After the Prosecco Marathon: Venice

The Route: Vidor → rail hub (Conegliano or Treviso) → Venice (3 nights) → airport or home Logistics: From the start area, take a taxi or pre-arranged car with your bags to a station, then a train to Venezia Santa Lucia. Check the Sunday or Monday timetable. The journey takes in the order of an hour or more in total. Marathon Month: December Duration: 3 nights

Vidor ──(taxi)──> Conegliano or Treviso station ──(train)──> Venezia Santa Lucia
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                                        vaporetto along the Grand Canal
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                       3 nights: Dorsoduro, Cannaregio or Castello

Venice is a city of 400-odd bridges, and every one of them is a staircase. That is the main fact for a marathoner, because stairs are the thing the quads hate most. The recovery strategy is to travel by water as much as possible, and to choose a hotel with a short, flat approach from the vaporetto stop.

Venice in December is also at its quietest. The crowds thin out, the hotel rates drop, and the lagoon takes on a pearl-grey light.

December in Venice: it is cold and damp, with fog on some mornings. The sea level rises with the tide, and low parts of the city, including Piazza San Marco, can flood. Raised walkways go up when high water is forecast. Check the tide forecast from the city's tide centre on the day, and pack waterproof shoes. A forecast of high water is a reason to plan an indoor morning, not to cancel.

Getting there

From Vidor, a taxi carries your luggage to Conegliano or Treviso station, and a regional train goes on to Venezia Santa Lucia. Buy tickets in advance, and check the platform. Luggage on the vaporetto is allowed but awkward on the steps, so a hotel near a stop with few bridges is wise.

Where to stay

Dorsoduro, towards the Zattere waterfront, is quiet and has a flat promenade along the Giudecca canal. Cannaregio is a residential district with canal-side walks and the old Jewish Ghetto. Castello is wider and calmer towards the east. Pick a hotel with a lift, and read the location notes carefully: "three minutes from the vaporetto" can include a bridge.

Day one: the Grand Canal

Ride the vaporetto line along the Grand Canal at an easy pace. A single ride is a cheap way to see the palaces, and a multi-day travel pass may suit a three-night stay. Check current fares on the transport operator's website.

Day two: the lagoon

Take a boat to the islands. Murano is the glassmaking island, with workshops and showrooms. Burano is known for lace and for brightly painted houses. The winter boat timetable is thinner than the summer one, so check it. Both islands are flat once you are on them.

Day three: museums and slow walking

December is a good month for the Accademia, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection on the Grand Canal and the Doge's Palace, because queues are shorter. Check the opening days, as several close on Mondays or Tuesdays.

Food

Look for cicchetti, small plates served at bars, with a glass of wine. Seafood risotto, sarde in saor and bigoli in salsa are traditional. Book dinner at popular places on a weekend.

Getting back

Take a train or the airport bus from Santa Lucia or Piazzale Roma. Check the schedule the evening before, and leave time for a water-bus delay if you have a flight.