Venice Italy (Venezia in Italian) is still one of the most interesting and lovely places in the world. This sanctuary on a lagoon is virtually the same as it was six hundred years ago, which adds to the fascinating character. Venice has decayed since its heyday and is heavily touristy (there are slightly more tourists than residents), but the romantic charm remains. http://www.comune.venezia.it/

Districts

This place may not seem huge but it is. Venice is made of different districts. The most famous is the area comprising the 118 islands in the main districts that are called "Sestieri" and they are: Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce and San Marco, where the main monuments and sights are located. Other main districts are Isola Della Giudecca and Lido di Venezia. Other important islands include Murano, Torcello, San Francesco del Deserto and Burano, but there are several. Lastly, there is Mestre, another town on the more industrial mainland (but still part of Venice municipality), which is linked to Venice by a 5 kilometer bridge. More than 220,000 people live in Mestre.

• Venice Lido— The island of tranquility, a beach district just 10 minutes by boat from San Marco, and where the Venice movie festival is held.
• Mestre— A town on the mainland.

Understand

History

The Most Serene Republic of Venice dates back to 827, when a Byzantine Duke moved its seat to what is now known as the Rialto, and for the following 970 years, prospered on trade and under the rule of a Roman-style Senate headed by the Doge. Alas in 1797, the city was conquered by Napoleon, a blow from which the city never recovered. The city was soon merged into Austria-Hungary, then ping-ponged back and forth between Austria and a nascent Italy, but Venice is still a monument to the glory days of the Renaissance, and historical culture still throbs powerfully in the old Italians' veins.

Climate

The summer may be the worst time to visit: it's sometimes very hot, the canals usually smell (in the most literal sense), there are occasional infestations of flies, and there are more tourists than usual. Spring and fall are probably best, a compromise between temperature (expect 5-15°C in March) and the tourist load. Between November and January, you'll have Venice all to yourself, an interesting and quiet experience. That said, if you've never been to Venice, it's better to go in summer than not to go. You won't regret it. Many cities are far worse in summer, and Venice has no cars, hence no smog.

Acqua alta (high water) has become a fact of life in Venice. The lagoon water level occasionally rises above the level of the plazas and streets, flooding them. This will happen several times a year, usually in the colder months. Acqua alta usually lasts a couple of hours. You'll see raised walkways in side alleys ready to be pulled out when acqua alta hits. When the city begins to flood, sirens will sound to warn residents and businesses. If you speak fluent Italian, tune into news programs since their predictions of the times the flood begins and ends are usually on the spot.

You can get an acqua alta map at the tourist offices either at the railway station or St Marks. This will show you the approved dry routes during the various flood alerts. There is a tide measuring station at the Rialto vaparetto piers, and a notice board at the base of the Campanile in the Piazza San Marco that shows a live tide reading and predictions for the next few days.

Get in

Map of Venice and surrounding islands

Because Venice is on a lagoon, the water plays a crucial role in transportation. The most popular way to approach Venice is by boat or train.

By plane

The closest airport is Marco Polo Airport Marco Polo (VCE), http://www.veniceairport.it/ on the mainland near Mestre (a more typical Italian city, without Venice's unique structure). The Treviso Airport Treviso Airport http://www.trevisoairport.it/tsf/ located 25 km (16 mi) from Venice, is relatively smaller but becoming increasingly busy as the main destination for Ryanair, SkyEurope, and Transavia budget flights.

Both airports have bus connections with Venice (Piazzale Roma), Mestre, Padua and other towns. ATVO 'Pullman’ coaches (€10 return) run to and from Treviso to coincide with flights. Marco Polo airport runs a shuttle bus --€3-- (or just turn left and walk 10 minutes under the awning) to the Alilaguna water-bus jetty, where €12 gets you a leisurely 80 minute boat trip to San Marco via Murano, Lido and the Arsenale. Or take the cheaper boat (€6) to Fondamente Nuove, which takes only half an hour. Alternatively, you can travel in style (and much faster) by hiring one of the speedy water-taxis (30 mins) for about €100.

By train

Trains from the mainland run through Mestre to the Venezia - Santa Lucia train station on the west side of Venice (make sure you don't get confused with Venezia Mestre which is the last stop on the mainland!). From the station district, water buses (vaporetti) or water taxis can take you to hotels or other locations on the islands (or you can walk). Direct trains to Venice are available from many international destinations, including Munich, Budapest, Zagreb & Ljubljana.

By car

Cars arrive on the far western edge of Venice, but remain parked at the entrance to the city (Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto - Europe's largest car park.) There are no roads past this point -- and never were, even before cars. Car parking is expensive here and the tailbacks can be quite large. An alternative is to use the car parks on the mainland (terra firma) and catch a vaparetto, train or bus into Venice. Park near the Mestre railway station, and catch a train to Venezia St.Lucia; there are many trains, it is very near (8-10 minutes) and quite cheap. Besides, Venezia St.Lucia is a good starting point to visit Venice. However drivers going to the Lido can use the car ferry from Tronchetto (vaparetto 17 - frequencies vary), right hand lane off the Ponte della Liberta into the city.

