Venice in winter is a marvellously eerie place of footsteps echoing along misty alleyways. It can be bitingly chilly when the wind whips down from the Dolomites, and damp — sometimes very damp indeed as acqua alta blurs the edges between pavement and canal. But it is also far less packed, blessed with magic days of blue skies, and less expensive than in high season.
Don’t miss...
St Mark’s basilica. Packed and full of unseemly noise in high season, the basilica in winter is a wondrous, silent cave of shimmering gold: come early enough and you might get these acres of mosaics to yourself.
Keep warm...
At La Fenice - the winter season at the opera house offers a crowd-pleasing programme of Mozart and Verdi. Wielding the baton for Idomeneo will be Jeffrey Tate who will also conduct symphonies by Schubert and Bruckner on December 4-5. To February 2 2016 (teatrolafenice.it).
Have a hot chocolate...
At VizioVurtu (viziovirtu.com) where the kind of delicious chocolate which goes into their pralines and spreads, cakes and dragees can be consumer in thick, hot liquid form to drive out the winter damp.
Torcello: always atmospheric Photo: AP
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Wrap up and walk...
Around the island of Torcello. Always atmospheric, the empty lagoon on a crisp winter’s day affords views that are quite extraordinary. If you’re really lucky, you may be able to scale the bell tower of Santa Maria Assunta on one of its rare openings.
Enjoy a cosy evening...
At El Sbarlefo (http://ift.tt/1Q8dYtV). Roaring fires (banned) and comfy sofas (space problems) are not very Venetian: this late-night bar and cichetteria compensates with a friendly vibe and warming live jazz.
What else is on this winter
Venice Carnival
The annual masked and costumed Carnevale extravaganza returns to the Lagoon City in January, with the usual roster of exclusive private parties in luxe palazzos, street revelries, costume competitions and colourful folklore. Aim for weekends or end-of-Carnival events for the full, crowded, jamboree atmosphere. Jan 23 – Feb 9 2016 (http://ift.tt/1Q8dYtX).
Venice Carnival takes place in February Photo: GETTY
Water and Food in Venice, Doge’s Palace
Supplying the residents of this unlikely archipelago with fresh food and water was a remarkably streamlined operation through the centuries, as this exhibition in the Doge’s Palace shows. Maps, documents and paintings meet the latest in multi-media technology. Until February 14 (palazzoducale.visitmuve.it).
The Novecento Boutique Hotel has gas fires as cosy as any real log fire
My favourite winter hotel
Real log blazes are banned in Venice, but the cosily flickering gas-fired substitute in the delightful living room of the Novecento Boutique Hotel will drive the damp from your marrow on a chill winter’s day just as effectively. A warm Orient-inspired colour scheme and the cocooning effect of walls draped with gorgeous fabrics help fuel the glow (novecento.biz).
For more advice on where to stay, see our guide to Venice's best hotels. For more on what to see and do, where to eat, drink and shop, see our complete Venice city guide.
This article was first published on December 13, 2011, and updated in full on November 30, 2015.
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