WHAT TO DO DURING THE VENICE HIGH TIDE

WHY THE VENICE HIGH TIDE IS NOT A GRAVE PROBLEM?

• Because it takes only 2 hours and affects a few parts of Venice: Piazza San Marco and Rialto are the first ones to go down the water, but in all these places there are many platforms where you can walk on them and reach the main places.
  
  
• Because you can buy (only € 5 or € 10) some disposable boots to use during the few hours of high tide. The boots (the good ones) can arrive over the knee, so you won’t be wet at the end of your journey. In 97% of the case, the coverage until the knee is enough. Every shop or market in Venice sells them.
  The other 3% includes uncommon events that happen once or twice per year and where the water will be so high that you’d better stay in the hotel until the tide comes to normal level (it takes a pair of hours to do it).
  

DO MY HOTEL OR APARTMENTS HAVE PROBLEMS DUE TO VENICE HIGH TIDE?

Absolutely not. The High Tide does not damage electricity, power, and pumps: the water from the shower and sinks remain clean and potable.  This happens thanks to the complex Venetian hydraulic system that avoids lagoon water enters in the pump during the high tide.

HOW CAN I UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF THE HIGH TIDE?

The best device to know the level of the tide is the mobile app HI!TIDE: it provides the forecasts of the tide in the next 3 days, so you can organize your day based on reliable data. Otherwise, you can consult the official website of Venice Municipality.

To make it easier I will explain, with some pics, the meaning of the numbers. So, If you want to go out, you can understand how much water you have to face!

You can consider the high tide as the annoying thing from the 110 cm. Behind this number, there is high tide only at some points of Piazza San Marco, but you can visit the square without problems.

• Between 110 and 130, many parts of Venice are under the water (just for few cm) and you’d better to wear the overmentioned boots.
• Between 130 and 140, we suggest you to be very careful because many places are very flooded as San Marco and Rialto area. Avoid these zones and walk on the platforms.
• Over 140 (it hardly ever happens), I suggest you stay in a hotel/ apartment and wait for the tide to come back to regular level (it takes only 2 hours or less).

The table (provided by “Comune di Venezia“) can show clearly the highness of the tide.

THE VENICE HIGH TIDE ALARM:

Over the 110 you will hear the famous and loud alarm in all Venice: it warns that the tide will start to grow within one hour. Inside the alarm, you will hear a bell: every bell stands for 10 cm over 110 cm.

Example: Two bell inside during the alarm means: 110cm + 10 + 10 = 130 cm total.