Visit Venice In Winter For Free Entry And Fewer Crowds

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, January 3. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Venice authorities are limiting the size of large guided tour groups. Over the weekend, the municipal government approved a measure to ban guided groups of more than 25 people starting June 1. Portable loudspeakers used by tour guides will also be banned.

China will make it easier for American tourists to visit, simplifying the visa process for 2024.

The Italian city of Venice will limit the number of travelers allowed on tour groups in the latest effort to minimize over-tourism in the historic canal city.

As a travel and food writer, I am beyond lucky that my work takes me to dozens of dreamy destinations both near and far each year. But the very best trips make me reluctant to walk out the door for the last time, wishing I could hit a rewind button and begin the trip all over again even while I’m still there.

From Venice to Athens, Europe’s most popular destinations are buckling under the weight of unsustainable tourist numbers.

There are plenty of unique and memorable ways to make the most of the European winter, whether you want to take a snowy train ride across the Alps, cosy up in a wood cabin in the Scottish Highlands or watch the Northern Lights dance across the skies from a frozen lake.

Whether you plan on spending the last few days of the year relaxing in front of the screen for some well-deserved rest, or plotting out your next travel adventure for 2024, there’s nothing like some armchair traveling to get you inspired. 

It's the question rail enthusiasts have posed for years: When might U.S. train travel start to more closely resemble that of Europe and Asia?

Zurich has recently been named the world's most expensive city to live in, and it beckons residents and visitors with a rich array of experiences. From lavish hotels to cultural extravaganzas, the city assures a taste of luxury that perfectly befits its prestigious status - here are the latest winter trends of town:

If, somehow, you’re still looking for a spot to spend Christmas or the final week of 2023, the personal-finance website WalletHub’s latest report has some important insights for you. It reviewed data on the nation’s 100 largest cities to find out which are simultaneously the most festive and affordable for celebratory getaways this Christmas season.

Although it has been years since I’ve traveled in mesmerizing Tokyo, my memories are as vivid as though they had been sparked yesterday—pleasures aswirl in unique flavors and noises, creativity and ingenuity. So when luxury publisher Assouline released the new book Tokyo Chic, I dove into its 312 lush-paper-stock pages, with more than 200 photographs and illustrations, which are bound in an outsize (10-by-13-inches, 6.4-pound) format—a hefty hardcover wrapped in silk. The brainchild of Andrea Fazzari, whose deft imagery and words are love letters to the inimitable capital, Tokyo Chic showcases a massively enthralling—yet strikingly intimate—city. Currently based in Tokyo, Fazzari is a James Beard Award-winning photographer, author and restaurant maven with notable backgrounds in fashion and film. Born in New York City, she has lived in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain and Thailand—and speaks four languages. What a sophisticated guide to have at your armchair traveler’s fingertips! Indeed, this coffee table tome would make a treasured holiday gift for those who have already vacationed in Japan or simply dream of doing so.