Experiencing Venice

[Fishboy1947]

Several years ago I took a land tour of Italy. In Venice we stayed on Lido. I felt that we missed something not being in the heart of Venice. Just for roaming around and getting a feel for the city.

 

When researching what cruise for us (75 & 71 and our 3 grandchildren, 20, 20 & I8) to book, I received a lot of good info here from people whose opinions I value. 

 

One piece of advice was to do myself a favor and stay near the Piazzale Roma, mainly due to hassles with baggage & transportation.  I have read this advice on other websites as well.

 

I understand the basis of this advice, but my question is will we experience Venice staying there on the peripheral of the city. We will probably be spending most of our time walking and exploring the city but will we miss some of the Venice experience staying there.

 

I like not learning everything the hard way but want to get the most out of this once in a lifetime experience with the “kids”.

[euro cruiser]

It particularly makes sense to stay near Piazzale Roma if you're only there for one night, for a longer stay the appeal lessens, at least for me.  The good news is that Piazzale Roma is an integrated part of Venice, it's not isolated in the way that the Lido is.

 

One way to make staying further into the center of Venice easier is to check your luggage at Piazzale Roma and only take what you need for your Venice stay with you, that avoids the hassle of moving a lot of luggage on vaporettos and down crowded, narrow calles.

[VMax1700]

Also there are porters offering an unofficial service.  To/from hotels/train station/Pza Roma.  I have no idea how much they charge but I am sure it is negotiable and good value.

[Ride-The-Waves]

We have done both, a hotel near P. Roma and hotels near St Marks.  The latter much better to experience Venice.  First trip ever in 1987 was a small hotel around the back side of St Marks.  Last visit three years ago we booked a very nice hotel near the bridge in Academia.  Close to both St Marks and close to San Basilio.  Water taxis will get you anywhere you want to go.  Don't worry about being close to land transportation.  Taxis run from the airport into the heart of Venice.  Enjoy Venice as Italians do.

[Hlitner]

We have often stayed at the P. Roma (Hotel Ca Doge) because it is just so convenient for cruisers.  To us, it does not take away from our experience in Venice.  The P.  Roma is actually pretty convenient to parts of Venice that we enjoy (the less touristy area near the university) and has a large Vaporetto (ACTV) pier which serves us well if we want to go to any of the other islands or just around Venice (although we prefer to walk everywhere in Venice).    There are also some decent restaurants, not normally  known to most tourists that is within a few minutes walking distance.    Having been to Venice many times we tend to avoid the St Marks Square area (especially during the daytime)since it is always overrun with tour groups and just about every restaurant/cafe in that area charge rip-off prices.  We used to post that it is possible to spend over $20 on a single cut of coffee in that area.

 

Folks need to understand that getting around Venice with luggage is a true pain.  Much of the difficulty can be avoided by taking a water taxi directly to your hotel dock, but you are likely to pay at least 120 Euros for that ride.

 

Hank

[MeHeartCruising]

I stayed for 3 nights at Hotel Ca Doge on P. Roma.  I did not feel that it's location detracted from my enjoying Venice one bit.  No matter where I was going to stay, I was going to walk and walk and walk and ride the vaporetto as desired.  I really only spent 1/2 a day in the St. Marks area.   The rest of the time, I was out exploring the near and far corners of the city on foot and by boat.  At the end of the day, usually after dark, I would find my way (literally, because you always get lost to some extent) back to the hotel.  I loved seeing the city away from the crowds along the way back to the hotel.

 

One thing I did not do, if I recall, was to go back and forth between my hotel and sightseeing much during the days.  Maybe once.  Once I left in the morning, I was gone for the day, the most part.

[cruisemom42]

I am probably one of the most persnickety travelers/cruisers when it comes to hotels and hotel locations. (See the long thread on Hotels in Rome for evidence of my long years of research and list-making, combined with experience. 🤓)

 

Venice is definitely a challenge. I happen to agree with you that Piazzale Roma is not the place to base oneself to have an ideal experience. I also agree with others that Piazzale Roma is a good solution for many who are taking a cruise after and/or are only staying overnight. But -- for me -- it's not the BEST solution.

 

I visited Venice last in late 2018 with my young adult son. I have been to Venice several times, so somewhat know all of the challenges, and also the dissatisfactions in past stays. I must have looked at dozens and dozens of hotels. We arrived by air so I wanted one that was near a convenient Alilaguna stop. (Alilaguna runs a water shuttle from the airport with limited stops in Venice.)  I also wanted to be near a vaporetto stop, in a hotel that could be reached from the stop with no bridges, and that preferably was on the Grand canal. Oh, and well-located but not actually IN the at-times insane tourist throng.

 

As if that wasn't enough, I am also picky about the hotel itself. Not a fan of American chains when traveling, not a fan of the type of overly cutesy small Venice hotels that are tarted up with more marble, gilded wood and Murano glass than the original owners would've ever considered. We also wanted a good breakfast (DS especially).

 

I eventually found a couple of hotels that I considered, and finally went with the one that had an exceptionally good rate for the time of year (late November, very off-season). Otherwise it would've been a stretch. Not a Hotel Danieli-type stretch, but not cheap.

 

I'm sure I would have been happy with the other -- but this one had both vaporetto and Alilaguna stops virtually at the front door (so no more of a hassle than Piazzale Roma, in fact, probably less. Near the Accademia bridge and La Fenice but not right on the tourist trail.  Decor perfect, not overdone but definitely Venetian. Delicious breakfast. Loved everything about it.

 

Many people wouldn't put in as much research time. But if you're already thinking Piazzale Roma isn't for you, then it might be wise to spend a few days (or nights) looking at other options. Make a list re: what is important to you and in what order. Are you willing to pay more for a property that meets all your needs?  Are you willing to spend hours looking for deals?  

