The winter light slants through Byzantine arches, gilding the floating nativity scenes bobbing in quiet canals. Venice at Christmas transforms into a Baroque snow globe, where every campo hosts living crèches and the scent of fried custard and mulled wine wafts through misty calli.
2025's Enchanting Innovations
- The Glass Messiah - For the first time, Murano masters will create a life-sized crystal Jesus that appears to float above the water
- New Year's Aquatic Ballet - 50 synchronized swimmers will perform Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker in the frozen Rio dei Mendicanti
- The Befana Regatta - On Epiphany (Jan 6), costumed "witches" race coal-filled gondolas to punish naughty children
Pro Tip: The true magic happens at midnight mass in San Giovanni in Bragora, where the choir sings from a hidden balcony while incense swirls through 14th-century beams.
PrestigeFly's Winter Wonderland
- Business class flights with in-flight panettone tastings from Venice's oldest bakery
- Secret Midnight Gondolas to view palazzo light displays from the water
- "No Crowds Guarantee" at prestigefly.com/venicechristmas2025 with private access to St. Mark's restricted loggia