Things To Do in Lido di Jesolo

If you’re a fan of thin-crust pizzas and pasta dishes cooked ‘al dente’, you’ll find no shortage of options along Lido di Jesolo’s main drag. Keep an eye out for the family-run trattorias, too – they're specialists in local favourites like fritto misto, or fried seafood, and tuna steaks. A bottle of the local Manzoni Bianco's a good match for just about any seafood dish.

There are nightlife options to suit everyone in Lido di Jesolo – from a light stroll along the beach with a gelato to a late-night session on the dancefloor. The 10-kilometre pedestrian zone's where everybody heads – shops stay open late, cocktail bars fill up with well-heeled locals, and Irish pubs keep the craic going until the early hours. Night owls head to Il Muretto, just north of town, to catch live DJ sets.

The Blue Flag sands of Lido di Jesolo are well stocked when it comes to activities. Whether you want to zip over the waves on a jet-ski, or catch the breeze in your sails with a spot of windsurfing, you’ll find plenty of watersports centres on the sand. And at the eastern part of the beach, you can even sign up for a how-to course in sailing.

This seafood restaurant sets the standard for others to follow. A mixed fish antipasto lines up scallops, sardines, lobster, plus swordfish carpaccio. The spaghetti alle vogole e canastrelli – or spaghetti with shellfish – is like nothing you’ve tasted before. Then there’s the house special – the baked sea bass, which can easily feed 4 people. And make sure you leave some room for the stracciatella cheesecake.

In summer, the weekly market in Jesolo old town swells to around 200 stalls – selling everything from local Piave cheese to fresh flowers and Italian antiques. Or, if you’re looking for more upmarket shopping, Lido di Jesolo’s main strip's home to a handful of label-conscious clothes boutiques modelled on Milan’s fashion district.

You need more than a bucket and spade to enter this sand sculpture competition on Piazza Brescia Beach. Twelve of the world’s top sand sculptors are invited to create eye-popping works of art around a different theme each year, whether it’s Venice or Dante’s Inferno. Entry's a couple of euros, and at weekends you get dance shows and theatre performances along with the works of art.

It’s all about variety at Italy’s best-known waterpark. There are tonnes of different zones, including Funnyland for small children, Tiki Area where you’ve got parrot shows and circus acts, and Adrenaline Area where you’ll find Europe’s tallest ride. This 60-degree slide, known as the Spacemaker, takes you from 0 to 110 kilometres per hour in a few seconds. And if you’re still hungry for more, try following it with a 60-metre bungee jump.