Venice Apartments

Funny you say that - we just returned and stayed at a great apartment in Dorsoduro! For the 1st 24 hours, we hung out there, and then Canareggio and wondered why everyone says Venice is crowded. The next afternoon we made it over to San Marco and we were like.... oh so this is the Fisherman's Wharf of Venice!! :)

I highly recommend this place we stayed - I can;t find the vrbo # which is where we found it but here is the website:
http://caleonessa.com/

It was just around the corner from great Campos - San Barnaba and Santa Margherita. Totally had some action, but definitely the least crowded place we were in Venice. Fruit barge and a wine bar just across the canal. Grocery store around the corner. Canal view from the windows. Very easy to get to the touristy places. I would definitely stay here again if we are lucky enough to go back to Venice.

I was also looking at a place just off San Marco and I was SO HAPPY we picked Dorsoduro instead!!

Enjoy!!!

Thank you! Just what I was looking for...

Basically, if you avoid the areas right around the train station, the Rialto, Piazza San Marco, and the most direct foot paths between them, you will be out of the "Fisherman's Wharf" type areas. Dorsoduro is great; when I was there in September (when the busy areas could get PACKED in the middle of the day), some streets were practically deserted, especially when away from the Guggenheim and the Accademia. As for non-touristy, I saw one store selling socks (not shoes - just socks) and another one refilling printer cartridges. And the vaporetti that go from Zattere have more Venetians and fewer tourists on them than the ones on the Grand Canal. On the other hand, it's only about a 10 minute walk to the Rialto.

I stayed in Cannaregio for a week three years ago and loved the area. There are actual Venetians who live in the area, it is relatively quiet, has lots of great restaurants and is almost deserted at night. That said, I'm staying for a week in Dorsoduro this fall because I want to experience a different area. Either area is much better than the San Marco or Rialto areas..

Similarly, my family enjoyed the area around Campos San Barnaba and Santa Margherita, where were happy with restaurant choices and not bothered by crowds.

This is our favorite. We will stay there the third time in Dec. It is in San Polo and we feel like locals when we stay there, yet it is a 5 minute walk to the Rialto and to the vaporetto stop.