Nothing quite prepares you for Venice. You can read about it, see film of it and listen to people enthuse about it, but only when you're actually on the Grand Canal with the wind in your hair watching a Venetian sunset will you fall under its magical spell. This is truly a place like no other - a city built on water, where the main streets are canals; there's traffic, but not as we know it. It's also a city rich in art, sculpture and music. But there are many other faces to Venice.

The shopping here is as good as anywhere in Italy with all the designer names, as well as crafts such as jewellery, glass and fabrics. There are chic bars and a vibrant nightlife and little surprises round every corner. Wander from your intended route and you could find yourself in a small but beautiful piazza - there might be a little restaurant, a chapel or a shop selling Carnival masks. This is a city for art-lovers and romantics ... and anyone who wants a brief escape from the age of the automobile. The main trips out from the city of Venice are to the islands of Murano and Burano. Murano is like a miniature version of Venice itself, but with more modest palaces and fewer churches. Everything here revolves round the glass manufacturing industry which has been established here since 1292.

A visit to the Glass Museum or one of the many galleries is well worthwhile. Visitors to Murano might like to visit Burano on the same day. This has traditionally been a lace-making centre and the houses here are painted in a rainbow of blue, red, peppermint, russet and yellow - colours that are attractively reflected in the waters of the canals. Both islands are reached by waterbus - the journey's about 40 minutes.