Venice Bed and Breakfast Inns

	Dimora Marciana (Venice, Italy) GuestshouseDIl y n'a pas beaucoup à dire au sujet de nos chambres: nous avons fait de notre mieux pour vous faire vivre dans une atmosphère vénitienne intense et authentique. Dans chaque chambre vous trouverez le téléphone à ligne directe, la... [more]
	Donne Di Cuori (Venice, Italy) Apartment two bedrooms canal view, 1 water bus stop to S.MarcoThe apartment CA'DO POZZI is situated just a few steps away from Piazza San Marco, right at the heart of the most romantic city of the world. It is located in the sestiere di Castello in one of the most genuine and bustling areas of the... [more]
	Happy Venice (Venice, Italy) ..in the heart of Venice..Two stop from Rialto Bridge in a Venetian Palace Our B & B is on the first floor of a Venetian Palace, with windows overlooking a canal and views of gondolas regularly moored nearby. !! the only one bed and breakfast with godola!!|It is situated in the... [more]
	Locanda Ca Valeri First Class Inn (Venice, Italy) Locanda Cà Valeri First Class Inn Venice RoomsWithin the maze of typical Venetian lanes and squares of the most authentic Venice region, 5 minutes from the marvelous Riva degli Schiavoni, St. Mark's Square, and Ducal Palace, Ca' Valeri welcomes guests like a luxury residence or a boutique... [more]
	Oceano Mare Bed And Breakfast (Venice, Italy) The Bed and Breakfast "OCEANO MARE" is a pre-800's building which has recently been renovated. It is located in Sestiere Castello, which is also know as "Venician's Venice", which is a quiet setting in the historical centre.The Bed and Breakfast "OCEANO MARE" is a... [more]
	Porte Al Paradiso (Venice, Italy) The Corte al Paradiso is located in one of the more peaceful part of Venice,but in spite of that is just a few minutes away from st.mark's square,the Rialto bridge and from the main street of the city. Totally renewed, all the rooms have en suite bathrooThe Corte al Paradiso is located in one of... [more]
	Residenza Al Giardino (Venice, Italy) Located in the centre of the town in a very peaceful street. Private entrance and garden on exlusive use of our guestsOur new flats are located in a strategic part of the town, in a very central part of Venice, steps away from the famous Rialto Bridge, directly north of St. Marco Square, but away... [more]
	Residenza Ca Dario (Venice, Italy) Friendly and Charming Guesthouse in Venice!Residenza Ca' Dario is situated in a quiet private courtyard close to Piazzale Roma and 5 minutes from Santa Lucia railway station. Charmingly converted from a private residence, its rooms are simply but tastefully furnished, air-conditioned and overlook a... [more]
	Residenza Ca' Dei Sogni Venezia (Venice, Italy) Elegant Apartment with garden in Central VeniceResidenza Cà Dei Sogni, ideal for families and gruoup of 6 friends, located at only 10 minutes from the Rialto Bridge , and at 20 walking minutes from St.Mark's square!!!!!fantastic almost new apartment located in the very heart of Sestriere... [more]
	Residenza Maddalena (Venice, Italy) GREAT LOCATION CLOSE TO TRAIN STATION AND BUS TERMINAL, EASY TO FIND IN THE HISTORICAL CENTRE OF VENICERESIDENZA MADDALENA is the ideal choice for you to stay in Venice: - great location close to train station and bus terminal, easy to find in the historical centre of Venice - clean - ... [more]

Travel Bytes

Maybe you expect Venice to be one dazzling, romantic, fairytale-like labyrinth of canals, alleys, picturesque houses and impressive squares and buildings. Well, you are right then. The best thing to do is wander around and get lost for at least a day. Roam the winding streets and the various piazzas and see the melting pot of architectural styles. When you are interested in Venetian painting, you can bathe in the collections of paintings from artists such as Titian and members of the school of Murano. The Galleria di Palazzo Cini, for instance, houses the private art collection of Vittorio Cini, the wealthiest Venetian art collector of this century. His collection includes paintings from the Tuscan Renaissance and the school of Ferrara. Find your own musical inspiration in this city, whether by seeing a Venetian Opera composed by Montiverdi (the Titian of Music), visiting Campo Bandiera e Moro (the birthplace of Vivaldi) or listen to baroque music played (on a 18th century organ) in the Santa Maria Della Favaon at the Sunday mass.

