Venice Street Map
 

I am continuing with my pre-trip planning and looking through the restaurants on Fodors.com. I thought it would be great to actually locate a restaurant on a map of Venice before leaving but using viamichelin have been unable to accomplish that task.

I have the eyewitness Italy book but the map doesn't show all streets in Venice. Anyone know of a good map on the internet (or elsewhere) or am I just going to have to wait until I get to Venice and purchase one?

I really like the Streetwise Guides, they're plastic coated and fit in a back pocket. There's also Artwise, but Streetwise has a street index which can be very useful!

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...qid=1062786184

What timing! I have always liked the Streetwise maps and just yesterday picked up (at Barnes and Noble) one for Rome and one for Venice as I'm starting planning for next year. But the Venice one is rather strange. The directory is divided into five or six areas of Venice. So you have to already know which area a particular canal, street, or campo is in, in order to find it in the index. No big problem, except it takes a lot of searching if you don't know where something is to go throught each of the categories of each of the areas in order to find it.

I love the Streetwise maps and used mine for NYC frequently on passed trips. I wasn't sure how accurate they were for Europe. Also Patrick, all of my guidebooks have restaurants, etc in Venice broken down by the siestries so I actually think that would make it easier to locate the street if the map is also broken down that way. I'm going to get one today!

I printed out the Fodors recommended restaurants by area and each has an address. The one in particular I am looking for had a rather good recommendation: Alla Dona Onesta, Ponte de la Dona Onesta, 3922 Dorsoduro, Venice. Can you find it on Streetwise?

Actually, that wasn't the correct restaurant. I'm looking for Al Gondolieri, Fondamenta Zorzi, Bragadin, 366 Dorsoduro, Venice.

Yes, I just found both on Streetwise Venice. Fondamenta Zorzi Bragadin is directly behind the Guggenheim's gardens.

Thank you Patrick! Perhaps I will get one then. Appears it shows enough detail.

We found it easier to have a map that was smaller. Unless you really want to find a specific address, IMO it's easier to walk around with one sheet of paper instead of juggling several different maps. And you will be doing a lot of walking!

I ended up going to a local bookstore and looked at all of the Venice maps they had (which was quite a few, and I don't live in a major metropolitan market!). There were a few locations I knew from research, like the train station and our hotel, which I used as my basis for buying the map.

Just another suggestion as a backup.

We used the National Geographic laminated street map, which I purchased at Barnes & Noble months before the trip. I opened that thing so many times before the trip to look up places and always found the street I was looking for very easily.

The other thing I liked about it was the lamination...it's still good as new, and was a cinch to refold again.

I will have to check out the Streetwise map before our next trip, though. I hear a lot of good things about those maps on the board.

Just a fair warning - even with the best of maps, navigating Venice can be very disorienting! Be prepared to get lost a few times, but that's part of the charm of this city.

To those above, maybe you don't realize -- Streetwise is a laminated, easy fold map. Mine for Paris has lasted me about five trips now, and I can actually tuck into my back pocket, although it sticks out a bit.

Thanks, Patrick. I had no idea. I just bought was looked to be best at the time. I'll have to look for Streetwise the next time.

One more vote for Streetwise Guides.

Two things:
First, the thing I like about the NG Traveler street map is that it's all on one side (at the one for Paris), rather than two sides like Streetwise.
Second, even with the best street map of Venice, you're going to get lost. Why? Because there are not always signs identifying the streets! But fear not, as a previous poster wrote, part of the joy of Venice is getting lost!

me too

the only cities where I've supplemented Streetwise are Paris and Rome--needed a more detail for some obscure areas.
For Venice I think SW is perfect.

I got an Insight map which is also laminated and had every street labeled. It was great--also included all the vaporetto routes and stops, very clearly labeled.

I agree that one of the best things about Venice is getting lost. I'm curious. Has anyone out there who has walked more than a block or two in Venice, NOT been lost at some point?

Good morning, Rhonda
At the southwest corner of the Pza S.
Marco is the office of Venice Tourist
Office gives free a Pianta di Venezia.
A Free map and tho it does not have all the names of the calles is a very good
guide and knowing how to read the signs
really is difficult to get lost in
Venice.... Richard of LaGrange Park, IL>

The beauty of Streetwise is the yellow highlighted path, illustrating the most commonly walked calli. For me, the downside of Streetwise - I need a magnifying glass to read it. Years ago, I solved this problem by taking the map to a quality color laser printer. I had each sestiere blown up to 200%. Then I cut and pasted my own map. It worked beautifully.

I no longer need a map for Italy's fave 3 but I must say, a Venetian friend recently gave me a new map by Magnetic North called "The Illustrated Venice Map." It's the best map of Venice I've ever seen. The graphic design is perfection and every calle, even the tiny ones, seem to be labeled. Remarkable! It's a fold-out style but includes the surrounding islands. The publisher is Draughtsman Ltd out of London.

Patrick, in answer to your question, we never actually got "lost" while in Venice, much to our surprise. We only used our map a handful of times and that was just to look up a specific place we wanted to see.

We seemed to mainly just wander in the general direction we wanted to go and found our way around rather easily. I do agree, though, that just wandering in Venice is one of it's charms.

I like the idea of "getting lost in Venice". We plan to take it easy and just enjoy, however, I thought it would be a good idea to acquaint myself with the different areas so I am not totally confused and perhaps look to see where a restaurant or two is beforehand. I hate that "where shall we eat" syndrome when you are hungry. One the first day we get into Venice airport around 5 p.m.

NYC, great idea to "blow up" the map. I have an inexpensive pair of magnifying eye glasses I take skiing with me so I can read trail maps and was considering tucking them in my purse for traveling as well.

