I planned a surprise trip with my girlfriend to Venice in mid-March for a week. I've never been to Italy, but I want to do this trip right. We're staying in a family owned hotel in the Canneregio section near the train station. Any suggestions about restaurants, sights, and excursions would be a help. I've already scoured the internet and Barnes and Noble for info and I came up with some good ideas. However, I find that firsthand accounts of others' experiences are more valuable. Thanks for any insight!

Doglog680-Welcome!

You might get some ideas if you do a search under mileage runs, a lot of us in Aug-Sept got in on a fantastic fare to VCE and there are hundreds of posts re VCE. There are also some recent posts under this subgroup and a few flyertalkers who seem in love with Venice. Hopefully, they will offer some help.

You are going during a season that I would much prefer to the hot summer. I was to Venice in April and it was lovely. If you decide to get a car you could tour Palladian villas. Not sure if they are open seasonally.

Chowhound.com has an international section that might have some restaurant ideas in Venice. Save up for the gondola ride.

Thanks for the welcome cecilia! You're right, there is some great info and insight in the backlogs of these forums. I was particularly interested in Venetian cuisine and found some useful restaurant reviews in the Travel-Dining section.
I was also wondering, which section of the city deserves the most time for exploration? From what I've read each district seems to have something slightly different to offer.

Say also look under "tourist traps". I remember an interesting discussion there and some involvement from FTer's who either live there or spend lots of time in Venice. Either way, this individual(s) loved Venice.

I have been to Venice several times, most recently 2 months ago.

Restaurants in Venice are kind of hit and miss. The Venetian cuisine is quite different from the rest of Italy. They prefer polenta over pasta, and much more seafood (esp. octopus and cuttlefish/squid). There are a lot of great restaurant reviews at www.timeout.com under Venice. One neat place for pizza is just at the foot of the Dorsoduro side of the Accademia Bridge. The cheapest lunch or dinner you will get right on the Grand Canal with a view. Not sure how outdoor seating would be in Winter, though.

Lots of nice places to eat as you walk from there through Campo San Barnaba toward the San Polo district. I have always liked Taverna San Trovaso nearby. There are several good websites with restaurant recommendations and a new book called CHOW! VENICE has just been published: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Don't bother buying it, get an interlibrary loan from your local public library (you still have time) and photocopy whatever looks good to you!

The Streetwise maps and Artwise maps are great for Venice. They are laminated trifolds that are well worth the cost ($5.95?) instead of paper maps, and can get wet! I never go anywhere without them.

Nightlife...ahh, the great missing link in Venice. Well, the clubs are all on the mainland (Mestre) but you can still have fun at night in Venice. The club Paradiso Perduto (Lost Paradise) has live music (mostly jazz?) most nights. It's in Cannaregio, near the Casino. It is great to hear live music in some of the churches, especially Vivaldi's chapel on the Riva degli Schiavoni just east of St. Mark's/Doge Palace, called Santa Maria della Visitazione, but there is music in several churches in the evenings. Check Rick Steves' website for more information about strategizing with this.

Get up early one morning to see how Venice gets about the day's work. Check out the Rialto marketplace on the San Polo side of the Rialto Bridge early in the morning (0730+). There has been a market here for 1,000 years, and they are still doing things the old fashioned way. Seafood still crawling around in the buckets, vividly colored vegetables (because they are ripe!) really stand out against the stone buildings and early morning muted colors of the background...great photo opportunities.

Forget the belltower in St. Mark's square...head across the water to San Maggiore, which is less crowded and give's you a view of "downtown" Venice from across the way.

