Every September, Venice becomes a stage for the world.
From 2 to 12 September 2026, the 83rd Venice Film Festival returns to the Lido, bringing international cinema, directors, actors and film lovers to one of the most extraordinary settings in the world.
Cameras turn towards the red carpet. Boats arrive at the Lido. Photographers wait for the stars. For ten days, images of Venice travel around the globe.
But there is another Venice beyond the spotlight.
A Venice of islands, workshops, colourful houses and quiet stretches of lagoon. A landscape that doesn’t need a film set to feel cinematic.
And sometimes, all you need to discover it is to get on a boat.
Venice: A City Made for Cinema
Few cities have such a natural relationship with the camera.
Light reflects from canals onto centuries-old façades. Boats replace cars. Streets suddenly open onto unexpected squares, bridges and views across the water. Even an ordinary journey can feel like a scene from a film.
During the Venice Film Festival, this quality becomes even more apparent.
The journey to the Lido itself is part of the experience. Guests arrive across the water, and the lagoon becomes the backdrop to one of the world’s most important celebrations of cinema.
Yet the Lido and the historic centre are only part of the picture.
Beyond them lies an entire archipelago waiting to be explored.
Beyond the Spotlight: Three Islands, Three Stories
If the Film Festival shows Venice through the lens of cinema, the lagoon offers visitors the opportunity to discover its stories in real life.
Start with Murano, where fire, movement and human skill transform molten glass into objects known throughout the world. Watching a master glassmaker at work has something almost theatrical about it: a centuries-old craft performed in front of your eyes.
Then the scenery changes.
In Burano, colour takes centre stage. Rows of vividly painted houses line narrow canals, creating one of the most distinctive landscapes in the Venetian Lagoon. Away from Venice’s grand palaces and busy squares, the island reveals a smaller and more intimate side of lagoon life.
And then comes Torcello, where the pace slows again.
One of the oldest settlements in the lagoon, Torcello offers a Venice before Venice: green spaces, ancient monuments and a sense of silence that can feel worlds away from the flashes and crowds of the red carpet.
Three islands, three atmospheres, all connected by water.
Make the Journey Part of the Story
In many destinations, transport is simply the time between one place and another.
In Venice, travelling by boat is part of the experience.
As you leave the city behind, its skyline gradually changes. Campanili become points on the horizon, smaller islands appear, and the scale of the Venetian Lagoon begins to reveal itself.
This is the perspective Serenissima Tour has shared with visitors for more than a century.
Serenissima Tour is a brand of Serenissima Motoscafi, the historic Venetian company that has been organising excursions to the islands since 1924.
Today, guests can travel across the lagoon on excursions to Murano, Burano and Torcello, welcomed by onboard hostesses and staff who provide information and assistance throughout the journey.
Whether you are travelling alone, as a couple, with friends or as part of a group, the boat becomes the link between different worlds within Venice.
What to Do in Venice During the Film Festival
If you are visiting for the Venice Film Festival 2026, allow yourself time to go beyond the programme of screenings and events.
Experience the atmosphere of the Lido. Walk through Venice. Enjoy the excitement surrounding the premieres.
But also reserve a few hours to see what lies beyond the red carpet.
A boat excursion through the lagoon can provide the perfect contrast to the energy of the Festival: open water instead of crowds, island communities instead of international spotlights, centuries-old crafts instead of movie premieres.
It is not about choosing between the Film Festival and the quieter side of Venice.
The beauty is experiencing both.
Your Venice Story Doesn’t End at the Lido
Cinema has always been about changing perspectives.
Perhaps that is also the best way to approach Venice.
See the city everyone recognises on screen, then discover the places that rarely make the headlines. Cross the lagoon. Step onto its islands. Watch a glassmaker at work in Murano, lose yourself among the colours of Burano and experience the silence of Torcello.
During the Venice Film Festival, the world comes to Venice to discover new stories.
With Serenissima Tour, your own Venice story can continue beyond the red carpet and across the lagoon.
