Lost in Venice? Tourists have been getting lost in Venice since the 14th century!

A detailed map of this enchanting city is about as rare as finding a decent slice of pizza in Venice. You could ask someone for directions, but Venetians are pretty thin on the ground these days. Tourists outnumber the locals 300 to 1. But you don’t need a local to find your hotel if you understand how addresses in Venice work.

Venetian addresses are different in that they don’t locate a residence or business on a street, but rather in one of Venice’s six sestierei, or districts. For example, if the address of your hotel is 5068 Cannaregio, don’t go looking for Cannaregio Street. You’re not going to find it. Canneregio is the name of the district your hotel is located in.

All arrivals into Venice are by way of the Piazzale Roma bus terminal or the Santa Lucia train station. As no cars, bikes or motorcycles are allowed, you’ll be getting to your hotel by vaporetto (water bus). Before arriving, contact your hotel and ask them what is the closest vaporetto terminal to them. For the hotel at 5068 Cannaregio, the closest terminal would be Fondamenta Nove.

When you disembark the vaporetto, find the nearest street and note the first number you see. All businesses and residences in Venice have this number stencilled above their doorways. They are all very visible and well maintained, so they’re hard to miss.

It’s a simple matter of noting how the number goes up and down to determine if you turn left or right, head north or south, or cross a street or bridge. Continue walking and follow how the numbers change until you reach your hotel. It’s a lot faster than looking out for street names which are often not posted.

On a final note, it’s important to familiarise yourself with where one district ends and another begins. A clue that you’ve crossed into another district, and are going the wrong way, is that the numbers change drastically when you cross a bridge (like from 3050 to 5015 in just ten meters). Simply turn around and go back the way you came.

Travel Hows is an advice blog for independent travellers. It offers inspiration and practical travel “how tos”, and is based on my ongoing travel experiences. http://www.travelhows.com/