How to Choose a Hotel in Venice (and tips for navigating)

[roothy123]

Everyone always asks about hotels in Venice. I haven't been yet, but have done lots of research. Here's what I've learned: (Sorry about the format; I cut and pasted and some formatting was lost):

 

One consideration: How you’re getting to the hotel from the airport or cruise port. If you take an airport bus or cab (frequent, inexpensive, about 25 minutes; two different companies), you end up at the hub called Piazzale Roma just over the bridge onto the set of islands known as Venice. Then, in a large number of cases, you’ll need to walk about 5 minutes to the vaporetto landing at Piazzale Roma to take a water bus (actv.it) to the landing stop closest to your hotel. Depending upon where your hotel is located, you may then have to walk a bit, with possible stepped bridges in the way and small streets to navigate. Alternately, you can take the Alilaguna water bus service from the airport (about 7 minute walk to the boats, then usually a lengthy ride to a number of stops on the water in various parts of town - see alilaguna.it). Then you may still have to walk and navigate a bit to get to your hotel. You can reduce this time and walk by taking a water taxi from the airport (about a 7 minute walk to boats), but it is much more expensive than the other options. Also keep in mind that even with a water taxi, there may be a small amount of walking to do if the hotel is not right on the water. You can also stay in Mestre, outside Venice, which is easily reached by cab or public bus from the airport. This might be a good alternative if you’re just coming in a day early and aren’t planning to do a lot of sightseeing. To go to Venice, you can take a commuter train or bus (less than a half hour) and a cab can take you and your luggage to Piazzale Roma to pick up the People Mover to go to the port. The Venice port guide on tomsportguides.com, gives more information. Also, “Europe For Visitors,” Venice part, gives good information on how to pick a hotel that doesn’t require hours of agony to reach. Some people might want to consider checking a bag at the bag check at Piazzale Roma or other locations (about 7 euros a day). If you pack smartly, you may not need to lug everything to the hotel in the first place!

 

As for getting to the port, that is usually a little easier than getting from the airport to your hotel. Keep in mind what I’m writing only applies to people going to (or from) “Terminal Crociere” (cruise ship terminal) or Stazione Maritima, which are ways to say the port that most cruise ships use. If you’re on a very small cruise ship or a river ship, you will likely dock somewhere else.

 

Use the information your hotel gives you and check the Alilaguna and ACTV schedules to find your closest stop. Keep in mind that the #1 and #2 ACTV vaporettos are usually the most crowded and usually the slowest. Note that sometimes the schedules, or stops they serve, are revised – use the ones posted on the web site, and when in Venice, check the boards at the water bus stops to make sure you get on the right one. Pay attention to direction. Also, around high tides, if the water gets too high or visibility too bad, ACTV does some re-routing. I think Alilaguna still runs, but I’m not sure. (See http://www.actv.it/en/movinginvenice/emergencyserviceinfoggyconditionsandduringhightide). You can download free apps (look for “acqua alta” – one I have shows web cams too) that show when high tides are anticipated. ACTV has schedules for Alilaguna together in one place, which is nice if you can find it. I could only find it on the Italian version, and not when I had the English version selected. In general, Alilaguna is much better for handling luggage, and if you only go from a hotel in the city to the port, it’s about half the price of a trip that involves the airport. Most people will probably either take the Alilaguna Blu line to their “Terminal Crociere” stop or various vaporettos to the Piazzale Roma ACTV stop. With the latter, you’ll need to take the People Mover for a short hop to the cruise docks and then walk a little bit. I’ve heard some cruise lines provide a shuttle from the end of the People Mover to the ship, but haven’t been able to confirm that.

