If you’re looking for a campsite near Venice then you need to look at Camping Marina di Venezia. Location, Location, Location!

The next stop on our multi-stop camping tour was Camping Marina Di Venezia on the Lido di Jesolo. The swift and seamless check in on the 5-star site meant that within 40 minutes of arrival we were breathing the soothing air of the Mediterranean and splashing in the sea. I’m a big fan of the ocean so the fact that it was approximately 2 minutes walk from our tent was a huge plus and exactly what was needed after a hot drive with failed air con!  This is by far and away the biggest site we have ever been on. It’s split into 2 clear halves with a ‘main road’ through the centre, so part of my review involved a drive round! The staff on reception are great and our Canvas rep couldn’t have been more helpful so we were off to a good start!

The Beach at Camping Marina di Venezia

With the incredibly hot weather the private beach at Camping Marina di Venezia offered a welcome breeze so was lovely, obviously we were careful with suntan lotion here. It was, as with the rest of the site very clean, with security locking the access gates in the evening and lifeguard on patrol. There was also a small shower block there to allow you to shower privately, avoiding the usual return of half the beach to your accommodation!

The fish restaurant I spotted as we walked on looked beautiful but with only couple of nights, we sadly didn’t make it in – do let us know if you go yourselves, I would be very jealous!

Finally, we Settled into our Canvas maxi tent for the evening…more on this later; and we were ready for an action packed 3 nights.

Our main aim on this site was to see Venice itself. As first time visitors I couldn’t wait to get started, but the facilities, in particular the pool, were really gorgeous and we did make the most of them in the little time we had.

Pools at Camping Marina di Venezia

The pool complex, central to this vast site is spectacular. With clear sections, there was a large splash pool for the youngest guests with ample space for adults to accompany and interact. Within this large area there were also slides for toddlers, not the usual short animal type but wiggly grown up looking ones which saw little ones repeatedly running round and round, up and down to their hearts content.

Alongside, but separate to this, a large climbing type structure with multiple slides for those a bit more adventurous, tipping buckets of water, waterfalls and sprays. We had seen similar to this earlier in our stay and on other sites but this was humongous, naturally Charlie couldn’t wait to get under the tidal wave that cascaded when the bucket finally tipped!

Additionally, there were 3 slides for big kids, including Ste, with 2 swirly types and a short straight shoot drop type, likened, slightly dramatically I feel, to oblivion! It really wasn’t that long! All enjoyed the various options with both Millie, 5, and Ste, significantly older than 5, reporting the fun factor.

A ‘serious swimmer’ pool as we have now taken to calling them was available, with a couple of lanes roped off. There was also a large swimming pool, a wave pool, jacuzzies for adults and pretty much anything else you could wish to find. Easily the biggest complex I’ve ever experienced and whilst amazing I was keen to keep an eye, particularly on Millie as it was also very very busy. (We were there mid August so expected but due to the size of the site it did require a watchful eye!) That said, multiple life guards carefully observed the main pools and ensued they were kept safe and clean.

Sun beds here are charged so we did see a few spares although most were taken by the time we got to the pool in the evening. There was even a hierarchy with basics costing €4 per day and premium €12! We do assume though that this meant you could leave your towel all day, including the period when they closed in the afternoon.

We spent our days out on this visit and the pool closed for 2 hours in the afternoon so was still busy into the evening when it closed at 7, when we made the most use of it. For me though there’s a simple choice here, if you like your own space the beach is a good call, if you like slides bubbles and all round entertainment the pool is for you!

Shops at Camping Marina di Venezia

I’m fairly certain that everything you could need was in the central, stylish shopping area consisting of restaurants and an impressive range of shops.

 A reasonably priced on-site shop, like a mini supermarket offered essentials such as bread and milk alongside fresh pastries, fridge and freezer options, cleaning equipment and toiletries. The main gelateria sold a huge range of ice creams including a number which were dairy-free, a big hit with my family. As it happens Italy provided a lot of dairy-free ice cream, I was really worried about the kids missing out, but the magic of google had us searching out the best vegan ice cream sellers on local islands in addition to enjoying them on site. (We aren’t vegan but the children have dairy and egg intolerances.)

In addition, there were souvenir shops, a market which seemed to pop up at night with local sellers, wine and a fantastic fish shop selling everything from filleted pieces to octopus.

In the evening the supermarket rocked a roaring trade-in electric tennis racket style bugs swatters, fly sprays and repellent. There’s no point in complaining about bugs when you visit but it’s worth being ready and having plenty of insect repellent for the evening when they are definitely hungry!

Eating out…or in… at Camping Marina di Venezia

The site had a number of food outlets. Lots of these seemed to have similar options, the expected pizza takeaway choices and pasta dishes. The large, main restaurant where we ate, was lovely with slightly different options, pasta and pizza were of course consumed and the staff were helpful and friendly; the meal was reasonably priced and delicious with pizzas at around 10 Euros.

In addition, there were smaller snack bar type places and plenty of takeaways available, in addition to smaller ice-cream shops. I often saw people taking boxes with a pizza back to their tents and caravans, which after a full day exploring felt like an excellent idea!

Again, most of the restaurants and takeaways were located in the centre, about 10 minutes walk from our tent. However, we did find a little bar one night which did snacks. As already mentioned, the fish bar on the beach looked amazing and really very romantic, I do wish we could have stayed a little longer if only to try that one.

