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....