 

What area is best for sightseeing and eating? My personal opinion is that if you stay in the general area around San Marco or Rialto Bridge, you’ll be close to attractions and restaurants, but you’ll be in a busy, touristy part of the city where prices are high. If you stay farther away, it’s still possible to walk to many parts of Venice, making other parts of the city more desirable for those who like solitude. You can walk from Rialto Bridge to St. Mark’s Square in 10 minutes with a very good map, and in a half hour, you could probably get to most areas in Venice except the far corners, and of course, islands like Murano, Burano, and Giudecca. Of course, if you’re in the upper part of the city, because of the Grand Canal’s path through the city, it may take more effort to get to the lower part. The lower part is where San Marco, Castello, Dorsoduro “sestieres” are, with many places tourists want to explore. You may need to take a “traghetto” – a rowed gondola in which you stand. They’re inexpensive, with frequent service during the day, but they’re not located in all areas of the Canal.

 

What amenities do you need in a hotel? Don’t worry too much about star ratings. Size & looks of room matter little, as star ratings in Italy are based primarily on amenities (elevator, food service, AC, etc.) I like browsing booking.com as that site provides estimates of room sizes, which can be variable in the old hotels in Venice. Other things to consider are: 1. Availability of an elevator. Unless the hotel is rated 4 or 5 stars, it probably doesn’t have one. Also, the first floor in Europe is actually the second in the U.S., so you may be doing more walking up stairs than you anticipated. Try to get a guarantee on floor. 2. Some hotels won’t let you book only one night, and a few won’t let you cancel after booking without a fee. 3. Some hotels have breakfast, but Italians don’t eat lots of meats & hot foods for breakfast, so if you’re picky about breakfast, find out what the hotel provides, if anything, and decide if it’s worth it. 4. If you check more than one hotel booking site, ignore the USD price. Sites vary as to conversion rates so all you should worry about is the € rate. 5. Many hotels in Venice are old and have paper thin walls, so don’t expect a lot of soundproofing. 6. Don’t forget to look at B&Bs (they are often reasonably-priced, though some may be a bit more cosy than some people would like). 6. To me, a room with a view on the canal isn’t important, as with a short amount of walking, you can probably see the same view. I also fear mosquitos. 7. If you’re willing to gamble a little & don’t mind not knowing in advance what hotel you’ll get, don’t forget that Priceline has a name your own price feature for Europe. Sometimes people have found a place to stay for a few nights on airb&b and that kind of site – a bit risky to me, but something to at least consider.

 

Frequently mentioned hotels on Cruise Critic are Hotel Olimpia, Arlechino, and Hilton Molina Stucky. I considered the following hotels: Hotel Al Codega (218 euros a night on weekend in late September), Hotel Al Duca Di Venezia ($600 plus for two nights), Hotel Scandinavia (recommended by Travel Agent, a bit more Americanized than many; good location for sightseeing but could be a little difficult to find and get to with luggage), Locanda Fiorita, upper San Marco area, basic Euro hotel, 340 euros for 2 nights, Locanda La Corte basic Euro hotel 185 euros/night but some stairs involved, Hotel Gorizia, San Marco $248/night, basic Euro hotel, and Hotel Columbina in San Marco area. I liked Hotel Chris in Mestre, then decided I wanted to stay in Venice. I also like Hotel Rio in San Marco, as they’re very easy to get to and reasonable (a shock!), but they DO have small rooms. Whatever you do, I’d start looking for hotels early, as they book up quickly and are expensive.

 

Some Tips on Navigating: Be aware that street names are not always marked the same way on two maps, the names may only be accurate for a couple “blocks,” and street names are often not visible on buildings or signs. Determining what Campo (square) or major church or tourist attraction is near your hotel will help you navigate through the maze. Venicexplorer.net is great for finding a detailed map once you know the general location (e.g., “Castello 4403”). There are also maps that you can download at home and access in Europe without going online. I’ve been trying a few to see how much detail they provide. I also found a great map of the Rialto area on the web site for Locanda La Corte (hotel) and a good map for Rialto to San Marco on the web site for Casa Pisani Canal (another hotel).

 

Hope this helps; feel free to add, agree or disagree, correct, or whatever! I’m not an expert on Venice, but I HAVE done a lot of researching, so sharing what I knew made sense!

