My husband and I are taking our 13 y/o granddaughter to Venice and would like recommendations on a guide for a few hours. Not really sure whether we need this and could use some advice. We're in the city for 3 days in mid-June.

Hello, gardngrl, a trip to Venice with your granddaughter will be so delightful! I am sulking as my grandsons are now adults and consequently at this point in time there will not be any more trips with them right now but hopefully in the future.

Regarding a guide in Venice, I have no recommendation but I would suggest that you might want to go to your local library and see what travel books they have. And of course the internet is a good source of information and all the threads on Fodor's regarding Venice is also needless to say. But if you want to hire a guide and you do not receive any information you might contact the hotel that you will be staying at in Venice and they would not doubt be able to give you some recommendations. Enjoy your special time with your granddaughter, girls usually are enthralled with Venice!

I'd suggest some reading - "Venice" by Jan Morris, and "Venice for Pleasure" by J.G. Links. Both books give a "non-guidebook" view of Venice, and "Venice for Pleasure" gives three well described walks around Venice, with many pictures. I think that you can see Venice well without a guide - maybe let your grand daughter be your guide.

Here's a link to a guide written by me:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...st-verbose.cfm


Make sure that you cross the Grand Canal by traghetto - there's one right by the Rialto market, which is a tourist destination in itself.

I wrote a sort of treasure hunt for Venice when I was there a year ago - you can find it here, and it might amuse your grand daughter.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-teenagers.cfm

The Venice Tourist Board provides a guide website.
http://www.guidevenezia.it/

They also offer a few guided group tours.
http://www.turismovenezia.it/eng/dyn...sp?PAGINA=4493

Hi Gardngrl - If you're interested in guided tours check out the following, which have all been recommended here:

www.walksinsidevenice.com

www.tours-venice-italy.com/

http://www.tours-italy.com/venice-ci...e_in_1_day.htm

www.citytoursinvenice.com

www.venicescapes.org

www.aguideinvenice.com

www.ilburchiello.it

A good general website is -
www.unospitedivenezia.it

Hope this helps ...

Steve