Take a water taxi from the airport, but don't bother with a gondola
Within minutes of landing at Marco Polo airport we were zipping across the lagoon on a water taxi, with the wind in our hair; 10 minutes later we were on the Grand Canal and slipping beneath the Rialto Bridge before pulling up right at our doorstep. A Venice water taxi (+39 337 494444) must be the most romantic and exciting way to arrive in any city. At €90 one way for up to three people (or €100 for four to six), it's not cheap but it drops you straight in among all the floating fabulousness – which is what Venice is all about – and you get to feel like a film star for 20 minutes. Once you've taken a water taxi, there's probably no need to ride in a gondola: they're more expensive and will feel tame and touristy in comparison.
Venice is so popular that hotels don't have to try very hard, so we opted for an apartment, Guistinian, in the thick of the action, overlooking the Accademia Bridge. Given that we walked around all day and the nightlife in Venice isn't particularly memorable, it was a boon having a gorgeous, spacious pad to hang out in at night and in the morning. Venetian Apartments (020-3356 9667, venice-rentals.com) has more than 80 chic properties to rent all over the city. There's Altana, a stylish studio apartment with a rooftop terrace in Dorsoduro; or Giudecca Mare Riva, a new, one-bedroom designer pad with a communal courtyard, two terraces and its own a private jetty, perched on the lagoon. Studios start at €695 for four nights or €895 a week, and one-bedrooms start at €760/€910 – those are year-round prices that don't go through the roof in high season.
Seafood at the Rialto market. Photograph: Paul Williams (Funkyfood London)/Alamy
Staying in a self-catering place gives you the perfect excuse to shop like a local. Just a minute away from the tourist bottle neck of the Rialto Bridge is the brilliant food market of the same name, in front of the small church of San Giacomo di Rialto (the city's first church, founded in 421AD). All of Venice comes here to buy its fruit, veg, meat and, most famously, seafood. There are glistening baby octopus, giant prawns, soft-shell crabs and fish straight out of the lagoon or from as far away as Asia. Veggies include purple baby artichokes and white asparagus, plus more than half a dozen types of mushroom. We spent one morning shopping and cooked it all up in the apartment that evening. Once you've bagged your catch, head round the corner to All'Arco (Calle Arco, San Polo 436), a friendly bacaro (see below) heaving with market shoppers and serving great little snacks of langoustines, calamari, speck and so on.
La Fenice is not the only opera
I haven't been to La Fenice, Venice's famous opera house, but I doubt it could be more romantic than Musica a Palazzo (+39 34 0971 7272, musicapalazzo.com, tickets €50), the operatic equivalent of a secret supper club, which takes place in a fading historic palazzo down a blind alley just off the Grand Canal. We saw La Traviata by candlelight, and though there are only three singers and a quartet of musicians, the intimate setting more than compensated for the pared-down ensemble. There were only around 100 people in the audience, and we were right next to the quartet and within touching distance of the performers. Each of the three acts takes place in a different room, the audience following the performers from set to set. A very special evening.
Sights schmights! Head for quieter neighbourhoods
Venice has more than its fair share of world-class churches, squares and museums, and though St Mark's and the Doge's Palace et al are obviously worth a gander, for me the labyrinth of medieval alleyways and canals is what makes the city so special. Getting lost among it all (a small square here, another beautiful bridge there), and snatching the odd moment of solitude, is hopelessly romantic. We slipped out of the back of St Mark's Square (to the west) and spent all afternoon wandering aimlessly through the Cannaregio area, which is more about atmosphere than major sights. We ended up in the Ghetto, one of Venice's most evocative areas, and sat at a cafe watching kids play football after they'd come out of the synagogue.
Dorsoduro, the protruding southern leg of the city that feels more like a village the further east you venture, is another great neighbourhood to wander round. One night we got hopelessly lost here in a maze deserted narrow alleyways, but eventually fell out in the buzzing campo Santa Margherita. The huge square is full of students and lively cheap bars – by Venetian standards it rocks – and the perfect spot for a few beers.
Avoid the tourist traps and eat like a local at a bacaro
To get a taste of real Venice, and take a break from sightseeing, pop into a bacaro, one of the small bars where locals go for a glass of wine, a quick snack and a chat. In a city bulging with crappy tourist restaurants, bacari, where you can get a small tasty snack for a euro and a decent glass of Veneto wine for two or three, are life savers. On my last trip to Venice I ate exclusively at these places, and we found a couple more on this trip. Sitting on a canalside in the late afternoon sun for aperitivo hour at Anice Stellato (Fondamenta della Sensa 3272), knocking back vino rosso and freshly prepared €1 crostini ("little toasts" topped with ham, cheeses and salty Italian goodies) is a particularly lovely memory. And from the look of the larger dishes being eaten by the mainly local clientele, this also looked like a fine place to have dinner.
Skip the queue at the campanile (bell tower) of St Mark's, and take in the view from the San Giorgio Maggiore or out on the lagoon ferry.
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