[Starry Eyes]

Wow, you have done some research.

 

On our first trip to Venice, we spent two nights pre-cruise at Hotel Arlechino and enjoyed it very much. We selected it in large part for the convenience to Piazzale Roma. We stepped off the airport bus at PRoma in the dark and could see the hotel. Wheeled the bags over a bridge, checked in,and went right back out to nearby stop to catch evening ride on Vaporetto 1 on the grand canal....lovely without the bags. We used vaporettos passes and feet to travel all over Venice. Not sure I'd want to try to take big bags on vaporettos, as most were quite crowded when we visited last.

 

This time we will sail into Venice and stay one night in a hotel. Again, we selected one near P Roma for convenience to multiple forms of transit and port and coop supermarket. This time we will be at Santa Chiara. Lift and AC.

 

If we were staying longer than a night or two or were not cruising on some future visit, we might stay elsewhere. But for us for one or two nights in conjunction with a cruise, the convenience of hotels near P Roma works for us.

[Got2Cruise]

Roothie, your research skills and generosity in sharing what you have learned is much appreciated. I am thrilled that one of the hotels you recommended in San Marco, Colombina, is the one I chose for our upcoming stay. Makes me confident I made a good choice. I'll report back at the end of July. Haven't read much about this property here on CC. I used Trip Advisor and the fact that the water taxi goes to the door. The location was important to me

[roothy123]

Thank you both for the thanks! I'm big on researching, and might as well share what I know.

 

As for the Hotel Columbina, it was someone I know who stayed there in late April after a cruise. She mentioned it in a post here on Cruise Critic, but I don't remember if it was in the "Ports of Call" section or in one of the "Cruise Lines" sections. I can at least tell you, thought, that she's a real person, with moderate needs in terms of "cushiness" and convenience. She stayed in a regular room there, and mentioned the annex rooms were supposed to be not quite as nice, although she didn't look at one. She took a water taxi there from the port, or from the hotel to the airport (forget which). I do remember she liked the breakfast. Columbina is not too far from the San Zaccaria ACTV and Alilaguna stops, so once there with luggage, you should be able to get around easily, plus walk quite a number of places.

 

As for Arlechino, I have to admit that staying there sounds good, too - making things easy is definitely a good thing in Venice!

[SylvieQuebec]

Another interesting option in Venice is to rent small loft or appartments, lots cheaper than hotel. Because the number of permanent residents decrease, many people own appartments and they rent them, there are many website that do so, one of them is extremely popular (I can't mention name here).

 

We rented a full equiped mini appartment, in Dorsoduro, 15 minutes walk from Piazza San Marcos for $140US per night. Just a thought.

[grandmacani]

We stayed at the Santa Chiara in 2013. We loved being close to a little market near the vaparetto stop. We had a lovely room that had windows open to the canal. We loved the convenience

[lemonjelly]

roothy you are a research legend that was so precise and detailed ,we are flying into marco polo airport 11am mid morning and our cruise leaves 5 pm same day we then plan to stay 2 days after our cruise before flying back home ,we do like our comfort and also dragging luggage too far is a problem due to disability i can manage a little tho ,any advice or tips on hotels etc would be much appreciated ,ps i saw you mention the molino stucky is that an option ?:)

[roothy123]

Many posters have mentioned and liked that hotel and many cruise lines offer it for pre - cruise stays. I think it has its own shuttle to St. Mark's Square (although with a smallish pedestrian bridge or two to cross). Alilaguna goes there so taking luggage is pretty easy. There is also an ACTV water bus stop not far away as well, though not easy with luggage. It's a large hotel so I would guess it doesn't fill up really quickly as many hotels do. I didn't find the price workable for me but I'm sure it's fine for others. Being on the Guide cc a canal also means you might see your cruise ship passing by!

