Venice guide

Venice rewards those who slow down. These are the tips I give my guests: how to arrive without stress, how to move like a local, where to eat well and what to see beyond St Mark’s Square.

Everything starts from Fraivolti, in San Polo: most of the places in this guide are a short walk or a water-bus ride away. If you cannot find something, just ask me.

• Getting to FraivoltiFrom the airport, the train station or by car: the easiest ways to reach Calle dei Volti, and what happens when you arrive.
• Getting around VeniceWalking, water buses, the traghetto and water taxis: how to move around Venice like someone who lives here.
• Eat and drink like a VenetianMy favourite restaurants, how cicchetti and the spritz work, and a few rules to avoid tourist traps.
• San Polo, our neighbourhoodThe Frari, Tintoretto at San Rocco, the Rialto market and the quiet campi around Fraivolti.
• Beyond St Mark’s: what to seeThe essential sights, how to visit them without long queues, and the places most visitors miss.
• The lagoon islandsMurano, Burano, Torcello, the Lido and San Giorgio: which island for what, and how to get there.
• Practical VeniceCity tax, the access fee, high water, drinking water, the rules to respect and other things worth knowing before you go.
• Venice through the yearCarnival, the Biennale, the Redentore and the Regata Storica: what happens in Venice, season by season.