Bibione

Bibione is the easternmost resort of the Venetian Riviera, at the mouth of the Tagliamento on the Friuli border, and one of the most-visited beaches in Italy.

Its beach is wide, shallow and very heavily organised, and its market is overwhelmingly German and Austrian -- so much so that the town operates in German as readily as in Italian.

Two things separate it from its neighbours: it has its own thermal spa, drawing hot mineral water from beneath the resort, and it was the first Italian beach town to restrict smoking on the sand.

Bibione's population multiplies enormously in July and August, and its water, waste and traffic systems run at capacity. June and September are better for the town and better for the visit.

The dune fragments and pine strip at the edges of the resort are fenced and protected; dune vegetation is what holds the beach in place, so stay off it.

The Tagliamento mouth east of the resort is a sensitive lagoon and dune system with nesting birds. Keep to marked routes, particularly in spring and early summer.

Respect the beach smoking restrictions -- they are the reason the sand here is noticeably cleaner than on comparable Adriatic beaches.

Cycle rather than drive within the resort; summer traffic is the town's main environmental problem.

The beach is almost entirely concessioned: umbrella and loungers run roughly twenty to thirty euros a day in season, with limited free stretches. Many hotels include beach service.

There is no railway station. The nearest are Latisana-Lignano-Bibione and Portogruaro, with buses on; buses also run from Venice and Marco Polo airport, taking around an hour and a half.

Venice is about an hour and a quarter by road, Trieste about an hour.

The town is flat and cycling is the local norm, with hire available everywhere.

The seafront and most beach establishments are level and accessible, with walkways onto the sand.

The thermal spa operates a longer season than the beach; most of the rest of the resort closes from around October to April.