Hotel recommendation in Venice

[Soonaddsup]

Hello wonderful helpful people!

 

After some great helpful advice we are now booked on a cruise departing Venice next May (Constellation).

 

Having never visited Venice before we plan to stay there for a few days either pre or post cruise.

 

We need to find a hotel which is well located for seeing the sights but also easy to get to the departure port. I don't know anything about Venice....layout/how to get around etc.

 

Does anyone have any experience or advice to offer regarding areas to stay or even specific hotel recommendations please?

[cynbar]

Well, I'll chime in here. We stayed at the Locanda Orseolo, a small boutique hotel right on a canal in the center of Venice, in a canal view room. We heartily recommend it ---- beautifully restored, a short stroll from St Mark Square in one direction and the Grand Canal in the other. It was priceless to look out our windows and see the gondolas sail by, as well as the hustle and bustle of the city. Beautiful common rooms, excellent service and a wonderful breakfast were all part of the experience. We took a shared water shuttle from the airport but had to cart our luggage over a couple of bridges to get to the hotel, so we splurged on a private water taxi (walked right out a door at the hotel onto the taxi in the canal) to the pier and thought it was well worth the money. For us, it was all about getting the best possible Venice experience, and we felt that was what we had.

[Bruin Steve]

Hello wonderful helpful people!

 

After some great helpful advice we are now booked on a cruise departing Venice next May (Constellation).

 

Having never visited Venice before we plan to stay there for a few days either pre or post cruise.

 

We need to find a hotel which is well located for seeing the sights but also easy to get to the departure port. I don't know anything about Venice....layout/how to get around etc.

 

Does anyone have any experience or advice to offer regarding areas to stay or even specific hotel recommendations please?

 

I've done several pre- and post-cruise stays in Venice...Here's my general and specific recommendations:

 

First thing to note is that for the ideal experience, you want to stay in Venice proper...NOT Mestre (the airport area), not Lido (a resort island accross the lagoon). Staying on the "island" of Venice means you are in the area one traditionally thinks of as Venice--canals, winding alleyways, bridges, etc.

 

Second thing to note is that there are several areas within Venice that are attractive to tourists for different reasons...I'll dwell on two of them--the areas in which I have stayed and most stay:

1) San Marco

2) Piazzale Roma

 

San Marco puts you right at the center of all things Venice...San Marco itself is the large Piazza on which you have the Cathedral, the Doge's Palace and other attractions. There are many hotels in the area of San Marco--within a few blocks of the Piazza. The Westin Europa, Bauer Il Palazzo and the Hotel Monaco are among the larger and more expensive ones. We stayed one visit at the Anastasia, a small 17 room boutique hotel, reasonably priced and very convenient. Another similar hotel, right near the Gondola Station is the Violin d'Oro...

 

But one problem with staying near San Marco is the logistics of getting there with all of your luggage and getting from there to the pier...Of course, everything can be had for a price. There are water taxis and larger scheduled boats that will take you from the airport or pier to this area. Some hotels have private docks and a water taxi can take you directly. When we stayed at the Anastasia, though, we found ourselves taking the public bus to P. Roma, then a Vaporetto (a public bus/boat) to the Vallaresso vaporeeti dock, then walking with luggage a few blocks and over a couple of bridges to the hotel...

 

For the most convenience, a hotels near Piazzale Roma makes a lot of sense...We've stayed in this area several times. P. Roma is the "transportation hub" of Venice--the only area accessible by car, taxi or bus and near the railroad station. There is a "Peoplemover" for one euro per person that goes from P. Roma directly to the cruise pier...and a bublic bus--very cheap with luggage areas--that goes from the airport to P. Roma. And, of course, once ensconsed in your hotel, you can get anywhere around the island easily on foot or by using the Vaporetti (buy a one day or three day pass for unlimited use). We've stayed at the Carlton, the Capri and at the Papadopoli (when it used to be a Sofitel) in this area...Even more convenient (and relatively cheap) are the Ca Doge, the Santa Chiara and the Best Western Olimpia--all putting you right on the P. Roma and steps from the buses and the peoplemover...

 

Good luck...and enjoy...

[Philomath]

I recommend Hotel Gardena, which is an easy walk from Piazzale Roma and also has canal view rooms. It's easy to get your luggage to and from P.Roma for buses to the airport or the people-mover to the cruise port, and the outdoor breakfast garden is the cutest spot! Very reasonable prices as well given the high costs in Venice overall. Not the strongest a/c in our room but my parents' room a/c worked fine. If that's a major essential then it could be a drawback.

 

Another advantage to being near P.Roma is that you can catch the #1 water bus to get the best ride down the Grand Canal to anywhere you want to see in the city - I highly recommend listening to Rick Steves' free audioguide while you do it!

 

Enjoy!