By rental car

Most of the major rental car companies have outlets at Piazzale Roma, at the edge of the city. These are on the ground floor of one of the major parking stations. When you are dropping off your car, you need to find street parking and then walk to the rental car outlet and hand in the keys. Do not park in the parking station! There is a vaparetto stop across the road from the parking station.

By bus

There is a direct bus between Marco Polo airport and the Piazzale Roma, on the west bank of Venice. Starts twice an hour, takes 20 minutes and costs €3. The Piazzale Roma bus station is well served by vaporetti and water-taxis ... and of course, you can walk everywhere. If you leave the car in Mestre, you can take a bus to Venezia- Piazzale Roma, the ticket is €1 but if you buy it in the bus it will cost €1.5. All of the city is connected to Venice by bus.

By boat

Ships arrive at the Stazione Marittima, which is at the west end of the main islands, it is served by vaporetti and water taxis. An up-to-date site with all ferry schedules from Venice to Greece is online at  http://www.ferries.gr/,  http://www.greekferries.gr/, and  http://www.greece-ferries.com/ .

Get around

Venice is the worlds only pedestrian city, is easily walkable, and the absence of cars makes it a particularly pleasant experience. Walking and standing all day can be exhausting too so acclimatize yourself. The Rialtine islands - the 'main' part of Venice - are small enough to walk from one end to the other in about an hour.

If you want to get around a bit more quickly, there are numerous vaporetti (water buses) and water taxis. The vaporetti are generally the best way to get around, even if the service route map changes frequently. If you are going to be in Venice for a few days visiting, it is a lot cheaper to get the vaporetti than to get private water taxis. If you want to have a romantic ride along the canals, take a gondola ride.

ACTV runs the vaporetti and other public transport services both in the lagoon and on the terra firma. 12 hour, 48 hour and 7 day Venice Cards are available, in two variations (blue and orange). The basic blue cards provide unlimited travel on the ACTV travel services (vaporetti, motoscafi and buses), free use of the AMAV staffed toilets and discounted tickets for some museums. The orange card also provides free entrance to some of the museums (those covered by the Museum Card). Note that neither card includes the Alilaguna water-bus that serves Marco Polo airport unless you pay a surcharge. The surcharge only officially allows you to use the Alilaguna bus twice, so it isn’t necessarily cheaper. A 'Junior' version of both cards are also available at a slightly reduced rate for those between 5 and 29 years of age. Travel cards are extremely useful since the basic fare for one vaparetto journey is typically €6.50 whereas 1 day Blue cards cost €17, 3 day costs €34 and 7 day €52 (prices correct April 2007). There are cheaper .5, 1.5, 2, and 3 day ACTV travel tickets available (€14, €16, €21, €26 and €31) but these are pure travel cards and offer no discounts or other goodies (like a free map and case) that come with the Venice Cards. Free maps are available at the vaparetto stop at the main bus station and are usually setting on top of the ticket stamping machines. The map is quite reliable. As per the blue Venice cards, depending on how long you stay, it is more practical to opt for the transport tickets instead. Discounts on many of these cards are available for those under 30 or by buying online, and it pays to look around. Please, remember that access to line "3" vaporetti is granted to Venice residents only.

Otherwise, take a walk! The city is not that big, and you can walk from one end to the other in a few hours. But it would take months for a fit person to discover every path in the city. Along the way you will discover marvelous art, superb architecture and breathtaking urban landscaping. Exploring the city randomly by walking is well worth it but also be prepared to get lost easily! http://www.actv.it/english/home.php

See

Churches

Although San Marco is free, other famous churches charge an entry fee. If you plan to visit three churches or more, you are better off buying the churches pass. There is also a combined pass for museums, churches and transportation only available at the tourist information office but it is relatively expensive.

• Saint Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco), Piazza San Marco (Water lines # 1, 52, and 82 will take you from Santa Lucia (the train station) or Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Lucia. Walking is another option but will require a map and lots of time and energy.), ? +39 041 5225205 (procuratorial phone number). 1st October to 31st March: 9:45AM-4:45PM; 1st April to 30 September: 9:45AM-5PM. Saint Mark's Basilica is located on the Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco and is one of the highlights of a visit to Venice. As with most churches in Italy, you must be dressed appropriately to be allowed in; this means no short skirts or bare shoulders. You are not allowed to carry large bags or rucksacks inside. You must deposit them just round the corner from the main entrance. Filming and photography is forbidden so be prepared in advance. The visit within the basilica last ten minutes. Waiting for entry into the basilica can last up to five or so hours and it may be wise to use www.alata.it/  to reserve your visit. Reserving is free of charge. Once you have a reservation you can take the group entrance on the left, where you give in the printout of your reservation. Admission to the basilica is free, however, the museum upstairs costs €3 and other altar treasury €2.  

