Tourist tips

• Venice has seen a big rise in bed and breakfast after regulation were relaxed

• Splash out on a night at the opera. La Fenice has been completely refurbished

• Both the railway and bus stations in Venice are well served by vaporetti water buses.

• Room prices can drop in August when Venice is very hot and Italians tend to stay away

• Stamp your ticket on the platform machine before boarding a train or you could get a hefty fine