[BosoxI]

If one is to stay near the Piazzale Roma, he might as well stay in Mestre. We have always stayed at the Ambasciatori which is right on ahe #4 bus line, just a few minute ride over the causeway to the Piazzale. Next to it is the Delphino, which is even lass expensive but tends to fill up with tourist groups.

 

There is no denying the allure of staying in Venice proper, but finding a reasonably priced hotel can be an adventure. For a first time visitor, there is good advice being given here, but Mestre is not in the middle of no where and should not be quickly dismissed.

[2islandhoppers]

Depends on your price range. Personally, we like staying on the Lido - less crowds of tourists at any time of the year. The Hotel Panorama is very handy to the vaporetto stop, is a lovely hotel and reasonably priced.

 

Friends who just came back from a Med cruise stayed at the Tribute to Music, a small B&B between the Arsenale and San Zacarria vaporetto stops. The Alilaguna vaporetto from the airport stopped very close. They said the location was perfect for a pre cruise stay and was reasonably priced.

[hawkshoe]

We stayed at the Hotel Papadopoli. It was a great location with the need to only cross one foot bridge which is nice when you are carrying your own luggage. The room was nice and the bed very comfortable. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet was decent but not great. I would stay there again.

[JAKE3337]

Hi,

 

I have a few questions about the Best Western Olimpia as I see a lot of good reviews especially around its location. We have just booked our cruise so I'm only starting the researching.

 

Do you know what the difference is between a regular Double room and a Deluxe Double room? Do any of these rooms have canal views, or how can we get one?

 

For anyone that has been, any idea what the expected rate would be for mid Sept 2016? I'm just not sure if I should be waiting. Right now the rate is about $275 Canadian (just over $200 US), our Canadian dollar is awful right now.

 

Thanks

Angela

[Bruin Steve]

If one is to stay near the Piazzale Roma, he might as well stay in Mestre.

 

No, no, no, no...a million times NO!

Big difference between staying somewhere where you can WALK to a lot of Quaint cafes with outdoor seating, wander narrow alleyways along picturesque canals , etc....and staying in an industrial city where you can wait around for a bus to take a long bus ride to...and back from...that place...

I know there are people out there who have stayed in Mestre to save money ...and THINK they have had the same experience...but they are just plain dead wrong...

[BosoxI]

No, no, no, no...a million times NO!

Big difference between staying somewhere where you can WALK to a lot of Quaint especially for first timers.cafes with outdoor seating, wander narrow alleyways along picturesque canals , etc....and staying in an industrial city where you can wait around for a bus to take a long bus ride to...and back from...that place...

I know there are people out there who have stayed in Mestre to save money ...and THINK they have had the same experience...but they are just plain dead wrong...

 

I thought I addressed the allure of staying in Venice, especially for first timers . About ten minutes from the Ambasciatori on regularly running buses doesn't seem like a great burden to me . Mestre is hardly an industrial city, certainly not where I'm talking about, and its main piazza can be a nice change from the hoards of tourists flooding Venice, not that I would expect first timers to Venice to spend any time there.

[NMLady]

We are going to stay in Venice pre-cruise two nights next October. We have been to Venice before but only as a port stop, not overnight. We have taken a vaporetto on Grand Canal for most of our sightseeing, ending at St Mark's.

 

My husband walks very slowly, with a cane, so cannot pull a wheeled bag. He will wear a backback and have CPAP case over a shoulder. I will wear a backpack and pull 2 wheeled suitcases. (This is our usual luggage for a 21 day cruise with land stays as well.)

 

For us, what hotel would you suggest that has an elevator (that is a must), is not hard to get to from airport, and to port. Obviouly we cannot do much walking, especially on way to hotel or to port with our luggage. We'd need to be near a vapoetto stop for our sightseeing.

 

We'd like to pay less than $200 a night but we know Venice is expensive so would bite the bullet and pay more to get what we need.

 

For airport to hotel and hotel to port is water taxi our only option? Very pricey.

Edited November 1, 2015 by NMLady

[Bruin Steve]

We are going to stay in Venice pre-cruise two nights next October. We have been to Venice before but only as a port stop, not overnight. We have taken a vaporetto on Grand Canal for most of our sightseeing, ending at St Mark's.

 

My husband walks very slowly, with a cane, so cannot pull a wheeled bag. He will wear a backback and have CPAP case over a shoulder. I will wear a backpack and pull 2 wheeled suitcases. (This is our usual luggage for a 21 day cruise with land stays as well.)

 

For us, what hotel would you suggest that has an elevator (that is a must), is not hard to get to from airport, and to port. Obviouly we cannot do much walking, especially on way to hotel or to port with our luggage. We'd need to be near a vapoetto stop for our sightseeing.

 

We'd like to pay less than $200 a night but we know Venice is expensive so would bite the bullet and pay more to get what we need.

