Venice is one of those places that tend to fill up your diary the second you decide you’re going there. And that’s even more the case if you plan to travel there during the Biennale, when exhibitions spread across the city and there’s so much happening beyond the main venues that a short visit will feel very short indeed.
If you’re heading there for a weekend (whether for work or leisure), you’ll want to make sure that you’re cutting down on as much travel time as possible; when you only have a couple of days in the city, losing a large part of one to airport connections or inconvenient flight times can change what you’re actually able to see.
So, rather than rushing once you arrive, it may be a better option to tailor your travel to your itinerary in Venice.
A Short Biennale Trip Needs a Different Approach
The Biennale isn’t particularly well-suited to rushing. Even with a carefully planned list, you’ll inevitably find something that wasn’t on it, whether that’s a smaller exhibition tucked away from the main venues or somewhere you simply want to spend longer than expected.
But when you’re working with limited time and a packed itinerary, travel can eat into your freedom to deviate from the schedule. A commercial flight may work perfectly well to get you to the location, but you’ll still be adjusting your activities based on the airport flight times (and any possible delays). That gets even worse if you add an indirect route or a departure that doesn’t quite suit your diary… suddenly, a “long” weekend can start feeling considerably shorter.
This is where some cultural travellers choose to book a private jet instead, particularly when the timings of a short trip will affect how much time you get to spend in the city. Having more control over when you leave can mean arriving with enough of the day left to actually start enjoying Venice, rather than writing off your first afternoon to travel.
More Flexibility Means More Time for Venice
If you’ve got some extra time to spend on a longer Italian holiday, a few additional hours in transit may not make much difference. But when Venice is a two- or three-day cultural break, they can really put a dent in your plans. If you organise your flights carefully, you could arrive with enough time to see an exhibition in the same afternoon rather than waiting until the following morning, while still fitting the return journey around the rest of your week.
And if you’re planning to attend major cultural events, you’ll want to keep the massive demand for hotel bookings and exhibition plans in mind, since they may already constrain exactly which days you need to be in the city. So rather than arranging everything around your flights, you can work in the opposite direction and decide when travelling would make the most sense.
Landing Is Only Part of Arriving in Venice
Of course, getting to the area surrounding Venice isn’t quite the same as getting to Venice itself.
The historic centre is car-free, which means the final part of your journey will be over the water. Public transport across the lagoon will be fine for plenty of visitors (particularly when you’re not pressed for time), but there is another option when you’re working against the clock: a private water taxi. This can take you towards the historic centre, and some hotels have entrances that allow you to arrive directly from the canal. If you’ve travelled by private aircraft, arranging a water transfer around your landing time can be much quicker than the alternative. (And there’s also just something particularly fitting about travelling by water in Venice.)
Don’t Schedule Every Hour You’ve Saved
Being efficient about the journey doesn’t mean the rest of the weekend needs to run on military time. The Biennale’s main venues naturally demand plenty of attention, but part of why it’s so fun is that you can venture into other parts of Venice to experience exhibitions and other attractions.
This is why you’ll want to have some unscheduled time available. You might come across something you hadn’t intended to see or decide that you want to spend another half hour where you are.
Make the Journey Fit the Reason You’re Going
When you’ve only got a weekend, greater control over when you travel can give you considerably more freedom once you’re there, which is really the point. You’re going to Venice in the first place because you expect to enjoy yourself there, so you want to make sure that your travel plans allow you to do exactly that.
Images via Unsplash