• San Giovanni e Paolo (San Zanipolo in Venetian dialect). A fine, huge Dominican church with the tombs of many Doges. It shares its piazza with the fine Renaissance facade of the Scuola San Marco and an equestrian statue of the mercenary (condottiere) captain Colleone. Look out for the testicles (coglioni in Italian - it's a lousy pun) on his coat of arms!

• Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. The big friary church, with fine monuments and paintings.

• Santa Maria dei Miracoli. A perfect jewel box church, simple in form but ornamented with fine exterior marble facings.

Museums

There is a museum pass available for some of Venice's best known museums. It does not include all of them. It is already worthwhile buying it if you intend to visit the two big museums at Saint Marc Square: The Doge's Palace and Correr Museum. A more expensive pass also including some famous churches and transportation is available at the tourist information.

• Correr Museum, San Marco 52 (on San Marco Square), Interesting collection of globes, starting from the 16th century. There is also an only library hall, an archeological museum of Roman antiques and an important picture gallery. At the end of your visit, don't miss the museum art cafe, with their tables on the San Marco square. 

• Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) (San Marco square). Don't miss the guided tour named Secret Itinerary (€10), which will let you discover the part of the palace where the city's administration worked, as well as Casanova's jail and the wonderful five hundred year old roof structure. 

• La Fenice Theater (Teatro La Fenice) (300 m west of San Marco square), Visit this historic theater with an audioguide (good explanations in several languages). The theater has been rebuilt in 2003, identical to the one that burned in 1993. €7.  

• Jewish Ghetto of Venice, While racially and ethnic neighborhoods had existed prior to the Venetian Ghetto, Venice's ghetto was the first "ghetto" (coming from a Venetian word for the Iron Foundry that was on the site previously) and "ghetto" eventually came to mean any neighborhood that was made up of a single ethnic/racial group. Today, Jewish life is still very active in the ghetto, and elsewhere in Venice, and is home to five synagogues. Visiting on Saturdays (the Jewish Sabbath) will prove very fruitless because all shops, restaurants, and other Jewish places will be closed. edit

• The Jewish Museum (Museo Ebraico), Cannaregio 2902/b, ? +39 041 715 359 (museoebraico@codesscultura.it, fax: +39 041 72 3007), Hours:1 June - 30 September: 10AM-7PM 1 October- 31 : 10AM-6PM The Museum is closed on Saturday (Shabbat), during Jewish festivities, on December 25th , on 1st January and on 1 May. Entrance to the Museum: Full price: € 3.00, Reduced price: € 2.00. Entrance to the Museum and Guided Tours to Synagogues: Full price: € 8.50, Reduced price: € 7.00.  

• Mocenigo Palace (Palazzo Mocenigo) (vaparetto San Stae), Closed on Mondays. A collection of clothes dating from the 18th century. €4.  

• The Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni (Located on the Dorsoduro region of Venice, to the east of the Accademia bridge, on the southern side of the Grand Canal), ? +39.041.2405.411 (info@guggenheim-venice.it, fax: +39.041.5206.885), Hours: W-M: 10AM-6PM. Closed on Tuesdays and on 25 December. Open on national holidays (including Tuesdays). The Peggy Guggenheim Museum offers a personal collection of modern art collected by Peggy Guggenheim. Peggy was an American married to modern artist Max Ernst, and funded a number of his contemporaries. The gallery includes a sculpture garden and works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Tanguy, Duchamp, Pollock, Dali, and Mondrian. Admission: Adults: €10, Seniors (over 65 years): €8, Students (18 years and under or holders of valid student ID): €5.  

• Ca' Pesaro— Beautiful palace housing the gallery of modern art focusing on Italian art in the 19th Century as well as the Marco Pollo Museum, a rich collection mainly of Asian exhibits.

• Ca' Rezzonico— Museum of the 18th Century in Venice - attempts to revive the domestic atmosphere of Venetian nobilities.

• Clock tower (Torre dell'Orologio)— This tower at Saint Marc Square fell down at the beginning of the 20th Century after the whole structure became far too heavy for its old foundations. After careful reconstruction it now offers a beautiful panoramic view of the centre of Venice. Try to avoid going up right before round hours as the bells ring extremely loud upstairs.

• Scuola grande di San Rocco— A masterpiece of Tintoretto, this guild house is an exquisite example of Manierist art in its best. In order to allow a comfortable admiration of the detailed ceiling mirrors are offered to the visitors.

• Galleria dell'Accademia di Venezia— Venice's most significant art museum, which is also one of Italy's best. A must see!

Other Classical art museums are:

• Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro)*mdash; On Murano, the island so typical of its glasswork.

• Goldoni's House (Casa Goldoni)— House of Venice' famous playwright.

