What to pack for Venice

In a nutshell: comfortable non-slip shoes are the single most important item - you'll walk on bridges and marble for hours. Layers and a light jacket for the evenings, waterproof boots in November-February (acqua alta season), and a universal adapter for the sockets. Back to the planning chapter or check the weather first.

The essentials

• ✦Non-slip shoes - the single most important item: you'll walk on bridges, marble and paving for hours, and heels are a misery
• ✦Layers and a light jacket - the evenings over the lagoon turn cool, even in summer, and the stone streets hold the damp
• ✦A packable rain shell or collapsible umbrella - for the sudden showers that roll in off the lagoon
• ✦A refillable bottle - the city's public fountains (fontanelle) run safe, drinkable water piped from the Alpine foothills
• ✦Waterproof boots in November-February - that is acqua alta season, when the low-lying squares flood