edit Venice Travel Guide

• Saint Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco)
• Don't miss the Rialto market and the Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) on San Polo, the smallest sestiere. The bridge has become one of Venice's most recognizable icons and has a history that spans over 800 years.
  
• Take a Gondola if you can afford it: it's expensive.
  

Venice is made of different parts. The most famous is the area comprising the 118 islands in the main districts of Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, Isola Della Giudecca, San Polo, San Croce, San Marco and Lido di Venezia where the main monuments and sights are located. Other important islands include Murano, Torcello, San Francesco del Deserto and Burano, but there are several more too. 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 kilometers bridge. In Mestre live more than 220.000 inhabitants, in Venice less than 60.000

• Venice Lido - the island of tranquillity, 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

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 (ICAO: LIPZ), on the mainland near Mestre (a more typical Italian city, without Venice's unique structure). The Treviso Airport (ICAO: LIPH), located 25 km (16 mi) from Venice, is relatively smaller but becoming increasingly busy as the main destination for Ryanair and Transavia budget flights.

Both airports have bus connections with Venice (Piazzale Roma), Mestre, Padua and other towns. ATVO 'pullman'coaches (€9 return) run to and from Treviso to co-incide with flights. Marco Polo airport runs a shuttle bus (or just turn left and walk 10 minutes under the awning) to the Alilaguna water-bus jetty, where €10 gets you a leisurely 1-hour 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 for about €80.

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 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 ferma) and catch a vaporetto, train or bus into Venice. Park near the Mestre railway station, and catch a train to Venezia S.Lucia; there are many trains, it is very near (8-10 minutes) and quite cheap. Besides, Venezia S.Lucia is a good starting point to visit Venice. However drivers going to the Lido can use the car ferry from Tronchetto (vaporetto 17 - frequencies vary), right hand lane off the Ponte della Liberta into the city.

By bus

The Piazzale Roma bus station is well served by vaporetti and water-taxis ... and of course, you can walk everywhere.

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.

By Foot

Venice is the World's only pedestrian city, is beautifully walkable, and the absence of cars makes it a particularly pleasant experience. Walking and standing all day can be exhausting too ... 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.

By Mass Transit

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. 1 day, 3 day 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 which serves Marco Polo airport unless you pay a surcharge. 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 vaporetto journey is typically €5.00 whereas 1 day Blue cards cost €17, 3 day costs €34 and 7 day €52 (prices correct April 2007). There are cheaper 1 and 3 day ACTV travel tickets available (€12 and €25) but these are pure travel cards and offer no discounts or other goodies (like a free map and case) which come with the Venice Cards. Discounts on many of these cards are available for the under €30 or by buying online, it pays to look around.

The summer may be the worst time to visit: it's sometimes very hot, the canals sometimes stink (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. 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 - 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 warning residents and businesses. If you speak fluent Italiano, 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 also a tide measuring station at the Rialto vaporetto piers.

Police

Fire Department

Hospitals

Crime

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.

Smoking

Venice is packed full of little stores in every corner and crevice. The commonest local specialities 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. On Murano you can go see glass-making demonstrations! While going through Venice you need to 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 a good thing to keep you busy throughout your visit.

The city is well known for its artisans and artwork. Visitors are drawn to its glasswork and its decorative Carnival masks that are a signature Venetian product. Masks are available at every single shop in Venice, and choosing the best one can be difficult, as many are fairly low quality. One shop with a good quality stock and decent prices (the other great pitfall) is Traditional Mask.

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

Also, beware of fakes and "free" trips to neighboring Murano for its famous glass.

Tourist Traps: "Colored Pasta" and "Venetian Limoncello" (not the original Napolitan one) are not Italian food (no Italian would ever eat them), they are expecially made only for tourist. Shop for food only in food shops and beware of buying products which display Venetian masks or Venetian landscapes - they are usually made specifically for the tourist market.

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
• Jesolo - Jesolo is one of the most important beaches in Italy, just 45' from Venice by car or by boat (ferry from Treporti to Venice)