do you think Venice is on the small side???? wrong!! I was amazed at the size of venice! And it is very, very special....I can hardly wait to go back.

The Ferry took us from the outside of venice to the Lido where we stayed because we had a car. great choice...and then we took the watertaxi back and forth to venice (15 min) great fun... for 25 Euro each we had a pass for 72 hours for any watertaxi or bus..good idea!
must see in Venice...San Marco Square...the biggest I ever saw! full of shops...with venician glass and jewelry and cafe's, music and lots of people! The best tour of venice is the gondola ride....be sure to take the complete tour. (1 hr).not the less expensive mini. we paid 100 E. and it was totally worth it...we would have missed out if we had just taken water taxi trips around. the gondola's take you in the small canals all thru the city and give you the history information along the way too...fun...romantic...interesting! be sure though to visit the islands of Murano and Burano while you are there...you can get there by water taxi. here are the shops and factorys where the glass is made (Murano) and lace( Burano...) pay less for stuff here...I love Venice...jillions of shops too...

Just spent 5 nights in venice during the Carnival. The hotel was fabulous (Palazzo Sant'Angelo) but I have to say that Venice was actually quite disappointing. Parts of it are really beautiful but a large part of it is basically a dump, with loads of grafitti everywhere, and the canals really smell bad, even in winter!

The carnival meant there was a good atmosphere around st mark's square, but there was hardly any nightlife or activity in the evenings even at the weekend. Once you'd had your meal (which was more than likely fairly average food at expensive prices), there was little to do other than go back to the hotel bar.

If you like seafood & pizza, then there's plenty to choose from but we found that most snack bars and restaurants were very average, with very limited menus that were totally overpriced. Obviously around st mark's square will be expensive, but these were cafes in little alleys that looked very ordinary, yet still charged the earth for 2 paninis & 2 cappucinos.... ie. around £30 for what was little more than a quick snack! If you want to sit down to eat, as opposed to take out, then expect to be charged around 4 euros per person extra just for the privilege of sitting down!

We certainly had a relaxing few days in Venice and the hotel and carnival were great. However, I wouldn't go back to Venice because it's so expensive and to be honest, you can see it in 2 days. 5 days is just too long. Anything that is worth seeing is on San Marco - the other parts of Venice are extremely run down, covered in grafitti and you feel like you're walking round a ghetto or Beirut! Even the locals who we spoke to admitted that the true Venetian culture no longer exists and that today's Venice is now no more than a big tourist trap. Venetians no longer even live there, they all live on the mainland instead. I have a feeling that Venice was probably far more romantic and a much more beautiful city a few years ago but unfortunately today, I think it's been spoiled and is actually more tacky than romantic. If you want romance, go to Prague, Paris or Tallinn....

To my way of thinking, the best time to visit is from November through March (excluding Carnevale). You may encounter fog, rain, or the high tides called acque alta, but mild and sunny days are also common. Air fares and hotel prices are lower, too--which means you can allocate your travel budget over a longer period and give Venice the time it deserves.

I have just returned from an anniversary trip to Venice with my husband. We had booked the Hotel St Elena so I checked all the reviews before the journey and was looking forward to our break. Unfortunately when we arrived at the hotel we were informed that it has recently been taken over by Best Western and our room had been double booked. To be fair to the hotel they had booked us in another hotel on the Lido and arranged for a private water taxi transfer. After some negotiation we also received a free dinner for two at the local trattoria that night for our inconvenience.

As luck would have it we were booked into the Hotel Hungaria Palace which was beautiful. Its colourful facade overlooking the boulevard with its many cafes, shops and restaurants was everything we could have hoped for. Breakfasts were great with lots of choice all served in the beautiful conservatory.

I recommend stopping on the Lido wholeheartedly. The no 1 vaporetto takes you into Venice in no time and if you want you can cruise the length of the Grand Canal on the one boat straight from the Lido! Don't be put off by the fact that there are cars on the Lido or that it is separate from Venice itself, it really is worth it for the cafe culture and old style charm. A pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of Venice.