How to enjoy Venice more

How can you enjoy Venice more? Well for a start you can embrace the fact that Venice isn't just one island and I know this sounds silly but many a confused over exactly how big Venice is, the main island of Venice which contains Saint Marks Square is just one of around 100 small islands in a lagoon that sit in the Adriatic Sea. Many can go to Venice literally only embracing the main island thinking that all those other islands that they passed on their arrival are really nothing very much to do with Venice at all, but the magic of Venice is stepping out of your comfort zone taking a walk off the beaten track so to speak and venturing to some of the other islands. The other thing of course is that you could actually look on the main island, beneath the surface are some true marvels. Why am I for writing this because for many years now I've been returning to Venice amazed by the magnitude of this giant external museum and people saying to me “why do you keep going back to Venice, it's rubbish I've been there there's nothing to do there's nowhere to take your kids it's just only suitable for you know romantic couples” but Venice is far from just a place for romance.

You can go to thousands of places on this planet and find some areas that are similar to others, however sitting in the North of Italy is the islands of Venice. Despite being part of Italy, Venice feels completely different from the rest of the country. It could literally be a country on its own Venice sits in two speeds on the main island near Saint Marks things are fraught with activity, and from about 8:00 AM in the morning through till 8:00 PM at night there are literally hundreds of thousands of people everywhere. But on the main island after 8:00 PM things take a different turn and things slow right down. Whereas the other islands are always operating on a lower pace, things seem much more chilled, the people and the communities are happy to just go with the flow.

Being as we started at Saint Marks Square let's stay there for a little while and once you've soaked in the marvel of the Square and had the common sense to not eat or drink at any of the establishments in the Square (because its very, very pricey) you get to embrace exactly what Venice is. Take a walk to the East of the island along the harbourside in the direction Arsenale. The Arsenale is a former fort which is now used for low level operations and displays, and often bought into part of the Biennale that happens every year alternating between architecture and art bi-annually. While the Arsenale is great to look at keep on walking a little tiny bit and crossover the bridge until you reach an area that is looks like a park, almost immediately as you enter this area you will see a long walkway and if you follow up this walkway you're going to discover the monument of Garibaldi, what's wonderful about the monument of Garibaldi is at at his feet sits a pool of water which contains sometimes hundreds of turtles it’s a nice place to just chill out and relax and look at these turtles splashing about in the water living their best life. What you'll also discover is that you've entered into a completely different community, it's perfectly safe but you've entered an area that is dominated by the inhabitants of Venice and as a result the shops that you may encounter may be operated by people that do not necessarily speak much English, but don't let that frighten you it's easy to figure out the basics. Once you finished looking at the statue and soaked in some of the smaller shops, restaurants or bars have a little walk around the park,, it's quite a small park but it's enough to break things up and make you realise that the Venice that you've seen so far is not the Venice that the local city.

Much to my amusement many people I talk to never even get to see the area of Rio Terra Saint Leonardo, which is the main shopping street of Venice this is where you're going to find the hustle and bustle of everyday life from mobile phone shops, to Co-op and Spar supermarkets , ice cream parlours, shoe shops, fashion outlets, toy shops and newsagents it all sits in this area. Meanwhile next to Italy’s most famous bridge the Rialto bridge sits T. Fondaco Del Tedeschi by DFS, I know it's a mouthful, but what would you expect one of the most beautiful Department stores in the whole world, when I say this, this is even grander than the likes of Harrods in London. The store is probably one of the most under visited tourist attractions in the whole of Venice, yet it features one of the most famous attractions, the rooftop view which literally inundates Instagram with photographs on a daily basis. This Department store is the big secret that few know about, where you can get anything you want at almost any price providing you can afford it. But there's more to this main island than department stores, shopping and a turtle fountain, you have art gallery's you have museums, you have some of the most beautiful churches on the planet, you have the Jewish quarter, you have book shops that have over the passage of time been sunk by the rising waters of Venice, plus and never forgetting some of the most amazing places to eat.

