Aerial view of Lido di Venezia - Venice Lido

Lido di Venezia

Venice Lido, Venice, Italy

Venice Lido is famous for the Venice Film Festival, Liberty Villas and a relaxed beach feel

Lido di Venezia Activities

View Liberty Villas, Venice Film Festival, relax on the beach, 12km bike trail, golf & more

About

11km in length (7 miles), Lido is home to the Venice Film Festival which takes place in late August/early September. It’s also a beach resort.

Venice Lido was developed in the 19th century as a tourist centre. It has many 19th century villas built in Liberty style (the Italian version of Art Nouveau) and many hotels – the Grand Hotel des Bains, the Hotel Excelsior and the Hotel Ausonia & Hungaria which have hosted celebrities, artists and writers and royalty.

IN MOVIES

Lido has also hosted numerous film-shoots. In 1971 the film Death in Venice directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Dirk Bogarde and Björn Andrésen was mainly shot at the Grand Hôtel des Bains on Lido’s seafront. The English Patient (1996) winner of 9 Oscars has some scenes shot at the Hotel des Bains as well.

RELAXATION & BEACH TIME

Venice Lido is a welcome escape from bustling Venice and, generally, it is a quiet and relaxed place.

As such it is perfect for a day off from sightseeing, for a day at the beach, the golf course or enjoying the wonderful 12KM (7.5 miles) cycle trail that goes all the way to the island of Pellestrina.

Liberty Villas

The main Liberty Villas on Lido are located in the area between S. Maria Elisabetta, via Negroponte, via Zara, via Cipro and via Parenzo up to the Lungomare d’Annunzio. See map below for the rough area.

By Bike

The Venice Islands Bicycle Route is a path that runs between the islands of Lido and Pellestrina, about 12 kilometres long.

The cycle path is made up of sections of real cycle path, others of pavement and others where you can cycle along the road without difficulty: the two islands have little traffic and are very safe for cycling.

Bike rental can be found in a number of places in Lido and some hotels also offer it.

See the link below for a relaxed bicycle tour of Lido and its sights

BIKE TOUR

Golf

Lido also has its own golf course (Circolo Golf Venezia) on the south end of the island.

It is said that past famous players include Hitler, Mussolini, the Duke of Windsor and others played on Lido’s greens.

The course features an 18-hole course, PAR 72, length of 6039 meters by normal standards and 6199 meters by championship tees.

Tee off times are available every ten minutes or so. See the website linked below for details.

WEBSITE

LIDO – ON THE BEACH

The long coastline of Lido has Blue Flag beaches (this attests to the water quality)

Lido di Venezia beaches are mostly divided into two sections: a free beach (spiaggia libera) and a paid for beach that offers numerous services.

The free beaches include the area around San Nicolò, the most northerly part of the Lido island. This is a wild beach and has sand dunes as does the naturist beach of Alberoni which is the southernmost point of Lido. Both of these are protected nature areas for migratory birds and may have areas fenced off for protection. There’s also Murazzi beach.

Paid for beaches include Blue Moon and Des Bains 1900. Most paid beaches offer sunbeds and parasols, breakfast and lunch along with drinks and showers. The closer to the sea you want your sunbeds to be, the more you will pay. Just ask at the beach office and they’ll let you know what the prices are. If you value convenience, the paid for beaches are worthwhile. If you want to escape, the free beaches will do just fine!

BEACH MAP

Venice Film Festival

The Venice Film Festival takes place in late August each year. The main venue is the Palazzo del Cinema on Lido but screenings are held elsewhere as well.

The festival began in 1932 with the terrace of the Excelsior Hotel packed with stars. Greta Garbo, Clarke Gable, Vittorio De Sica, Boris Karloff, amongst others. The first ever screening was of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Rouben Mamoulian.

For more about the 2024 Venice Film Festival view our film listings page along with where to buy tickets

2024 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

Map of Lido di Venezia

This map of the main part of Lido di Venezia shows where the main vaporetto stop is (Lido S.M.E.), the location of beaches and the main venue for the Venice Film Festival, the Palazzo del Cinema, along with Lido’s location in relation to Venice.

Information

WATER BUS STOP

Lido S.M.E. is the main stop

LIDO DI VENEZIA LOCATION

Google Map

Lido di Venezia Hotels

Highly Rated Hotels in Lido di Venezia

Ausonia Hungaria Wellness & Lifestyle

A five star hotel with interiors in an Art Noveau and Liberty style boasts the Lanna Gaia wellness center, which includes sauna, Turkish bath and a range of massages. Staff are graduates of the prestigious Lanna Thai Academy in Thailand.

It also has an outdoor pool, a restaurant, a winter garden and two bars (one of which is on the rooftop).

There are a variety of rooms and suites available.

Image: Ausonia Hungaria

Lido di Venezia

Booking

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