The most northerly district of Venice, Cannaregio is probably the one least affected by tourism, but most certainly worth a look. It is a popular place to live with the locals, due to its close proximity to the mainland, which you can get to by foot, train, car, or bus via the causeway which runs out of the Santa Lucia train station. Before the causeway was built in 1846, the main entrance to Venice was the Canale di Cannaregio, which flows past various grandiose Palazzi and the pretty church of San Giobbe, until it reaches the famous Grand Canal.

Castello is the most easterly district on the island and full of fascinating things to see. If you're interested in Venice's naval history then take a look around the Arsenale, which in its heyday was to be the hub of the city's prosperous shipping industry and is where, quite aptly, there is now the Museo Storico Navale. South of the docks are the public gardens where the Venice Biennale is held every odd-numbered year and to the east of these, on the island of Sant Elena, is the city's very own football stadium.

If you are an art lover, then this is the place to be. Across the magnificent Ponte Accademia, which links the San Marco district to Dorsoduro, is the wonderful Accademia itself, which contains examples of mainly Venetian art from the fourteenth to eighteenth centuries.

The island was originally known as Spina Longa (long spine) due to its shape. Facing the Piazetta di San Marco, the island offers some dazzling views of Venice's mainland stretching across the 300m-wide Giudecca Canal. In Renaissance times the island was a favourite holiday resort with the Venetian aristocracy.

Located in the heart of the city, San Polo is where you will discover the legendary Rialto Bridge. Completed in 1591, it used to be the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot until the Ponte Accademia was built in 1854.

Santa Croce is really an extension of San Polo and lies facing Cannaregio on the opposite side of the Grand Canal. It is a popular place to live with university students and is also ideal if you are a visiting for a short time, as it is close to the city's main tourist attractions.

San Marco is a good place to start if you are visiting Venice for the first time. The majority of hotels, restaurants and shops are situated in this bustling district as well as the main tourist attractions. Starting with the Piazza San Marco, which is the largest square in the city, you will immediately be struck by its sheer size.

Home to an abundance of somewhat overcrowded beaches, this sandy, narrow island is about eight miles long and can be reached from the mainland via the car ferry which leaves from Tronchetto (the car park island), or those in a hurry can take one of the regular influx of vaporetti along the Grand Canal which only take about ten minutes.