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Tips & articles

Remedies of the road: our travel tales of getting sick (and better)

Germ-laden airports, upended sleep patterns and unfamiliar local bugs are just a few of the health risks travellers face when seeing the world...

Germ-laden airports, upended sleep patterns and unfamiliar local bugs are just a few of the health risks travellers face when seeing the world. But sometimes these travel maladies can yield a good story – in the problem solving of travelling companions, the mysterious (and miraculous) local remedies, or the assistance offered by total strangers. We asked our travel editors and writers to tell us their tales of the times they came home with more souvenirs than they bargained for...

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Venice Carnival: make the most of the city's biggest party of the year

People travel from far and wide to join in the city’s biggest party of the year and sate their fancy-dress appetites – the Venice Carnival packs the city with crowds of elaborately costumed people, colourful sights, a slew of sounds and an flurry of events. Visit the watery wonderland in February for glamorous evenings and to be wowed by elaborate traditions as well as sample carnival-exclusive sweet treats...

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The six sestieri: a guide to Venice’s neighbourhoods

While most cities are broken into quarters, Venice is divided into six districts or sestieri...

While most cities are broken into quarters, Venice is divided into six districts or sestieri. Although it’s a compact city, each of Venice’s neighbourhoods has its own characteristics, offering you something a little different and distinctive wherever you wander. Read on to find out the best place to stay if you're keen on cuisine, which neighbourhood will indulge your artistic eye, or where to head for a bit of uncharacteristically quiet Venice...

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How to live like a Local in Venice

Lonely Planet Local Jo-Ann Titmarsh has been living in Venice for over 20 years. Although she originally came to the city as a student for a three-month stay, she soon decided to make Venice her home. Despite how long she’s been here, she never tires of the city's beauty and its wealth of art exhibitions, cosy restaurants, interesting walks and fabulous places for cocktails with a view...

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Luxurious lounges and hipster haunts: Venice's 10 best cocktail bars

Venice may not be renowned for its nightlife, with most of its citizens tucking themselves in bed well before midnight, but Venetians do like a tipple, particularly at aperitivo time...

Venice may not be renowned for its nightlife, with most of its citizens tucking themselves in bed well before midnight, but Venetians do like a tipple, particularly at aperitivo time. The city boasts more bars than you can shake a cocktail stick at, from spectacular rooftop views to hole-in-the-wall music joints, and whether you prefer to be shaken or stirred, our list will help you find your perfect watering hole...

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Where to go in February for culture

New Year’s celebrations have come and gone, but there’s life in the old girl yet as February brings with it all the colour and chaos of carnival season – with Brazil, Haiti and Venice leading the sequin-clad charge. And when you’re all partied out, or just in need of a tempo change, we’ve got some quieter cultural offerings in store, from cruising Cambodia’s waterways to exploring Venice when it’s crowd-free...

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Must-know travel tips for first-timers in Italy

Everyone knows Italy – Rome’s iconic ruins, Tuscany’s vine-clad hills, Venice’s romantic waterways. These have all been on the radar for centuries...

Everyone knows Italy – Rome’s iconic ruins, Tuscany’s vine-clad hills, Venice’s romantic waterways. These have all been on the radar for centuries. Add fabulous food and breath-taking scenery, and you have all the ingredients for an unforgettable visit...

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Eight great ways to immerse yourself in Venetian culture

To get to know Venice from the inside out, first you have to see the lagoon city as the locals do...

To get to know Venice from the inside out, first you have to see the lagoon city as the locals do. That means taking the leap beyond sightseeing and joining Venetians in their traditional pastimes, whether it be rowing like a gondolier, shopping for mantis shrimps in the Rialto Market or setting aside your digital devices for a crash course in paper marbling or glass working...

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Visiting Venice on a budget

Despite its enduring reputation as a playground for the world’s elite, some of Venice’s finest moments are surprisingly affordable...

Despite its enduring reputation as a playground for the world’s elite, some of Venice’s finest moments are surprisingly affordable. The beautiful Grand Canal can be cruised on a budget-friendly water bus, a glass of prosecco in a backstreet bar costs as little as €1.50 a glass, and many quintessential Venetian experiences are completely and blissfully free. Bargain basilicas Some of the city’s most celebrated sights don't cost a thing...