*ABSOLUTELY DO NOT MISS* touring the Doge's Palace. It is fascinating, given Venice's unique history, plus the audiotour is EXCELLENT (unlike many museums). EVEN BETTER, book a "Secret Itineraries" tour to go behind the scenes in a small group with an excellent guide who will explain in detail how the Republic ran and thrived for 900+ years, how Casanova (who was Venetian) was imprisoned and escaped (you can go into his cell), etc. Fascinating stories, and the best part is that the 12.50Euro price includes access to the regular public touring areas which are approx. 10Euros, so it's essentially free (but you do need reservations in advance). You can do this through CulturalItaly and a few other companies in the U.S. Do a google search or contact me.

*ALSO DO NOT MISS!*: doing the Venetian version of a "pub crawl," sampling little appetizers and wine as you walk through the City in the afternoon, and just getting lost, which is inevitable even if you are great with a map and have it open at all times! I have an excellent sense of direction but this place is very confusing in both layout and signage. I have walked map-in-hand and still gotten turned around. Just remember that it is a small island(s) and you cannot get "too lost." Signs are posted in many places that say "PER RIALTO" or "PER ACCADEMIA," meaning toward those places to point you in the right direction.

Try to time your visit to the Basilica San Marco for when the sun is out (if at all in March!) to illuminate all the gold leaf design inside...

Since you are in Canareggio near the train station, you will be very close to the Ghetto (the original Jewish ghetto). Check it out. The farther you stay away from St. Mark's Square, the better in terms of crowds. There are some great neighborhoods in the eastern Canareggio.

My favorite "sestiere" (neighborhood) is the Dorsoduro. Check out the Campo San Stefano on the north side of the bridge (in the sestiere of San Marco) and surrounding streets, full of great boutiques, then take your gal to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Dorsoduro for interesting modern art as a counterpoint to all the Renaissance and Baroque overload. ROMANTIC SPOT: The Guggenheim terrace on the Grand Canal at the back of the museum. Great art galleries and other stores nearby. Best gelato: Gelateria Nico on the Zattere in Dorsoduro.

I can recommend some wonderful planned walks if you are interested, and some great ones are listed in books: Fodor's, Frommer's, Rick Steves... some of the smaller bridges have great history associated with them, like Ponte del Pugni where they used to have fist fights in the Middle Ages and there are still marked footprints from where you combatants stood before squaring off...and the bridge where Medieval prostitutes bared their breasts.

I love love love Venice and am jealous that you are even going in March. I hope to go back next Winter in conjunction with a trip to the Dolomites and some skiing in Austria.

Much thanks SFOTRAVELER, great info and links! I have another inquiry regarding excursions. I'd like to take a day or two to explore some of the surrounding area. Places like Verona, Vicenza, Padua,and Bassano del Grappa have been recommended in various travel books and sites. Any preference? Is Slovenia or Croatia an option to the east as well? Is there anything worth seeing there or is it more worthwhile to stay in northern Italy? Again, any insight is appreciated.

Venice is the first city that made me thinnk it would be nice to have a handheld GPS...

If by a week you mean 7 nights, or perhaps even only 6 nights, You do not have a whole lot of time to explore Venice, let alone do the entire NE Italian countryside. Leaving VCE usually kills a whole day, as you must leave early to transfer at a hub somewhere.

A lot of that exploring takes a car, which you will have to procure.

Spend a half day at Ca' Rezzonico instead. It is not high on most lists, and one of our favorites. Have the hotel check for the days closed. Most of the guide books have it wrong.

Get a pass from the hotel if possible, to visit the Casino if the winter casino is still active. It is also Palazzo Vendramin Calegri, and well worth the visit. Count the number of �500 notes on the Roulette wheel at each spin.

