AQA Palace
Caorle - Strada Nuova 19
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In Caorle, it only takes a few steps to move from a typical seaside resort to a gracious town imbued with Venetian charm; a few more steps and you lose yourself in handkerchiefs of land torn from a tangle of waterways. Beaches, historic centre and lagoon are the three souls of Caorle, a truly unique seaside holiday destination in the Upper Adriatic.
The two sandy shores to the east and west of the centre are certainly primarily responsible for the success of this resort an hour’s drive from Venice, which for decades now has lived mainly from tourism. Long, very clean and full of amenities and entertainment opportunities, they are perfect for relaxing family or couple holidays.
What many people do not expect to find, perhaps because they are accustomed to seaside resorts born for tourism, is an enchanting historic centre, with a clear Venetian imprint, that is a real pleasure to explore on foot.
A surprise awaits you at every corner, be it a house with a colourful façade, an alley reminiscent of the calli of the famous Venice or a charming church. Romance is also the protagonist on the ScoglieraViva promenade, a pathway between one beach and another decorated with pretty sculptures.
Nightlife in Caorle is not wild, but the large number of bars and restaurants and the many events that are organised throughout the year ensure that there is always something to do in the evening. Local specialities, such as the white canestrello or organic sea clams, will delight your palate; if, however, you prefer a tasty snack to an important dinner, the real must is the calamari da passeggiata (stroll squids).
Almost certainly what will make you fall madly in love with Caorle will be the lagoon, an area of haunting beauty, the kingdom of nature, which will enchant you with its spectacular sunsets and infinite silence.
All the beaches in Caorle are sandy; if you love sunbathing on the rocks, the only option is to lie on the rocks of ScoglieraViva.
The two main beaches, frequented by most tourists, are the Levante Beach and the Ponente Beach: they extend close to the historic centre, in areas full of accommodation, bars and shops. Moving away from the town, one can find beaches with a wilder aspect.
Caorle has been awarded Blue Flag status several times for the quality of its services.
The two beaches in Caorle, Levante Beach1 and Ponente Beach2, are very similar: they are long beaches of very clean golden sand, with bathing establishments and free areas; the seabed is shallow and gently sloping, allowing safe swimming. You can walk from one beach to the other by taking the ScoglieraViva seaside walk.
The Levante beach is slightly longer (2.7 km against the 1.8 km of the Ponente beach) and wider, but both beaches are very wide: consider that the width of the two Caorle city beaches varies from 80 to 300 metres!
It is part of the Levante Bau Beach, a dog-friendly beach with specific services for those travelling with their four-legged friends.
5 km from the centre is Lido Altanea beach, easily accessible by car or, better still, on foot or by bicycle; behind the beach is a pine forest, vast green areas and sports fields.
It is a well-equipped beach, suitable for families and those who enjoy physical activity in the open air; it is not recommended for young people or those who like beach clubs.
Continuing westwards you come to Duna Verde (Green Dune), an even wilder beach that can be reached by car or bus. Here too you can cool off in the shade of the pine forest, while on the sandy shore you can admire a dune system typical of the Upper Adriatic.
If you want a totally free wild beach, without beach umbrellas and bathing establishments, you can move in the opposite direction and reach the Brussa Beach within the Vallevecchia nature reserve. Here, immersion with nature is total, and peace guaranteed.
Remember, however, that it takes at least half an hour by car to reach the Vallevecchia oasis from Caorle… and this is perhaps one of the reasons why such a beautiful place is so little frequented.
The historic centre of Caorle is a real gem, full of characteristic views and things to see; no less interesting is the hinterland, with its unique landscape.
The landmark building of Caorle is the Church of the Madonna dell’Angelo: what makes it special is its location in a very evocative spot, on the small promontory close to the historic centre. Seen from afar, it seems almost suspended over the sea.
The sanctuary stands on the remains of a small wooden church dedicated to St Michael Archangel, considered the oldest religious building in the town.
For many tourists, the church is just a meeting point or a nice photo subject, but for the more faithful it is an important pilgrimage site. Every five years, the church is also the arrival point of a procession of festively decorated boats that carry the statue of the Madonna out to sea.
ScoglieraViva is the name of an art competition and attraction that makes Caorle a unique seaside resort. What elsewhere would have been a classic seaside promenade bordered by breakwater rocks has become here an open-air museum thanks to the far-sighted idea of the local administration.
The rocks bordering this raised pedestrian promenade are decorated with the works of sculptors participating in the ScoglieraViva competition, an event held every two years since 1993. You can see human faces, animals and symbolic representations among the boulders.
The ScoglieraViva promenade stretches all along the centre of Caorle.
Those who enjoy long walks can continue beyond the characteristic ScoglieraViva to stroll along the modern promenade along the Levante beach.