Be like Marco Polo, who was born here (or in Corcula), but instead of defying seas, defy the canals (177) and bridges (400) by gondola. This will introduce you to the dubious character of the water. On the one hand, it contributes to the charm of Venice. Houses had to be built on piles and had to be small and close to one another in order to use the ground as effectively as possible. On the other hand, it was and still is its worst enemy: the fundaments of a lot of buildings are slowly eaten away by the destructive impact of the lasting exposure to water. Motorboats and the disposal of chemical waste in the water increase the decline of this former metropolis which already went down several centimetres. Pessimists believe that, during the next 50 years, Venice will slowly turn into a new Atlantis when radical improvements are not forth-coming.

Central Venice, which consists in total of 118 islands, is divided into six districts or sestiere. This division might make it easier for you to get a grip on the city's structure. Best known to everyone is the sestiere of San Marco. This district is the busiest and the most expensive one. A lot of tourists do not even come outside the boundaries of this district, which houses the main sights. Piazza San Marco will exercise your imagination, the same way it made Napoleon sigh that it was the most beautiful salon of Europe, which deserves to have the sky as its ceiling. Most festivities and celebrations took place here. When entering the piazza from the western side, you will see on your right the Procuratie Nuove (the palace of Procurators) and the Campanile. It took 240 years to build this clock-tower, and former lighthouse, which received its spire not until the late Gothic from the state's architect, Bartomeo Bon. On your left, you will find the old palace of procurators, the Procuratie Vecchie, and the Torro dell'Orologio, also a clock-tower but not as high as the Campanile. Straight on, you will see the Basilica di San Marco. On the right side, you see the palace of the doges, Palazzo Ducale, which leads on to the Piazzetta, the square leading to the Piazza. Ponte dei Sospori, the Bridge of Sighs, links the religious and governmental face to the dark criminal one.

The northern part of Venice is called Cannaregio and is a mixture of hustle and bustle on the one hand and urban relaxation on the other hand. It is said that the world's first Ghetto came into being here. The Jewish population from the city was forced to move here, because it was easier for the Christians to seal off this area in order to prevent Jews from roaming the streets at night. You can find the museum of Jewish history in this district.

On the east, San Marco is bordered by the sestiere of Castello. If the Piazza San Marco would not exist, the Campo San Zanipolo would be the most impressive square in Venice. South of San Marco, across the question-mark formed Canal Grande, lies Dorsoduro. It is a shame that a lot of people do not cross the canal, or rather, do not get out of their gondola, because this area offers great sights of architecture and fine collections of both classical and modern art. The Galleria dell'Accademia is a must!

North of this area is the sestieri of San Polo, closing off the district in between Santa Croce. San Polo is the business and bank zone of Venice. Whenever you feel like shopping, go to the Rialto area which is situated in this district. It is packed with shops full off clothing, shoes, Venetian masks, and other gadgets.

Beyond the central grouping of islands you'll find Lido, Murano, Burano, Torcelli and San Michele. Lido is much more modern than the rest of Venice and is a stark contrast to Venice itself - Piazza San Marco is a 15min. boat shuttle trip. Lido is also and mostly a summer beach resort, separating the Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. Architecture is nineteenth century and later (mostly, much later) Automobiles are permitted as are bicycles both of which are banned in the rest of Venice.

Murano is where glass making was moved when it caused one too many fires. It has hundreds of shops and glass factories that sell a wide range of items from really bad modern glass clowns and sailboats to exquisite jewelry made from tiny glass beads. Avoid the tours to Murano which will lock you into the worst shops. Just take the regular Murano Vaporato from the stop just beyond St. Mark's Square. Don't miss the church with its blown glass chandeliers donated by the locals.

Burano is most known for it's lace making (but much of the lace sold is no longer handmade there) and its very colorful buildings. Torcello was the first of the Venitian islands to be inhabited. It's almost uninhabited now but it does have a 12th century church and a great restaurant.

Finally, but not to be missed, is San Michele, the cemetery island. Definately worth some time.