[mattyb]

Its one of those places that you must visit before you die.

Don't bring kids. For those that insist, leave the pushchairs at home - you'll thank me.
Be prepared to walk alot. Like marathon alot.
Don't visit during the Easter weekend when the glass factories on Murano are closed even if the tourist information office tells you that they're open.
Don't take a hotel near St. Mark's, the Rialto bridge area seemed pretty cool to us.
Don't take a taxi from the airport.
Bring enough cards for the hundreds and hundreds of photos that you'll take.

[Dork.]

Venice is amazing. When we went, we spent three days there, and it wasn't nearly enough. Getting lost in Venice is right up there on the list of things I'm glad I got the chance to do at least once. If my wife and I are alive and solvent when the kids are off to college, we are definitely going back. Everyone needs to go, and soon! (before the place sinks...)

[The Final Dakar]

I once pulled off a great heist there.

[Thorzdad]

Yeah, Venice is definitely on my short list of places I want to go to (and probably never will).

[JMan09]

When I went to Venice it was part of our Senior Trip after high school, and we ended up with only 5 to 8 hours in Venice. Some reason I don't remember we ended up cutting our trip short and returned home earlier than planned. We were originally going to stay in Venice for 3 days. Ended up stopping by in the morning and leaving that afternoon to catch a flight in Geneva, Switzerland the next morning.
Definitely one of the places I will return to before I die.

[imitchellg5]

I really want to visit one day. I don't think Italy is in the cards for me though.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Was the first place I landed when going to Italy. Just shy of the middle of May so we accidentally caught the Regatta Storica (which was completely awesome), and it wasn't too hot or smelly.

Had a great time and will definitely return. Unfortunately, like a lot of Italy's attractions, it felt like every store in sight was a tourist trap. Oh well....

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

Unfortunately, like a lot of Italy's attractions, it felt like every store in sight was a tourist trap.

Yeah we got that impression as well. Although we did think that around the Rialto it was less-so.

[gradient]

Venice is definitely one of my favourites, as well. For those who will be going and have a spare afternoon, do yourself a favour and take a water taxi over to Lido, the thin strip of an island just south of Venice. The beach on the south side is an amazing view of the Mediterranean, and for some reason the island is not even remotely as busy as Venice itself (at least when I was there).

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by gradient 

The beach on the south side is an amazing view of the Mediterranean

Confused, I though that it was the Adriatic but Google has both names on their maps near Venice.

[mattyb]

Aha :

According to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the Mediterranean Sea is subdivided into a number of smaller waterbodies, each with their own designation (from west to east):
* the Strait of Gibraltar;
* the Alboran Sea, between Spain and Morocco;
* the Balearic Sea, between mainland Spain and its Balearic Islands;
* the Ligurian Sea between Corsica and Liguria (Italy);
* the Tyrrhenian Sea enclosed by Sardinia, Italian peninsula and Sicily;
* the Ionian Sea between Italy, Albania and Greece;
* the Adriatic Sea between Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania;
* the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey.