Lido Photos: Beaches

• Also see our Lido Beaches and Recreation page for practical advice and Web links.

On the Lido's Adriatic side, beaches of beige sand (dotted with shells) run for miles. The beaches participate in the Blue Flag environmental-labeling program.

The easiest way to reach the beach from the ACTV waterbus station or the center of the Lido is to walk up the Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta, which ends at the Piazzale Bucintoro. The popular Blue Moon Beach beach (marked by a large steel structure) is directly across the street.

After you've crossed the street and entered the bathhouse complex, follow the signs to reach the spiaggia.

The Blue Moon beach has the usual resort-beach amenities, such as toilets, showers, and a shop where you can buy swimwear and beach gear if you've arrived unprepared.

A restaurant, terrace bar, and snack bar provide sustenance for swimmers and sunbathers.

Tip: Short on cash? Instead of paying for entry to the Blue Mean beach, look for a sign to the free but bare-bones public beach, which is 600 meters to the north. (The public beach does have a self-service café with toilets for customers.)

Still hungry while you're by the water? Wait for a food and drinks vendor to show up.

When your tummy is full, share a belly bump with someone you love.

Afterwards, catch some rays with the other sunbathers. 

Or, better yet, go exploring with a four-legged friend.

If you're adventurous, you can try kiteboarding.

Have you been looking for love in all the wrong places? Maybe you'll have better luck at one of the Lido's private beaches, which are scattered along the water.

When we took these photos in early May, the official beach season was a month away, and most of the private beach huts along the Lido were deserted. (Still, the public beach was doing a brisk trade.)

As we walked south from Blue Moon Beach, we passed a series of jetties or breakwaters that protect the beaches from erosion by storms and sea currents.

The most prominent landmark along the Adriatic seaside is the Hotel Excelsior, a luxury hotel that was built in 1908 in Moorish palace style. The Excelsior has a private beach club for its wealthy guests (including movie stars, directors, and producers who stay at the hotel during the Venice Film Festival).

The southernmost beaches on the Lido are the Bagni Alberoni (about 9 km or 6 miles south of the Lido's main public beach), which can be reached by bicycle, car, public bus, or boat. In addition to beaches, hotels, and a few restaurants, the resort of Alberoni has a golf club and a nature area with sand dunes.