Venice hotel near San Marco vs. Piazzale Roma

[mistymulan]

We will be staying 1 day post Princess cruise in Venice. I heard that San Marco square is the best place to stay. Since we are only staying one night, is it worth it to stay in a hotel near San Marco vs. closer to the port. We will also be leaving mid morning the next day.

 

thanks for your help

[agabbymama]

You have to answer that. You will pay triple for a room at San Marco as it is the heart of Venice.

 

Try www.venere.com they not only list hotels, but have a great location map, and even have reviews. I do still check reviews on tripadvisor.com too, but venere is a really good site.

 

I selected Ca' Doge for the convenience of being in the transportation hub of Venice. Shuttle from the ship, bus to the airport, and the vaporetto stop are all right outside the door of the hotel.

 

Have fun researching, then taking your trip.

[sea-explorer]

As Agabbymama says, it's really down to personal preference, just as the class of hotel you would like, ameneties etc.

 

When I was beginning my research for Venice, I asked my husband if he had any preferences, "anywhere, as long as it is nowhere near St. Marks" was his response. Too touristy, busy, noisy, expensive etc etc. On the otherhand, for some people St. Marks area would be the only place to stay.

 

Personally I chose a hotel a couple of stops on the vaporetto from Piazalle Roma en route to St. Marks. Very close to the vaporetto stop with no bridges en route in case we decide to take all our luggage.

 

I would consider what I wanted from the hotel and area and then do your research. If the hotel you would choose is not very convenient with luggage, you can store it in Piazzale Roma when you leave the ship, and then collect it again when you are ready to travel to the airport, perhaps just taking one small roll on to your hotel for your overnight stay.

[Baseball fan]

I agree with Sparky. It is a personal preference. We are going to be in Venice pre-cruise and have one night in a hotel and one night on the ship (as our hotel). Since I have one night in Venice, I feel it is all about location, location, location. Yes, I picked a hotel about 3 blocks from St Marks (found the reviews on Cruise Critic) and am paying a lot for the location (I think it is about 220 euros for one night). Since time is an issue, I don't want to spend lots of time on transportation and want to get to the sights quickly. Just my opinion......

[MercedMike]

We definitely wanted to be near St. Mark's Square in Venice, but prices were intimidating. We searched very hard and found the Hotel Violino D'oro, at a price that was reasonable (NOTHING in Venice is inexpensive.) This little gem of a European style hotel is just a block from St. Marks, overlooks a small canal with gondolas, faces the beautiful church San Moise, has an excellent staff and a very nice continental breakfast. We especially enjoyed walking through St. Mark's at night to the special show that the concierge booked for us. We paid half the price that the large touristy Hotel Bauer right next to us was charging. (Incidentally the hotel is right next to Versace and Prado, too.)

 

Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/holyland3.html

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[chipmaster]

We will be staying 1 day post Princess cruise in Venice. I heard that San Marco square is the best place to stay. Since we are only staying one night, is it worth it to stay in a hotel near San Marco vs. closer to the port. We will also be leaving mid morning the next day.

 

thanks for your help

 

We have a similar schedule, but it is pre-cruise. We choose to spend the bucks to be in the middle of things. Was it expensive, yes about 50-100% more then if we choose something at the outskirts near the terminal or trainstation, but its Venice and when and how often will you be back?

 

As it gets closer the only thing I'm regretting is the transportation aspects. It would have been much cheaper to get a hotel on the outskirts and take land shuttle in. Then after checkin take the cheap watertaxi around, but in the end with central hotel it will be far easier for my parents once we are there to get to the hotel and from if they are tired anytime during the day or the following morning for sightseing.

 

Good luck planning

[mistymulan]

thanks so much for everyones advice. I will look into Venere.com. I would actually like to stay near San Marco, but I'm thinking that it would be easier to stay near the port since we will be having 2 toddlers, luggage, strollers, ect.

