Hotel in Venice, Italy

[boone2]

Haley42, we are booked to stay at the Hotel Gorgione in July prior to our Emerald cruise, we have heard great things about the hotel independantly of the boards. Iwonder if you could tell me how you got from the airport to the hotel, we are thinking of the water bus but have concerns about "schlepping luggage" Thanks in advance

Terry

[KnoxvilleSam]

Contrary to what rgastin quoted, the price of a water taxi is NOT 80 euros/person. We used a water taxi last summer from Marco Polo airport to the Pensione Accademia (near the Accademia Bridge in Dorsoduro) at a cost of 90 euros for all of us (three plus luggage for a 2-week cruise). The cost is independent of the number of passengers, so the larger the party, the lower the cost per person. 90 euros is not cheap, but it's very convenient (takes you directly to your hotel, with NO schlepping of bags) and it gives you an incredible entry to Venice - plus it's just a lot of fun.

 

Sam

[boone2]

Also can anyone tell me why my countdown isn't working - just OT!!!!!!

Terry

[azski]

All the responses are very much correct - but I also would recomend looking at the Rick Steves site ( http://ricksteves.com/ )Look at his recomendations for hotels - he has the quaint ones - not the necessarillry the 4-5 star megga hotel chains - I have used his books for all my european trips and have not found a bad one or restaurant yet!! My Daughter used his book for a trip a couple of years ago and she found a nice one for about 100EUR (sorry don't remember the name)

[MVPinBoynton]

Frankie Sue,

Come on over to our roll call. I will make it easy for you. Here is a link to it. LINK . You can get lots of advice and meet some nice folks that you will be running into for 12 days.

[Richard]

I would recommend the Hotel Kette not very far from St Marks Square, about 5 minutes. Small, clean, convenient and reasonably priced. Easy to get to the Grand Canal and many restaurants. You won't go wrong with this hotel.

Richard

[Ohio-C-Luver]

We stayed at the Sofitel also, it is close to the train station and it was very nice, and reasonable for Venice, very nice. It's fun to just start walking and see where you end up, can't get lost-Enjoy your trip!

[critterchick]

One hotel we're going to try is the Hotel Ca'Fomenta, which is right next to the Arsenale vaporetto stop. If you take the Ali Laguna water shuttle and get off there, it's about a 5 minute walk, in the Castello district. Only about a 10-15 minute stroll to San Marco, but just away from the madding crowds. It gets very good reviews on Tripadvisor - we were staying at the Danieli ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ but we had hotel points to use) and wandered in to have a look - it has a nice bright lobby, very helpful front desk (we watched lots of people getting tickets/advice/reservations while we had a cappuccino) and was reasonably priced. The Castello district is a fun place to explore, as is all of Venice. It's more residential than tourist.

[Giannap]

I would suggest to book an hotel in MESTRE very close to the airport 20 minutes.cheaper al least twice! the price in Venice.

From Mestre FS. Railway station to Venice centre , takes less than 10 minute by train there is a train maybe every 10 minutes!Surely you save money .

[Italy52]

One hotel we're going to try is the Hotel Ca'Fomenta, which is right next to the Arsenale vaporetto stop. If you take the Ali Laguna water shuttle and get off there, it's about a 5 minute walk, in the Castello district. Only about a 10-15 minute stroll to San Marco, but just away from the madding crowds. It gets very good reviews on Tripadvisor - we were staying at the Danieli ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ but we had hotel points to use) and wandered in to have a look - it has a nice bright lobby, very helpful front desk (we watched lots of people getting tickets/advice/reservations while we had a cappuccino) and was reasonably priced. The Castello district is a fun place to explore, as is all of Venice. It's more residential than tourist.

 

We stayed at the Danieli a few years back. We liked the "old world" look of the hotel but found it lacking in its "modern" air conditioning. We were there when it was very warm and to cool down, we literally had to stand next to the little air conditioner. Also, the lights in the hotel kept flickering on and off. A couple of times the lights went out and the staff just laughed it off like it happens all the time. Loved the location and staff. Glad we experienced it once, but probably wouldn't stay there again.

 

My question to you, have things changed from when we stayed there?

