Car Hire Venice

If you’re arriving into Venice by air, you’ll find that Venice Airport is just a short drive from the city via the SS14. This is a toll-free state road that runs right across northern Italy, connecting Venice with Trieste near the Slovenian border.

You can also use this route to reach many of the popular beach resorts around Venice, including Lido di Jesolo and Bibione. The fishing port of Chioggia, home to long stretches of sandy beach, is just under an hour’s drive from Venice via another state road, the SS309.

Venice is well-connected to many other major Italian towns and cities by the Autostrada A4, a motorway that runs almost parallel to the SS14. It links Venice to Verona, the home of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, as well as the historical and artistic hub of Padua. The maximum speed limit on the autostrada is 130km/h, but this reduces in wet weather. Driving in Italy is on the right, with overtaking on the left.

This route will also lead you towards Lake Garda, around 200km inland. It eventually leads all the way across northern Italy to Milan and Turin. Like other autostrade in Italy, the A4 is a toll road and you will be charged a fee depending on how many kilometres you travel.

Exploring Venice itself, there are plenty of places to leave your hire car before heading into the city on foot or by boat. Try the car parks of San Guiliano or Piazzale Roma, or head for Tronchetto, a huge parking terminal built on its own artificial island.

If you are staying on the Venice Lido, you can take your hire car with you by taking the No. 17 ferry, which departs from Tronchetto and transports you to SanNicolò, close to the central business district and just a short drive from most of the Lido’s hotels. When driving inside the towns and cities, the speed limit is generally 50km/h – but keep an eye out for speed signs in case of any changes.

Venice has been capturing the hearts of visitors for hundreds of years, and during your trip you can explore its spectacular highlights and lose yourself among the winding streets and alleyways, packed with churches, Venetian tapas bars and bistros.

Hiring a car in Venice opens up the wider Veneto region too, allowing you to visit the coast, countryside or even take a day trip to the Dolomite Mountains.

Aquatic icons

One of the liveliest, most visited parts of Venice is San Polo, the district that’s home to the Rialto Market and of course, the world-famous Rialto Bridge. The oldest of the four bridges over the Grand Canal, this renowned structure dates all the way back to the 16^th century and divides San Polo from the neighbouring district of San Marco.

It might be popular with visitors, but it’s still worth taking some time to admire its elegant arches and enjoy spectacular views of the gondolas on the water below.

Afterwards, head to the nearby Erbaria district where you can duck into one of the many bacari – wine bars that serve the tasty Venetian-style tapas dishes known as cicchetti.

Art and history

No visit to Venice is complete without experiencing the Piazza San Marco. This is the city’s main square and home to some of the most renowned historic buildings in Europe.

Pay a visit to the Basilica di San Marco, the 11^th-century cathedral that’s famous for its exquisite domes and stunning interior, featuring Byzantine mosaics and Renaissance paintings.

Nearby is the Palazzo Ducale, once home to the dukes of Venice and now a fascinating museum. You can book a tour that takes you through the state rooms, prison and interrogation rooms – and also allows you to cross the Bridge of Sighs, so called because it was where prisoners would get their last glimpse of the city before being taken to the cells below.

If you’re keen to see more of Venice’s artistic treasures, don’t miss the Galleria dell’Accademia di Venezia, home to paintings that date all the way back to the 14^th century. You can admire works by some of the city’s most prominent artists, including Giovanni Bellini and Paolo Veronese.

For something completely different, check out the Peggy Guggenheim Collection just a short distance away. It boasts an outstanding collection of modern art by Jackson Pollock, Piet Mondrian and more.

Hit the beach

If you want a break from sightseeing, catch the ferry to the Lido di Venezia, accessible from the mainland or the city. It’s home to beautiful sandy beaches, many of which are free, while others offer the choice to hire your own private beach hut.

You can also take the short drive to nearby beaches which may be less crowded – enjoying the calm, clear waters and natural reefs of Sottomarina, or breathing in the atmosphere of the pine forests at Bibione.

If you’re feeling adventurous, it’s also possible to drive from Venice to the Dolomite Mountains in around two and a half hours. If the weather’s good, head for Ortisei or Cortina d’Ampezzo and enjoy a cable car trip with mountain views.

With car hire in Venice, all this and more is within your grasp.