@NYCFoodSnob Seeing someone having a panic attack is a traumatic experience, not something I would be glad to see. Its quite possible to witness such an incident, in all that lines I will attend all day long. Thats what I mean by saying traumatic experience, and my mother language is Hellenic.

Hi Petros,

what a detailed itinerary you have - i hope that you are not derailed by the crowds of carnevale!

one point that struck me for you Day 1 is that the opening hours for Santa Maria della Salute are quite limited - 9-12 and 3-5.30 - so you need to take that into account as you will want at least 30 mins in there before it closes. if you want to escape the crowds, the nearby island of San Giorgio with its campanile is worth a visit.

on day 3, if you got an early start, you could and should do the Rialto market first, then the Frari and the Scuola di San Rocco, and then go to the islands, aiming for Burano and Torcello - the Basilica is a MUST see IMO. there is fantastic view of the Dolomites from the island against the blue winter sky if the weather is clear. I know that you are keen to consume cicchetti and ombre at various places, but you might be thwarted by the crowds anyway, so I would prioritise the sights, and take your refreshments where and when you can.

Good luck with your first trip to Venice!

<i><font color=#555555>"my mother language is Hellenic"</font></i>

My apologies. Some of us lead a busy life and don't have time to stalk every detail. I caught your first paragraph, which mentions Carnevale, food, and photography (which are words that jump out to me), but I did not read your itinerary paragraphs. I never know how to respond to tourist itinerary queries. How much one can fit into one day is a personal choice, and I don't have a controlling bone in my body.

<i><font color=#555555>"Seeing someone having a panic attack is a traumatic experience"</font></i>

I've seen worse.

annhig- if you're still checking here, can you please email me? paulam910 at Hotmail.com. grazie!

just sent, sarge.

did not notice upon a quick glance is you are doing a boat ride down the Grande Canal - to me it is the absolute highlight of Venice, especially at night when the crumbling pastel-hued facades of ancient palazzo silently slips by, hinting at Venice's glory days. Public transit boats regularly ply the Grande Canal or you can do as Lord Byron did and swim its length!

I have never understood what the big attraction is at the Rialto market. It's just a bunch of produce stands, and some stinking fish stalls. But . . . to each his own.

@annhig I hope that too! I'm getting a little anxious with all that crowd warnings. Whatever, on what you said on the Santa Maria de la Salute, well then I will skip Peggy Guggenheim and see the Church, and the museum later. Yes I heard good reviews on the Campanile di San Giorgio, the view is Amazing. I will be going to Frari and Scuola before Rialto because its on my way, I will start from Dorsoduro. Its a good idea to visit the islands after visiting the Rialto. Added. Thanks!! :)

My advice: Plan to do/see about half as much as you've listed, and use the gained time by wandering around and getting lost in Venice. By getting lost, you'll stumble across amazing photo opportunities that you might miss on your planned itinerary. On your next trip to Venice, you can see the sights that you don't see this time.

I have never understood what the big attraction is at the Rialto market. It's just a bunch of produce stands, and some stinking fish stalls. But . . . to each his own.>>

are you a cook, Holly? we loved the range and freshness of the produce, and being asked what we wanted the potatoes for [roasting or boiling appeared to be the choices]. and the way in which the butcher gave us a sprig of rosemary to put with our lamb. sadly, that rarely if ever happens in the UK.

and fresh fish doesn't stink.

I will be going to Frari and Scuola before Rialto because its on my way, I will start from Dorsoduro. Its a good idea to visit the islands after visiting the Rialto.>>

sounds like a good plan - hope it all works out.

I agree with Alice that getting lost in Venice is a great way to see it too - areas like the one around the Basilica of St Gi e St Pi [Giovanni and Paolo] and the Giardino vaporetto stop should get you away from those pesky crowds - the further away from San Marco the better!

For comparison, if possible, how dense are the crowds at Carnivale versus Munich's Oktoberfest? I have been to the latter in the late afternoon and evening and thought the mass of people quite manageable; and a group of us are going to Carnivale over the last weekend in February, so I'd like to have some reference frame for the weekend. Thanks.