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Venice - floating on its calm lagoon with its labyrinth of canals, bridges and narrow streets - is a captivating city facing a new millenium crisis. Visitors still flock in their thousands to see the blend of Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance architecture for which Venice is renowned. Splendid palaces (palazzi) and numerous churches are filled with Renaissance art in the form of frescoes, sculptures, paintings and mosaics. Works of art by Leonardo da Vinci, Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto and Canaletto adorn the walls of galleries, including St Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) and the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale).

Defined by the two-mile-long Grand Canal, along which which so many of the city's famous palaces and grand buildings are accessible, Venice has six distinctive districts offering varied persectives on this enchanting city. First-time visitors naturally head directly for 'Europe's finest drawing room,' St Mark's Square, with its wealth of cultural attractions, fine shopping and dining. Beyond the tourist frenzy of San Marco, San Polo and Santa Croce are at turns lively and tranquil with the appealing Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio at its heart; by contrast the narrow back streets of residential Canneregio give a feel for residential Venice and there are delightful excursions to be enjoyed to the neighbouring islands of Burano, Murano, Torcello and Lido - where master craftsmen continue the legacy of lace and glass production and Venetians take summer day trips.

Venice has entered the 21st century facing an alarming decline in its population and its landscape - due to a rapidly rising water level - and costly remedial work is now underway to save this world treasure from the encroaching sea. For the time being Venice retains the fragile beauty that gives it such rare distinction amongst world cities.

Venice City Facts
Venice Population: 324,000 (Source: UN Population Estimate Revision 2003)
Italy Population: 57,253,000 (Source: UN Population Estimate Revision 2003)
Venice Area: 457.5 sq km (178 sq miles)
Currency: Euro (€, EUR)
TimeZone: GMT plusone hour
Language: Italian
Telephone Area Code: 041 for Venice, precededby +39 for Italy

Venice Districts
Central Venice has six Sestieri, or districts, with the Grand Canal forming a giant question mark that threads through the city's compact centre. It is easy to get lost amongst the mazy alleyways and inadequate signposting: take a good map.

San Marco: Bustling San Marco is to many Venice's core – historically important in the social, political and religious life of Venice, and containing some of the city's crowning attractions: amongst them glorious Piazza San Marco with the golden Byzantine masterpiece Basilica San Marco and the Gothic Palazzo Ducale, backed by the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri). Other highlights in San Marco include the Correr Museum, the recently restored La Fenice opera house, several major theatres and Campo Santo Stefano, home to a leaning campanile and host to summer classical music concerts.

San Polo: San Polo's muddle of streets may make you curse medieval town planners - but the Rialto markets, fine cuisine and historic attractions invariably delight. Facing San Marco across the Grand Canal, this compact district is crammed full of restaurants and bars, making it one of Venice's few districts offering decent late night entertainment, along with Dorsoduro. San Polo has long been the banking and business centre of Venice. It's showpiece attractions are the Rialto Bridge and its nearby fish market, several beautiful churches such as the historic San Giacomo di Rialto and the Campo San Polo - Venice's second largest square. Carlo Goldoni's House, the church of Santa Maria dei Frari and the Palazzo dei Camerlenghi are also well worth a visit.

Dorsoduro: Popular as a base for visitors, residential Dorsoduro is a large district strong on art and restaurants, most attractive on its eastern side near the Grand Canal. Attractions include the unmissable Galleria dell'Accademia,Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice Ca' Foscari university and the Zattere promenade. Other must-sees in Dorsoduro include the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, the Ariani, Ca' Rezzonico Dario and Zenobio Palazzi. Evenings come alive at the café-lined Campo Santa Margherita.

Santa Croce: Occupying north-west Venice, on the south bank of the Grand Canal, Santa Croce serves as a welcome contrast to frenetic San Marco and San Polo: here you have space to roam and soak up authentic Venetian neighbourhood atmosphere. San Croce's historic eastern segment is notable for its fine pizzerias and absorbing churches including San Nicolo da Tolentino, the Fondaco dei Turchi and gothic San Giacomo dell'Orio in the eponymous and attractive square. San Croce also connects travelers to the mainland at Piazzale Roma and houses the impressive Modern Art museum at Ca Pesaro.

Cannaregio: The ancient Jewish Ghetto, beautiful canals and open spaces, and an impressive collection of monastries, churches and palaces characterise the tranquil residential district of Cannaregio. Dominating the Grand Canal's north bank, this authentic Venetian neighbourhood has the outstanding palace of Ca' d'Oro; Tintoretto masterpieces at the beautiful Madonna dell'Orto plus the more prosaic Stazione Ferroviaria transport hub. The Ghetto's Jewish Museum (Museo Ebraico) runs tours which explain the history of the first Jewish ghetto in history, with access to the five synagogues in Campo del Ghetto. A wide range of restaurant cuisine is avaiable on the Fondamenta Misercordia.

Castello: Bordering San Marco's eastern edge, leafy Castello is Venice's largest sestiere that contains several essential Venice attractions including the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), the vast Naval Museum, the churches of La Pietà and San Zaccaria and the former military shipyard of the Republic at Arsenal.