Venice with a 4 year old
 

We're staying in Venice for a week with our children next March-then aged 4 and 18 months. We'll use the backpack for our littlest but will not travel with a stroller so our 4 year old will be on her own walking-wise. That said, we've booked an apartment in the castello district and I'm concerned that although it's a stroll for us, our 4 year old might not be up for all the walking. I'm contemplating cancelling our castello apartment and confirming a reservation for another lovely apartment in San Marco.
I'm hoping for opinions. TIA

Definitely stay centrally. Venice is great for walking and wandering, but still big enough that a little one will get tired out. Also, you may wind up carrying her more than planned if it floods.
Have a great trip!
Ellen

You will also want to be extremely careful with your 4-year-old since it is the easiest thing in the world to just walk off a sidewalk in to a canal. I'm sure you're aware of this, but just in case you aren't. When I'm in Venice and see small children walking around, I just can't imagine having taken my own small children years ago to Venice and having to watch them every single minute. But I know I am not like everyone and others seem perfectly fine with it.

Hi- we were there 5 months ago with our daughter (was almost two at the time.) We stayed at the Residence Corte Grimani which was an apartment with full kitchen/washer/dryer etc. but was also a hotel, which was a plus. We only paid 90 Euros a night, but it was off season (March may be too though...) It was a BEAUTIFUL apartment 5 minutes from San Marco Square. Venice is amazing & we had a great time with our little one. The highlights for her were feeding the pigeons in the square, a gondola ride & of course gelato. We did use a stroller & it wasn't a big deal, even though you have to lug it up some steps & over bridges. Remember that there are a ton of Venetians that live in Venice every day with children & quite a few were pushing strollers!

googie-we were actually booked at Corte Grimani but realized it was just too much for our budget (total of 1400 E for the week). We may yet decide to take the stroller but our 2nd week will be spent in Tuscany and I just cant imagine it being useful there.

ellen-thanks, I'm definately leaning toward San Marco.

Kristinelaine-I'll keep that in mind! Maybe we can find a leash;)

Ani,
We'll be going our first time in 3 weeks with 3 kids 11, 9 and 4 y.o. we are getting an apt. in Venice near San Marco so I'll report when we return how it goes.
We ended up booking through veniceapartments.com. So far, they have been very responsive and helpful.
jasmine

Jasmine-the apar. we're booking in San MArco is through the same company. Which aprt. did you book??

It's a magical place for kids -- I'd echo the suggestion about the pigeons in St Marks -- allow plenty of time for bird chasing. Cruise the Grand Canal on the vaporetto at a non-peak time (just before sunset is beautiful and a nice way to wind down little ones) and get the seats in the very bow of the boat. The wind will blow in your hair and you'll have a world class view of La Serenissima that will stick in your children's memories for years to come. Check out the fish market adjacent to the Rialto for a change of pace.

If you take a stroller, choose one that is easy to fold and as lightweight as you can get away with -- Venice is not "handicapped accessible" and you'll be navigating steps of every conceivable size, slope and condition as you explore. A stroller may be more of a liability. You can buy 24 hour passes for the Vaporetto and hop on and off at will, taking a rest on the way back to your apartment. The backpack carrier is a great idea -- it accomplishes both easier walking over an uneven centuries old labyrinth and keeps the little one safely contained as you go. Exploration is really easy -- let your 4 yr old help you find the signs that direct you to the three bridges crossing the Grand Canal/St Marks Square and en route you'll discover the heart of the city. Hold her hand or use a "leash" if you're faint hearted, but let her lead the parade!

March can be really chilly, so take layers, dependable rain gear and waterproof boots - there's no where on earth for puddle jumping like Venice!

Ani,
Apartamento RED is the apt. we have booked!

Jasmine

Jasmine-Your apt. looks great! I went ahead and booked Pisani through Veniceapartments.com. I'm very excited!
Graceland-thanks for your post. We took our daughter to the UK when she was 18 months and used the backpack exclusively. It was extremely convenient. We wished we hadnt brought our stroller. We've also been to the uk 2 other times in MArch/April (the same time frame we are going to Italy next year) and are familiar with the unpredictable weather. Thank you for the tips, I'll be scouring the site soon for more!