I love Venice with every fibre of my being. I lived there for several months as a student and have been back every two years ever since. My dream life involves living there for the whole of May and June every year. Until that happens, I make do with biannual long weekends to check out the Venice Biennale, drink campari spritz and eat spaghetti vongole.
The Arts Edit
Where to start? I'm not going to talk about the obvious sights but don't miss them - Piazza San Marco can be hideously busy but still makes my heart sing every time I wander through. If you want to visit the basilica, go early in the morning before the crowds gather. The Palazzo Ducale is fascinating and worth touring. Every church you walk past has something to recommend, but my favourite is the Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. And please don't miss the Scuola Grande di San Rocco where you can see the most beautiful Tintorettos.
Obviously if you're in town for the Biennale, your focus will be on contemporary art and you can head straight to the Giardini and Arsenale and get stuck in. Other amazing contemporary spaces in the city include two owned by art collector Francois Pinault - Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana. The exhibits are sometimes controversial or overhyped (at the time of writing, they are housing a tiresome Damien Hirst show) but the architecture is amazing and should be seen. Victoria Miro has an offshoot of her London gallery near the Teatro Fenice which shows artists in her very high-quality stable. Palazzo Fortuny is a stunning building which is worth a visit if it is open for a temporary exhibition. And Casa dei Tre Oci, on the island of Giudecca, often shows interesting contemporary artists (currently David LaChapelle).
For modern art, don't miss the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, housed very sympathetically in her old home, for its wonderful displays of artists including Picasso, Brancusi, Pollock, Ernst and Malevich plus a good programme of temporary exhibitions.
The Food and Drink Edit
The most fun areas for eating/drinking are Dorsoduro (the student area) and Castello (lots of locals - this is where I always stay).
In Dorsoduro, head for Campo Santa Margherita where there are several great bars and the people watching is fantastic. My favourite is Caffe Rosso (which has a sign that just says Caffe) where they do the best spritz in the city, but Orange and Marguerite Duchamp are also fun and cheap. The restaurant in the square does good cheap pizzas too. Gino's on the street down to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is good for a quick cheap and tasty 'tramezzino' (sandwich) lunch.
In Castello, the bar to go to is Refolo on Via Garibaldi - great fun and open til late. The restaurants on the same street are all pretty good too - I always head to one or another for a mountain of spaghetti vongole on my first day. The best 'cheap as chips' pizza in the area is Dai Tosi - it's a bit tricky to find but absolutely worth it.
If I only had one night in Venice, I'd eat at Corte Sconta in Castello. You need to book in advance and like fish but it is very special and the clams in ginger and white wine are my Death Row Meal.
Alle Testiere is small and perfectly formed, and I had one of the best meals of my life there in July. Clams, lobster ravioli and beautifully cooked fish followed by crema rosada (Venetian creme caramel) and washed down with prosecco and grappa (yes, the grappa was a mistake) - just a truly joyful evening.
The Practical Edit
If you can splash out, I would recommend getting a water taxi from the airport into the city. It's a total joy, although at €110 (for the whole taxi) it's an expensive joy.
Once you arrive in the city, it's worth getting a 24/48/72 hour ticket for the vaporetti (waterbuses) so you can jump on and off as you like. It works out much cheaper if you're going to make more than a couple of trips, especially if you plan to go out to some of the other islands. You can't buy tickets on the boats.
Generally speaking, I walk around Venice because I'm always trying to pack too much into my time there and the vaporetti can be really slow, but if it's your first trip do get the No 1 vaporetto up or down the Grand Canal so you can see all the amazing buildings along the canal and get a feel for the geography of the city.
And one final tip: head to the newly refurbished post office, which is now an impressive department store called Fondaco dei Tedeschi. Bypass the shopping (or don't if you have the cash to splash, obviously) and head up to the roof terrace for the best views in the city.