Venice is a beautiful city all year round, which truly comes alive during the Carnival season.
All Carnival celebrations will last from February 14, 2025 until March 4, 2025. During this period, the city is filled with masked visitors, enjoying the different traditions of the carnival.
If you are planning a trip to Venice this holiday season, there are many places to visit during the Venice Carnival 2025. Here you will find some suggestions on the best places to visit in Venice during the Carnival:
- Visit the ancient clock tower of San Marco;
- Dress up and take part in an exclusive Carnival dance;
- Participate in the Venice Carnival treasure hunt;
- Visit the Campanile of San Marco.
Main dates to know of Carnival 2025
Here are the main dates of Carnival 2025:
Fat Thursday: February 27, 2025
Fat Tuesday: March 4, 2025
Ash Wednesday: March 5, 2025
The ancient astronomical clock tower of San Marco
The St. Mark’s astronomical clock tower was one of the first clocks in Europe and was first completed in 1497. It has since had many restorations, but the original design has been retained. The watch contains the zodiac and also shows the phases of the moon.
We invite you to visit the Clock and Clock Tower and set your clock to the clock tower time.
The phases of the moon determine when Easter is, and therefore when Lent also begins and the Venice Carnival ends.
Dress up and take part in an exclusive dance
One of the most iconic activities of Carnival is the Venetian masked ball. These dances date back to the 15th century and are still a popular way to celebrate today. Many of the balls take place in private palaces, but there are also some that are open to the public.
Wear an elegant Venetian costume or an eye-catching mask and spend an unforgettable night at one of the many balls organized in Venice. You can even create your own Venetian Carnival mask.
Treasure hunt during the Venice Carnival 2025
If you want to visit some lesser-known places or try unique experiences during Carnival 2025, take part in one of our treasure hunts!
It includes a tour that will take you to four places that only locals like us know about, guiding you through the labyrinthine alleys of Venice on an adventurous tour of Venice during Carnival. One stop included on the self-guided tour is a real local atelier, the studio of a professional mask designer.
Visit St. Mark's bell tower
One last thing to do during Carnival in Venice? Visit St. Mark’s Bell Tower!
One of Venice’s most recognizable architectural monuments reaches a height of almost 100 meters, which to our American friends is approximately 330 feet. Like the Clock and the Clock Tower, it has undergone numerous maintenance and restoration works over the years.
We already suggested visiting the Clock Tower to set your watch (or phone) to Venetian time, and you would have to crane your neck to look at the Clock Tower. This time, however, why not climb to the top of the bell tower?
This way, you will have a splendid view of all of Venice, but more spectacularly, of Venice Carnival 2024, and you will be greeted with an incredible display of color and movement as you observe the Venice Carnival from the elevated position and be treated to one wonderful color show as all the people in costumes move under the city and onto the Grand Canal!
The Bell Tower is always worth visiting, but during Carnival it’s really something else.