The atmosphere here is typical of a seaside resort: this pedestrian avenue running parallel to the road is frequented by people of all ages who move about on foot, by bicycle, on scooters.
For a coffee stop or evening drinks, you can choose between the beach bars and the bars across the street: the choice is wide!
The other important church in Caorle, the Cathedral, overlooks the central Piazza Vescovado. Built in the 11th century, it is in Romanesque style with Byzantine elements; inside it houses some valuable works of art.
You will easily recognise it by its leaning bell tower, one of the symbols of Caorle. A good 48 metres high, it is one of the few bell towers with a cylindrical shape.
Recently restored, it can be visited inside by appointment only: we recommend the visit because from the top of the bell tower you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the sea and the lagoon.
Rivers and canals create the intricate labyrinth of waterways of the Caorle lagoon, an area of peculiar charm, wild and at times melancholic (not to be confused with the Venice lagoon, located further south). Here, peace reigns supreme, and plants and animals can live undisturbed.
The land in the lagoon was once inhabited by fishing families; today the lagoon is a protected nature area. Traditional fishermen’s dwellings have remained, wooden and reed houses called Casoni: silent witnesses to an old-fashioned lifestyle and local traditions, they are now the area’s main tourist attraction.
You can admire them along a fascinating bicycle and pedestrian route that leads from the centre of Caorle into the lagoon or during a boat trip.
A great admirer of the Caorle lagoon was the writer Ernest Hemingway, who stayed several times in the small village of San Gaetano as a guest of a baron who was passionate about hunting. You can discover the places loved by the American writer by taking part in guided tours and other events dedicated to him organised during the days of the Pope Journalist Award in July.
Still today, the most important economic activity in Caorle after tourism is fishing. You can easily realise this by taking a look at the fishing harbour located along the Rio Interno, the only remaining canal of the many that once crossed the town of Caorle.
The best time to visit the Porto Peschereccio is in the afternoon, when fishermen returning from work at sea wash and repair their nets. The vessels used for fishing are now all motor fishing boats, but it is still possible to see a few bragozzo, the typical fishing boat of the Upper Adriatic, at the port.
One cannot visit the fishing port without taking a look at the historic Caorle fish market, located a short distance away at Riva delle Caorline.
The peculiarity of this wholesale fish market is the auction by ear, a sales ritual during which the buyer proposes the price by whispering it into the ear of the auctioneer. As in any auction, the fish is awarded to the highest bidder; the difference is that the bids remain secret.
Among the beautiful landscapes around Caorle, one cannot fail to mention the Vallevecchia Nature Oasis. Although very close to the centre of Caorle as the crow flies, the oasis is separated from the town by the mouth of the Caorle lagoon.
It can only be reached by a long drive that goes inland to bypass the lagoon’s intricate set of canals and rivers: in total, it is about 35 km, but if you love wild nature, you won’t regret having come all this way.
The oasis is located on an island created following the draining and reclamation of the lagoon’s marshlands in the 1960s. It is a completely uninhabited area, protected by a system of dunes: a perfect destination for slow tourism, to be explored on foot or by bicycle.
The National Museum of Sea Archaeology in Caorle is a journey into the history of Caorle and a futuristic adventure into the underwater world.
This modern museum is divided into two sections: the first is a classic exhibition of artefacts found around the city (from the Bronze Age to the modern age); the second makes use of virtual reality to tell the story of the brick Mercury, a warship that sank in the northern Adriatic in 1812.
Thanks to modern technology, it is possible to experience the thrill of a real dive in the spot where the wreck was found, and to touch some parts of the vessel reconstructed in full scale.
In the following map you can see the location of the main places of interest mentioned in this article.
Take advantage of your holiday in Caorle to fill up on fresh air by practising sports and other outdoor activities.
In Caorle you can enjoy all the open-air activities typical of a seaside resort: swimming, sailing, windsurfing, sup, diving, parasailing, sport fishing. In addition, you can take wonderful canoe or kayak trips in the lagoon and try your hand at Venetian rowing, a traditional discipline still much loved by the locals.
By attending a Venetian rowing course in Caorle, you will have the opportunity to board a caorlina, the typical boat of the area.
The flat terrain, the abundance of cycle paths and the gentle landscape make Caorle an ideal place for relaxing cycling.
The cycle routes in and around Caorle satisfy both keen cyclists and people who only hop into the saddle during their holidays. There is something for everyone, from the super-fit sportsman to the family who wants to have a nice outing: you can choose between cycle paths and routes on dirt, gravel and lightly trafficked roads varying in length from 7 to more than 60 km.
The most beautiful itineraries wind around the Caorle lagoon; among these are the San Gaetano itinerary (20 km), the Ca’ Corniani itinerary (38 km, for something easier you can take the cycle paths within the farm of the same name) and the Caorle and its lagoon itinerary (14 km).