 

For airport to hotel and hotel to port is water taxi our only option? Very pricey.

 

For you, especially, I'd say to look at the three hotels right on the Piazzale Roma--Best Western Olimpia, Ca Doge and Santa Chiara--especially those latter two...

The Ca Doge has no elevator...but they will carry your bags for you if you can navigate one flight of stairs...They also have an annex called "Casanova Four Rooms"--which has an elevator:

 

http://www.cadoge.it/?go=camere

 

I would contact them directly to make sure...

 

The Santa Chiara says many times on its website that it is "disable friendly"...It has four floors and an elevator that goes up to the third...just make sure they know you need to be on the first three floors...

 

With either of these hotels, it is VERY EASY and VERY CHEAP to get from the airport to the hotel and hotel to the ship...

There is a public bus that, for a couple of euros per person--or INCLUDED if you buy the unlimited use Vaporetto Pass--will take you directly from the Airport to the Piazzale Roma...To get to the ship, there is a peoplemover (you pick it up right next to the Ca Doge), for one euro each, that goes directly from Piazzale Roma to the front of the cruise ship terminal...There is also a Vaporetto Station right at Piazzale Roma on the Grand Canal...literally steps from the Santa Chiarra...

 

http://www.hotelsantachiara.it/en/hotel/hotel-near-piazzale-roma/

 

The Best Western Olimpia is right off the P. Roma, but requires crossing one small bridge with steps up and back down--which is why I think the other two might be better for you...They do have an elevator, though...

 

http://www.hotel-olimpia.com/

 

Good luck...

[NMLady]

BruinSteve, thank you so much for all your helpful information.

When you say "public bus" is that a land bus or a vaporetto? I presume we can find it easily from airport and that it tales our luggage?

 

I didn't realize that Ca Doge had an annex with an elevator. I will check that out.

Doing a flight of stairs, especially coming down, puts too much weight on DH knees.

 

Hotel Chiara has a lift and doesn't seem to have a stepped footbridge to cross.

 

I will continue to explore the links you've provided. Thank you so much for your time doing that.

[Bruin Steve]

BruinSteve, thank you so much for all your helpful information.

When you say "public bus" is that a land bus or a vaporetto? I presume we can find it easily from airport and that it tales our luggage?

 

It is a regular bus--with wheels. You pick it up right outside the airport terminal...and it takes you right to Piazzale Roma with minimal stops in between.

 

If you go to Google Maps and plug in "Venice, Italy"...

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Venice,+Italy/@45.4656751,12.3281104,13.16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x477eb1daf1d63d89:0x7ba3c6f0bd92102f!6m1!1e1

 

...you will see that, from the airport, there is a main highway--SS14--that tees into SS11--and goes across a causeway (with highway and train tracks) right onto the island of Venice...it enters near the port...and one road stays to the right, goes to Piazzale Roma...and makes a loop...This is the only car/truck/bus access to the island. That is the route the bus takes...

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Venice,+Italy/@45.4399979,12.3175748,1363m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x477eb1daf1d63d89:0x7ba3c6f0bd92102f!6m1!1e1

 

That big lot in the middle of the loop is where the buses stop...and it's an easy, flat, unobstructed walk across the lot to either of these two hotels...

 

Since it's been a few years since I've taken it, I looked up some more recent information...and found this:

 

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice_airport_buses_atvo.htm

 

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice_airport_buses_actv.htm

[NMLady]

Bruin Steve, thank you so much for the additional information, especially for the links to the two different bus lines. Between your help and roothy123 in another hotel thread I now have a much better idea of transportation from the airport to P.Roma.

 

Even though our cruise from Venice isn't until October, because I want to make sure to get a hotel that doesn't have stepped bridges to cross in order to access, I have now booked our hotel thanks to your help. I booked a room for two nights for DH and me at Hotel Santa Chiara, P.Roma. If necessary it can be cancelled up until October 13. So worry about access to a hotel is now taken care of.

 

It is more expensive than I'd hoped for, but I'd forgotten about VAT added.

The location is well worth the cost which isn't too far outside our budget.

 

Thank you again for all your help.

[b_cruise]

I have stayed at the BW Olimpia and the hotel right next to it Hotel Arlecchino. I would pick which ever one is cheaper as they are both very comparible. I know a few people on our last cruise emailed BW direct and got a much better rate. I booked through a 3rd party site, and get a better rate then any offered to the Arlecchino and was happily surprised.

 

I love these hotels because we catch the bus to the airport and it is right there and very easy. Do not be worried to take the airport bus and not a taxi, it is so easy, safe and you save a lot of $$.

[NMLady]

...

 

The Santa Chiara says many times on its website that it is "disable friendly"...It has four floors and an elevator that goes up to the third...just make sure they know you need to be on the first three floors... ... ..

