Five reasons winter is the best time to visit Venice

2. No crowds

In summer, La Serenissima is anything but serene: it's stuffed to the gills with tourists who clog its bridges, swell its vaporetti and pack its landmarks from wall-to-wall. But in the chilly winter months, you'll have the bridges to yourself, drift along the Grand Canal on an empty vaporetto and stroll right into Saint Mark's Basilica - Italy's most famous Byzantine cathedral - without waiting in line. You can saunter freely through Venice's narrow alleyways, unhindered by the suffocating crush of map-wielding tourists, and choose any table you desire at the iconic Caffè Florian (order their rich, ganache-like hot chocolate). Sure, Venice is beautiful any time of year - but go now, while you have it all to yourself.

3. Cheaper hotel rooms

Being the off-season, there's no other time of year you can score five-star hotel rooms at two-star prices. At Venice's oldest hotel, Baglioni Hotel Luna, you can nab a deluxe room for as low as €270 ($A416) per night in January, compared to €490 in July. Same goes for the iconic Gritti Palace, located on the Grand Canal, where twin rooms are listed for €320 - almost half the price of the average nightly rate at peak season. Budget hotels like Hotel Casanova - located right off Piazza San Marco and a short walk from Saint Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace - and are even offering rooms for as low as €54 per night, and you can find even better deals if you're willing to stay on the outer islands like Guidecca or Torcello.

4. Romantic gondola rides

You can ride a gondola any time of year, but winter is inarguably the most romantic (and relaxing) time to hop on board. From December through February, Venice's empty, mist-shrouded canals glisten in the soft, surreal winter light, like a real-life Federico Fellini film. Without the noisy waterway congestion and crooning gondoliere at every turn, riding a gondola in winter can be a calming and deeply luxurious experience. It's also cheaper: being low season, it's easier to broker a lower price with your gondoliere (you can likely knock €5–10 off the steep €80 average for a 30-minute ride).

5. Venetian comfort food

In the summer, many restaurants in Venice cater to tourists, filling their menus with safe, crowd-pleasing dishes like spaghetti and margherita pizza. But in the winter, the Venetians reclaim their city and their cuisine, and menus fill again with rustic, traditional Venetian comfort food: white bean soup, creamy polenta with shrimp, hearty risottos and cuttlefish stew. For deeply authentic Venetian cooking that'll warm your belly (and soul), make a beeline for Vecio Fritolin in San Polo, or the cheap but delicious Alla Palanca on Guidecca island. Or simply duck into any small, cozy, well-lit osteria that's buzzing with locals—a great indication you'll find a good, hot, home-cooked meal inside.