Suggestions for half day in Venice, hotel etc

[Mrsfrz]

Our cruise on the Celebrity Constellation will debark in Ravenna on May 3. We can't get a flight out until the next day, so we will need to spend the night in Venice. Would it be best to stay near the airport and make our way to the city mid afternoon or should we stay in the city? I don't want a super expensive hotel since we will be leaving early the next morning. Any suggestions are much appreciated. 

[mapleleaves]

how early is your flight ? 

Mine was 6:20am so I stayed near the airport. The Antony Hotel was 120E, an 8 minute drive to the airport. I'd stay there again; very clean, quiet and comfortable.  I left at 4:45am, so too early for their included bfast and too early for the free airport shuttle.  They sell tickets for the local bus into Venice, 1.2 E  and they also have a shuttle, not sure of the fee.

 

If your flight is later, like 11am, you could stay at the Piazzale Roma  area of Venice.  This is the last point of travel in Venice so it's where taxis and airport buses pick up/drop off pax.  A cab is about 45E and the ATVO xpress bus is 10E pp;  both take 20 minutes.  It's also a block from the Grand Canal so you can hop on a water bus and start sightseeing.  You pay for this convenience tho. 

This listing is P Roma hotels; the 1 bridge is very small

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

 

The advantage to my early flight was no lines at 5am.   My past departures from VCE have been pretty chaotic, which is why they suggest arriving 3 hrs prior. 

 

[Mrsfrz]

On 12/1/2023 at 9:37 PM, mapleleaves said:

how early is your flight ? 

Mine was 6:20am so I stayed near the airport. The Antony Hotel was 120E, an 8 minute drive to the airport. I'd stay there again; very clean, quiet and comfortable.  I left at 4:45am, so too early for their included bfast and too early for the free airport shuttle.  They sell tickets for the local bus into Venice, 1.2 E  and they also have a shuttle, not sure of the fee.

 

If your flight is later, like 11am, you could stay at the Piazzale Roma  area of Venice.  This is the last point of travel in Venice so it's where taxis and airport buses pick up/drop off pax.  A cab is about 45E and the ATVO xpress bus is 10E pp;  both take 20 minutes.  It's also a block from the Grand Canal so you can hop on a water bus and start sightseeing.  You pay for this convenience tho. 

This listing is P Roma hotels; the 1 bridge is very small

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

 

The advantage to my early flight was no lines at 5am.   My past departures from VCE have been pretty chaotic, which is why they suggest arriving 3 hrs prior. 

 

Thank you so much for the suggestions. I think we'll stay at the Antony per your suggestion. Our flight is at 11, but I'd rather be close to the airport in the morning. I see that there are many different types of rooms depending on what floor you're on. Some have a view of Venice. The first level is what they call their economy rooms and are less expensive and smaller. Which did you stay at? Do you think it matters for one night? I assume we'll go into Venice in the afternoon and play it by ear. 

[MeHeartCruising]

7 hours ago, Mrsfrz said:

Thank you so much for the suggestions. I think we'll stay at the Antony per your suggestion. Our flight is at 11, but I'd rather be close to the airport in the morning. I see that there are many different types of rooms depending on what floor you're on. Some have a view of Venice. The first level is what they call their economy rooms and are less expensive and smaller. Which did you stay at? Do you think it matters for one night? I assume we'll go into Venice in the afternoon and play it by ear. 

 

If you can afford the larger room, I would go for it.  Hotel rooms in Europe are generally much smaller than we are familiar with in the US hotels.

 

For your afternoon in Venice, I would suggest getting ground transport from the hotel to Piazzale Roma (the transportation hub for Venice) and then catching a vaporetto water bus (Line 1 or 2) to ride the entire length of the Grand Canal (to soak it all in) to San Marco Square.  Do your sightseeing in that area and expand outward.  If you're walkers, end your day by walking back to Piazzale Roma so you can get lost in the core of Venice (and then get unlost -- don't worry, you will -- just look for signs on the walls pointing you to P. Roma).  It's a wonderful day!

Edited December 3, 2023 by MeHeartCruising

[mapleleaves]

The rooms were very economical  so I booked a room with a view.  Not that I took advantage; a peek when I arrived and before I went to bed! There's a small rooftop terrace with the same view.  

(BTW,  had a lovely dinner in their dining room, but hopefully you'll still be exploring in Venice at dinner time)

 

There are a few other hotels by the airport, including a Marriott if you have points to use.  But I would certainly recommend the Antony; clean quiet convenient and economical. 

Venice Airport Hotels | Venice for Visitors (europeforvisitors.com)

 

Agree with PP's advice; head into Venice asap, hop on a vaporetto and travel down the Grand Canal to St Marks. 

The quickest way to Venice is by cab; about 35e/ 15 minutes. But ask about the hotel shuttle; I think it was 5E pp. The local bus is a 3-4 block walk from the hotel, 1.2 E/ 25-30 minutes.  All options drop you at Piazzale Roma, which is a block from the Grand Canal. When you get to the Canal there's a vaporetto station on your left to buy a ticket and board. Be sure to validate your ticket !

The views are magic !!  I've been to Venice several times and it still takes my breath away. 

 

This is an easy quick view at dusk from the bridge at Piazzale Roma looking down the Canal.