Lido di Venezia, Venice

After seeing the similarities between Venice and Murano, I was expecting something alike in Lido.

What a surprise! Lido is a modern continental neighbourhood, more Mestre than Venice. Even the unique monument I could see in the island was modern and absolutely different from Venice.

Built after WW1 this temple is clearly seen when we approach in the vaporetto.

I´ve booked an Hotel direct on lidodivenezia.it, because I´ve found a loto of informations about lido di Venezia there. there are calendars of events, concerts, theatre and local holidays.
There are many hotels listed here, I´ve choosed for Villa Edera because is very close to Vaporetti, the place to ship to Venice, in just 10 minutes.
Lido is a very beautiful island, green, a long beach and good restaurants.

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Just a few minutes by vaporetto from Venice Island, Lido Island is an 18km long stretch of land and it's a great excursion if you've had your share of historic buildings and want to see some greenery.

From the first moment I stepped into Lido , I can see that it is completely different. First, the buildings are modern and there are public buses on the streets. Trees and rosebushes line the streets and makes a good change from all the cobble streets, bridges and close alleyways

Hotels and restaurants here are also less expensive and provide better value. Summer is a popular time for Venetians and Italians because of the beaches. I might want to stay here the next time I visit Venice :-)

Dont be disappointed with the color of the water because the new part of the city is situated in the part of Lide in front of the city.You can reach easily by boats 35-45 minutes to the lido
and you can enjoy the Adriatic sea and wonderful beaches.

If the crowds in Venice get too much, jump on a ferry and take the 15 minute trip across the Lagoon to the Lido. We stayed here during our holiday and its peace provided a welcome contrast to the crowds over the water.

From the ferry terminal it is no more than a 15 minute walk down the main street to the beach. On the way you will pass stunning examples of art deco architecture such as the tiled facade of this hotel, which reminds you that at the beginning of the 20th century, the Venetian Lido was the place to spend your summers. The Grand Hotel des Bains, which featured in the film 'Death in Venice' overlooks the beach. The beach itself isn't very nice though.

You can hire bicycles for an afternoon to explore the island further, perhaps going down the seafront to see the area where the Venice Film Festival is held. The cafes along the main road are quite reasonably priced should you work up a thirst!

We left the beach via the Excelsior Hotel, a great example of a hotel built in art-deco style. It really overlooks the beach and sea. Finally we walked all the way back to the south part of the island.

We passed by "Forte di San Nicolo" and "Forte die Sant", two 16th century fortresses. Besides that we had a look at the Jewish Cementery, with its 16th and 17th century tomb-stones. Finally we once again ended up at Grand Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta and enjoyed a great pizza!

We enjoyed our visit to the Lido and do remember that there's much more than just the beach!

Half way of the 20th century, the Lido became a seaside resort and therefore the main attraction for many to the Lido is the famous beach, which is frquently mentioned in many publications (mainly Venetian) as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We didn't agree with that as the public beach was not well-maintained and was covered in litter from some of the locals and tourists that used the beach and the water was also very polluted!

The Lido is at its most popular during the first week of September when it hosts the famous Venetian film festival. During this time the whole island is besieged by Hollywood, film-makers and press from around the globe.

The island of Lido is 12 kilometers long and forms the main land barrier between the city of Venice and the open sea. For many years a succession of Doges made their way out to the shallow waters of the Lido to celebrate the Ceremony of Venice's marriage to the sea by dropping a ring into the waters.

We had a great walk via Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta all across the island and ended up at the famous beach. We passed The Grand Hotel des Bains. This hotel is Built in 1900 and was remodeled in 1989. It’s set in the heart of a lush centuries old park. We learned that it has been partially restructured In 1989, but respecting its original layout and its period decorations. The hotel still retains the essence of its Belle Epoque Style with extraordinary wrought iron balustrades. Besides that it has elegant facades and palladian inspired colonades.