I can’t say that I can recommend the food in Old Venice (do your eating in the new city of Venice), but other than that, Venice in spring or late fall (end of September, first of October) is magical. Saint Marcus Square is, by itself, worth seeing. And by all means sit and have a coffee of your favorite kind and watch the people go by.

But avoid the temptation of taking the boat out to the island to see the glass blowers at work. It’s a waste of money! You can see the same thing right in Venice itself and you don’t have to pay the boatman.