Every late summer, Venice becomes the centre of the film world for about ten days. The festival is the oldest of its kind — it dates back to 1932, with interruptions only for the war and Italy's turbulent 1970s — and it's now one of Europe's 'Big Three', alongside Cannes in spring and Berlin in winter. Studios ship their prestige titles across the Atlantic for red-carpet premieres on the Lido, and the city fills with critics, publicists and anyone hoping to spot a movie star on a water taxi.
Here's the practical wrinkle most visitors don't realise: the screenings all happen on the Lido, the quiet barrier island beachside of the main city, while the glamour — the parties, the palazzos, the views — stays in Venice proper. Festival insiders tend to stay on the Lido so they can walk or bike to screenings. But the veteran critic behind this account has always done the opposite, basing himself in San Marco and catching the number 20 vaporetto from San Zaccaria, a 20-minute ride that drops you right at the festival grounds. The trick is timing: a crush of everyone trying to make the same screening 45 minutes before is miserable, while the boats are calm if you leave margin. On the Lido, kill spare time with a drink on the terrace of the old-school Albergo Quattro Fontane.
Staying in the city centre is often cheaper too, thanks to the abundance of hotels and rental apartments, and the eating is far better. Go-to stops include L'Bacaro de' Bischeri by the Rialto market, home of the mighty 'Don't Tell William' focaccia stuffed with stracciatella, mortadella and pistachios; Al Covo, a Michelin-recommended seafood favourite east of San Zaccaria; and the freshly renovated Hotel Danieli, where the fifth-floor terrace overlooks the lagoon — mind the wine list, as one glass of pinot grigio can quietly run €80. For grazing between screenings, cicchetti (Venetian mini-tapas) are the standard fuel.
As for parties: studios host pre-premiere events in the Excelsior's garden, and fashion houses throw dinners at Grand Canal hotels like the Gritti Palace and the St. Regis, where recent guests have included Robert Pattinson and Orlando Bloom. But Venice is a more restrained festival than Cannes, and the city shuts down early. The notable exception is Ai Do Leoni, a small bar off Piazza San Marco that keeps going until 1:30am.
Who is this for? Travellers planning a trip around the festival, obviously — but also anyone visiting Venice in late summer who wants to catch a premiere or soak up the atmosphere without a press badge. Screenings aren't all industry-only, red carpets are open to gawkers outside the Excelsior, and the whole spectacle plays out in one of the world's most beautiful cities. Just pack for heat and mosquitoes, and build in extra time for the boats.