• Lace Museum (Museo del Merletto).

Other museums include:

• Museo Fortuny.
• Museum of Greek Icons.
• Natural History Museum.
• Naval History Museum (Museo Storico Navale).
• Palazzo Grassi.
• Scala Contarini del Bovaro.

Outdoor Sights, Piazzas, Bridges, Canals

• Don't miss the Rialto market and the Rialto Bridge (Italian: Ponte di Rialto) on San Polo, the smallest Sestieri. The bridge has become one of Venice's most recognizable icons and has a history that spans over 800 years. Today's Rialto Bridge was completed in 1591 and was used to replace a wooden bridge that collapsed in 1524.
• Zattere. It's a long and sunny walk along the Giudecca canal, protected during winter time from cold northerly winds for being exposed to south and shielded by buildings. You might find interesting to see how a gondola is made, stopping by the Squero (Venetian for small ship yard) across the canal near San Trovaso Church. It's one of the few still in business in town. With some luck, you'll see some gondola through various manufacturing steps (note that gondola are not straight to counter-balance the gondolier push).

Do

Ride a Vaparetto (Water Bus) down the Grand Canal right before sunset. The Vaparetto’s are inexpensive, but the sights are priceless: amazing architecture, soft seaside sunlight, and a fascinating parade of Venetian watercraft.

Take a Gondola if you can afford it: it's expensive, but the Gondolier maybe can decrease the price if you ask (but they can also decrease the time...). Make sure you reach an agreement on price and time before you start! A good tip with the Gondoliers is to bargain the price down as low as you can, then say that it's still too much and walk away. Two or three of them will chase after you, one after the other, each offering a lower price than the last. It's possible to knock 20-30 euros off the price(even then, be prepared to shell out 80 euros). If you go as a group it might be cheaper, though the number of people who can be accommodated on a gondola varies.

If a gondola seems a little pricey, the alternative is to cross the Grand Canal by traghetto. These only cost €0.50 to use and are largely gondolas that have seen better days, They are stripped down and used as municipal ferries. In the 1950's there were as many as thirty, but now there are seven points to find them. However some only operate when people are going to and from work.

If you are looking for something to do, you can always shop. Venice is packed full of little stores in every corner and crevice. The commonest local specialties are Carnival masks, glass, and marbled paper. Price can vary wildly, so it's a good idea to hold off buying until you have a fair idea about the relative value of things. As is the case with most tourist cities, a LOT of the "original " and "made in Venice" items are actually made in China. Murano is an island famous for its glass making. Almost in every shop you will find "original Murano glass" items. If it was really made in Murano, it would be prohibitively expensive, with prices routinely running into thousands of euros. So if you are looking for cheap souvenirs, real Murano glass is not the thing to buy! You can also see glass making demonstrations in Murano, but be sure to check that there is a demonstration scheduled for that day. And it is normally not done in winter either.
Spend a day on the islands, mainly Murano, Burano and Torcello. There are boat services to all these islands at scheduled times, including between the islands themselves. Be prepared for long lines and long waits for the boats between islands. The Glass Museum in Murano and the Lace Museum in Burano are certainly worth a visit. In Burano you will find some of the most picturesque streets and houses, with each house sporting a different pastel shade. It’s really beautiful. Though there is not much to see in Torcello except for the old church, the peace and tranquility of the island is not to be found anywhere else in Venice! Just walking around on these islands is a nice experience. If you've had enough of the hype and the other tourists, hop off the vaparetto at 'Cimitero', Venice's graveyard for a peaceful walk. There is also a free toilet there.

While going through Venice, make sure you take in the beauty of it all. Walk through the alley ways, and take the water taxi to different parts of the island, sometimes at night you can just go sit in a main area and watch people and tourists. It is wonderful. There are many museums and churches that are around the city that allow tourists to go in a visit. They are many great sights to keep you busy throughout your visit.
The “Secret Itineraries in Doge's Palace” worth a visit, take the visitor into the most secret and fascinating rooms in the Palace. It’s better to book in advance. http://www.museiciviciveneziani.it/main.asp?lin=EN

Because Venice is now pretty much only inhabited by tourists and people serving the trade, it gets very quiet by 9.00 and there is very little to do in the evening (outside of eating). There are a few exceptions, like some classical music concerts. If you want an entertaining evening whilst learning about the history of Venice then try: Carnival - The Show: Celebrating the Story of Venice'. It's in a rather splendid venue just next to St. Mark's Square - in the center. It uses very striking projections of video and painting and photos to completely change the auditorium. One moment you could be inside the famous Basilica, and the next, floating down the misty lagoons 1,400 years ago. There are live actors as well so it is fresh and feels like a proper show - and apart from being informative it can also be good fun. It plays pretty much every evening - and you can also buy a ticket for the meal with the show. You can find out more and book tickets on their website:  http://www.venice-carnival-show.com/ 