 

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[lemonjelly]

many thanks for that roothy i will put it on my high possibles list ,transfers too n from hotel etc, access to major sights and eateries /watering holes nearby that arnt to exhorbitant are also a consideration .all the best to you n yours N.:)

Edited June 24, 2015 by lemonjelly

[roothy123]

Many posters have mentioned and liked that hotel and many cruise lines offer it for pre - cruise stays. I think it has its own shuttle to St. Mark's Square (although with a smallish pedestrian bridge or two to cross). Alilaguna goes there so taking luggage is pretty easy. There is also an ACTV water bus stop not far away as well, though not easy with luggage. It's a large hotel so I would guess it doesn't fill up really quickly as many hotels do. I didn't find the price workable for me but I'm sure it's fine for others. Being on the Guide cc a canal also means you might see your cruise ship passing by!

 

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

Just to clarify re the Stucky: Once you disembark after the cruise, you would walk I'm guessing 3-5 minutes with luggage to the Alilaguna stop and kiosk right there in the port (assuming you're on an ocean liner, not a river ship). Might be a line if others are staying at Stucky or somewhere else where Alilaguna goes. Where you board is very close to the ticket kiosk. Ali Blu takes 10 minutes to go to Giudecca (Stucky) stop and current schedule shows it running from cruise terminal a little before 8 AM to 5:26 PM daily. Giudecca Stucky stop is right in front of hotel. Not sure how much Ali personnel help with luggage, but at least it IS totally allowed on Ali boats, and I would guess that even if they don't help, someone else will offer to help. It's 8 or 9 euros for the "within the city" trip. To go to the airport, you just get on outside the hotel any time starting at 4:35 AM. They run twice an hour. I think it's 15 euros to the airport, though may be a euro or more to buy ticket on board. Take it all the way to the airport (last stop), then walk to airport terminal (5, probably more like 10 minutes, I think). I think there are porters for hire there to help with luggage, but not positive. The timing for trip to airport from Giudecca is an hour and 35 minutes, stopping a number of times right in the city plus Murano and Lido islands.

 

Instead, if you want to take an express bus (ATVO help with luggage) or cab to the airport, from Stucky you could take the People Mover electric train to Piazzale Roma. You could also take a combination of Alilaguna and ACTV water bus to Piazzale Roma, but that probably would take almost as much time, plus more hassle, compared to simply taking Alilaguna. Of course, private or shared water taxis are always available to Stucky and many other hotels, but you'll pay more and may not save all that much time.

 

In general, I suppose finding a hotel right near Piazzale Roma is the alternative that offers the least amount of hassling with getting to and from the airport and cruise port. However, hotels nearer certain tourist hotspots offer a little less hassle for sightseeing on the days you're staying in a hotel, as many places in Venice center city are walkable for most people.

Edited June 24, 2015 by roothy123

[roothy123]

many thanks for that roothy i will put it on my high possibles list ,transfers too n from hotel etc, access to major sights and eateries /watering holes nearby that arnt to exhorbitant are also a consideration .all the best to you n yours N.:)

 

Oh, just posted more - though didn't mention food and drink. I've read that there are a few good and reasonable places to eat on Giudecca. However, Cannaregio and Dorsoduro seem to be better for those. San Marco has a lot, but that area of course has a bit of a reputation for higher prices and lower quality. At least if you're somewhere other than Giudecca, there are more choices - but if you're there only two nights, that may not matter, as you could probably just tack on dinner wherever you end up before going back to a hotel.

[mapleleaves]

ATVO drivers may or may not help with luggage .... my experience has been 50/50.

 

Venice for Visitors has lots of useful information ... pages and pages on just about every topic.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/vi-index.htm

 

Hotel listing by 'number of bridges to cross' :

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/bridges/piazzale-roma.htm

 

even directions to 100+ hotels

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/directions/#H

[roothy123]

ATVO drivers may or may not help with luggage .... my experience has been 50/50.

