Venice, Italy

[girlygirl1]

We are going back on a cruise this fall to Venice, Italy and are flying in the day before, like to know how far the airport is from town and is there a reasonable place to stay that doesn't cost an arm and leg??

[trubey]

Hello girlygirl1. Have you seen the Europe section (a subsection of Ports of Call)on these boards? That area will probably be better for you as cruisers from all lines post there. Susan.

[sail7seas]

Welcome girlygirl.

Are you cruising on an HAL ship? If so, which one?

You will LOVE Venice. It is one of the more beautiful places on earth IMO

[dakrewser]

I find that TripAdvisor has the best info about hotels and good info about restaurants and attractions because they're rated and reviewed by fellow travellers. In Venice (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g187870-Venice_Veneto-Hotels.html), for example, the #5 & 6 ( out of 413) rated hotels (the Locanda Sant Agustin and the Pensione La Calcina are priced at only a third to a quarter of the top 4 listings, yet all have "5 star" ratings. Give it a try.

[trubey]

And I apologize for sounding so unwelcoming. I was just in a horrible mood. Susan.

[Aussie Gal]

girleygirl 1,

Welcome to the Boards. Trubey is correct in that the Europe section in Ports of Call has all the answers.

Here are some links that are worth reading:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=133325

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=116965

I am sure you will find the information you are looking for in these posts.

Enjoy your cruise, Venice is our favourite city in the whole world.

Jennie

[wwinfl91]

Welcome to the board,

There is lots of great information here about cruising and about the ports. Here is a great site with lots of information on Venice.

http://www.europeforvisitors.com/venice/

One little piece of advice would be to be sure you go to the top deck of your ship with your camera when your ship is leaving Venice. You will get some of the best pictures of the city that can be gotten short of a helicopter (your ship will probably be the tallest object in the city as it passes the city from the port). We were there in 2003 on the Golden Princess. Our cruise ended there and the first views of St Marks and the Doce's Palace from the ship were some of the best pictures we got on the whole cruise.

Have a great cruise and enjoy your time in Venice. If you are like us you will begin planning on going back someday even as you are sailing away.

[xpcdoojk]

We did a 3 week European land vacation in September and our second stop was 4 days in Venice. We flew into Marco Polo airport which is across the huge lagoon on the mainland. There are buses ATVO that you can buy tickets for that are very nice (about 3 euros) and they run pretty continuously to Piazzale Roma (It is where the cars go to park). The trains also end up very close by as they all come from Mestre on the same bridge. From there it is about a 4 block walk to the bridge that crosses the grand canal Ponte Scalzi. We stayed at a very reasonable and very nice hotel directly across the grand canal called the Antiche Figure. It was an excellent location because you could just cross the Ponte Scalzi and go to the train station if you wanted to go to Verona or the Vaporettos main landing was there which allowed you to get to St Marks or anywhere in the lagoon conveniently and cheaply. I think we paid 20 euros for 4 days use of the vaporetto system. We could be in St Marks in 20 minutes if we caught the express vaporetto. I would really encourage you to spend at least 3 days in Venice. One day to go to Murano, Burano, and at least one day to visit St. Marks. And one more day to visit some of more fascinating spots in and around the city. Water taxis and gondola rides are very pricey and the vaporettos are very reasonable and they get you quickly between points.

Have fun, and I agree with advice given here regarding tripadvisor.com I use it all the time.

jc

[girlygirl1]

Thank you for all the good advice. We are going on the Rotterdam to the Greek Isles, and it leaves and returns to Venice. We were in Venice summer of 2003, during the heat wave. We still enjoyed even though it was so hot and humid. But didn't have a good experience the B&B we stayed at close to the train station. But we are looking forward to going back.:rolleyes:

[xpcdoojk]

Thank you for all the good advice. We are going on the Rotterdam to the Greek Isles, and it leaves and returns to Venice. We were in Venice summer of 2003, during the heat wave. We still enjoyed even though it was so hot and humid. But didn't have a good experience the B&B we stayed at close to the train station. But we are looking forward to going back.:rolleyes:

I am confused if you have been there before don't you already know most of the answers?:confused:

jc

[shipcafe]

Hello,

A property that I found to be fantastic offering a nice balance between good cost and high quality is the Hotel Manin :

http://www.framonhotels.com/ENG/hotels/venezia/hotel/hotel.htm

If you would like more detailed photos that I took personally, feel free to let me know.

