There’s something magical about city built surrounded by water. And it’s not just the water, the grand buildings, and rich culture. They’re part of it, of course. But it’s also the history and the senses of drama and romance that seem soaked into even the quietest corners. So, what better event than Venice Carnival 2026 to experience a little bit of extravagance and mystery?
Carnival in Venice dates back many centuries, and is closely connected to the last of the winter pleasures before the Christian season of Lent, well known for its austerity and self-denial. So, Carnival was something of a last fling of self-indulgence. Hence the long tradition of masked celebrations before 19th-century bans pushed it into decline. Revived as an official city festival in 1979, now it is a ten-day programme of parades, boat processions, costume contests, and balls around St Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal, with events spreading into other venues around the city.
From historic masquerade to winter city break
The Venice Carnival 2026 runs from 7th – 17th February and turns the lagoon city into a tight tangle of masks, cameras and crowded alleyways. For UK visitors with flights and hotels already booked, a key issue is planning for everyday spending. Even if you have a substantial budget, Carnival can soak up a lot of cash, so it’s worth considering what a realistic daily budget looks like, and how much of it should be in Euros cash rather than just on a card.
Most UK visitors treat the event as a winter city break with added theatre. They mix time in Piazza San Marco with visits to St Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, wander over the Rialto Bridge and, if the weather allows, take a boat to Murano or Burano. Even before you add a gala ball and gondola rides, the days fill with cafés, wine bars and small discretionary purchases.
Cash, cards and local habits during Venice Carnival 2026
Like the rest of Europe, Italy has an advanced digital economy, with electronic payment widely available. However, cash still plays a larger role than in the UK, especially for low-value purchases. National data for Britain show cash down to less than 10% of all payments in 2024. In Italy that figure is probably more than 25%, albeit the majority of that being for small purchases. In Venice you can certainly tap to pay in hotels, most restaurants, museum ticket offices, supermarkets and larger shops.
However, be prepared for situations where notes and coins are easier or expected. It is worth keeping some Euros ready for:
- Small bacari and cafés that dislike tiny card transactions
- Market stalls and basic souvenir stands
- Public toilets, church donations and cloakrooms
- Independent water-taxi operators, some of which add card surcharges
When streets and landing stages are packed, queueing at an ATM because the next bar or taxi is cash-only is not most people’s idea of carnival fun.
Everyday costs in Venice
On the food and drink side, Venice is broadly comparable with London, but be warned that prime locations can be punishingly pricy. A cappuccino in an ordinary café typically costs €3 – €4, while cicchetti (a local snack) in a neighbourhood bacaro start at about €3 each and a spritz is often around €3 – €5. A simple pizza or pasta dinner with a drink in a modest trattoria usually lands in the €20 – €30 range per person. Beer in a bar commonly costs €5 – €6 for 500ml. That’s about nine tenths of a pint, which is still often cheaper than a typical London pub where pints can cost anything from £6.00 – £8.00 or more.
It’s worth taking note of transport costs. A one-day Actv tourist pass for the vaporetto water buses is €25, with 2-, 3- and 7-day options at €35, €45 and €65. Venice is walkable, but many visitors still use the vaporetto to cross the Grand Canal, travel from point to pint, or reach the islands, so transport can take a noticeable slice of the budget.
Put this together and a realistic daily figure, once flights and accommodation are covered, is in the region of could start at €60 – €75 per person. That usually covers:
- Breakfast and coffee if you’re eating away from your accommodation
- A simple lunch, snacks and gelato
- An evening aperitivo and modest dinner
- A couple of drinks and a fair share of transport
Big-ticket treats such as gala balls or gondola rides sit on top of that amount.
How much cash to carry…
That budget does not need to sit entirely in banknotes. Larger restaurant bills, vaporetto passes and any designer shopping are natural candidates for debit or credit cards. Cash comes into its own for low-value discretionary spends: cicchetti and drinks in cash-leaning bars, public toilets, occasional water taxis, small souvenirs, and tips.
If you’re allowing for about €75 per person per day for a three-night visit that implies a starting pot of about €225 each. A longer stay and heavier water-taxi users or café-hoppers may mean edging over €300. To this figure it’s worth adding a reserve of cash to use if you feel more comfortable not taking your cards out in busy locations.
ATMs on main routes can be busy during the carnival and may offer poor exchange rates or extra fees, so relying on them entirely is not ideal.
…and where Money4Travel fits in to Venice Carnival 2026
It makes sense to buy Euros before you go. And, local being convenient, is where a service like Money4Travel comes into its own. Using money4travel.com, UK travellers can search for local currency exchangers and the best euro rates within a ten minute drive of your post code. Then simply book online and collect currency locally instead of at the airport.
It is straightforward to request small-denomination notes for everyday spending. That way you’ll fix a defined “carnival envelope” of Euros in advance, and to benefit from loyalty points – Pips – on eligible deals. A buy-back guarantee on surplus notes reduces the risk of over-ordering and supports a measured approach to carrying cash.
Handled this way, cash for Venice Carnival 2026 becomes another part of trip design rather than a last-minute worry at the airport, or an expensive wait-in-the-queue experience in a Venetian piazza. A pre-planned pot of euros alongside your cards lets you enjoy cafés, bars and boats without wondering whether the next bacaro (wine bar) or water taxi will really take your preferred form of plastic.
By Declan Morton, writer and editor at Money4Travel – the online service for foreign currency sales in the UK. More about the author.
For reference: Carnevale di Venezia; The story of Carnival Balls in Venice; UK Finance/UK Payments Markets 2024; Cash Matters; Numbeo – Venice, Italy; Food and Drink in Venice, Italy Heaven; Actv integrated fares; Vaporetto tickets – Venezia.net;
Every effort has been made to quote accurate prices. Those mentioned are correct at the time of publication. Exchange rates and prices may change without notice.
