I will be in Venice in Feb. 2007. Any suggestions for restaurants, stores, clubs, tourist spots, tourists traps, little unknowns, "must dos", etc? It will be my mom and godmother (in their 50's) and my sister and I (in our late 20's).

We are staying at the Westin Europa & Regina. How would we get to the hotel from the train?

Since Venice is home to the most well-known tourist trap in the world, I'd say you have to ride a gondola. It's a great way to see the beautiful canals and architecture that make Venice Venice. Also look into a lace demonstration at one of the only schools of lace that are left in Italy. Finally, if you need a break, take your pick of one of the many cafes and enjoy a glass of wine or cafe freddo.

Just use the search feature here on Fodor's for tons of trip reports by Fodorites that have visited Venice DMetriss.

Venice as well as Nice -- you are planning a big trip! If you followed the link to my trip report on Nice, you will easily find my Venice report.

I don't agree with rachael9 about taking a gondola trip. It's the greatest rip-off I know. Vaporetto and shank's mare will get you around much more cheaply.

Oh you must take a gondola ride. It is expensive but it a neat experience. My recommendation for what to do in Venice is to wander the streets and soak up the beautiful city. You can walk for hours and see some really beautiful buildings.

When I went with my daughter, we both enjoyed the Secret Itineraries tour at the Doges palace. A search here will reveal the phone number for reservations. The tour was not expensive and gave access to parts of the palace you couldn't see if you didn't take the tour. Very interesting.

Hi DM,

You might want to look up Venice under "Destinations".