Thank you ! . .

Steve

[girlygirl1]

We were only there overnight and parts of two days and traveling by train, not airport and didn't have a good experience where we stayed. This time will be different by plane and boat.:confused:

[drk]

girlygirl1...what is the date of your sailing? DW and I are on the 10/04 sailing and just beginning the research of what to do and where to stay in Venice and in the ports.

[girlygirl1]

We are on the same time, Oct 4th, Rotterdam. And starting to see where we will stay and things to do.:o

[Gardendog]

Go to the library and borrow Rick Steves Italy Guide, and find his very reasonable accomodations. They are not top shelf, but good enough. Venice is a very expensive town to visit, and he has many suggestions. Then email the hotel and ask for price, state that you found them in Rick Steves and then see if they have any openings. They will email you back. I LOVE Venice.

[Balliett]

girlygirl and drk, we will be on your ship. we chose hotel foscari palace for stay before cruise, using tripadvisor.com for advice, and booking through orbitz. we plan to take a water taxi (expensive but less hassle, maybe) to the hotel from the airport, and a taxi or limo from the ship to the airport after the cruise. first time to venice, so no claim of expertise, just sharing what we are doing. Jim and Grace

[Cruising Illini]

We are taking the same trip and also B/B with the one following. I called HAL and found the name of one of their hotels so that we could also use their bus shuttle to the ship. We will book the shuttle after arriving at the hotel. We had to be cautious (no water taxi) because husband just had a full knee replacement and I have a bad knee also. We decided on:
NH Laguna Palace
Viale Ancona 2, 30172 Venice Mestre, Italy
1 night Standard Room - 99 EUR
Reserved with Travelocity (1-888-709-5983)
Checking in Oct. 3 and to ship Oct. 4.
This looks quite new and modern and hope it works out - you can find details and pictures at: www.lagunapalace.com
We also found SUPER Bus. Elite on Delta from the East Coast (we're FL.) for $2,055. This is up to about $3,000 on Delta site now but still the old rate on Orbitz -- a mystery why the difference.
I believe HAL has a couple of other more expensive hotels -- on the canal -- and the reservations people at the HAL main number are pleased to provide the names.
Hope our paths cross on the trip -- we are in the S category and appears that all of the tops CATS are filled already.

[xpcdoojk]

We are taking the same trip and also B/B with the one following. I called HAL and found the name of one of their hotels so that we could also use their bus shuttle to the ship. We will book the shuttle after arriving at the hotel. We had to be cautious (no water taxi) because husband just had a full knee replacement and I have a bad knee also. We decided on:
NH Laguna Palace
Viale Ancona 2, 30172 Venice Mestre, Italy
1 night Standard Room - 99 EUR
Reserved with Travelocity (1-888-709-5983)
Checking in Oct. 3 and to ship Oct. 4.
This looks quite new and modern and hope it works out - you can find details and pictures at: www.lagunapalace.com (http://www.lagunapalace.com/)
We also found SUPER Bus. Elite on Delta from the East Coast (we're FL.) for $2,055. This is up to about $3,000 on Delta site now but still the old rate on Orbitz -- a mystery why the difference.
I believe HAL has a couple of other more expensive hotels -- on the canal -- and the reservations people at the HAL main number are pleased to provide the names.
Hope our paths cross on the trip -- we are in the S category and appears that all of the tops CATS are filled already.