Just wandering around Venice is one of the joys of the place. Still, there are times when you need to get from point A to point B as efficiently as possible. If you have a halfway decent map that shows all the streets and waterways, Venice is really not that hard to navigate in.

The biggest problem we had when using a map was getting used to how small the city really is. We'd be following the map, get distracted by some interesting sight, and discover that we had passed a turn without realizing it. Distances just aren't all that long in Venice.

I liked the Rough Guide map (sold separately, not part of a book). It is big, more detailed than Streetwise, and with clear print that is much easier to read. It is soft and foldable, but water resistant and did not tear easily or wear out at the folds. I have a poor sense of direction, but with that map I easily found my way to various specific destinations on tiny streets and also figured out where I had managed to end up after my periods of wandering at whim through back streets. The index is also clear and easy to use.

Hi Ronda,

I also like the Streetwise Venice map and have used it with great success. I used it on a visit to Venice for 9 days and I think we only got "lost" once when there was more than one street with the same name. Be aware that this can happen and that that is why you need to know not only the street name but which area of Venice the street is in too. I agree that you will get lost at some point, but that is one of the beauties of Venice.

Have a great time!

Daria

Ronda, I had about 5 maps of Venice LOL & still got happily lost. The one I used the most was from an inside/out book on Venice. I don't know if it's available in the US though. It was purchased in the UK. It is a small guide book with a built in <bcompass and 2 foldout origami type maps plus a vaparetto map. (BTW I had read here about ahving a compass & it comes in handy) It doesn't show every street though but was a good way of having lots of info in one small place.

Now, more importantly, we were really disappointed in Ai Gondelieri. I wouldn't recommend it. The food was average at best, the prices high, the room nothing special &amp; the service a bit snooty. It was one of those places where they were out of the wine my husband selected, the waiter offered another suggestion that we agreed to (without asking price) &amp; it turned out to be <i>double</i> the price. That was also before we realized that ordering LOCAL Veneto wine was the best option for price in Venice.

Patrick, the reason your map is separated by sestieri is that there are more than one of many streets as Daria says, but not usually in the same sestieri. All addresses end with the name of the sestieri (ie Dorsudoro, San Polo, Cannaregio etc.)

One more reason for buying a Streetwis guide. They make good fans for when the weather is hot.

It sounds like the Inside-Out Guide map may be the &quot;Popout&quot; map. We originally found these in London but you can get them from Amazon.com (and I assume elsewhere in the US.) These are 5.25 x 3.75 in. but fold out to roughly three times the size in such a way that you don't have to completely unfold and refold them. As stated above, sort of like origami. They're _very_ unobtrusive to use. We've used them in Rome, Venice, Berlin, and Paris and _really_ like them. The Venice one may not include every single steet, but we found it more than detailed enough in the central section. It did also include a vapretto map. (I found this somewhat difficult to decipher, but it matches the ACTV one.) Did I mention we _really_ like them. :)

Enjoy your trip,
Paul

Dona Onesta is a nice trattoria :) Have eaten there a few times, great seafood each time.

I used the Streetwise map during my visit to Venice. It was useless, and I eventually stopped looking at it. I think any map would be useless in Venice. This is because of the way the streets are constructed. The typical street leads into a square, and then out of the square. Even when I found the street on the map, it was usually impossible to figure out which part of the street I was standing on. (A compass may have helped.)

Fortunately, almost all the squares have directional signs that point to well-known places, e.g. St. Marks Square, Accademmia, etc. I ended up relying on these signs, and also occasionally asking people for directions.

We ordered a Venezia map from Travel-Italy.com for just the purpose you mention. We did not really get lost (but we tried!). I guess you can't count walking by Harry's Bar and not seeing it as being lost right? The helpful thing we did not realize is that if you can just get yourself to the local ferry stop ($10.00 for a 24 hour pass) you can get right back on track (if that is what you want!).

I found the Streetwise map very useful in Venice for touring, but it is still hard to find an address even after you find a street.

Hi
As I've said before, I'm a fan of Streetwise maps (the only time it was notably insufficient for me was in Rome--too many little alleys not shown on the map)and I have found it to be all I need on my Venice visits.

Venice also has its own dialect, so that the name written on the street sign in &quot;Venetian&quot; may not look at all the same as the name written in the guidebook or map. Also, street names are repeated from one district to another, just to keep things interesting. So, finding a location by building number is challenging.
from frommers: &quot;Every building has a street address and a mailing address. For example, a business at Calle delle Botteghe 3150 (3150 Botteghe St.) will have a mailing address of San Marco 3150 because it's in the San Marco sestiere (district), and all buildings in each district are numbered continuously from 1 to 6,000.&quot;

I navigated flawlessly throughout Venice, Florence and Rome with Streetwise maps. They are the best!!!

I agree with some of the posters here that the Streetwise Venice map is excellent. The only bad thing about Streetwise is that their maps can be hard to read in the dark.

One thing I learned, after living in Venice, is when walking through Venice, navigate from campo to campo and if in doubt, follow a Venetian.

THe streetwise maps have served me well in Venice, but over the years I find I need reading glasses now to zero in on the intricacies. Re Ai Gondelieri restaurant, don't waste your time. It is a disappointing tourist trap.

Good morning, Ronda my daughter forwarded this web site to me and its
is very good with walking tours and etc
great general information of Venice.
it is )www.venicebanana.com) think you will find it great.. For good ristorantes would suggest the DA REFFAELE, AL TEATRO, POSTE VECIE, AL GONDOLIERI and the CHAT QUI IT....