Car Hire: Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates. Visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +39 041 541 5654. Open from 7.30am-midnight seven days a week.

Airport Transfer: Pre-book your door-to-door transfer with easyJet’s transfer partner, Holiday Taxis—from home to the airport, then city or resort (easyjet.holidaytaxis.com).

Taxi: A taxi to Piazzale Roma costs about €30.

Bus: ACTV (yellow) route 5 runs every half hour (15 minutes at peak hours) to Piazzale Roma in about 20 minutes. Tickets: €2.50. ATVO (blue) buses leave every 30 minutes and take 15-20 minutes. Tickets: €3.

Boat: The Alilaguna waterbus leaves from the dock (about 500 metres from Arrivals) from 6.10am-12.10am to Murano, Fondamente Nove, Lido, San Marco; and as far as Zattere from 9.15am-9.15pm. Tickets: €12 (www.alilaguna.it).

Margaret Duchamp
( 3019 Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro. Tel. 041 528 6255 )
This corner café is a popular rendez-vous for a drink or snack on this lively square.

Osteria Bancogiro
( 122 Campo San Giacometto, San Polo. Tel. 041 523 2061 )
In the arcade of shops that housed the world’s first public bank, this wine bar offers tasty snacks and more substantial dishes.

Osteria Oliva Nera
( 3417 Salizzada dei Greci, Castello. Tel. 041 522 2170 )
On a tiny square behind the Greek Church, this attractive locale offers classic Venetian fish and meat dishes.

La Caravella
( 2398 Calle Larga XXII Marzo, San Marco. Tel. 041 520 8901 )
The ‘Caravel’ has a timbered interior like the bit between decks on an antique sailing vessel. Fortunately, the fare is much fresher and more wholesome than you would have found at sea in days of old.

Ciak 1
( 2807 Campiello San Toma, San Polo. Tel. 041 528 5150 )
A cosy, comfortable bar near the San Toma vaporetto and tragheto (gondola ferry) landings.

Venice Jazz Club
( 3102 Fondamenta del Squero, Dorsoduro. Tel. 041 523 2056 )
Welcoming ambience with live sets every Monday, Friday and Saturday from 9pm (www.venicejazzclub.com).

Cafe Blue
( 3778 Crosera San Pantalon, Dorsoduro. Tel. 041 522 7613 )
Very popular hang-out with live music (jazz. blues, funk and Latin rhythms) every Friday.

Madera sells stylish, hand-crafted kitchen goods, ceramics, fabrics and jewellery (2762 Campo San Barnaba, Dorsoduro. Tel. 041 522 4181).

Spritz al biter—a heady mix of white wine, Campari, a splash of fizzy water and twist of lemon—is the classic Venetian apéritif. If you want the lower octane version, ask for spritz al aperol.

The name Rialto is a shortened version of Rivo Alto (High Bank), a market district for more than 1,500 years. At the western foot of the bridge is San Giacometto, said to be the oldest church in Venice, founded in 412.

All the big-name Italian designers—Armani, Gucci, Max Mara, Missoni, Prada—have stores in Venice. With big sales in January, including at Venice’s smaller boutiques, bargain-hunting here can be more relaxing than in larger cities.

Treviso – Just 30 minutes away by train, this walled town has many attractions: fine architecture, good shops, excellent trattorias and, currently, a major show of work by Venetian master Canaletto and other painters at the Casa dei Carraresi.

Gazette is one of a number of Venetian words that have found their way into English over the centuries. It comes from gazeta, a small coin—the cost of the news sheets published here in the 17th century.

Compiled by Roderick Conway Morris