ABOVE: QuickVenice has a "mobile first" responsive layout that adapts to computer monitors, tablets, and smartphones for optimum display and quick page loading.

By Durant Imboden

Ever since 1997, Venice for Visitors has been what PC Magazine calls "the premier visitors' site for Venice, Italy." The site has provided in-depth information about Venice to millions of travelers over the years.

Recently, though, we realized--after 17 years--that some travelers don't want in-depth information:

• Maybe they're staying in Venice for only a day or two and just want to know the basics.
• Maybe they're browsing the Web with smartphones and need a phone-friendly experience.
• Or maybe they simply aren't as enthusiastic about reading and researching trips as we are.

With those thoughts in mind, Cheryl and I came up with an idea for a new site: "Quick Venice," using the theme "All the basics for shorter trips."

The site is now live, and it offers 75 pages of practical, useful, personally-researched information under the headings of:

• Introducing Venice
• Deciding where to stay
• Arriving and getting around
• Sightseeing and excursions
• Venice for cruise passengers
• Practical advice and warnings

Each page has a small photo, just enough text to convey the required facts or advice, and links to in-depth Venice for Visitors articles or other resources when needed.

The site is built around a "mobile first" responsive layout that adapts to displays on desktop computers, laptops, large or small tablets, and smartphones.

It's designed for quick loading, and for even faster display times, the pages are cached and served from 23 regional data centers around the world.

We hope you'll take a look at the new site. Even if you prefer the in-depth approach of Venice for Visitors, you may find that QuickVenice is perfect for use when you're browsing the Web on a smartphone or with a sluggish hotel Wi-Fi connection.

You'll find QuickVenice at:

quickvenice.com

In a new article at Venice for Visitors, we describe Andrea Fontana's Imobber - Venice Ticket Reader app for use with ACTV water and land bus tickets in the Venice region.

The app makes it possible to check how many rides you have left, how many new rides you can store on your ACTV ticket, when you validated the ticket for your current ride, etc. just by scanning the ticket with any Android NFC-equipped smartphone.

You don't absolutely need the app if you travel mostly by water bus, because you can always check your ticket at an ACTV stop instead. Still, being able to check your ticket anywhere is convenient, the app's English-language interface is nicer than the little readout on the ACTV's ticket scanners, and the app is free.

For land buses, the app is incredibly convenient, because you can't check your ticket without boarding a bus. Having Imobber on your smartphone will save you from having to remember what kind of fare is on each ticket and how many rides you have left. This is something to keep in mind if you'll be taking land buses from Mestre to Venice's Piazzale Roma or on the Lido di Venezia.

For more information, read our Imobber article at Venice for Visitors or visit the Imobber - Venice Ticket Reader page at the Google Play store.

Screen capture: Andrea Fontana.

ABOVE: "Where can I picnic in Venice?" is one of the questions that we answer in our new FAQ at Veniceforvisitors.com.

We've just published a Venice Travel FAQ at our main site, Venice for Visitors (a.k.a. Veniceforvisitors.com). The 10 pages of Q&A cover the following topics:

• General questions about Venice
• Planning a trip
• Hotels and vacation apartments
• Arriving and getting around
• Money and credit cards
• Food and drink
• Sightseeing and tours
• Shopping
• Personal safety and emergencies
• Cruises

Many of the answers link to more detailed information on our site, or (where appropriate) to other resources such as the Port of Venice's ship calendar and a list of lost-and-found offices.

We think this new FAQ will be a great tool for travelers who want a quick-and-easy introduction to Venice, or who dislike drilling down through menus or using site search.

To see the questions and answers, please click the link below:

Venice Travel FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) at Veniceforvisitors.com