[rebeccalouise]

It is hard for people to understand if they have not stayed in Venice before but most of the rooms in Venice are quite small. The Metropole (small, outdated looking). The Hotel San Marco (moderately priced, very small and extremely small bathrooms). The Bauer (wonderful but $ 400 dollars per night- min.) The Hotel Santa Chiara (they bait and switch. I got moved to another hotel for one night) nice rooms but they overbook. Hotel Continental (small rooms, outdated, tiny bathrooms). All had A/C.

 

So the Sofitel Venezia stand out in my mind as the best of the five hotels I have stayed in in Venice. Large rooms, beautiful decorated, large marble bathroom with tub/shower combo. Beautiful lobby, bar and diningroom. Great location next to a park. Piazzle Roma is right there to connect you to the mainland and the ships. I loved it.

[Ms Understood]

Its just one night, go for it: The Hotel Bauer was fabulous and right around the corner from San Marco. It is on the Grand Canal and the water taxi from the train station dropped us off at the hotel, the porters came out and got the bags. Voila! we were in Venezia!

[critterchick]

We stayed at the Danieli a few years back. We liked the "old world" look of the hotel but found it lacking in its "modern" air conditioning. We were there when it was very warm and to cool down, we literally had to stand next to the little air conditioner. Also, the lights in the hotel kept flickering on and off. A couple of times the lights went out and the staff just laughed it off like it happens all the time. Loved the location and staff. Glad we experienced it once, but probably wouldn't stay there again.

 

My question to you, have things changed from when we stayed there?

 

We were there in October, so A/C wasn't an issue. But one would reasonably expect for things in a 500 year old building to be a little, shall we say, quirky. Retrofitting a doge's palace can't bring it up to modern specs.;)

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

My DW and I left from Venice last year on the Grand. We went to Venice three days early. We stayed at the Hotel Manin on the Grand Canal. Here is the link to the hotel.

 

http://manin.hotelinvenice.com/venice-hotels/main.htm

 

We were so happy that we stayed at a hotel on a canal just a few steps away from the water ferry stop. We could see the Rialto Bridge from the front of the hotel. The rooms were small, but the hotel had a garden court yard where you could enjoy a buffet breakfast every morning. We did not worry about how close we were to the cruise ship port as we figured we would splurge and take a water taxi to the ship, which turned out to be a very nice experience.

 

I would recommend that any hotel you stay at in Venice be on the water. That is what Venice is all about and it makes it easy to get around the city. Besides, if you stay at a hotel in Venice proper that is not on the water, you will be dragging your luggage trough the streets.

 

We loved Venice and the hotel we chose made the trip very memorable.

[Don Haynes]

While Venice is nice, a train or bus ride from Venice to Verona through Padua and Vicenzia is a wonderful experience. The Alps on the horizon to the north, the wonderful vineyards of the countryside. Between Vicenzia and Verona is a nice restaurant in the old worn out Romeo and Juliet castle. This could occupy a day or two, the distance around 60 kms, or 120 kms roundtrip. There is much more of Italy than Venice and Rome.

[VPKING]

On our last trip to Venice we booked a hotel in the town of Mestre, which is just a short drive from Venice . We stayed at the Hotel Anthony , I don't recall the cost , but it was very reasonable, and not at all like the hotel prices in Venice . The local bus comes right by the hotel , so getting to Venice was no problem . I think the taxi from the cruise dock to the hotel was about 10 Euros

 

vpking

[KnoxvilleSam]

There's Umbria (with Orvieto, Perugia, and Assisi among others), there's Firenze, there's Napoli, Positano, Capri, Pompeii - just to name drop a few of the places I've loved. But for a lot of people, a cruise out of Venice may be the only time they are ever in Venice, and among the cities of the WORLD, Venice is a classic. I realize that I am a bit over the top about Venice (my wife and daughter tell me that on a regular basis), but there you go.

 

And I guess I really don't understand saving a few euros by staying in Mestre when you may have spent hundreds if not thousands on a cruise and getting there. A large part of the charm of Venice is at night (or in the early evening) strolling along the canals, perhaps going to San Marco piazza, enjoying an espresso listening to the dueling "orchestras." Others have compared staying in Mestre when you're supposed to be in Venice to staying in Newark (New Jersey) when you're supposed to be in New York City. I think that's an apt comparison.

