Tips and useful numbers

There are not many recommendations to give to the tourist in Venice. It is a very safe city but common sense still applies. Beware of pickpockets, do not keep all your valuables together, try to use traveller's cheques and credit cards as much as possible and do not accept invitations or offers that sound too good to be true.

Venice hosts around twelve million visitors per year, but its local population does not reach 300,000 and it is in constant decline. Congestion is likely and you should observe some elementary rules:

a) when you are walking through the city, especially in the narrowest 'calli' (streets), you must keep to the right, one person behind the other, allowing room for people coming from the other direction, or for people who want to walk faster than you;
b) if you wish to stop on a bridge, you must always leave room for others to pass;
c) it is prohibited to have picnic lunches on bridges and around monuments;
d) help the city keep itself clean by using the designated waste baskets.
Under no circumstances do get entangled in the "three cards" trick; the kind of game where the entertainer looks absolutely useless and people around him keep winning big money by guessing the right card. Then they invite you to participate... and guess what? you lose your money!!! The game is illegal and there is no way to win: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Variations of this rip-off use match boxes and a tiny ball instead of playing cards, but the result is always the same.

Embassies and Consulates Austria Santa Croce 251 tel 041/524 0556 Australia Via Alessandria 251, Rome tel 06/854 2721 Belgium San Marco 1470 tel 041/522 4124 Canada Riviera Ruzzante 25, Padua tel 049/876 4833 Denmark Santa Croce 466/g tel 041/520 0822 France Castello 6140 tel 041/522 4319 Germany Cannaregio 4201 tel 041/523 7675 Netherlands San Marco 423 tel 041/528 3416 New Zealand Via Zara 28, Rome tel 06/440 2928 Norway Santa Croce 466/b tel 041/523 1345 Spain San Polo 2646 tel 523 3254 Sweden Santa Croce 499 tel 041/522 7049 Switzerland Zattere 810 tel 041/520 3944 UK Piazzale Donatori di Sangue 2/5, Mestre tel 041/505 5990 - Foreign and Commonwealth Office USA Largo Donegani, Milan tel 02/290 351	Emergency numbers To contact the police in an emergency dial 113 from any telephone. For mobile phone users, the European emergency number is 112 If you breakdown with your car, call ACI on 116 Lost and found On vaporetto and ferry, call ACTV on 041/272 2179. On road public transport, call the ACTV on 041/272 2838; for losses incurred on the railway, call FF.SS. on 041/785 238 - If you lose your documents or credit cards, walk into a Police station to report it and obtain a receipt for insurance and renewal purposes.
Public transport ACTV tickets (24 hrs) - tel 041/238 1510 Vaporetto timetable (24 hrs) - tel 041/238 1520 ACTV information service - (w/days 0800-1430) tel 041/528 7886 Buses at Lido (24 hrs) - tel 041/238 1540 Port of Venice - tel 041/520 5600	Water taxis Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia (airport) - tel 041/522 2303 Cooperativa San Marco tel 041/523 5775 Cooperativa Veneziana tel 041/716 124 Cooperativa Serenissima tel 041/522 1265 Cooperativa Bucintoro tel 041/523 2473 Cooperativa S. Giorgio tel 041/522 8777
Health Public toilets are located at Tronchetto, Piazzale Roma, Campo San Leonardo, Academia, Campo Rialto Novo, Calle Ascension, Giardini Reali, San Bortolomio and SS. Apostoli. These facilities are open every day between 08.00 and 19.00 and you will need € 0.52; also see the health section.	Car taxis Venice, P. Roma - tel 041/523 7774 Lido, S.M. Elisabetta - tel 041/526 5974/5 Mestre and Marghera - tel 041/936 222
Parking facilities and garages Garage San Marco - Santa Croce 467/g, Piazzale Roma - tel 041/523 2213 Autorimessa Comunale - Santa Croce 496, Piazzale Roma - tel 041/272 7301 - € 15.49 all day Autorimessa Toderini - Santa Croce 513, Piazzale Roma - tel 041/520 7979 Garage Venezia - Santa Croce 466, Piazzale Roma - tel 041/522 8725 Park - Isola del Tronchetto - tel 041/520 7555 - € 5.16 for first 3 hours, € 15.49 all day Posteggio Sant'Andrea (ex ACI) Santa Croce, Piazzale Roma - tel 041/520 6235

