Travel News to Know - June 6, 2025
& a guide to Venice Beach, Italian-style
Hello hello! This was the first week of content for paid subscribers. We kicked things off with a guide to destinations in Italy that I can’t believe aren’t crowded. There are still plenty of places to go in this beautiful country that aren’t over touristed. Don’t be afraid to branch out.
Why travel with a baby? It’s hard, and she won’t remember it. I get a version of this question/comment all the time, in varying degrees of kindness. Here’s my response.
I hope you’ll consider subscribing for more of the above! Now let’s get to today’s topic.
Lido di Venezia!
Venice is one of the world’s most-visited cities, known for opulent palaces, winding canals and crooning gondoliers. It is not known for the beach. But Lido di Venezia, one of Venice’s 118 barrier islands, is almost exclusively beachfront and an easy day trip from Venice or even Vicenza.
Venice welcomed more than 5.5 million tourists in 2023. Only 2 percent of those tourists went to Lido, according to the city’s official tourism data. The low number of tourists means refreshingly less busy streets compared to mainland Venice. Sidewalks are wide and, unlike other Venetian islands, you can drive on Lido.
It’s an easy day trip from Venice, or Vicenza. Gillian has a much more extensive guide, but this is how I spent 36 hours last weekend.
We drove and took the car ferry from Tronchetto to Lido di Venezia. Book your ferry tickets ahead of time, especially if traveling on a weekend (ask me how I know 🙃). You can also drive and park in the ramp there if you want to ditch your car. If you’re starting in Venice, take the vaporetto.
The ferry ride is gorgeous. It takes about 30 minutes and glides past St. Mark’s Square and other Venice highlights. Once on Lido, there are free beaches, beach clubs, restaurants, bars, protected sand dunes, and even a golf course.
We had a wonderful, quiet lunch at Aquarius and a nice dinner at Ristorante Gera Ora. Get the caponata. We also had good seafood pastas at Bagno Marconi, which has great branding. We mostly went to the free beaches, because our beach time with a baby is limited, but I was jealous of the people posting up at beach clubs for the day.
A highlight? Biking from downtown to the Alberoni sand dunes. There are several bike rental stores on the main drag. While this would have been much faster on normal bikes, we took the hilarious bike with roof option (what are these things called?) It seemed safer to keep Stella in the carrier since we didn’t have a helmet with us. There are bike paths and you can move slowly. It took us awhile to bike the 12-mile loop in this thing, but it was pretty journey and a lot of fun.
Of course we got spritzes and watched the sunset and wandered the island marveling at the gorgeous homes. After a day of sun, you can get the ferry home or spend the night. There are dozens of hotels on the island in all price ranges. I will definitely be back!
Travel News to Know
The U.S. has banned travel from 12 countries and restricted travel from seven more. The new ban includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. There will be heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. The administration said this was a response to Sunday’s attack in Boulder, Colo. The suspect in that attack is from Egypt, which is not on the list. While these countries don’t have a huge impact on U.S. tourism numbers, which as we’ve talked about are already way down, it could impact the World Cup (athletes are likely exempt, but it’s complicated). Of course, tourism is not really the worry here.
It’s not only tourism to the U.S. that’s down, but also tourism from and within the U.S. Economic uncertainty is causing Americans to scale back their trips, opting for staycations or road trips, or wait to book until the last minute.
Ibiza is restricting the number of tourist cars this summer. Read before you plan a road trip.
Mount Etna erupted Monday. Scientists stay it’s still safe to travel.
Americans visiting Japan will now have to apply for an electronic travel authorization (easy, and different than a visa).
Weekend Reading
In this post about whether or not you should move abroad I mentioned that there seems to be an idea that Europe is perfect, and that moving will free you from the issues of the U.S. This post from a Rome-based tour guide is a good example of how that’s not true.
Read, eat, drink
Read: I’m avoiding watching And Just Like That… (I’ll watch soon) and instead am reading Sex and the City. It’s good! I don’t know why I thought it wouldn’t be when I love the (original) show. Very much of an era.
Cook: Nathan is out of town and I’ve been having girl dinners every meal. Yesterday I baked a potato for Stella and then put some pesto on it for my own lunch… Not very inspiring. I am planning to make this cake this weekend. Snacking Cakes is one of my most-used cookbooks!
Drink: I’m on an iced tea kick. Obsessed with my diffuser “jug.”
In last week’s poll, 60% of you who responded said you’re visiting Italy this year. That’s a lot! Will you make it to Lido? Anywhere specific in Italy you want tips on? Send me a note. And whatever you’re doing this summer, remember that they’re fleeting…
Thanks for reading! It’s hot and sunny in Vicenza and my brother is visiting! Hope you have a good one, wherever you are.
-Rebecca 💛
The new decrees in Italy are insanity.
Isn’t Lido just the BEST!!