Mestre is on the mainland, and to visit Venice you will have to take a bus/train/vaporetto/ or water taxi. I would not want to book on the mainland even to save $100 per night if I was wanting to see Venice. JMHO.

jc

[Cruising Illini]

As I stated in my answer -- we picked this hotel because can't possibly manage our own luggage and much walking to get to a hotel on the canal.
We have been to Venice before -- when legs were much stronger -- and it is not an easy task to reach many of the hotels. This will also provide us with easy access to the ship on the HAL shuttle. Since we are doing B/B we plan on taking a leisurely water taxi ride, without luggage, when we return to Venice at the end of the first leg of our trip.

[xpcdoojk]

As I stated in my answer -- we picked this hotel because can't possibly manage our own luggage and much walking to get to a hotel on the canal.
We have been to Venice before -- when legs were much stronger -- and it is not an easy task to reach many of the hotels. This will also provide us with easy access to the ship on the HAL shuttle. Since we are doing B/B we plan on taking a leisurely water taxi ride, without luggage, when we return to Venice at the end of the first leg of our trip.

Believe it or not I understand this answer, I remember bumping my pull along luggage over 3 bridges at night, not sure if I was going the correct direction to the hotel. So there is no doubt that visiting Venice is a challenge. I was just wanting you to know that Mestre was not Venice. Obviously you knew. :)

jc

[drk]

Balliett and Cruising Illini,

Thanks so much for the information. Good to hear from others on the same sailing. Maybe we should start a rollcall thread for our sailing.

Kevin & Cathy

[Jean Veronica]

Last May, we took the Westerdam on a Mediterranean Cruise and stayed at the Hotel Chiara in Venice...It can be reached by a bus that leaves the airport..The front of it faces the Grand Canal and the back faces the street..It is near the bus terminal and taxi stands..We pulled our luggage over street and sidewalk surfaces to get to it for not even a block...It is fairly reasonable and in a very good location.

If you put in the link below, you can find out more about it. Request the second floor facing the Canal, if you should choose it..They will answer e-mails and give you a quote by e-mail if you contact them.


http://santachiara.hotelinvenice.com/main_en.htm?source=

Hotel Santa Chiara
E-mail Address
conalve@doge.it

Jean Veronica

[girlygirl1]

Thanks for a lot of good suggestions. I phoned travelocity and booked the airfare, also bought the new rick steves book on venice 2005, and found hotels for 100 E before cruise and one for 90 E after. I trust Rick Steves information. He has very useful info for tours, eating, etc. etc. Getting excited about going!

[Marie-Claude]

Hi girlygirl1!

We will be on the Rotterdam on May 19, for a different itinerary than yours, but we had the same challenges as some of you to find a pre-cruise hotels for 2 nights, and a post-cruise for 1 night.

You said in a earlier post you had a negative experience from a hotel near the train station. I'm curious as to why it was negative, and which hotel it was.

We booked the Abbazia Hotel, a former carmelite convent transformed into a hotel, and it's not too far from the train station - one of the reason we booked this one as I am travelling with my mother and need a somewhat convenient location. I hope that's not the hotel you didn't like...

For post-cruise we booked at the Titian, on the mainland, real close to the airport as we have a 6:20 AM flight, and this hotel offers a shuttle to the airport.

I hope you can reassure me that I'm not about to go into a bad neighborhood or bad hotel...
Thanks!

[wwinfl91]

Here;s a web site with a bunch of reviews of the hotel, Hotel Abbazia, you are staying in. Just scanning a couple it looks like a pretty good hotel.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187870-d232949-Reviews-Hotel_Abbazia-Venice_Veneto.html

Have a great next cruise.

[Marie-Claude]

Great! It looks like a good place! Thanks, I'm reassured!

[girlygirl1]

No, it wasn't the hotel you are talking about. It was a B &B Trinita, and we paid 80E for a room with no bathroom, it was down the hall, and it was so hot, all they had was a fan, a bed and a portable closet. breakfast was bread and coffee, the floor was three stories up. It was awful. real close to the train station above a restuarant. found it over the internet. It was during the heatwave, was amost 100 degreesin the room, towels were paper thin, shall I go on!:cool: Hi girlygirl1!