At times you may be approached by unauthorised people offering to take you to the best glass factories for free. Here is the comment from one of our readers, Allan Cerf from California: unfortunately the "best glass scam" extends to the world-famous factory itself, on that little island. and the author of the scam is equally the factory AND the hotel I just recommended, the Monte Carlo, who say "why not take a free tour of the factory?" after a thrilling, short boat ride, one gets a wonderful, truly great tour - and then one is put upon to buy something. so why am I still recommending the Monte Carlo? simple. this is Italy and the hotel simply does not regard this as a scam (undoubtedly they have a commission deal worked out with the factory.) why judge them when such things are within the culture? my advice, skip the tour, delightful as it is (the BBC filmed a documentary at the factory) unless you INTEND TO BUY GLASS.

Also beware of people trying to guide to this or that car park: they are not authorised and have other ideas in mind; all car parks are well sign posted and will show whether spaces are available or not. Rates are shown at their entrance and you should only deal with car park attendants carrying an ID card.

One final word of advice: on exiting the airport, there are touts trying to get you on a water taxi ride into Venice: don't do it. By law, taxi drivers are not allowed to leave their boats unattended and some of them are not even licensed. If you are thinking to travel in style, book a water taxi through us before you leave; we can arrange for a local escort to look after you all the way from arrival to your final destination.

Italian State Tourist Offices around the World

BELGIQUE, BELGIË - Bruxelles Office National Italien de Tourisme - Nationaal Italiaans Verkeersbureau 176 Avenue Louise 1050 Bruxelles tel: +32 2 647 1154 Fax: +32 2 640 5603	CANADA - Montréal Office National Italien de Tourisme - Italian Government Travel Office 1 Place Ville Marie, Suite 1914 Montréal tel: +1 514 866 7667 Fax: +1 514 392 1429
DANMARK - Köbenhavn Den Italienske Stats Turistbureau Oestergade 24 B22 - Postbox 2204 1018 Köbenhavn tel: +45 3 312 3433 Fax: +45 3 315 3873	DEUTSCHLAND - Dusseldorf Staatliches Italienisches Fremdenverkehrsamt Berliner Alee, 26 4000 Dusseldorf
DEUTSCHLAND - Frankfurt am Main Staatliches Italienisches Fremdenverkehrsamt Kaiserstrasse 65 60329 Frankfurt am Main tel: +49 69 237 430 Fax: +49 69 232 894	DEUTSCHLAND - München Staatliches Italienisches Fremdenverkehrsamt Goethestrasse 20 80336 München tel: +49 89 530 360-9 Fax: +49 89 534 527
ESPANA - Madrid Organismo Oficial Italiano para el Turismo Edificio España - Gran Via 84 28013 Madrid tel: +34 1 559 9750 Fax: +34 1 559 8885	FINLAND - Helsinki Italian State Tourist Office Etelaesplanadi 24-A5, Pl. 256 00131 Helsinki
FRANCE - Paris Office National Italien de Tourisme 23 Rue de la Paix 75002 Paris tel: +33 1 4266 6668 Fax: +33 1 4742 1974	FRANCE - Nice Office National Italien de Tourisme 14, Avenue de Verdun 06048 Nice

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Internet points
Crearte
Campo San Polo 1083
tel 041/241 1100
open 10-13 and 15-20
Internet@cafe
Calle del Campaniel 2898/a
tel 041/244 0276
open 10.00-21.00
Net house
Santo Stefano 2967
tel 041/277 1190
open 24 hours
The net gate
Dorsoduro 3812/a
tel 041/244 0231
open 11-20 (Sun 14-20)
Venetian navigator
Calle Casselleria 5300
tel 041/277 1056
open 10-22 (19.30 winter)

Internet services away from home
Venetian navigator 2
Calle delle Bande 5269
tel 041/522 6084
open 10-22 (19.30 winter)

Italian courses for foreigners
Istituto Venezia
Dorsoduro 3116/a, Campo S. Margherita
tel 041/522 4331
www.istitutovenezia.com