Bikes are not allowed in Venice. You can ride across the Ponte della Liberta (the 4km bridge that takes trains and cars onto the island) but once you arrive it's like riding up to the front door of a mansion and being asked to take your shoes off. The 40km ride from Padova along the Brenta canal was fabulous, despite a sudden downpour right about lunchtime. The SR11, which runs the length of the canal, into Mestre and over the bridge, takes you past several historic Venetian villas, some restored and others in various states of abandonment. It is quite a buzz to see Venice loom up in front of you as you ride across the bridge not knowing what to expect once you reach the other end. Taking the bikes into Piazzale Roma attracts that many stares you may as well have walked in a couple of baby elephants. Peak season in Venice requires patience, a sense of purpose and a touch of aggression as you battle the heaving masses of tourists, dogs, strollers and trolley bags (I saw one man in a wheel chair, how on earth did he get there?) By some fluke, or perhaps I planned it, our hotel, (Hotel Antiche Figure - fabulous BTW) was not far from the Liberta bridge. Still there was no way we could avoid a couple of bridges, carrying our bikes, much to the amusement of everyone around us. Still the hotel staff didn't bat an eyelid, happily storing them before we threw ourselves to the mercy of Venice's maze of streets happy to wander aimlessly (this time round we were prepared and did not fight it, it's inevitable you'll get lost here, just go with it).