Venice

Hi Sharon, We stayed in the Dorsoduro area last year and loved it. I tend not to like crowds very much anyway, so it was a relief to be going back to this area later in the afternoon. It was really only about a 15 min walk from the San Marco/Rialto area, but was a Completely different vibe.

Michael - while you might think that you are hanging out to dry when you rent an apartment, that's generally not the case. We have been renting in Venice for years and truly enjoy the experience.

Every place we have ever rented from has had either an owner, an owners' representative or an agency that handled the details. Many will meet you at the closest vaporetto stop and take you to the property.

Those folks have always been ready, willing and able to answer the standard questions about food, sights etc. In addition, almost all the places we have stayed in have had a list of reccommended spots and sometimes a diary/log from previous renters with hints.

Thankyou for your answer to my question. Always a bit daunting picking the location to be happy with, when visiting a new place.

Good point, Ron. When we rented an apartment in Rome, the owner did meet us and then quickly went over a map with a few good places to eat. However, that was the last we saw her or talked to her until it was time to check out. I'm sure some owners are much more available than others, but I bet not many are as available as the front desk at a hotel/pensione.

Isn't it great that this board provides a forum for sharing lots of different experiences?

It's not exactly asked, but since this is a forum for sharing our own experiences, I hope you won't mind a little. Since this will be your first time in Venice, I think you might not want to rent an apartment. A good hotel or pensione can make your stay much more rewarding because they can recommend all sorts of things to do and especially good places to eat. Most helpfully they can make reservations for you (museums, restaurants, etc.). With an apartment, you're all on your own.

As for quiet neighborhoods, most of Venice quiets down after about 9 pm, when the majority of tourists have left and a lot of the workers have gone home to the mainland. We have enjoyed staying at Pensione Guerrato in the San Polo district. But there are lots of wonderful places to stay in Venice.

Thankyou for your discussions. We will be meeting up with friends who have previously visited Venice and know enough about places to eat and see. We were mainly concerned with the accommodation position. San Basilio in Dorsoduro. We have found a great apartment, but unsure of position. Thankyou

Sharon,
SanBasilio may be a little too far off the beaten track.
Dorsoduro and San Polo are my favorite sestieri, but a little closer to the Academia or San Toma.
I like to be positioned nearer the vaporetto stops on the Grand Canal and not on the Zattere. Especially for your first visit...you'll want a more central location. That way you can go back to your hotel/apartment for little breaks etc.

Have a wonderful time!!

I agree about the San Basilio location being far from ideal. It's right where the cruise ships dock and it's about as far away as you could get from everything. Do you have a map that you're using? Google maps is great for this sort of thing.

And remember, almost everywhere in Venice is quiet in the evening.

Once again, thankyou for your assistance. I'm sure we will have a great time in Venice and can't wait. I want some help with cinque terre . . .so if you can help me with that I'd appreciate it. Will start a new post.
Cheers