 

Venice for Visitors has lots of useful information ... pages and pages on just about every topic.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/vi-index.htm

 

Hotel listing by 'number of bridges to cross' :

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/bridges/piazzale-roma.htm

 

even directions to 100+ hotels

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/directions/#H

 

Thanks, mapleleaves. At least the place for storing luggage is barely off the ground, right? Have you ever taken the other airport bus (ACTV's Aerobus)? That one sounds like it's much more effort to get your luggage onto!

 

Yes, that europe for visitors site is a treasure trove of info!

 

And Sylvie, I'll have to look into the apartment for next time, if there is a next time! Thanks.

Edited June 24, 2015 by roothy123

[Starry Eyes]

We stayed at the Santa Chiara in 2013. We loved being close to a little market near the vaparetto stop. We had a lovely room that had windows open to the canal. We loved the convenience

 

Thanks for the positive feedback on Hotel Santa Chiara. Since we are only staying one night post cruise, we booked a basic room, so do not expect a view of the canal this time.

 

So far our electronic contact with the hotel has been wonderful; if the service in person is as good as the emails, we are in for a fabulous stay!

[soraya]

Wow! thank you for sharing this - wish I'd had it at the start - it took me a while to figure it all out!

 

I've got 2 things that people may find useful:

 

1. You can share a taxi from the airport via a company called Venicelink and it costs around 25euros pp. Pro: I keep reading that the taxi is a great way to see Venice for the first time. Con: could be waiting for 40mins for the people sharing with you.

 

2. Rental of apartments seems a great choice here - but many rental companies have a min 3 night stay.

 

3 Locanda Orseolo hotel gets good feedback here but was full months before our cruise.

 

Will let you know how it goes as we'll be in Venice in August (not the best time to go but fitted the schedule) and we're staying in an apartment (a bridge free walk) just across from the hotel Columbina who have a webcam http://www.hotelcolombina.com/live-webcam

 

Looking forward to staying on the same canal as the Bridge of Sighs!

Edited June 24, 2015 by soraya

[mapleleaves]

I have used an ACTV bus from the airport. Not the #5 though, just a regular city bus. We were overnighting in a village halfway between the airport and Venice for one night prior to the cruise.

It was not difficult to get luggage on board; the steps onto the ACTV buses were very low to the ground, almost even with the sidewalk. There was nowhere to store luggage so we had to keep our suitcase at our feet but the aisles were quite wide so not a problem.

I don't know if the #5 is the same.

 

Typically we use ATVO since we're going directly from the airport into Venice . We noticed that if you don't want to deal with your luggage, you just leave it next to the hold then board the bus. We travel light, just 1 case, so it's no hardship to toss it into the hold.

[hubofhockey]

3 Locanda Orseolo hotel gets good feedback here but was full months before our cruise.

 

That is my favorite hotel. You need to book it far in advance. If you can get a canal view room, those are incredible. A great breakfast is included as well and it's right in San Marco near the inner canals. OP, if it's available, check it out.

[GREGS1GIRL]

Oh, just posted more - though didn't mention food and drink. I've read that there are a few good and reasonable places to eat on Giudecca. However, Cannaregio and Dorsoduro seem to be better for those. San Marco has a lot, but that area of course has a bit of a reputation for higher prices and lower quality. At least if you're somewhere other than Giudecca, there are more choices - but if you're there only two nights, that may not matter, as you could probably just tack on dinner wherever you end up before going back to a hotel.

 

Hi toothy and fellow Marylander ;o)

 

We are less than 2 weeks from our trip and will be staying 1 night pre cruise in Venice. You have such a wealth of knowledge I thought I'd get your input. I am in paralysis of analysis mode in choosing a hotel and I have to make a final decision asap.