If you would like to have a guide to show up the highlights of Venice, you can choose between many offers. There are walking or boat tours, focused on shopping or history or for art lovers, and many itineraries. One tours site is www.aguideinvenice.com/ and another is www.Artviva.com/. www.contextvenice.com/   is a network of scholars who organize in-depth walks of the city's architecture, art, and history, including such unusual tours as an Ecology of Venice, a two-part seminar on Venetian Renaissance, Jewish Venice, and orientation walks of the Castello and Canareggio neighborhoods.
If you are interested in exploring all things related with Italian food you have to visit the freshly open "i Tre Mercanti" ( campo della guerra 2 mins from S.Marco square ) an amazing food gallery where you can find typical Italian specialties, a wide range o f the best wines and the usual classics like Olive Oil, balsamic vinegar, parmesan, Limoncello along with hundreds of regional specialities (including 97 pasta sauces !!!) . Classy and friendly the staff speak many languages and is open every day. If you don't feel like shopping you can always browse the shop and ask cooking tips and the history of products to the helpful manager.

• 36 Hours in Venice ( The new York Times)

Learn

Venice is home to a major (and expanding) university, Ca' Foscari. There are possibly hundreds of smaller schools in the city.

Resources

Venice is the subject of countless books, poems, photographs and films. A quick search on Google Images reveals over half a million images for Piazza San Marco alone.
Recommended Literature
TravelFlash: Venice - A free guidebook available for download. Suitable for laptops, mobile phones and other digital media it can be a perfect accompaniment to travels around the city. See www.lulu.com http://www.lulu.com/content/2705378 for details.

Work

Venice still has some residents who work in non-tourism industries, but these are quite rare today.
Buy

• Venetia Studium (High end Scarves & Shawls), San Marco 2425 (calle Larga XXII Marzo), ? 041/5236953 (info@venetiastudium.com). Fine velvets and silks of every imaginable color are woven into delicate evening bags, scarves and pillows. Venetia Studium  

• Or alternatively you can find masks and costumes at Atelier Marega, where you can often see them preparing and painting the masks.

• Francis Model (leather articles), Ruga Rialto / San Polo 773/A (100m SW of Rialto bridge), ? 041/5212889 (ruggero.dezorzi@libero.it). Locally made leather bags. Exceptional craftsmanship. 

• Fanny (gloves & accessories), Calle dei Saoneri / Campo San Polo 27/23 (100m west of Ca Foscari), ? 041 5228266 (fannygloves@hotmail.it). Hundreds of leather gloves in all colours.

If your time in Venice is limited, and if you don't know the city well (e.g. it's your first visit), then a piece of good general advice is that if you see something you really like, buy it right then and right there. Don't count on being able to find the shop again later on; for the neo-Venetian tourist, it's almost impossible.

Watch out also for the hand-made paper and the exquisite miniature buildings made by Moro. Watch out for fakes; Moro "signs" his name on the back.

Also, beware of fakes and "free" trips to neighboring Murano for its famous glass. (See article for details.)

Tourist Traps: "Colored Pasta" and "Venetian Limoncello" (not the original Neapolitan one) are not Italian food, no Italian would ever eat them, they are particularly made for tourists.

Eat

Venice has some wonderful restaurants, featuring the cuisine of the Veneto. However it is widely regarded that the restaurants in Venice serve food of a quality and in quantities much lower than anywhere else in Italy. Specialties include polenta, made of corn meal; risotto with cuttlefish ink sauce. Diners should however be aware that for every genuinely wonderful restaurant or trattoria, there's another serving rubbish food at inflated prices, especially in the touristiest streets around San Marco. Rule of thumb: if there's a waiter outside pimping for business, it's probably best avoided.

Near the Rialto bridge there's a row of restaurants with tables by the canal, where you can have the quintessential Venice experience of dining by the canal lights. Although they do have waiters outside bugging you, some have pretty acceptable quality for price.

One of Venice's trademark foods is cuttlefish and its ink. This intense black ink serves as a sauce and ingredient for polenta (corn meal), risotto (rice), and pasta. These dishes are normally indicated by the Italian words "nella seppia" (in cuttlefish), "alla seppia" (in the style of cuttlefish), or "nero di seppia," (black of the cuttlefish). For example Polenta Nella Seppia is fried corn meal with the black ink of a cuttle fish. Despite the intensity in color, the ink has a surprisingly mild taste.

Be careful when the prices are in a weight basis (typically 100 g). One dish can easily contain 400 g of fish, meat,... 4 times the indicated price !
For fresh fruit (including chilled coconut!) watch out for the street market stalls.
To save money at lunch, eat standing up. Prices usually double as soon as you sit at a table.

If self-catering, the Rialto food markets are an absolute must for fruit, vegetables and cheese, but most of all for the huge range of seafood, much of it fresh out of the lagoon and still moving!