We will be on the Rotterdam on May 19, for a different itinerary than yours, but we had the same challenges as some of you to find a pre-cruise hotels for 2 nights, and a post-cruise for 1 night.

You said in a earlier post you had a negative experience from a hotel near the train station. I'm curious as to why it was negative, and which hotel it was.

We booked the Abbazia Hotel, a former carmelite convent transformed into a hotel, and it's not too far from the train station - one of the reason we booked this one as I am travelling with my mother and need a somewhat convenient location. I hope that's not the hotel you didn't like...

For post-cruise we booked at the Titian, on the mainland, real close to the airport as we have a 6:20 AM flight, and this hotel offers a shuttle to the airport.

I hope you can reassure me that I'm not about to go into a bad neighborhood or bad hotel...
Thanks!

[debsab71]

We're sailing on Oct 14th...from Venice. Anyone else out there on the same date?

[winher]

Just back from our HAL Rotterdam cruise - Venice to Lisbon. Thought I'd put in my two cents worth about a pre or post cruise hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Ca Formenta (found about it here on CC). It is a lovely hotel and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice place to stay in Venice.

The rooms were very clean and the price reasonable (if you can use that word together with Venice hotel). The price also included a lovely breakfast. They have their own private water taxi stand, making it convenient for people that can't or don't want to schlep their luggage over bridges, etc.

The staff speak excellent English and are very helpful in their recommendations of where to go and what to see. We ate dinner on little tables in front of the Hotel - great view of the Grand Canal- from the little restaurant next door. It is located a 10 minute walk to the St. Marks, but is in a residential area. Most of the people eating out that evening were the locals enjoying a lovely evening on the patio. Our room had a view of the Canal and was very quiet as well.

[lougee1043]

Welcome girlygirl.
You will LOVE Venice. It is one of the more beautiful places on earth IMO

dont forget to go to st marks square in the evening and listen to the competing restaurant orchestras

[lougee1043]

Welcome girlygirl.
You will LOVE Venice. It is one of the more beautiful places on earth IMO

dont forget to go to st marks square in the evening and listen to the competing restaurant orchestras

[lougee1043]

Welcome girlygirl.
You will LOVE Venice. It is one of the more beautiful places on earth IMO

dont forget to go to st marks square in the evening and listen to the competing restaurant orchestras and

[lougee1043]

Welcome girlygirl.
You will LOVE Venice. It is one of the more beautiful places on earth IMO

dont forget to go to st marks square in the evening and listen to the competing restaurant orchestras and a

[lougee1043]

Welcome girlygirl.
You will LOVE Venice. It is one of the more beautiful places on earth IMO

dont forget to go to st marks square in the evening and listen to the competing restaurant orchestras and a gondola

[lougee1043]

Welcome girlygirl.
You will LOVE Venice. It is one of the more beautiful places on earth IMO

dont forget to go to st marks square in the evening and listen to the competing restaurant orchestras and a gondola ride

[lougee1043]

Welcome girlygirl.
You will LOVE Venice. It is one of the more beautiful places on earth IMO

dont forget to go to st marks square in the evening and listen to the competing restaurant orchestras and a gondola ride

[Emmie]

Hi! My husband and I just returned from the same cruise Wini was on. (Hi Wini!) We stayed at the Hotel Violino d'Oro. It was a five minute walk from Saint Mark's, and very lovely. The staff spoke English, which was wonderful since we were learning Italian from guidebooks as we walked in the door! Our room faced onto a canal, and the gondolas were...parked? moored? berthed? beneath our window. Everyone was lovely and very helpful.

Our TA arranged the hotel and transportation as part of a package. A driver picked us up at the airport and drove us to a water taxi, which took us to the hotel. The whole trip took about 40 minutes. They also picked us up at the hotel at checkout and brought us to the ship. The cost was, we felt, very reasonable.

Take care,
Emmie

[Emmie]

Hi Wini! Glad to see you!
Emmie