Eco-friendly accommodation in Venice: how do you go about it?

Written by Lucie Tournebize

Published on February 27, 2024, modified on May 14, 2024

In Venice, lodging has a significant impact on the city's environment, especially from a social perspective. To find accommodation without contributing to the deterioration of the residential real estate market, here are some tips and best practices.

It's not just transportation that has an impact when we travel. In Venice, where the arrival of Airbnb has caused havoc, this is quite evident: the number of tourist beds is said to have exceeded those available for residents, according to figures from OCIO (Civic Observatory on Housing in Venice). Practically unregulated, tourist rentals make it extremely difficult for locals to access housing, create precarious jobs (cleaning staff or 'check-inists' working as self-employed) and disrupt the lives of neighbors with the constant comings and goings of suitcases. With the widespread use of tourist accommodation, neighborhood shops are changing: pasta-to-go replaces the cobbler, luggage storage takes the place of the greengrocer. However, virtuous alternatives exist. We have selected a few.

Fairbnb, accommodation with Impact

This platform offers rooms or accommodations for short stays, but with a small difference compared to conventional rental sites. When booking, you pay fees, half of which goes to Fairbnb for its management costs, and the other half to the association of your choice. For example, you can support the We are here Venice association, committed to protecting the lagoon, or Venice Call, a network that promotes voluntary action to impact the city and its environment.

Inside Venice, three hotels and a project rooted in the city

Inside Venice is a media outlet run by a team of Venetians for visitors to their city. Created by a family of hoteliers, it promotes local culture, offers authentic experiences with Venetian actors, and rents rooms in three different structures: Hotel Flora, a charming guesthouse behind St. Mark's Square, Casa Flora, and Novecento, apartments that require a minimum stay of three days. By promoting local businesses and banning the use of single-use plastic in rooms, these three hotels are leading the way towards greener hospitality.

Hôtel Flora

Camping

Naturally more eco-friendly, as it does not require the construction of buildings or the conversion of housing into tourist rentals, camping is a good way to reduce your impact. However, in the historic center of Venice, pitching a tent is out of the question, it's prohibited. For that, head to the mainland, to the Fusina campsite, connected to Venice by public transport. The advantage is that you sleep by the lagoon, with a view of Venice on the horizon. If you're traveling without a tent, you can also rent a bungalow there, which is always more eco-friendly than a room in the hotels of Mestre, which have sprung up like mushrooms over the last decade.

Vue de Venise Camping Fusina

Staying in the Countryside

While Venice was built around the Grand Canal, the lagoon that surrounds it is somewhat its countryside. On the agricultural islands, a few accommodations in green surroundings support a more sustainable vision of tourism. This is the case on Sant'Erasmo, a vegetable island where a local variety of purple artichokes is cultivated. You can then stay at Basego, a renovated country house offering 'agriturismo', the Italian term for accommodations that combine agricultural production and tourist accommodation. On the island of Mazzorbo, connected to the more famous Burano by a bridge, there is also a virtuous project combining vineyards, vegetable gardens, and accommodation. Venissa, as it is called, includes two restaurants, one of which is Michelin-starred and showcases local products from the lagoon, a vegetable garden, several vineyards on islands... For accommodation, you can choose between a room above the small vineyard and "albergo diffuso", accommodation consisting of several rooms scattered around the island of Burano. The idea is appealing: instead of adding to the tourist mass that invades Burano every day only to leave before sunset, take the time to live at least one night at the island's pace.

Airbnb, Is It a No-Go?

As we've seen, Airbnb has a significant impact on Venetians' access to housing and only enriches a few property owners (70% of listings come from profiles managing multiple properties, according to data from Inside Airbnb). From a "shared economy," we have moved to a system that concentrates rentals in the hands of a few owners. If you really have no choice, then look for a room in a local's home, which represents only 20% of listings. Indeed, in this case, the rental can be a supplementary income for the owner and can truly provide a shared experience. However, be careful to ensure that it is really a room in a resident's home, as often the apartment is shared but with other tourists, like a B&B disguised as an Airbnb.