Head to the Dorsoduro area of Venice if you want to save a few euros. It has the highest concentration of places where locals, especially students, go to eat.

Budget

There's superb pizza by the (extremely large) slice in Campo Santa Margherita for approximately €1.80 a slice, €5.00 a whole pizza. It is by the fresh fish under a green awning. The "Brek" is a restaurant that offers a menu including main meal+drink+dessert for only €5. There is one close to the train station and another at the Marco Polo airport. Venetian snacks (cichetti) can be brilliantly inventive. Look for places (especially wine bars) popular with non-tourists, the prices are very reasonable. Buy bread, cheese etc. at the markets. If you want to buy water (Venice has excellent free tap water easily accessible at the numerous spouts outside throughout the city) get it at the Billa or Co-op stores located throughout the city.

Mid-range

• AVOGARIA Locanda & Restaurant (St Sebastian Church), calle dell'Avogaria, San Sebastiano - Dorsoduro 1629 (campo San Barnaba), ? +39 041 2960491, 12:30PM to 3:30PM and 7:30PM to 12PM. "A little place in the Dorsoduro district just up the street and over a bridge from the famous St Sebastian Church. Set almost imperceptibly, into a brick building, Avogaria looks on the outside, impeccably designed but just faintly, defensively apologetic about being modern. The chef, a woman named Antonella Pugliese and her brother, the architect, have assembled a Venetian experience like no other. Here you can get all the familiar pastas, the seafood, the desserts—in the Puglia style—but with modern sensibilities, both in preparation and presentation. A “involtini” of zucchini with "burrata" cheese and capers is full of clean fresh flavors, shot through with a zing from the salty capers. The orecchiette with little polpettine or meatballs, might seem vaguely trattoria style, but displays in fact a refined hand in the balance of the acid of the tomato with the deep umami of the meat, and again, little zippy granules of flavor from beautifully aged parmagiano chunks. The tuna, cooked perfectly with a ruby red center and toasted sesame crust accompanied by onion marmalade, looks effortless in that way that speaks of far more skill than you see at first glance. The miso sauce is subtle, but absolutely necessary, and the fish itself is expertly prepared. But it’s the desserts that really cemented the place as one of the best in Venice in our minds. A trio of silky chocolate mousses, flavored with coffee, amaretto and some of the fabulous red chile peppers we’d seen at the market, was both subtle and extravagant. And the tiramisu, which my Omnivore is still talking about, took a twist on tradition with a foamy zabaglione made with Strega, a plum liqueur, instead of Marsala. We didn’t leave overstuffed and waddling, as we did at other places, but we did leave extraordinarily impressed. (taken from: http://me-eats.blogspot.com/2007/10/avogaria-modern-food-in-venice.html")

• La Bitta, Dorsoduro 2753A, calle lunga, san Barnaba, tel 523 0531. This busy but friendly restaurant is located in the more student area of Dorsoduro, and attracts a mixture of locals and tourists. They have some excellent Italian dishes, which are reflected in the prices, plus they have a great selection of wines. Meals served 6:30PM-11PM, closed in August.

• Osteria alla Botte, San Marco 5482 (campo San Bartolomeo), ? 041 5209775,. A bacaro 100 m east of Rialto bridge and surprisingly quiet. Large square pictures of seafood decorate the walls, and friendly staff are swift and helpful. The dishes are mainly seafood, and there is a good wine selection provided. The prices are reasonable for Venice. 

• Osteria Al Cravatte, Santa Croce 36/37 (500m east from Piazzale Roma). The professors of the nearby university frequent this little restaurant. Warm welcome and a good eat. Try their raw artichoke salad or their fish of the day. €40 for three-courses meal with wine.  

• Do Farai, Dorsoduro 3278 (100m west of Ca Foscari), ? 041 2770369. Very fresh shell fish. Taste their spaghetti al dente with razor shells. 

• Gianni, Zattere 918. tel +39 041.523 7210. This is a very friendly family restaurant overlooking the Guidecca Canal. The menu starts at €8.50 pizzas and pastas. The wine selection is good with many available in a choice of 250 cL, 375 cL and 750 cL bottles. The interior is almost art deco and surprisingly light. It is used by a lot of regulars, both local and returning tourists. They are closed on Wednesdays and between Christmas and Festival.

• Osteria Mocenigo, Salizada San Stae (near the Mocenigo museum), ? 041 5231703. Closed on Monday. Little restaurant frequented by locals. Be sure to try their antipasti. Excellent desserts too. €40 for two-courses meal with wine.  

• Timon (eno - ostaria), Fondamenta degli Ormesini (south-east of the Jewish Ghetto). Warm and local atmosphere in this little osteria where they serve great Italian vintages by the glass. If you're adventurous, try their tasty tripe. Good music inside, some table by the canal in the summer. €30.  

