Venice, along the canals

Gondolas are an essential part of the Venetian landscape. Particularly photogenic at sunrise or sunset, when the oblique rays gently gleam the black lacquer of the hull.

Attached to the back of each gondola, the indented fittings have six recesses symbolising the six districts(sestiere) of the city: Castello, Santa Croce, Cannaregio, Dorsoduro, San Polo and San Marco. The gondola is 11 metres long and has been painted black since a decree in 1633 banned coloured boats in order to limit the ostentatious luxury of the Venetian upper classes.

Today, very few new boats emerge from the two shipyards that have survived in Venice. But those that can be seen gliding silently along the canals are meticulously maintained by their owners.

They may go on strike (sometimes) to protest against the growing traffic on the canals, and charge fares that may be considered excessive (we'll come back to that very quickly)... the gondoliers define the City of the Doges as much as Saint Mark's Square or the Bridge of Sighs.

With his boater, striped trunks and singing voice, this unrivalled gondolier has no equal when it comes to taking visitors back in time by guiding his boat and his guests (up to six people) along circuitous canals where all you can hear is the water lapping against the smooth hull.

A veritable modern-day caste, the profession of gondolier is still passed down from father to son, and the tradition lives on on the canals of Venice.

No time to wait for the vaporetto? A speedboat taxi can take care of your transport (for a hefty fee!). However, don't expect to go as fast as by car. Driving on water has its restrictions and Venice, like all big cities, has its share of traffic jams.

At peak times, the Grand Canal is overflowing with boats of all kinds. And the bypass routes, which take the form of inlets dug under porches or canals running one after the other, mean that you have to be very familiar with the rules of the road: one-way streets, right of way at junctions, lanes reserved for gondolas.

The hardest part is docking, because you don't just stop anywhere in Venice's liquid streets. Unless you have a special parking space, water taxis only dock for a few minutes.

Most grand Venetian hotels have two entrances. The official one, sometimes decorated with a velvet carpet, leads down to the lagoon. It leads to a private pier where the hotel shuttle bus docks. And the unofficial one, a hidden porch on a little-frequented canal, which keeps the comings and goings of VIP guests out of sight of curious onlookers.

For a stay like a prince or princess, two addresses are a must: the Danieli and the Palazzo Gritti. Two luxurious five-star hotels housed in historic residences.

The first is just a stone's throw from Piazza San Marco; the second borders the Grand Canal, at the level of the Galleria dell'Accademia.

The rooms, lounges and restaurants exude a distinctly Venetian atmosphere, with wood panelling, painted frescoes and furnishings that replicate the splendour of the City of the Doges.

Its white dome stands on the left bank, at the mouth of the Grand Canal. Right on the water's edge, the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute is the protective guardian of the Serenissima. It has been one of the city's monumental landmarks since the 17th century.

Venice had just lost 150,000 citizens to a terrible plague epidemic. A third of its population at the time. Perceived as a divine punishment, the plague was the subject of a vow: a church would be built to the glory of the Virgin Mary if the epidemic ceased. This happened in 1630, and the basilica was completed in 1682.

Santa Maria della Salute is celebrated every year on 21 November. A wooden footbridge spans the Grand Canal, linking the church square to Piazza San Marco. The faithful use it to attend the service held in the basilica. On this day, the gondoliers also have the tradition of having the oar of their boat blessed.

There's Carnival, of course, which takes place in the streets, squares and canals of Venice, but the Serenissima also regularly celebrates its inextricable links with water. A number of events punctuate the Venetian calendar, providing opportunities to discover the traditions of the lakeside city.

Every year around Ascension Day (in May), the ceremony of marriage with the sea brings together numerous boats on the lagoon. The most important is the Bucentaure (a replica), the former boat of the Doge of Venice (now replaced by the mayor), from which a ring is thrown into the sea, always uttering the same phrase: "We marry you, Sea".

A much more recent festival, created in 1975, the Vogalonga, or long race, takes place at the end of May around Whitsun. This major regatta brings together hundreds of participants aboard a wide variety of boats. They set off for a 30km run from the Basin of San Marco, passing through Murano, Burano, the Cannaregio Canal and the Grand Canal for a panache-filled finish.