Lido hotel vs Venice proper

[Canuckjammer]

1 person, 2 nights pre-cruise anyone have experience staying on Lido for Venice stay. Specifically Hotel Riviera?

Any help and suggestions appreciated!

[kuldalai]

If you stay at the Lido rather than in Venice then you are going to have to travel much further with your bags on waterborne transport from the Airport, St.Lucia Sation or the Cruise terminals.

 

Also you will spend more time getting to and from the sights of Venice than you will if you stay in Venice proper.

 

The best place to stay in Venice is probably near Piazzale de Roma . From P d R you have the People Mover & road taxis to the Cruise Terminals , road taxis to the Airport, handy to St.Lucia rail station, and Vaporettos down the Grand Canal to Piazza San Marco, Rialto bridge, and across to the Lido and Murano .

[CCJack]

We spent 4 days pre cruise staying in Venice proper, but spent an afternoon in Lido. In my opinion, there is no question that Venice is much more interesting of a place to stay than Lido. Lido is clean, but lacks all of the old world charm of Venice...

[mapleleaves]

we visited lido during a 4 day visit. Since we had the time it was fun to spend a few hours on the beach. But it's a time consuming 'commute'. Plus factor in the cost of the commute. If you're visiting during the height of summer and have young kids Lido might be a good idea, otherwise a hotel near Piazalle Roma or S Lucia train station would be easier for a pre cruise stay.

[Hlitner]

We are not big fans of Lido. In fact, we often recommend that folks use a multi day vaporetto pass to go out to Murano and Burano but seldom recommend Lido. As has been said, it just seems to lack the charm (they even have cars on Lido) of the other islands in the Lagoon including Venice. Lido seems to want to be a sea resort island but not sure we would swim in those waters.

 

Hank

[agabbymama]

I had first looked at hotels on Lido (as the cost is lower than Venice proper). However, after looking at commuting in/out of Venice, the idea of schlepping luggage, time to/from San Marco we decided against it. We also looked at staying in Mestre (the mainland) but that would also entail commuting to/from Venice proper. Lido is really a summer island (where Italians go to the beach). In October I'd say half the island was closed up. We did have a vaporetto pass so went to Lido and Murano.

 

We chose Ca' Doge in Piazzale Roma for convenience. Piazzale Roma is the transportation hub for Venice. Parking structure (if you have a car), buses to/from the airport, taxis, vaporetto office/stop, and an information kiosk right outside the hotel door. The bus dropped us on one side of the square and we walked across the square to the hotel with rolling suitcases. Not one bridge to cross. And now the new peoplemover is located there too.

 

There is another hotel on the other side of the square, Hotel Santa Chiara which looked very nice too, and it sits right on the Grand Canal.

 

Huge choice of hotels in Venice, Mestra, Lido, Guidecca. Only you can decide which is best for you. Have a great trip!

[Hlitner]

We 2nd Agabbymama's (love that nice) recommenation on using the Ca Doge. Its our normal home when in Venice to catch a cruise. As to other options besides the Hotel S. Chiara is the Best Western Olimpia (not in the P. Roma but relatively close if you can handle your luggage).

 

Hank

[New Jersey Pat]

If we are staying on the Lido, what is involved time and cost getting into the main part of Venice.

[Hlitner]

If we are staying on the Lido, what is involved time and cost getting into the main part of Venice.

 

The time will depend on where you are staying in relation to the vaporetto pier. Some of the hotels are quite a distance from the pier which means you have quite a hike or would need to wait for a local bus. The island of Lido is about 6 miles long and the main vaporetto stop is on the northern part of the island. As to the cost, the vaporettos cost 6.5 Euros for a single ticket...but you can also purchase tickets valid for longer time periods (12, 24,36, 48 and 72 hours) which can be a smart buy if you plan on taking more then a few rides per day.

 

Hank

[agabbymama]

And I think the ride is 20-30 minutes from Lido to San Marco on the vaporetto. The lagoon was quite choppy and lots of waves the day we went, it was raining and quite windy. Not a real pleasant ride. We actually didn't make it to Burano, as the vaporetto driver said in this weather it was just not doable. Burano trips were cancelled.