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A short break in Venice.

As a teenager I had made two day trips to Venice with my family. The memory of the Campanile and the Venetian waterfront rising from the sea as we approached in a water bus crossing the Lido had lived with me for more than 30 years.

My wife had never been to Venice and, as we both love Italy, we decided to book a short break and stay in a hotel 5 minutes from Piazza San Marco.

Travelling from Manchester via Ryanair was an economic decision. It meant that we had to catch a bus from Treviso airport and drive for an hour. Approaching Venice from Mestre meant we had to cross the road bridge built by Mussolini in the 1930's and arrived at Piazzale Roma on the outskirts of the city where all vehicular travel ends and water transport begins.

From here we found a vaporetto, the water bus, which would take us as close to our hotel as possible. The water buses in Venice are extremely easy to use and you can buy tickets at main stopping points. There are various tourist tickets and you have to stamp them in little machines before you board. It can get pretty crowded and you don't often get a seat if you need one, but it was certainly a thrilling introduction to Venice to be riding down the Grand Canal. The first impression of Venice is one of sheer disbelief that a place of such beauty and grandeur, virtually unchanged for hundreds of years, can still exist. There is a certain fairytale feeling as the Palazzi and churches glide by.

Lugging two suitcases over foot bridges and through the back streets of Venice was no joke in 85 degree heat. But eventually we found our hotel which was well appointed and overlooked a small canal where we could watch the gondolieri as they guided their passengers skilfully along the narrow backwaters.

We only had three full days so we set about doing the obvious and not so obvious. To appreciate all the splendours of Venice would take many weeks and your choice of destinations depends on your particular interests. We always like to walk as much as we can and Venice is made for walking because there is no traffic. At walking pace you see so much more. Not everywhere is full of tourists but the main attractions in summer can be very tiresome.

St Mark's Square, the Piazza, the Piazzetta and the Campanile.

First Tip. If you are interested in museums and churches there are various special tickets which allow you to enter major museums and the Doges Palace as well as major churches. You should find out before you go what is available

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