 

Sam

[texag02]

I've been to Venice a number of times, and each time we stay somewhere different. Definitely stay in the main area of town by the grand canal... not one of the suburbs (Mestre, etc)

When you say "cheap", it really depends on what you mean. Your typical hotel in Europe is different than in the states. You can't let the number of stars fool you - here they're all different.

My last trip to venice (Carnevale 07), we stayed at the Hotel Al Vagon (http://www.hotelalvagon.com/en/), which is really close to the Rialto Bridge. We were walking distance (10 min) from St Marks Square, and we were just a couple of min from the Vaporetto stop.

The hotel is listed as a 1 star, but it was just as nice as other 4 star hotels in the area I've stayed at before. The only difference was that there was no TV in the room... however, our room overlooked a small square and canal.

The hotel you choose, all depends on personal preference. i've lived in Italy for a year and a half now, so my views of European hotels have changed since first moving here.

For a complete listing (and corresponding maps), I would check out: http://www.venere.com/ I've found great deals there as well as http://www.bookings.net/

[gatorjam]

WE will be staying at the Centrale Hotel in Venice Mestre. Our travel agent booked us there for our cruise on 6/10 on the Emerald Princess. We will only be there 1 night> Any help for these first time visitors to Venice would be very appreciative. Best way to get to the hotel from the airport. Best way how to get to the cruise port from hotel. Recommended restaurant for dinner and any must see/do while there. Thoughts on our hotel etc. Thank in advance for anyones help. (Hotel is at PLE DONATORI DI SANGUE 14???????)

[Captain Canuck]

on the yellow bar there is a search command...put in "venice" and you will get all the comments on venice....

 

there are water taxis from the airport to Venice. these can be expensive. there is also a water bus...think it was 10 euro each

 

to the ship you can take a water bus...there are daily or 3 day tickets (details are posted somewhere along with water bus website) you can use the water bus to get around Venice. very cool. especially nice just at sunset

 

 

there is a secret tour of the Doges palace....called that because it does the secret areas of the palace like Casanovas jail cell...you book this at a desk just outside the area you get regular tickets...you can call ahead and reserve a spot on this tour too.

 

have fun

[rebeccalouise]

WE will be staying at the Centrale Hotel in Venice Mestre. Our travel agent booked us there for our cruise on 6/10 on the Emerald Princess. We will only be there 1 night> Any help for these first time visitors to Venice would be very appreciative. Best way to get to the hotel from the airport. Best way how to get to the cruise port from hotel. Recommended restaurant for dinner and any must see/do while there. Thoughts on our hotel etc. Thank in advance for anyones help. (Hotel is at PLE DONATORI DI SANGUE 14???????)

 

Can take the train or a bus from Mestre. Bus is better and cheaper and drops you off at Piazzle Roma for sightseeing- vaporettos right there. I am sure the hotel will give you the best advice. You will need a taxi from Mestre to get to the ship.

 

There will be buses from the airport to Mestre. My friend lives in Mestre. It is interesting to see how the average person actually lives. The average person commutes to Venice from Mestre.

 

I still would stay in Venice though. It is a different world and one that I never tire of. After our cruise this summer we are staying four nights a the Hotel Antique Figure because is close to the train station. We will be going to Verona and the Alps for day trips.

 

Ciao!

[boxztrs]

Are there restrictions on luggage when taking the public boats in Venice?

[rebeccalouise]

Not to my recollection. I have done the ferry from St. Mark's with luggage as well as the public bus from Piazzle Roma and don't recall any problems with luggage.

[Captain Canuck]

only problem I had with our luggage is that nobody would get out of my way to let me off...I had 2 big suitcases on wheels I had to lug off...rather than be my normal polite self I had to just move through people to get off..tried not to kill anybody

[Travelbug 2]

We are thinking about a cruise next year that starts and ends in Venice. Day one is boarding then we would stay overnight on the ship with a full day in Venice the following day departing at 6pm. The ship would be our hotel. This is very appealing and I am currently doing some research. Not sure if we will stay an extra night on return or fly out the same day.

 

We went to Venice on a bus tour of Italy many years ago and just loved it. Would love to return to this wonderful city.

 

Can anyone see any downside to using the ship as the hotel in Venice?

 

Lots of homework to do yet.