Welcome to Flyertalk, Doglog680
I have spent a great deal of time in VCE, having just come home this week after another 2 week stay, was also there in Sept for one week.
First of all, Cannaregio is a great area; in fact, it is my favorite part of Venice. Some say it is the "real Venice." It should be wonderful in March and the local markets on the Strada Nuova will be filled with the colors and tastes of impending spring.
In the particular part of Venice where you are staying, near the train station is a tiny restaurant called Trattoria Marisa This is a tiny restaurant with no name on the door, about 6 tables where people eat "family style" and the food is incredible. Ask a Venetian friend to accompany you, if possible or to call and make a reservation. For less that 10Euros PP, you will have a hearty, delicious 3 course meal including wine. Address is listed as Canareggio 652. Just know that it is near the Three Arches (tre Archi) bridge and vaporetto stop. Phone: 041 720 211.
Other restaurants within easy walking distance in Canarregio (these are all restaurants I have eaten at frequently) are:
Vino de Gigio
Antica Mola
Fiaschetteria Toscana ask to be seated downstairs, if possible and save room for dessert
A Testiere Reservations essential. There are only 2 seatings a night at this 28 seat restaurant and the seafood is among the finest in Venice. Be sure to get explicit directions or do a "dry run" in the afternoon to find the place.
In Dorsoduro I really like Osteria ai Carmini This is a family-run restaurant (actually, all of the ones I have mentioned are family-run).
When strolling on the Strada Nuova, a fun place to stop for a sandwich and glass of wine or coffee is Magdelena (not sure of the spelling) but it is close to the main square.
In Dorsoduro, very close to the Peggy Guggenheim museum is Bar Gino. Place is always packed with locals enjoying the best espresso and cappucino in Venice and their little sandwiches and pastries are also excellent.
There is a great new little hotel in Canarregio called Ai Mori D'Oriente on the Fondamenta della Sensa. It is very close to the Jewish Ghetto and worth stopping by for a drink. Their bar is lovely and they have a nice, new plasma TV with sports on all of the time.
Any other questions, please feel free to e-mail me at my address in my profile.
You are going to have a great time.
Oh, don't forget to have at least one Bellini at Harry's Bar.
If you have time for a special excursion and want to have the most romantic lunch, then be sure to go to the Locanda Cipriani on the island of Torcello.

RE: OTHER EXCURSIONS...It's true that even a week could be insufficient time spent in this relatively small city, but you'll definitely get to hit the major spots at a relaxing pace.

I think that Slovenia and Croatia are a bit far for how much time you have, plus late Winter would not make travel any easier. A Croatian-American friend here in San Francisco recently raved about Ljubljana and the rest of Slovenia as being clean as Switzerland and Austria, as friendly as Italy, at rock-bottom prices. I would make that a separate trip.

Having said that, it would be pretty easy to take a day trip up to another part of the Veneto. Bolzano and surrouding towns at the base of the Dolomites are supposed to be gorgeous, but again the weather will dictate how viable this choice is.

Padua (Padova) is famed for its churchs and mosaics, and it's only 20 minutes by train. From what I have heard and read, I think that Verona is probably not as appealing, but have not been there.

Since Venice is the main focus, perhaps you can choose two or three day-trip options, and surprise her at dinner the night before with something like "Tomorrow we can go to any of these places...your choice!" and you already have the basic plan ready to go...

Had a great time in Venice with my wife this summer. Only thing wrong was it was too short a trip only two nights. We didn't get to go to Murano or Burano.

The only time we got lost was when we got there, the boat dropped us off near St. Marks, but I was all turned around trying to read the map. The rest of the time we just wandered around looking at whatever we passes. Found a great church northeast of St. Marks that wasn't really in any of our guides. can't remember the name but it was beautiful inside.

I like to think I have a good internal compass, and even my wife was remarking on it while we were in Italy. It only took me short time to get my bearings, and then I knew what direction to head to get to certain points.

Venice was the toughest for this though.

one last thing, had a great gondola ride for a reasonable price. just off of St. Mark's Square there was a big group of gondoliers sitting around waiting for the nightly rush. We were just a little early for primetime and we found a guy that was just finishing his day. Gave us a ride w/ commentary and singing. Awesome time!

Murano has fantastic glass! I want to spend more time there...

Some 4 euro horses and 7 euro vases that are incredible.