Venice is a dream that shines on the waters, a city of painted palaces and serene churches. This unique urban masterpiece has canals instead of streets, boats instead of buses, and ornate bridges instead of subways. A trip to Venice provides an unforgettable glimpse of life's defining moments played out on watery avenues: weddings, funerals, carnivals and regattas. Yet, in these opulent surroundings the daily grind continues: commuters pack on to the rush hour vaporetti (waterbuses), dustmen collect rubbish in their refuse boats and fishermen deliver their catch to the market.

Particularly tourists visit Venice to experience its inimitable charm. The inconvenient of this can be felt in the narrow streets and cramped piazzas of its sought-after areas. A good way to get to know a more personal side of Venice is to saunter through its romantic back streets and residential quarters.

Maybe the only ways of getting around Venice are walking and paying up for the 'expensive-but-worth-it' gondola, water bus/taxi or a regular taxi is officially banned in the lagoon city, a bicycle won’t help you much.

The classic gondola ride with the opera-warbling operator is pretty touristy and expensive but the traghetto is a commuter gondola that crosses the Grand Canal at strategic points. It's entirely a balance test for newbies, as you have to stand. Water taxis (motorboats) are almost as expensive as gondolas, but their pilots don't wear stripy shirts and bellow out 'O Sole Mio'.

If you are looking for the cheerful bars and restaurants, you can't go wrong with the area surrounding Campo di Santa Margarita in San Polo. There you will get an Irish pub, trendy bars that do the limbo, and just plain fun. The area is visited by students from the University and is buzzing with life during the weekends as market stalls of fish and vegetables open up.

The City of Venice

Venice

Venice

Venice

Venice