[Travel to Ports]

I think that these questions are really more complex than they seem. For cruises that start or end in Venice, have you been in Venice before? I've seen people that spend a full day on a Greek island and are happy enough to spend 4 hours on a tour in Venice. If you are arriving by plane (Marco Polo) it depends how long you will in Venice before you get on the ship. If its only one night, it certainly seems better to stay close to where a land taxi will let you off and where a bus will take you to the port. Like, you will have adjusting from your flight and the complexities of Venice as well. If you have 2 or even 3 nights before the ship, consider all sorts of locations as your interest from reading about Venice allows. If you are preparing for next spring, consider an apartment if you have at least 3 nights. If you are preparing for next month, be happy with whatever you can get. A hotel room near the airport or on the mainland requiring a train trip in is not the same as a hotel room in Piazza Roma.

We start in Barcelona and now have (next May) 5 nights in a lovely apartment to recover from the flight, see the city at our own pace, and maybe spend a day away before our 12-night cruise that ends in Venice. With the one night on the ship in Venice we will have 4 nights there. We would have preferred 5 nights, but will go back 6:55am Friday morning, as seats (for points) were not available on the weekend. Considering that we will have to be on the way to the airport before 5am, an apartment very near St. Marks square doesn't look as good as a hotel room steps away from a land taxi!

Would be interested in hearing about (1) other hotels with good breakfasts and clean rooms and an elevator at P. Roma and (2) transportation options to Marco Polo to make a 6:55am flight. It would seem from S. Marks Square the option is a 100-150 euro water taxi, while the option from P. Roma would be a 30-40 euro land taxi?

Eagerly following this content.

Cordially,

David

[rhkfreespirit]

We stayed at Locanda Vivaldi last October for three nites prior to our cruise from Venice and it was a wonderful little hotel right on the Grande Canal a few steps away from St Marks Square...great location!

 

They have their own private water taxi dock if you want to arrange for a taxi to/from hotel or it is directly across from a Vaporetto station as well.

[mrw1906]

We just returned from our annual trip to Venice. Even though we had reservations at a hotel, as we were on our way there we walked by a recently remodeled Palace. We walked in and were amazed. What a fantastic lobby. We looked at one of the rooms and were sold! Since they were brand new we got a great rate at this 4 star hotel.

 

Everything is brand new. Canal view, in a quite area about two blocks from San Marco. Everyone in the hotel was so nice and helpful.

 

This is our choice in Venice for the future.

 

http://www.hotelaidueprincipi.com/en/index.htm

[MMDown Under]

transportation options to Marco Polo to make a 6:55am flight. It would seem from S. Marks Square the option is a 100-150 euro water taxi, while the option from P. Roma would be a 30-40 euro land taxi?

Eagerly following this content.

Cordially,

David

 

From P Roma you can also catch an airport bus with room for luggage underneath for about 3 euro.

[vacationdreamer2]

Hi,

 

We just returned from our Mediterranean journey on the Splendour out of Vencie. We stayed one pre-night at the Sofitel (near Piazalle Roma), as it turned out, our flight was delayed and we ended up getting in late ~ 10pm. We were starving and exhausted so we ended up grabing a quick bite around the hotel and walking around a dark Venice. Since we had no idea where we were or where we were going, we didn't see much. We had to meet our pre-arranged transport to the peir at 11:00 am the following day. Luckily for us we had a late departue flight on the following Saturday and we left our luggage at the Piazalle Roma and hopped on the Watertaxi to St. Mark's Square (really easy). It would have been devistating if we hadn't got to see St. Mark's that following Saturday. So, my advice is, stay near St. Mark's square ~ this is what I had imagined Venice to be. Of course it is a personal choice and everyone has different priorities. Just my two cents!

[bauer]

How was the Soffitel?

[Hlitner]

We also can add our vote to those who say its just a personal preference. We have previously stayed near St Marks Square, and absolutely loved the location. However, on our next visit (in about 4 weeks) we are going to stay near the Pazzale Roma (2 nights) so that we can save money getting to our hotel from the airport (the bus is cheap) and also minimizing the cost to get to the ship. The trade-off is that we will need to use the vaporettos a bit more (we will buy a multi-day pass) and must accept that the Piazzale Roma area is not quite as charming as some other parts of town.