 

We will each have a carry on (me a rolling suitcase and my husband a backpack) and then we will have a rolling garment bag and a 25" rolling suitcase. This is a bit of luggage but manageable. However, getting to the hotel from Marco Polo Airport with as much ease as possible would be a plus. We will be doing a walking tour the afternoon of our arrival (after we drop bags off at hotel), a gondola ride and dinner and then after breakfast try to see the Rialto Market (if convenient we hope to leave bags at the hotel while at market) before heading to the cruise terminal to check in and get rid of our luggage before going back into Venice.

 

I have these hotels booked-

*HOTEL ARCADIA BOUTIQUE in Cannaregio district -Lovely hotel with excellent reviews on personal able service and excellent breakfast.

*PESARO PALACE on the Grand Canal close to a water bus stop and a private dock for water taxis. Have requested a canal view room but if not then it will be a view of a garden/courtyard.

*HOTEL ARLECHINO (?)which is closest to the Piazzale Roma and also right next door to HOTEL OLIMPIA

 

We want it all-great service, great views of canals. convenience to getting there and to cruise terminal and all the sites as well as great service and comfortable stay. See why I am in paralysis of analysis??!!

 

What would you do based on your extensive research and understanding of Venice?

 

Thank you!!

[roothy123]

Hi fellow Marylander! I can certainly understand your paralysis of analysis, and that sounds so much like me! I think I reserved and later cancelled at least 10 hotels before I finally decided to take a chance on my original one. Then I started worrying that the room would be tiny, or that it would be too crowded and noisy around San Marco, or that there weren't enough reviews about it to make me feel 100% sure about my choice.

 

I don't know if I can help much, as I would be fighting analysis paralysis myself with those choices! I only looked at the hotels quickly to see where they were located. So if you have your heart set on ambiance 100% over location, just ignore my comments and go with your top choice for that. However, navigating in Venice takes precious time, so for 24 hours only, you may want to give in to something that's not as nice/romantic but easier. Here are my thoughts:

 

Pesaro sounds like it's in a great location, especially just for one night. However, I think you would end up using a private water taxi both from the airport and to the port - more expensive than other alternatives, but quickest and easiest. I would do that. It would be very difficult to get on the #1 water bus with luggage, and I don't think there's an Alilaguna or other ACTV bus that goes there. (Of course, you might be able to jump on the #1 and transfer.) Once at Pesaro, however, you have the #1 close to you, plus I think during the day there are usually traghetto gondolas that cross the Canal for 2 euros to get you from the Ca 'd Oro palace to the Rialto Market side. You should also have good restaurant choices (probably same for Arcadia, too, just a little farther walk). (I'm looking at restaurants and sights around Sts. Giovanni e Paolo church, plus Campo S. Maria Formosa.)

 

The Arcadia looks great, and my impression of that corner of Cannaregio is good (fewer tourists, more natives, etc.) but you're far from a water bus stop, so private water taxis might be required to the hotel and port, and you might possibly end up walking a little bit even with a water taxi. Of course, in Cannaregio, you're not all that far from the port, so that may not be a big deal - plus the 4.1 water bus (shouldn't be as crowded as #1 and #2) goes from Guglie stop to Piazalle Roma, so that's a possibility for getting to the port. I think the Alilaguna orange/arancia line also goes from the airport to Guglie, which helps. I would be a little worried, though, about getting that luggage to the hotel from the Guglie stop. Incidentally, I thought rolling luggage would help me in my travels, but now I'm not sure sure how well that will work on cobblestones, and there are bound to be cobblestones in Venice! At least you don't seem to have picked hotels with lots of bridges, so that's good!

 

The Arlechinno is obviously an easier choice transportation-wise. It also is well-used and reviewed by cruisers, so would provide a very decent alternative. After a long flight and a lot of sightseeing, you may not even care whether you have a canal outside, and which one it is, so I guess it mostly boils down to choosing romantic Venice versus practical Venice. At least you can get practically anywhere using the vaporettos at Piazalle Roma! (Don't rule out the 4's and 5's - faster and less crowded). I found ACTV's "Linne di navigazione/Waterborne chart helpful in seeing where the vaporettos (and Alilaguna boats) stopped. There's also a detailed schedule somewhere on that site, although it's a little hard to find using the English- translated version of the site. They just made some changes to the schedules, but they are just little ones that are unlikely to affect you or me. (Lido beach area, mostly.)