Onsite entertainment at Camping Marina di Venezia

The on-site entertainment was incredibly comprehensive! With 3 age banded kids clubs and a range of adult activities, the whole family could busy themselves with Clubs, sports and fitness. Choosing from examples such as ping pong tournaments, spinning or aqua aerobics, and for children a lovely addition, a range of dance clubs. Whilst ours didn’t access this we did see a huge group of teenagers being fabulously choreographed on the large stage, looking to have a great time with a street dance instructor!

There were lots of other options for entertainment throughout the day and onto the evening too, incurring a local charge. The site operates a token system covering a huge range of activities including ride on cars, inflatables, a mini rope climbing course and paint a pot to mention a few. The cost for this varied, for example 1 token cost €2 euros, €8 for 10 and, at the top end 160 for €100. It was worth checking the individual cost here too as we noticed that one activity cost €4 or 3 tokens so depending on the number of tokens you purchased it may have been cheaper to pay in cash. There was also a great looking crazy golf course at €5 per player.

Everyone it seemed, had hired a bike! This made perfect sense as the site is so big and also enabled people to explore the local area, including the port, only a mile away

The evening entertainment we watched was extremely professional. Expert dancers put on a great show, just one of a number available including fireworks, musicals and Mr and Mrs type shows.

If I was going to criticise the site, it was simply that everything was in the central area. For us the beach was literally a minute or twos walk away but everything else, even the park was a 5 – 10-minute walk with little ones. I wouldn’t have sent the kids to play there together without an adult. We always pack games and badminton to play along side the tent but this isn’t always an option when flying into nearby Venice airport!

An exception the rule, there was one single, little bar near to our tents, I didn’t see another like it away from the main drag and I’d had a good drive around in search! One night they had live music and told us that happened a couple of times per week. It was our 10 year wedding anniversary so when the little ones had gone to bed we were treated to an hour of dancing, bliss.

The site did operate a quiet time policy which meant that by 11 o’clock it was very quiet, allowing everyone to get a good night’s sleep.

The Accommodation at Camping Marina di Venezia

We stayed in a maxi tent here. I wanted to try a tent in Italy to see if we could cope with the heat! We have camped in Spain before and I can honestly say that it was fine although making sure we had good bug repellent was essential. The kids loved the tent; it’s so easy going and the excitement was clear on our first night as we tucked them into bed in their shared room. The curtain drops to create two separate rooms, a twin and a single in addition to our double but as Daniel is the highlight of the shared room situation, he didn’t mind for a couple of nights and it meant that the area was just a little bit more open and cooler for them.

Again, the well-equipped kitchen, electric and fairly comfortable beds are all perfect for the end of busy days. We spend so little time in our accommodation on holiday that I actually prefer a tent to a hotel room with the kids, as we can cook for the family and play in the space if the weather turns. In addition, it’s definitely worth a mention that in peak season, in one of the most visited cities in Italy, 3 nights cost £500 and gave ample space for 3 adults and 2 children, great value in our opinion.

The washing facilities on sight were well positioned, ample, immaculate and included special areas for children. Listening to Millie singing in her child sized shower was a treat and they were begging to be clean!

How close is Camping Marina di Venezia to Venice?

For us, this was the highlight of Camping Marina di Venezia. Parking for the day, 5 minutes from the site for €7 meant that we could spend 2 full days in Venice. While this limited the time with spent on site itself it was the most incredible couple of days. Seeing the sites and exploring the little islands, my favourite, Murano where Charlie was mesmerised by the glass blowing. Our Canvas rep was great at showing us where and how to book a range of tours and trips which could maximise our time. We opted to use the local water taxis, buying a 2-day pass for €30 with children under 6 traveling free. This enabled us to hop on and hop off throughout the city. If you haven’t been before this the best money we have spent here, allowing us the freedom to ‘mill about’ one day and visit with purpose the second!

Camping Marina di Venezia is essentially in the middle of the routes for Venice and the Islands. We visited amazing Venice on the first day, then on the way home realised the ferry we had caught stopped off at Burano, one of the unique and beautiful islands, where the houses are painted in a range of pastel colours. The following day we repeated the pattern, calling at Murano to experience the glass blowing museum, exhibitions and shops. Of course, most of the trips group together either Islands or Venice, this just worked for us and the location of the site meant that we could break the day with the ferries which the children loved, whilst seeing as much of the city as possible.

I can’t recommend enough the location of Camping Marina di Venezia and again the Canvas reps and accommodations were spotlessly clean and well-equipped meaning that at the end of a long hot day we could just come back and relax.

Top tips for Camping Marina di Venezia

• If planning a visit to Venice plan your route in order to ensure the best option for you. There are lots of guided tours, multi-stop options and sellers at the port in addition to those on sale through the site it’s self.
• Remember the closure of the pool between 1 and 3 – slightly unusual, explained as part of the quiet times enforced on the site.
• Pack plenty of insect repellent
• It’s a criminal offence to stop and eat picnics in Venice. There was a picnic area in the park and lots of cafes and other food outlets where you could grab a snack.
•  Drive or fly – the nearest airport is Venice and public transport here has been reliable.
  • I was nervous about driving in Italy, despite confidently driving in Spain and France a number of times…I genuinely didn’t find it too bad although driving very close to people to let them know they want to overtake is common place on motorways – eek.

Why not PIN this Review of Camping Marina di Venezia a Campsite near Venice