 

Hank

[High C's]

How was the Soffitel?

 

We stayed there one night pre-cruise in 2006 and enjoyed it immensely. The staff were very warm and friendly. The room was lovely and well-appointed. For what its worth, we had what I would assume was an "entry level" room, as it was the cheapest rate prepaid through Expedia. Yet we really enjoyed it. The location was fabulous in terms of transportation to/from the airport or the cruise port.

 

One thing I do remember, however, is the elevator was absolutely the SMALLEST elevator I have ever seen! DH, myself and our two large cases were very tight (and we're not large people)!

 

This time we have elected to stay at the Locanda Orseolo, mostly because of the rave reviews on this board. But that being said, I would not hesitate to stay at the Sofitel in Venice again.

[Mike073]

Locanda Orseolo

 

 

I will second that hotel. Wonderful location, staff, breakfast, and the climb in to the lobby thorough the window was priceless.

[packyourbags]

We have used tripadvisor for recommendations in the past and really enjoyed Al Ponte Antico on the Grand Canal overlooking the Rialto, and Ca' dei Doge just behind St. Mark's Square. Both locations were wonderful and both hosts were fantastic!

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187870-Venice_Veneto-Vacations.html

 

If I were traveling with toddlers I might give some thought to arriving by bus or taxi at Piazzale Roma and staying at Sofitel, to minimize moving luggage so far... it's next to the shuttle to the port and there is a little public park for kids to run.

 

http://en.venere.com/hotels_venice/santa_croce_ovest/hotel_sofitel_venezia.html?ref=6011

 

Then, buy a vaparetto pass and explore! Enjoy.

[vacationhappy]

We stayed near St. Marks at the Locandra Orseola several years a go and it was fabulous. However, when I checked prices for next summer, it was more than double the price since the last time....about $500 for a quad. Wow! We also splurged on a water taxi and it was more than $100...worth it for the first time in Venice.

 

So, we are going to stay near Piazzale Roma - take cheap transportation from the airport and walk to the ship.

[JNB]

Misty, the second most important question (1st is the children) is your budget. DH and I stayed at the Hotel Concordia with a balcony overlooking St. Mark's Square. I concur with everyone that states that San Marco at night is magical. We did not have to buy overpriced drinks to listen to the music as we could hear it from our balcony enjoying a $10 bottle of wine. It was a central location and when I got a bit sick (as children often do) getting back to the Hotel was blessedly quick and DH did not have to interupt his tour (it was close enough that he was OK with me walking alone).

 

However, this location also involves dragging luggage onto the public vaporetto or the more expensive private water taxi. Again, it all goes back to the budget. We let the hotel arrange for a private guide to meet us at the train station who then transported us by private water taxi (quite expensive) and then took a private taxi back to Piazalle Roma when we left.

 

I think if I had luggage and children and didn't want to spend a fortune I would stay near P. Roma. Venice is so easy to walk and you can take a different path each time if you end up going toward SM each day or even a few times per day. The shops, sights, and food along the journey will make it worth it.

[CathyCruises]

We just returned from our annual trip to Venice. Even though we had reservations at a hotel, as we were on our way there we walked by a recently remodeled Palace. We walked in and were amazed. What a fantastic lobby. We looked at one of the rooms and were sold! Since they were brand new we got a great rate at this 4 star hotel.

 

Everything is brand new. Canal view, in a quite area about two blocks from San Marco. Everyone in the hotel was so nice and helpful.

 

This is our choice in Venice for the future.

 

http://www.hotelaidueprincipi.com/en/index.htm

 

 

Thanks for this tip. I have been seriously considering Locanda Orseolo but this looks great and the prices seem very reasonable right now! Only two reviews on Trip Advisor but both excellent.

 

Could someone tell me the most reasonable way to get to this location from the port without spending a fortune? I realize I will be dealing with luggage but it rolls very well.

 

Any advice much appreciated.

 

Cathy