Apostoli Palace

If possible ,don't go there just for the day, like most tourists do!! Spend at least one night or so. San Marco, Rialto should be seen and enjoyed when all the 'regular' tourists are gone. San Marco is the most beautiful place you can be, especially late in
the evening and at night-time. Even when it's flooded... Stay up all night
or get just a few hours sleep... take a walk early in the morning around 4-5 o'clock. Enjoy the smell from freshly baked bread, the only sound is your own footsteps.... very romantic, if that's what you want your vacation to be :-) Sip a coffee at 5 in the small bar close to Rialto. Venice is so much more than San Marco, Basilica and Palazzo Ducale!

Take a boat to Torcello and the other islands in the lagoon, sit down at Punta Dogana, and enjoy Venice from the 'outside'. Go to the fish market close to Rialto early in the morning... go and see where Marco Polo and Vivaldi lived...There is a lot of good books to read about Venice and also some very good informative web sites like the one I will mention later.
Venice has so much to show and things to do to make your trip completely different from
seeing all other cities!

If Venice is hot and sweaty, take a vaporetto to Lido.
When you arrive there, just follow the main road crossing the island of Lido. To a normal healthy 'walker', it takes about 15 min to get to the south side of Lido where you find a long nice beachVenice is history, culture, music, art, spending a nice day at the beach, enjoy some nice food and wine... in Venice you get it all!! But, sorry to say, Venice now has got several McDonalds. The first one
appeared about five years ago. Many years ago Venice had problems with the
plague... now they got McDonalds... :-) In Venice you should eat Italian
food, not burgers... be brave and try 'Pasta con Seppie'. Eat it; ask later about where the black colour comes from... Japanese tourists seem to love it, especially men, I've noticed. Wonder why :-))
Seen the movie/read the book 'Death in Venice' written by Thomas Mann (6/6-1875 - 12/8-1955)? This novel became famous because of the film made by Luchino Visconti in 1971.
The novel and film you should really read/watch before going to Venice! It's
about the German author Gustav von Aschenbach and his journey to Venice and
Lido. At Lido Aschenbach lives in the Hotel Des Bains at Lungomare Marconi 17, at the south side of Lido. It's easy to find: when you get off the vaporetto, cross the street and follow that 'main street' to the other side
of Lido. When you reach the other side there's a new main road (Lungomare Marconi), turn right for about 100 m. and you can have lunch at the famous
hotel from the film. It's worth seeing ! The hotel has a large private beach as well. Early in the spring/summer and until the middle of June, you can go there for free.
What makes Venice so special.....:
To wake up to the sound of church bells and the pigeons, take a swim and have lunch on the beach at Lido. Listen to some music from Café Florian at San Marco late in the evening. To walk around in Dorsoduro, Castello, have some wine on a small cafe, watching people passing by. To sit at the bar at Rialto, look at the amazing life on the Grand
Canal... and more... and more... Venice is the place that really gets under
your skin!