 

Hope that helps at least a bit. Just don't wait too late to cancel those rezzies as that 6 hour time difference can sneak up on you, and with the prices in Venice, nothing to sneeze at! Oh, and my Venice stay is apparently pretty close to yours. I'm taking a purse-size pump spray bottle of Off, as I hear mosquitoes can be alive and well in Venice in late September! Those things drive me crazy here; don't want my stay in Venice to be uncomfortable. Good luck and have fun!

[roothy123]

Wow! thank you for sharing this - wish I'd had it at the start - it took me a while to figure it all out!

 

I've got 2 things that people may find useful:

 

1. You can share a taxi from the airport via a company called Venicelink and it costs around 25euros pp. Pro: I keep reading that the taxi is a great way to see Venice for the first time. Con: could be waiting for 40mins for the people sharing with you.

 

2. Rental of apartments seems a great choice here - but many rental companies have a min 3 night stay.

 

3 Locanda Orseolo hotel gets good feedback here but was full months before our cruise.

 

Will let you know how it goes as we'll be in Venice in August (not the best time to go but fitted the schedule) and we're staying in an apartment (a bridge free walk) just across from the hotel Columbina who have a webcam http://www.hotelcolombina.com/live-webcam

 

Looking forward to staying on the same canal as the Bridge of Sighs!

 

Thanks for the mention of shared water taxi. I saw that on Venice Link but wondered about how long we would wait. We're staying not too far from Hotel Columbina (which a cruiser I know used and liked very much) so I was wondering how the shared water taxi to that area went. Did you have to wait long for the taxi to be filled? Did it make a lot of stops? Hope you had a wonderful time in Venice and a wonderful cruise. My turn has finally rolled around - can't wait!

[lemonjelly]

just a few words to thank you for all the info im finding so useful .we are flying into venice MP june next year and going straight onboard NCL jade for 7 days but on our return we have a booking for 2 nights canal room locanda orseolo before flying home again from venice MP a/is our hotel choice ok b/ what are our best options for transport to and from airport and from cruise port to hotel ?,any bar restaurant recomendations :)

[soraya]

Hi there

 

Venice was amazing - we stayed at an apartment just across from the Hotel Colombina. It was a great area for us with a tiny balcony overlooking the canal which had gondolas going past.

 

The shared water taxi was a bit of an adventure. I posted our experience on Tripadvisor:Just a quick update: Share Venice worked but some pros and cons.

 

We we were told to wait 30mins then our group formed and we walked to the dock. Then our driver didn't arrive and we had an older lady who was feeling the 34C heat. We asked politely what was happening after 15mins waiting in the sun and the guy at the dock started shouting excitedly in Italian how he only directs the boats and it was our fault for booking with share Venice. After another 25mins a boat arrived and we pulled off and came back to collect another couple! Then we went for fuel. 8 people on board.

 

Time to San Marco: 2hrs. Similar to the Alilaguna

 

Big Plus: everyone else got dropped off and the taxi decided to take us down the Grand Canal, so we had a private taxi journey for 19euro pp in the end :)

 

I think if I was flying transatlantic I would hesitate but if you're coming shorthaul and not exhausted when you land, it's worth going for.

 

Also, we used the Alilaguna from San Zaccaria to get to the cruise port and it worked really well. 8 euro and it was quiet at 10.30am and dropped us only a few minutes from the ship!

 

HTH!

