Venice by the Numbers--Central Venice is divided by Venice's longest (4km/2 1/2 miles) and widest (30-70m/98-230 ft.) waterway, the Grand Canal. Its 118 islands are separated by approximately 170 rio (canals) and connected by some 430 footbridges, mostly stone with iron balustrades added in the 19th century.
Only three bridges cross the Grand Canal: the Ponte degli Scalzi, just outside the train station; the elegant white marble Ponte Rialto (by far the most recognizable bridge, and, for centuries, the only one), connecting the districts of San Marco and San Polo; and the wooden Ponte Accademia, connecting the Campo Santo Stefano area of the San Marco neighborhood with the Accademia museum across the way in Dorsoduro.
Venice Discounts
The newly created Museum Pass grants admission to all the city-run museums. That is, all the museums of St. Mark's Square: Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, and the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana -- as well as to the Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo (Costume Museum), the recently restored Ca' Rezzonico, the Museo del Vetro (Glass Museum) on Murano, and the Museo di Merletto (Lace Museum) on Burano. It's available at any of the participating museums for 16€ ($20) for adults, 10€ ($13) for children 6 to 14 and is valid for one entry into each attraction, over a period of 3 months.
Venice, so delicate it cannot handle the hordes of visitors it receives every year, has been toying with the idea of charging admission to get into the very city itself. Slightly calmer heads seem to have prevailed, though, and instead we have the Venice Card (tel. 899-909-090 in Italy or 041-271-4747 outside of Italy; www.venicecard.it). The blu version will get you free passage on buses and vaporetti, usage of public toilets, and a reduced daily rate of 6.70€ ($8.40), along with a reserved spot at the public ASM parking garage, and a price of 5€ ($6.25) rather than 8€ ($10) for the churches pass. The orange version adds to these services admission to all the sights covered under the expanded version of the Museum Pass see above) plus the Ca' Rezzonico; plus, the card lets you bypass the often long lines. There are versions that also include a ride into town from the airport, but that doesn't actually save you any money in the long run so skip it. (They're working on arranging reserved, timed entries -- the logic being that so many people will have this card, the main sights will be effectively booked up, thus discouraging visitors who arrive without the card.) They're also encouraging various merchants to jump on the bandwagon in some way.
For adults (and in student-friendly Venice, this means 30 and over), the blu card costs 14€ ($18) for 1 day, 29€ ($36) for 3 days, or 51€ ($64) for 7 days; for ages 4 to 29, the blu card costs 9€ ($11) for 1 day, 22€ ($28) for 3 days, or 49€ ($61) for 7 days. For adults, the orange card costs 28€ ($35) for 1 day, 47€ ($59) for 3 days, or 68€ ($85) for 7 days; for ages 4 to 29, the orange card costs 18€ ($23) for 1 day, 35€ ($44) for 3 days, or 61€ ($76) for 7 days. You can order it in advance by phone or online, and they'll tell you where to pick it up.
Anyone between 16 and 29 is eligible for the terrific Rolling Venice pass, which gives discounts in museums, restaurants, stores, language courses, hotels, and bars across the city (it comes with a thick booklet listing everywhere it entitles you to get discounts). It's valid for 1 year and costs 2.60€ ($3.25). Year-round, you can pick one up at the Informagiovani Assessorato alla Gioventù, Corte Contarina 1529, off the Frezzeria west of St. Mark's Square (tel. 041-274-7645 or 041-274-7650), which is open Monday to Friday 9:30am to 1pm, plus Tuesday and Thursday 3 to 5pm. July to September you can stop by the special Rolling Venice office set up in the train station daily 8am to 8pm; in winter you can get the pass at the Transalpino travel agency just outside the station's front doors and to the right, at the top of the steps; it's open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 12:30pm and 3 to 7pm and Saturday 8:30am to 12:30pm.