• Al Vecio Canton, Castello 4738 Just 8 minutes from Piazza San Marco (200 m NE), this small and atmospheric restaurant/pizzeria will absolutely enchant you. Famous for its traditional style pizza and seafood pasta, you will not only get it all at affordable prices (pizza from 6€, pasta from 8€, wine from 5€/half litre), but you're also served by a most friendly and hearty staff. They top it off with a free home made digestivo (mostly vodka and lemon) at the end of your meal, just to make 100% sure you'll be coming back for more.

• Trattoria Veneziana, Sestiere Santa Croce, 285 (200m SE of Piazzale Roma), ? 041 710749. Warm welcome, good cooking (try their mixed grilled fishes), frequented by locals and tourists. €35 for two-course meal with wine.  

• Antico Dolo, San Polo 778 A old seafood restaurant in Venice close to Rialto bridge: food comes from the adjacent Rialto Market daily. A complete dinner excluding wines could cost € 35 euros each more or less.

• Al Giardinetto, Castello 4928. Just behind the Piazza San Marco, this restaurant has a large private courtyard welcoming guests during good season. Severino family serves seafood courses and Venetian specialities.

Splurge

• Restaurant Antiche Carampane, San Polo 1911 Venice, phone +39 041 5240165 Situated in the heart of Venice, only steps away from the Rialto Bridge, is this renowned restaurant where distinguished Venetian cuisine is served in a familiar setting.

• Restaurant La Caravella, Via XXII Marzo 2398 Venice, phone +39 041 5208901 Historical place, very near St. Mark's Square, known since the 60's and has become a must if you like traditions.

Cake shops

• Pasticceria Tonolo, Dorsoduro 3764/5 (Crosera San Pantalon, 400m east of Piazzale Roma), ? 041 523 7209. An 120 year old patisserie. Taste their cake with crystallized fruits or their marzipan cake. 

Drink

Although there are many fantastic bars in Venice, if you're planning a night time "pub crawl" you should plan a few places to visit in advance, otherwise it's very easy to waste an hour wandering aimlessly in search of a watering hole that's actually open (especially midweek).

There are two late-night drinking areas in Venice. Piazza San Marco is not one of them. Although it is very pleasant and there are many people wandering around late. But the actual late night scene is in either Campo Santa Margherita, near the University Ca' Foscari in Dorsoduro; or in Erbaria on the West side of the Rialto Bridge where the main vegetable market is held during the day.

Try a Spritz (with either Campari, Select or Aperol), a typical drink loved by all Venetians that's usually drunk while eating cicheti. You can find it in almost every bar in the city.

If you try the famous Veneto Grappa be careful--it's almost pure alcohol.
The Bellini was invented in Harry's Bar in Venice. It is a mix of white peach juice and Prosecco (the ubiquitous Venetian Champagne-like sparkling wine). Fermented at a low temperature Prosecco develops amylic aromas (fruit drops), though these perhaps mix better with fruit juices than does the more austere Champagne. Classic Bellinis should never be made with Champagne. Although by normal standards expensive, a Bellini in Harry's Bar is still much cheaper than on the terraces of similar '5-star' establishments in the city.

• Devils Forest Pub. A traditional English style pub with a very fun atmosphere. It is located near the Rialto Bridge and tucked into a small alley near the Disney Store.

• Pub Taverna L'Olandese Volante, Campo San Lio, Castello 5856, Venezia, ph +39 041.5289349. This pub is far and away the best in Venice. It is located between The Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco. During the summertime there are tables outside when you can easily sit and rest after a day of wandering around this marvelous city. What is more, during the day pasta and other typical dishes are served at a budget price.

There are two Irish pubs in Venice. One is located along the Strada Nova in Cannaregio; the other one is the Inishark just before Campo Santa Maria Formosa.

Sleep

Hotels in Venice are expensive. Some of the smaller hotels offer better rates.
Staying in a hotel on the Lido (15-20 minutes by Vaparetto) is a cheaper alternative to staying in Venice proper. The island of Lido also has a long beach where tourists and Venetians alike go swimming during the summer months.

In the last few years, holiday or short rentals apartments have increased in number and quality, now you can rent (minimum stay is usually 3 nights) a Palazzo on the Grand Canal as a little flat near Rialto.

Some Italians at the train station may approach you to find out if you need a room. While some of these people may be con artists, not all are. Some work for family members and will be able to negotiate a price for you. They will usually ask what your budget is and will call a hotel or two to see if the owner will accept the price you suggested. Do not accept the offer if you think the situation is suspect or think you may be exploited. Always get a receipt for the transactions!

Contact

Phone

The area code is 041. As anywhere in Italy, it is compulsory to dial the area code and the number also if you call from the city itself. If you call from abroad, dial +39041 before the number. If you call abroad from Venice, dial 00 first.