Edited September 7, 2015 by soraya

[roothy123]

just a few words to thank you for all the info im finding so useful .we are flying into venice MP june next year and going straight onboard NCL jade for 7 days but on our return we have a booking for 2 nights canal room locanda orseolo before flying home again from venice MP a/is our hotel choice ok b/ what are our best options for transport to and from airport and from cruise port to hotel ?,any bar restaurant recomendations :)

 

Maybe the person who posted about the Locanda Orseola can provide more specific information. However, after looking at a map it looks like you could take the Alilaguna orange/orancia line from the airport to the San Marco Giardinetti stop and walk to the basin. & hotel However, since I'm not positive where the hotel is in relation to the streets & water, I can't say for sure. Also, it may be more of a walk than you'd want. I'm guessing with luggage and reading a map, it would take 15-25 minutes depending upon how fast you are and how good your map is! You could also take the land bus to Piazalle Roma, go to the left of the modern bridge and find vaporetto (water bus) #5.1 to San Marco/San Zaccaria, but then you'd have to contend with tons of tourists jamming up the waterfront, a small stepped bridge to cross, and a longer walk.

 

Once you're free of baggage, transportation is much less of an issue as you have at least 4 vaporettos from which to choose from around the St. Mark's Square. I would find the ACTV and Alilaguna route schematic, print it in color, look at the schedules buried on the ACTV website and a good, detailed map of Venice, and look at your options. I've found the "OSM And" maps I downloaded for free to my Kindle for use offline are pretty detailed. Also, the Map Easy map I got at Barnes and Noble is pretty good, although sometimes their white streets on yellow background don't make it easy to see small "streets" and whether they go through to another or end. On the ACTV waterborne routes map, pay attention to which side of the water the stop is on. There are a lot of stops jumbled together but some are on one side of the water and some the other - notice if they're up or down.

 

All of the San Marco or San Zaccaria stops are within walking distance of St. Mark's Square, but some are closer than others, and some have bridges on the way, so just keep that in mind if you have luggage - not a game changer, but something to consider after a long trip to Europe!

 

For getting from the hotel to the port, I would take the Alilaguna Blu service from San Marco Giardinetti; just check when service to and from the port ends. Also notice that, I think anyway, Alilaguna Blu line comes from the airport and stops at San Marco Giardinetti (the garden in front of St. Marks) and then it continues on toward the port. Not sure if it changes names/numbers/description there or what, but just make sure you are on one that goes to "Stazione Marittima" or "Terminal Crociere." The line is shown as seasonal past the Hilton Molino Stucky on Giudecca island; make sure it's running when you're there.

 

I would look at the options and schedules, think about which matters most - time, money or ease, and go from there.

 

As to restaurants, I'll get back to you later with possibilities, although I have to warn you I'm a bit on the cheap side, so what I'm interested in may not be what you're looking for!! But if you don't like the food or the prices, relax - when you get on the ship things will be OK!!

[treasure4two]

Everyone always asks about hotels in Venice. I haven't been yet, but have done lots of research. Here's what I've learned: (Sorry about the format; I cut and pasted and some formatting was lost):

 

Roothy123-what hotel did you finally book and stay at? Thank you for all your research. Much appreciated. Donna

[roothy123]

Everyone always asks about hotels in Venice. I haven't been yet, but have done lots of research. Here's what I've learned: (Sorry about the format; I cut and pasted and some formatting was lost):

 

Roothy123-what hotel did you finally book and stay at? Thank you for all your research. Much appreciated. Donna

 

Hotel Rio in Castell very close to San marco. Smallish room but that's nothe unusual for Europe. We didn't choose the superior room just basic double. Really liked the location though it was NOT quiet. Really a zoo the weekend we were there (past weekend). Staff were great. Breakfast for 6,50 euros was quite good (no eggs but meats and baked goods and fruit, etc.) Place was reasonably quiet but you need to close window and the wooden shutters to keep out the noise. Restaurant right under our window was hopping. Easy access to all the vaporetto wit no bridges to cross if you take the right vap. Don't remember if 4.1, 5.1 or what, but one of the quick ones from p. Roma. Very good stay. 127 euros 1 night which I negotiated and 190 or close to that for second. 2,50 pp city tax per night. Tons of food and shops around there.