Venice Hotel

[Gracie115]

@cruisemom42 or anyone that can help.  We were both booked on a fall 2020 X cruise to several Adriatic ports.  Obviously that cruise was cancelled due to Covid.  We have finally found an itinerary that is similar on a Princess ship and we are trying to find a hotel in Venice that will be close to city center.  We have never been to Venice before and will only have a few days there so want to pick wisely.  We are looking at the Garden Hotel Olimpia right now, which looks good but not sure of location.  Are you or anyone able to pass on any advise in this regard?

 

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

[edinburgher]

12 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

we are trying to find a hotel in Venice that will be close to city center

Venice hotels can be challenging due to there being no road access after the train station and Piazzale Roma, and to reach your chosen hotel,the number of bridges to cross on foot with luggage is another challenge as they are mostly stepped. Another option is to leave the bulk of your luggage in a left luggage and only carry with you a small bag with your essentials for a short stay. or hire a porter.

 

There have been numerous past threads explaining the logistics and best locations depending on whether you arrive by train or from the airport and I suggest you read at least some of them to help you decide.

 

this would be a good starting point

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2988138-trieste/#comment-66828153

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2949199-venice-hotels-and-luggage/#comment-65689648 (esp post #2)

 

 

https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruise-terminal-hotels-piazzale-roma.htm

 

And this which describes the number of bridges to hotels.

 

https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/bridges/

 

Find them all by using the search tool under your username.And do delve into the wonderful europeforvisitors/venice website to find all the info you will need for your first time stay. the more you look the more you will find.

Edited July 4 by edinburgher

[Gracie115]

20 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Venice hotels can be challenging due to there being no road access after the train station and Piazzale Roma, and to reach your chosen hotel,the number of bridges to cross on foot with luggage is another challenge as they are mostly stepped. Another option is to leave the bulk of your luggage in a left luggage and only carry with you a small bag with your essentials for a short stay. or hire a porter.

 

There have been numerous past threads explaining the logistics and best locations depending on whether you arrive by train or from the airport and I suggest you read at least some of them to help you decide.

 

this would be a good starting point

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2988138-trieste/#comment-66828153

 

 

https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruise-terminal-hotels-piazzale-roma.htm

 

And this which describes the number of bridges to hotels.

 

https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/bridges/

 

Thank you for the links.  I didn't realize the Hotel Olimpia would be difficult to access.  We will be coming in via some kind of transport from Trieste where the cruise ends.  

 

I will read all the links you provided but one question... where would we find the "left luggage" you mention?  I certainly don't want to drag all the bags we would have from the cruise over a series of bridges so this option sounds good.

Edited July 4 by Gracie115

[edinburgher]

15 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

We will be coming in via some kind of transport from Trieste where the cruise ends. 

Again,  there have been multiple past threads about transport between Venice and Trieste, even more since many ships  had to divert there once the cruise terminal in Venice closed.

 

This is one of the most recent, but there are more to be found. You can find threads about "Trieste"  travel by using the search tool under your username.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2988138-trieste/#comment-66828153

 

And the same for "left luggage in venice". threads.  There is one at the train station but there are others as using left luggage in venice is a popular option given the logistical challenges..  You could either search for past threads here on CC or a simple internet search should find them.

 

lots and lots of reading for you to do, but Venice is wonderful if you  get the logistics right.

 

 

Edited July 4 by edinburgher

[matamanoa]

I will start off by telling you that our hotel experience in Venice was ten years ago when we spent three nights post cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed not only our hotel but Venice itself.  Great compact city to walk around in and yes, there are a lot of bridges.  We stayed at the Best Western Hotel Olimpia on Fondamenta Delle Burchiel and while it was a small hotel, we thought it was a great location.  our ship was docked in Venice when we got off and so that has changed now due to the restrictions of large cruise ships not being allowed to dock.  From the port area we walked to the people mover train and did a 30 second ride to the Piazzale Roma.  From there our hotel was close by but we did have to drag our bags up and down some steps.  The hotel was right on a small canal and while the rooms were not huge, they were comfortable and clean.  We did find the shower a bit small but hey, compared to the ship's shower, this was luxurious 🙂 The hotel had a nice garden room with some tables and chairs to sit at with a green space off of that with a few more chairs for sitting outside.  My husband and I both caught colds while we were in Venice and the hotel was very good about letting us use their back garden with a couple of lounge chairs to relax in as we didn't feel up to touring and our flight out at night was hours away.

So I would recommend this hotel due to the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff and that it was convenient to walk to all major attractions.  Hope this helps.

[mapleleaves]

Th Olimpia is very popular with cruisers because of it's convenient location. The hotel is just off the Piazzale Roma which is the last point for travel for cars in Venice, so it's where buses, taxis and cars drop off their passengers.  And P Roma is only a block away from the Grand Canal so you can hop on a water bus there and start your sightseeing.  Also, across the Grand Canal from PRoma you will see the Venice S Lucia train station. 

As I said, the Olimpia is so popular with cruisers due to : easy access to airport transportation (20 minutes), easy access to the water bus, and easy access to the train station.

 

I believe there is one small bridge to cross maybe 10-12 steps.  

The Venice for Visitors website has detailed instructions.  Or look on youtube.

 

In addition to the Olimpia there are 4 or 5 other hotels on or near the Piazzale Roma. 

'How Many Bridges?' hotel listings for Piazzale Roma | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com)

 

Will you be arriving to Venice via the airport or train? 

And how are you getting to your ship ?

 

 

p.s.  The couple who maintain VeniceForVisitors have a YouTube video showing the walk to the Olimpia. It starts in PRoma where the ATVO airport express bus drops people off.

The husband narrates the walk as he follows his wife along the route. So easy.

Walking to Hotel Olimpia (youtube.com)

 

[kapper]

We stayed at the Hotel Olimpia pre-cruise in 2015. We really enjoyed the hotel - location was really good (the less dragging bags around, the better). The complimentary breakfast at the time was one of my favourites of the whole trip! The staff was wonderful and the hotel was beautiful. If we ever find our way back to Venice, we'd definitely stay again. 

 

Post cruise we stayed at the Locanda Vivaldi - gorgeous hotel right on the Grand Canal - I'd highly recommend as well.

[mapleleaves]

Not all hotels have an elevator (lift) so whether you stay at the Olimpia or one of the nearby hotels, be sure to ask if they have an elevator. 

'How Many Bridges?' hotel listings for Piazzale Roma | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com)

[matamanoa]

17 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

Not all hotels have an elevator (lift) so whether you stay at the Olimpia or one of the nearby hotels, be sure to ask if they have an elevator. 

'How Many Bridges?' hotel listings for Piazzale Roma | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com)

The Olimpia had a hotel, albeit a small one.

[SSAtlantic]

I will also say we enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Olimpia in 2019.  I would definitely stay there again. We had a shuttle arranged from the airport and he dropped us as close as he could. I think we had 1 or 2 small bridges to go over. It was super easy to get to a vaperotto stop.  There are several nice restaurants in the area too. 

[Langoustine]

On 7/6/2024 at 8:47 AM, matamanoa said:

The Olimpia had a hotel, albeit a small one.

?

[SSAtlantic]

I would guess “elevator”. It was small and narrow. One of us got in with our large suitcases and the other 2 took carryons up the stairs. 

[matamanoa]

The elevator was very small and narrow and we both couldn't fit in with our one suitcase apiece at the same time.  But it did the trick and was better than lugging suitcases up the stairs.

 

Barb

[Gracie115]

We've made reservations at the Santa Chiara..no bridges. More than we wanted to spend but since it's most likely our only visit to Venice why not?