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Treasures of the backstreets: Venice's finest artisan shops

The brilliance of Venice’s glory days still shines in its ateliers where craftsmen and women keep centuries-old traditions alive...

The brilliance of Venice’s glory days still shines in its ateliers where craftsmen and women keep centuries-old traditions alive. Famed Murano glass, Bevilacqua fabrics and Burano lace are just the beginning: more unusual crafts including marbled paper, block printing, bespoke shoemaking and sculptural jewellery also make shopping here an education...

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Planning your first trip to Italy

Arguably Europe’s most enticing country, Italy charms visitors with irresistible food, awesome architecture, diverse scenery and unparalleled art. In fact, it's so packed with possibilities it can almost overwhelm. If you’ve not visited before you could well wonder what to see? Where to go? How to travel? Here’s everything you need to know to get the absolute utmost out of your first-time Italy trip. One-of-a-kind Venice is top of many people's Italian wish list and rightly so...

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Venetian dining etiquette

This is an excerpt from the Eating chapter of Lonely Planet's guide to Venice & the Veneto...

This is an excerpt from the Eating chapter of Lonely Planet's guide to Venice & the Veneto. Flattery never hurts, but you’ll win over your server and the chef with these four gestures that prove your mettle as una buona forchetta (‘a good fork’, or good eater): Image by Son of Groucho 1. Ignore the menu – solicit your server’s advice about seasonal treats and house specials, pick two options that sound interesting, and ask your server to recommend one over the other...

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Venice cicheti (bar snacks) for beginners

This is an excerpt from the food chapter of Lonely Planet's Venice & the Veneto guide...

This is an excerpt from the food chapter of Lonely Planet's Venice & the Veneto guide. Cicheti Even in unpretentious Venetian osterie (pub-restaurants) and bacari (bars), most dishes cost a couple of euros more than they might elsewhere in Italy – not a bad mark-up, considering all that fresh seafood and produce brought in by boat...

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Roll cameras! Visiting Venice for the film festival.

Italy does not let anything get in the way of a good time - the perfect example is the fact that it wouldn't even let WWII interrupt the famous Venice Film Festival...

Italy does not let anything get in the way of a good time - the perfect example is the fact that it wouldn't even let WWII interrupt the famous Venice Film Festival. The prestigious Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world - it's been running annually since 1932. And it's just so ridiculously alluring, you have to get there at least once in your life...

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Secret Venice

Hiding right in the elegant shadows of Venice's Grand Canal palaces and must-see monuments are Venetians' most beloved hangouts...

Hiding right in the elegant shadows of Venice's Grand Canal palaces and must-see monuments are Venetians' most beloved hangouts. But from the major tourist thoroughfares, you may only glimpse Venetians as they slip under archways into labyrinthine calli (backstreets), or hear their soft, assured footsteps gliding over Istrian stone footbridges. Follow their lead, and you may feel like Alice following the white rabbit into Wonderland...

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Lonely Planet author: my perfect day in Venice

In this month's Lonely Planet Magazine, Alison Bing, author of Lonely Planet's Venice & The Veneto City shares her insider knowledge, mapping out her perfect day in the European city she has come to know so well. From the instant the day’s first sunbeam hits the Grand Canal, everything in Venice is sparkling: water, wine, wits and the glorious golden mosaics of Basilica di San Marco...

Venice travel tips & articles

Remedies of the road: our travel tales of getting sick (and better)

Venice Carnival: make the most of the city's biggest party of the year

The six sestieri: a guide to Venice’s neighbourhoods

How to live like a Local in Venice

Luxurious lounges and hipster haunts: Venice's 10 best cocktail bars

Where to go in February for culture

Must-know travel tips for first-timers in Italy

Eight great ways to immerse yourself in Venetian culture

Visiting Venice on a budget

Treasures of the backstreets: Venice's finest artisan shops

Planning your first trip to Italy

Venetian dining etiquette

Venice cicheti (bar snacks) for beginners

Roll cameras! Visiting Venice for the film festival.

Secret Venice

Lonely Planet author: my perfect day in Venice

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