Internet

Venice has several internet cafes, but they are much more expensive than the rest of Europe with prices for an hour of access around €6. Wi-fi is only available at some of them. There's a wonderful pub, Cafe Blue in Dorsoduro, which has free (password-protected) wi-fi. Buy a spritz and a panini and go to town. At the Telecom Italia Future Centre in Campo San Salvatore (San Marco) you can browse for free for one hour, once registered with your ID card .

Calle Delle Botteghe San Marco 2970 Venezia. A very pretty art gallery type internet cafe with a book shop. It is on the expensive side with 3euros for 15mins but you can just go in and play chess with a glass of wine.

Stay safe

Venice is considered a safe city. One can walk down the darkest alley in the middle of the night and feel completely safe. You have to take the habitual travellers precautions however. Keep your valuable items (like wallet and passport) close to you because there are pickpockets, especially in more crowded parts of the city. In addition, make sure you get receipts for all of your purchases (in order to fight tax evasion). Italian law requires customers to retain receipts and you could (in theory) be stopped by the Financial Police and asked to show receipts for your purchases. In case of need, you can dial free of charge on any phone 112 (no area code needed) to contact Carabinieri or 113 (no area code needed) to contact the Police.

Stay healthy

Venice has begun to install septic tanks in buildings, but much of the city has not yet been upgraded and releases untreated sewage directly into the canals. Avoid bathing yourself, touching the water, immersing feet, etc. in the canals looking for refreshment in hot season. Shoes and clothing that touch the water will be contaminated. Take care not to spread the contamination.

One other consideration is at night, to carry a pocket torch (small flashlight). There are many alleys, which end in the water but have little or no lighting. They have no signposts because the locals know them.

Beware where you put your feet: pet owners are not often polite and leave everything their friend’s by-produce on the ground (this may apply to humans too). Small, dark, back alleys are often similar to mine fields.

In case of need, you can reach the emergency medical service dialing free of charge on any phone 118 (no area code needed - conversation will be recorded) to have assistance and an ambulance sent to you.

Chemists' shops (Italian: Farmacia) are all around the town. They are open 24hrs. a day / 7 days a week on a rotational base: outside the shop there's always the list of operating ones with time-table, address and phone number. If you need a special-treatment drug you might be asked to book it in advance if it's not of so common use. Remember that not all FDA prescriptions can be obtained in the European Union for matters of authorities approvals/licenses/patent requests pending, etc. Make sure before leaving your country of origin that you can have all you need even in the EU.

Cope

The unfortunate side-effect of the quaint back-alleys, which make Venice such a delight to visit, is that it is remarkably easy to get lost. Even maps provided by hotels are frequently inaccurate, and the maze-like structure of the city can become very confusing indeed.

One tip is, as you cross bridges, note the house numbers before and after. A small change probably means you are on the same island/district and have crossed a "new" canal. A major change means you are now on another island. Most maps clump islands together into their voting districts, there are many more islands than districts.
One piece of assistance is to look for directional signs. These will be marked "Per" and then with the name of a prominent location or bridge in the city, complete with an arrow pointing in the relevant direction. Hence, to get to the Rialto bridge, the signs to follow are marked "Per Rialto". Those to St Mark's Square read "Per S Marco", and those to the train station "Per Ferrovia" (there are some others as well). Having oriented yourself to the nearest landmark, direction-finding can thus become (slightly) easier.
Remember, though, that the signs to read are the official ones. Graffiti will occasionally give other directions, frequently incorrect ones.

That said, there is a school of thought that argues that getting lost in Venice is part of the experience of the city. The number of photogenic canals, hidden restaurants and shops where glass blowing is done almost guarantees that there is no such thing as a "dull neighborhood". Additionally, the relatively cheap public transport means that it is relatively easy to arrive at the intended destination even after one has emerged from the web of alleys in a totally unexpected place.

Get out

Around the Venetian lagoon are other smaller islands, which have since been deserted but are worth a visit. There is also the Lido, which is a long narrow island with more modern buildings, hosting a youth hostel and a hotel.

• Lake Garda— An easy day trip by train, it is Italy's largest lake and stunning in scenery.
• The Lido— Typical for its beaches.
• Murano— Nearby island famous for its glassware.
• Po Delta— Peaceful and scenic marshy area southwest of Venice with bike trails.
• Burano— Nearby island with typical textiles and painted houses.
• San Lazzaro— Nearby island with Armenian monastery and impressive art collection, some world class pieces.
• Mestre— Town in the mainland, but still a part of Venice.
• Eraclea— Typical for its pinewood and Laguna del Mort, just 55 minutes from Venice by car or by boat.
• Jesolo— Jesolo is one of the most important beaches in Italy, just 45 minutes from Venice by car or by boat (ferry from Treporti to Venice).
• Cortina d'Ampezzo— Lovely alpine town, site of 1956 Winter Olympic Games. Great mountain scenery, might be very expensive. A couple of hours of car ride to the north of Venice, more than three hours by train and bus.