Arriving on what is ultimately the closest island, Giudecca you have a small community that’s tourist trade is based more around bed and breakfast type accommodation with the exception of the enormous Hilton Hotel and its Skyline bar. There is a women’s prison, where the inmates work to aid Italy’s tourist industry. Giudecca has a very bohemian feel about it, art galleries are hidden everywhere, the bars stroll out onto the streets and the food on offer is some of the best that you will find in the whole of Venice but look over to Giudecca from Venice’s main island and it seems remotely uninviting slightly dark and gloomy. The grandiose buildings that you enjoy on the mainland Venice are somewhat missing from Giudecca, there's green spaces and lots of small, tiny, cobbled streets and a few interesting churches. This island has enough to actually entertain you for a whole day and is one of Venice’s best kept secrets. The locals love to see tourists in this area because you've stepped off the beaten track and you've entered into a completely different part of Venice, the locals part of Venice, that tourists don't normally go to unless again they are staying in the ultra-fancy Hilton Hotel which used to be a former factory in the 19th and 2th century.

A stone’s throw away from Giudecca is San Giorgio this strongly religious area of Venice has a cultural centre with huge libraries, some stunning green places and a tower that you can climb up and view the whole of Venice from, it even has a performing arts centre. San Giorgio is however a slightly complex island to reach, and you should take some time to research how to get to and off of the island, while it's not a difficult task there could be passages of time where you're waiting up to an hour to leave the island.

Further over you approach the island of Lido, the main walkthrough from the landing point for boats is probably the closest you're going to stumble across to get the feel of areas like Rimini, from swanky boutiques to cool eateries and chic drinking holes the island of Lido is known for its beaches, where miles of grey Sandy beaches run along the eastern side of this elongated island. The big attraction for Lido is the much-desired Excelsior hotel, which is the grandest hotel in all of Venice a place where the rich and powerful like to be seen, don't worry about not being able to visit however, it may feel super exclusive but it is only about 5 to 10 Euros higher than other bars, go in and have a drink on the terraces looking out over the sea watching the crowds having fun.

Lido also features a variety of casinos and fun tourist things such as bike rides on duo bikes along the circumference of the island, it also has a very, very large and abandoned hotel the Hotel des Bains which was the filming location for the film Death in Venice.

Slightly north of Lido is the small area of Punto Sabbioni, where you feel like you've moved into another part of Venice altogether this area leads you into Lido di Jesolo which is the point where the islands of Venice meet the mainland . Having got off at Sabbioni you'll experienced a small selection of eating locations some harbourside seating areas and a small beach that makes you feel like you've entered the Caribbean, it's particularly interesting on a sunny day watching the crabs basking on the rocks stretching out almost reaching for the sun. A bus will move you from Sabbioni onto Lido di Jesolo where the party element of Venice can be found; here there are water parks, nightclub's, fairgrounds shopping, museums, beaches and hundreds of bars a real find in this unusual part of Venice is that they even have an aquarium.

North of the main island you have Murano the land of glass, this is the home of the Murano glass that you will find all over Venice and probably in a grandparents collection of ornaments. Murana has glass factories and a glass museum. It has some nice places to eat and some interesting sculptures to look at while you're there, the island also has some beautiful churches and an incredibly laidback vibe.

Go North of the main island you have Burano a small fishing community known for its brightly painted fishing houses and for Trattoria al Gatto Nero, the most famous place to get risotto in the whole world. While Burano is certainly one of the quietest islands and your options are slightly limited here it's nice to take a chilled view of the islands from the perspective of a true Venetian

Finally, a short trip to San Michele is a must, and probably the most sombre part of your Venetian trip you will experience this is Venices Cemetery island and photography is strictly frowned upon while on the island but it's nice to walk through the graveyards engaging in centuries of Venetian life looking at the many thousands of graves both basic and elaborate to get a true feel for the Venetian population.

While there is a strong possibility that you knew much of this already for those that are very unaware of what Venice has to offer other than what they see as a standard Venetian view normally found on films like the Tourist and Casino Royale, or the many documentaries. Venice is truly is a place like no other and in order to understand it fairly you need to really experience it, and the best way to experience it is to head to some of these other islands take a look off the tourist track and soak in the wonder of these beautiful islands.