Alluring shops abound in Venice. You'll find countless vendors of trademark Venetian wares such as glass and lace. The authenticity of some goods can be suspect, but they're often pleasing to the eye regardless of their heritage. For more sophisticated tastes (and deeper pockets), there are jewelers, antiques dealers, and high-fashion boutiques, on a par with those in Italy's larger cities but often maintaining a uniquely Venetian flair.

It's always a good idea to mark the location of a shop that interests you on your map; otherwise you may not be able to find it again in the maze of tiny streets. Regular store hours are usually 9-12:30 and 3:30 or 4-7:30 PM; some stores are closed on Saturday afternoon or Monday morning. Food shops are open 8-1 and 5-7:30, and are closed all day Sunday and on Wednesday afternoon. However, many tourist-oriented shops are open all day, every day. Some shops close for both a summer and a winter vacation. If you plan on a major purchase, take advantage of tax-free shopping with the value-added tax (VAT, or IVA in Italian) refund, whereby non-EU residents are entitled to a tax refund (roughly 13% of the purchase price) on purchases greater than EUR155.00 (pretax) of clothing and luxury goods made in one store.