statues that clang the hours on the giant bell. The tour takes just less than an hour.
Home - Torre dell'Orologio

Feeding pigeons in Piazza San Marco has been banned since 2008.

When you arrive, taking the shared water taxi would be fun, or maybe take a water taxi on your own.
Shared taxi info here:
Shuttle | Venicelink

Though Burano is colorful and quaint, I don't know how much my two children would have enjoyed it when they were pre-teens. Might your boys be interested in seeing the furnaces and glass artisans on Murano? It's a much shorter vaporetto trip than going out to Burano and maybe more interesting for them. You don't need to hire a tour to see the furnaces. We've had great encounters just showing up early in the morning before it gets too warm.

If you walk from the furnaces along the canal to the Murano Colonna vaporetto stop, look for Trattoria al corallo (I think that was the place we had lunch). The food and service were great and the prices moderate.

Without knowing your sons or what tickles their interest, it's hard to make suggestions.

There are two naval museums in Venice, bothe near the Arsenale.
The museum closest to the rsenale is good, not so many items in glass cases, more full size vessels. Descriptions are provided in English. On Fond de la Arsenale, the side furthest away from San Marco.

Thank you for this! I didn't realize you could visit the Clock tower. I guess I missed that in my guide book and www reading. Sounds cool!

They are active boys. The love to "do". Cities, hiking, museums, beaches, etc. As long as they are moving or learning, they are interested. I prefer things that are hands on and okay to touch. They are also adventurous eaters, so I don't have concern with where we eat, but prefer casual for this portion of the trip while we overcome jet lag.

Instead of Murano or Torcello, would a trip over to the Lido be worth it? My kids love the beach, and being from NH, they are used to cold beaches. We don't need to go in the water, just play in the sand.

We took our DD to Venice around that age - she loved this treasure hunt book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0977269906/

Lido is a nice beach area but too cool for an April swim but. Yes climb thee clock tower at San Marcos - but don't think back to when it famously collapsed a century ago, killing one cat!

We were in Venice last June with our two kids (ages 7 and 5 1/2 at the time), and our absolute favorite activity was learning how to row a gondola with Row Venice: https://rowvenice.org. (Actually, their boats are slightly different than the traditional gondola, but close enough.) We LOVED this so much. It's hands-on, educational, and you get to explore some of the canals off the beaten path. For four people, I believe it's actually a little bit more expensive than one of the touristy gondola rides, but it was truly an unforgettable experience.

By the way, we also stayed close to Campo Santa Maria Formosa and loved that area!

The kids would probably enjoy the Museo Storico Navale near the Arsenale, especially if they like old boats. A nice stroll along the Riva to get there, then go up Via Garibaldi when you're done with the museum, and turn into the park there. They might enjoy checking out all the turtles living in the fountain as you enter the park. Further into the park is a small café where you can get some refreshments.

Row Venice has excellent reviews. I'm going to rework my plans now that I know about this and the clock tower. Thanks guys!!