 

 

[Fishboy1947]

I have found reading these boards and asking questions of the very knowledgeable participants to be the best research that I can do. Thank you.

 

We’re planning to spend two nights in Venice. I will continue my research with the suggestions that I have received at my fingertips. I don’t think either area would be a mistake.  I anticipate we will be out and about the city all day.

 

I may continue looking at apartments vs hotels but keeping it simple may win out here

 

We will be there in mid-June and I would like to make early reservations.

 

Our ship has an overnight in Ravenna then leaves from Ravenna. My original plan was to not go to the ship until just before sail away. Now I think I’ll use the ship’s first day in Ravenna as my transit day and have the whole day and evening to get there. This relieves the pressure of leaving the Venice hotel and having to get to the ship by 2:00 PM, which made the hotel location paramount.  Now I feel that I have more flexibility.

 

As an aside, we have a Mediterranean cruise this October. My hotels, Athens Gate in Athens and Hotel Jazz in Barcelona, were cruise critic recommendations. I truly value your input

[Carnevale]

We have made about 25 trips to Venice over the years some of which were stays of several weeks so we know it fairly well.  We do not recommend staying near P. Roma.  As has been suggested, take a water taxi to a hotel near San Marco as you will have a much better / more interesting experience.  I agree with the poster who recommended a water taxi.  They are expensive however, my guess is your grandkids will remember it as a highlight and when you consider that it will take all of you and your luggage the price isn’t too bad.  If the weather is good the back of the taxi will be open and you can stand up and get an amazing view of the Grand Canal if that’s the route you go.  
 

If you do this it helps to book a hotel with a water entrance as then you will dock right there and the hotel staff can help with your bags going to your room.  But if you arrive during an aqua alta (high tide that floods the city) it might not be possible to get right to your hotel as at times the water is too high for boats to get under the bridges ( not often, but it can happen ).  
 

Hope you have a great time!   It’s a magical place especially in San Marco after sunset listening to the palm court orchestras at the cafes.

[KarimaJ]

This is interesting. We are staying 1 night at Ca Doge before our cruise out of Trieste. We picked this hotel because the morning of the cruise we can just roll our luggage over the bridge to the train station. Supposedly a quick 5 minute walk.

My question, how far is it to see the Palace and other touristy sites? We will pretty much have one full day to see Venice. Any recommendation on authentic restaurants in the area? Not the expensive tourist trap ones. Thanks.

[pompeii]

On 6/16/2022 at 2:21 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

I eventually found a couple of hotels that I considered, and finally went with the one that had an exceptionally good rate for the time of year (late November, very off-season). Otherwise it would've been a stretch. Not a Hotel Danieli-type stretch, but not cheap.

 

 

Which hotel did you choose?  I'm currently looking and would like to find one like this.  Thanks

[DRedmond]

On 6/26/2022 at 2:43 PM, pompeii said:

Which hotel did you choose?  I'm currently looking and would like to find one like this.  Thanks

I am also interested in the name of the hotel!

[vino100]

On 6/16/2022 at 10:24 PM, Carnevale said:

We have made about 25 trips to Venice over the years some of which were stays of several weeks so we know it fairly well.  We do not recommend staying near P. Roma.  As has been suggested, take a water taxi to a hotel near San Marco as you will have a much better / more interesting experience.  I agree with the poster who recommended a water taxi.  They are expensive however, my guess is your grandkids will remember it as a highlight and when you consider that it will take all of you and your luggage the price isn’t too bad.  If the weather is good the back of the taxi will be open and you can stand up and get an amazing view of the Grand Canal if that’s the route you go.  
 

If you do this it helps to book a hotel with a water entrance as then you will dock right there and the hotel staff can help with your bags going to your room.  But if you arrive during an aqua alta (high tide that floods the city) it might not be possible to get right to your hotel as at times the water is too high for boats to get under the bridges ( not often, but it can happen ).  
 

Hope you have a great time!   It’s a magical place especially in San Marco after sunset listening to the palm court orchestras at the cafes.

Do you have a favorite hotel? It sounds like you are very knowledgeable. 

[cruisemom42]

On 6/26/2022 at 3:43 PM, pompeii said:

Which hotel did you choose?  I'm currently looking and would like to find one like this.  Thanks

 

On 7/5/2022 at 1:29 PM, DRedmond said:

I am also interested in the name of the hotel!

 

13 minutes ago, vino100 said:

Do you have a favorite hotel? It sounds like you are very knowledgeable. 

 

Sorry, for some reason I totally lost track of this thread, so apologize for not answering the questions.

 

The hotel is the Sina Palazzo Sant' Angelo, located about four paces from the Sant' Angelo vaporetto and Alilaguna stops. Sina is a deluxe Italian hotel chain; I'd say Americans would compare it to a well-run and understated 4-star hotel, rather than a 5-star property. It has a sense of authenticity that I like. Friendly and professional staff, very good breakfasts and of course the location which for me is exactly what I was looking for. 

 

However, it's not cheap, especially if you want a room facing the Grand Canal. We did not opt for one as we were there in late November when it got dark early and we were out walking around most of every day.

 

https://www.sinahotels.com/en/h/sina-palazzo-santangelo-venice/

Edited November 23, 2022 by cruisemom42

[vino100]

Thank you for the info. 
we have stayed at locanda Orseleo and loved it, but it is closed. 
 

[cruisemom42]

46 minutes ago, vino100 said:

Thank you for the info. 
we have stayed at locanda Orseleo and loved it, but it is closed. 
 

 

I never stayed there but I remember it was extremely popular for a while.