A beautiful city that prompts planet-wide superlatives, it's an atmospheric maze in which to lose yourself (despite high-season throngs). Built right on the water's edge, La Serenissima hides the snap-happy sightseers well; drift down canals by gondola and float back in time as you admire Byzantine, Renaissance and Baroque architecture.
Give film-familiar Piazza San Marco a chance to sink in, then follow the locals off the main drags to the best restaurants, hidden churches and lively markets. With so many palazzo and piazze to discover, this is a place for early nights and misty mornings spent wandering charming, traffic-free alleys it is the romance capital of the world, after all.
Getting there Planes: Marco Polo (veniceairport.com) and Treviso (Trevisoairport.com) are the city's two airports: from Marco Polo take the ferry, or arrive in style on a speedboat (about €100 ($A135) each). From Treviso, it's a 25-minute taxi journey (€70); or 80 minutes on an ATVO Eurobus (€5).