The classic walk to do in Caorle is along the ScoglieraViva (CliffViva); if you want to extend it, you can continue along the seafront of the Levante beach.
From the historic centre you can set off on a walk of about 7.5 km in the direction of Porto Santa Margherita along the circular itinerary ‘Discovering the Livenza River’. Another itinerary, about 8 km long, starts from the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Angelo and leads to the mouth of the lagoon.
If you love walking and want slightly longer itineraries, you can walk some of the bike routes we have recommended above. Wonderful walks can also be taken in the ValleVecchia nature reserve.
By now, beach volleyball can be played in all seaside resorts with sandy beaches, but Caorle can boast a high-level infrastructure: the Caorle Beach Arena is the venue for JBA courses and tournaments, a reference point for all enthusiasts.
The possibilities for outdoor activities in Caorle do not stop here. You can go horse riding, challenge your friends to exciting tennis matches, continue your daily running training or relax with a game of golf.
It would be a shame to leave Caorle without taking a boat trip to Venice. The beautiful city of art that the whole world envies us can be visited on a day trip by motorboat: it can also be reached by land, but arriving by sea is certainly more fascinating. Some trips to Venice also include a stop at the islands of Murano and Burano.
A different but very beautiful experience is a boat trip in the lagoon of Caorle. Almost all excursions take place by motorboat, but bragozzo trips are occasionally organised.
With its safe beaches, nature trails, sports courses for all ages and some fun attractions for the little ones, Caorle is a perfect destination for a fun yet relaxing family beach holiday.
Here are some ideas for things to do with the children when it is too hot for the beach or you want to change the day’s routine a little.
Want to make your kids happy? Treat them to a pirate adventure: Perla Nera is a galleon that sets sail from Caorle for two-hour mini-cruises during which the little passengers are entertained with themed entertainment. Gadgets, games and tricks are designed to experience the excitement (and thrills!) of a treasure hunt.
Aquafollie is the water amusement park in Caorle. Very close to the centre, it includes a wave pool, slides and other water games; one area of the park, Fisherman’s Bay, is set up to reproduce a real fishing village.
Another water playground, smaller than Aquafollie, is Aqua Inn, located directly on the beach. You will find it in the free area of the Ponente beach.
Hop aboard the Orient Express tourist train for a child-friendly tour of Caorle. Running only from May to September, the train departs from the central Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII and makes a circular route that touches all the points of interest, including the seafront, the casoni, the pine forest, Porto Santa Margherita, the lighthouse and the Orologio dock.
Rides are very frequent (one every 15 minutes or so) and the train runs from morning until late evening with a break in the early afternoon.
How to keep the little ones entertained in the hottest hours of the day without risking a sunburn? And how to keep them cheerful in the unfortunate case of a rainy day? The solution is Neverland, the indoor play area in Caorle with lots of games for children from 0 to 12 years old. It is open all year round.
There is a wide range of accommodation on offer in Caorle, with something to suit all budgets and needs: 2 to 5-star hotels, flats, studios, holiday homes, family resorts and campsites.
Accommodation can be found in all areas of the city, but most of the seaside hotels (the most popular with holidaymakers) are concentrated along the Levante beach.
Porto Margherita is located at the end of the Ponente beach, on the opposite bank of the river. This is the area of the marina: although it is close to the centre, it is not very convenient if you want to spend the day at the two town beaches.
Immersed in the cool of the pine forests, a few kilometres from the centre, Duna Verde is the area of residences and holiday villages. This, and the closer Lido Altanea, are areas suitable for families or in general for those who want to spend a holiday immersed in nature. All essential services are present, but you will not find bars and restaurants for nightlife.
The easiest way to get to Caorle by car is to take the A4 motorway, which crosses the entire Po Valley from Turin to Trieste. The recommended exits are San Stino di Livenza for those coming from Veneto and Lombardy and Portogruaro for those coming from Friuli Venezia Giulia. Once off the motorway, simply follow the signs for Caorle.
The city does not have a railway station. If you are travelling by train you will have to get to Venice Mestre and from there continue by suburban bus; the stations of San Donà di Piave and Portogruaro are closer but are only served by regional trains.
Caorle is connected to the two main airports in Veneto, Marco Polo in Venice and Canova in Treviso, by a direct bus of the local transport company ACTVO. Both airports can be reached from numerous Italian cities with low-cost flights.
In the summer months, a ferry crosses the Livenza river, making it possible to travel from Caorle to Porto Santa Margherita by car, motorbike and bicycle.
Caorle is a municipality in the province of Venice located on the mainland about 65 km from the historic centre of the provincial capital and less than 30 from the more famous Lido di Jesolo.
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