 

In Europe the ground floor is floor 0 so in Santa Chiara the elevator does go to the top floor since what we would call fourth floor would actually only be Floor 3 in Europe. Confusing to us Americans.

 

Thanks again for all your help. We did not want a room in the annex since it's a bit far for hubby to walk, so we splurged and got a canal view room in the main building. It even includes breakfast, something our originally assigned Annex room did not.

[Baseball fan]

Okay, here is my opinion. I've stayed in Venice twice. The first time, we stayed at the Violino D'Oro which is near St Marks and behind the Hotel Bauer. We took a water taxi from the airport to hotel and hotel to ship. Great hotel and location.

 

The second trip was more on a budget. We stayed at Hotel Arlecchino near Piazzle Roma. We took the land bus from the airport to Piazzle Roma. It is a small bridge to the hotel. From the hotel, was a people mover to the ship.

 

I would recommend both as it depends on your budget.

[2ashevillesailors]

Well, I'll chime in here. We stayed at the Locanda Orseolo, a small boutique hotel right on a canal in the center of Venice, in a canal view room. We heartily recommend it ---- beautifully restored, a short stroll from St Mark Square in one direction and the Grand Canal in the other. It was priceless to look out our windows and see the gondolas sail by, as well as the hustle and bustle of the city. Beautiful common rooms, excellent service and a wonderful breakfast were all part of the experience. We took a shared water shuttle from the airport but had to cart our luggage over a couple of bridges to get to the hotel, so we splurged on a private water taxi (walked right out a door at the hotel onto the taxi in the canal) to the pier and thought it was well worth the money. For us, it was all about getting the best possible Venice experience, and we felt that was what we had.

 

Sounds great, looked up the hotel on their Web Site and just booked a room for next April. I have a question, looks like just maybe two+ blocks to walk. I remember this area well. How was it going over bridges with luggage? Also, approximately how much was it for the private water taxi? Looks like a great place! We have been to Venice a couple of times, but never stayed there, I am very excited.

[2ashevillesailors]

Okay, here is my opinion. I've stayed in Venice twice. The first time, we stayed at the Violino D'Oro which is near St Marks and behind the Hotel Bauer. We took a water taxi from the airport to hotel and hotel to ship. Great hotel and location.

 

The second trip was more on a budget. We stayed at Hotel Arlecchino near Piazzle Roma. We took the land bus from the airport to Piazzle Roma. It is a small bridge to the hotel. From the hotel, was a people mover to the ship.

 

I would recommend both as it depends on your budget.

 

Could you tell me what a people mover is? I am thinking maybe like a ferry?

[MNgardens]

The People Mover is more like the little elevated trams that some airports have between terminals.

 

Here is a youtube of it:

[Got2Cruise]

Treat yourself and give yourselves the pleasure of a private water taxi and staying in the heart of Venice. We stayed at Hotel Columbina

[trophy_23]

If you choose to stay just outside Venice, be sure and have a look at Hotel Tritone in Mestre. It is only €1.50 and 10min to get to Venice by bus, and the stop is right next to the hotel. They provide a fantastic breakfast also.

[2ashevillesailors]

Treat yourself and give yourselves the pleasure of a private water taxi and staying in the heart of Venice. We stayed at Hotel Columbina

 

Is there a standard rate for a private water taxi? Have never done this before, thank you for your help.

[roothy123]

It's not for everyone, but I did a LOT of research on hotels, and my husband and I were very happy with the hotel we ended up using. It was Hotel Rio near San Marco/San Zaccaria. It was easy to get to it from the airport by taking the airport bus for 25 minutes, walking a minute to a vaporetto pick up one of the lesser-crowded public vaporettos to San Zaccaria, and walking two blocks (with no bridges - important!) to the hotel. That sounds convoluted, but it's Venice, and nothing is very easy there. Once there, there were lots of places to walk to, including San Marco Square of course, and quite a variety of vaporettos and Alilaguna boats to take various places. The port could be reached fairly easily too (with luggage), although our ship ended up docking at San Basilio, which made me have to re-plan a bit. Hotel Rio rooms are small but comfy and best yet, affordable. I recommend it if you're willing to be adventuresome (plan your route there before you get off the air plane!) and are looking for something affordable yet pleasant and convenient.

 

I think generally the private water taxis are $100 per taxi. Ask where you'll need to go to pick it up. I've read there's some walking involved at the airport - as there is for whatever you take - Alilaguna, airport bus, etc. In terms of walking, I think the airport bus has the least, but then you're dropped off at Piazalle Roma, and there's usually more walking there!

 

Keep in mind that even if you take a water taxi, sometimes there will be a little bit of walking with your luggage, as the taxi may not be able to pull right up to the hotel entrance.

Columbina is close to Rio. Someone I know from Cruise Critic stayed there and said it was nice. Not fancy, and not big rooms, but nice - and convenient.