Venice B&Bs

[AndanteConMoto]

Hi all,

 

We're cruising out of Venice next fall and I'd like to stay in the city 2 or 3 nights ahead of time to recover from the flight and enjoy the city. I've checked hotels and realize that my only option going that route would be to stay in Mestre. But, I found a site that lists apartments and B&Bs in Italy (posted on another thread in this forum) and it got me thinking.

 

Most of the B&Bs listed have nightly rates under 150 Euro, which falls into our budget. Does anyone have any experiences in this area? Any caveats I should be aware of? Any recommendations?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

Lee

[Palms2Pines2Sea]

Lee,

 

Check out

 

www.eurocheapo.com

 

for several possibilities in your price range. We stayed at the Albergo Guerrato very near the Rialto bridge: it was pretty basic, but a great location with helpful and kind people. Here's their website

 

http://web.tiscali.it/pensioneguerrato/

 

You are right to stay a bit in Venice proper, and not in Mestre. Venice has a much different character late at night or early in the morning - amazing and a little surreal to walk around at midnight and soak it all in. Buon Viaggio!

[Bruin Steve]

I've been to Venice a few times...and, in the past I've stayed in some hotels which, at today's rates, may be over your 150 euro budget...

 

But, when we go this coming July (post-cruise after the Nautica), we're staying in a small hotel right off San Marco for a mere 130 euro per night...

 

http://anastasia.hotelinvenice.com/

 

A good place to start for research on hotels AND B&Bs in Venice--or anywhere else in the world-- is "Tripadvisor.com":

 

This url will get you to their listing of 339 Venice hotels...

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/HACSearch?geo=187870&from=Home&q=Venice%2C+Italy&inMonth=12/2005&inDay=16&outMonth=12/2005&outDay=18&adults=3&hs=hac1:10023&showall=yes

 

Note the tab at the top of the page to get you to B&Bs...They list 173...

 

There are links to reviews and to reservations sites...

 

Personally, I think there is no reason to stay in Mestre except if you have no time to see Venice at all and just want to be convenient to the airport...You'll spend more money and time getting to and from Venice than it's worth...

 

As to staying in Venice...it's simply magical...

The only tough question other than which hotel is how to get to and from the hotel with your luggage...Water taxis are expensive...Vaporetti are cheap-but you need to deal with the luggage...

 

Check if your ship has a shuttle to Piazza Roma...If your luggage has wheels, you may want to stay in that area--You can walk and wheel your luggage to the hotel from Piazza Roma...and you can catch a train to the RR station or get a bus to Piazza Roma from the airport...Once you have your luggage stashed at the hotel, getting around Venice without luggage is easy...

 

Otherwise, staying near San Marco is nice, but you have to deal with getting your luggage there...If you can do it by Vaporetto (public bus-boat), you're okay with your budget concerns...

 

Buy yourself a copy of the AAA Spiral Guide- Venice...

 

Have fun...

[critterchick]

The Alilaguna water transport is a good way to get from the airport to your hotel, depending on how far you end up staying from a stop. They are used to people with lots of luggage & will help you on & off the boat. It cost $10 Euros pp in October.

 

For getting to the pier after, I would say budget for a water taxi. It cost us $55 Euros to get from the Danieli (near San Marco, we stayed on points) to the railroad station. We had not taken a gondola ride, which runs about $80 Euros, just because up close it didn't look all that appealing to us. So the taxi was our substitute gondola, and it was quite a nice trip up the Grand Canal.

 

The Locanda Ca'Formosa in the Castello district is a hotel we're going to try next time we're in Venice (which I hope will be 2007 or 2008). It's right next to the Arsenale vaporetto stop, and it gets rave reviews on Tripadvisor. We had coffee there one morning, and it was very pleasant. I think it may fall within or close to your budget.

[wwinfl91]

We stayed at a small B&B, the alloggi barbaria, that you can check out at the link below. It was abouta 15 minute walk from St Marks once you learned the streets. The people that own it, an aunt and uncle and their nephew, couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful. The aunt and uncle understood more English than they were willing to speak but they knw a lot more English than I did Italian. The nephew who was available in the late afternoon and early evening, after his regular job ended, spoke good English and was able to point several good local restaurants out to us to try. They provided a European type of breakfast, good coffee or tea, fruit juice and fruit, rolls and bread. It was served on a small patio that overlooked the street and provided plenty of fuel for a day on the streets and canals of Venice. The room we stayed in is the one with the blue bedspread. It had wood floors, nice windows that opened, a good A/C unit that was controled from in the room and that we used a lot because it was in the 90's when we stayed there in July 2003. There was a small refrigerator which had beer, wine, soda, juice and bottled water. You could take what you needed and just let them know when you left. The bathroom was new and modern with a large shower with lots of hot water.

 

We stayed there 4 nights and enjoyed the stay. There is a regular water bus stop very close and an Alilaguna water transport stop down the boardwalk two stops down.

 

If you enjoy the B&B atmosphere give them a call and see if they have an open room for the time of your stay. One warning is that the rooms are on what in Europe is called the first floor but is really one flight of stairs up so if you plan on taking heavy luggage with you expect to have to get it up the stairs.

 

http://www.alloggibarbaria.it/gbindex.htm

 

Have a great next cruise.

[AndanteConMoto]

Great information everyone, I really appreciate it..

 

Yes, one of my biggest concerns is how the heck we'll manipulate our luggage from airport -> hotel and hotel -> ship. Lugging everything around a foreign city, not speaking the native language, while seriously jet-lagged will likely prove to be a memorable experience. I'm just not looking forward to it.

 

Let me pick your brains about this: how LONG in Venice before heading out on our cruise? The cruise is 18 nights so there's no need to extend our stay in Venice just for the sake of increasing the length of our vacation. But, I do want to stay long enough to become comfortable with the town and be satisfied, just in case we don't make it back there again.

 

And one more question, how much should I expect to pay each day for meals for two? Let's assume that the free breakfast at the B&B will hold us over until lunch, and that we eat lunch & supper at some average eatery located nearby. Can I do a meal for two for under 20-30 Euros? We don't care about going to the fancy, expensive places, so I'd rather hit local places that are affordable. I'm just not sure what "affordable" translates to in terms of $.

 

Thanks again for the info!

 

Lee

[critterchick]

We spent two night in Venice, and I could easily have spent a week there. Not because there are so many "destinations," but because it's a magical place to me. I would budget at least two nights, maybe 3.

 

As for food, you can get some cheap eats at places that are just basic. Because we were lost most of the time (and had a grand time being that way), I can't tell you what streets we were on, but there were plenty of pizza/panini joints where you could get a hefty panini (grilled sandwich doesn't begin to do it justice) lunch or supper for 2 with a glass of the house wine for 20 Euros. A sit-down place with tablecloths can run you $120 Euros for a full meal - bottle of wine, appetizer/salad & main course - if you're not careful.

 

We never ate at our hotel (because it was 50 Euros for a breakfast buffet:eek: ), but next time we'll stay someplace where it's included. We will have a midmorning cappuccino somewhere, though.

[Bruin Steve]

Yes, one of my biggest concerns is how the heck we'll manipulate our luggage from airport -> hotel and hotel -> ship. Lugging everything around a foreign city, not speaking the native language, while seriously jet-lagged will likely prove to be a memorable experience.

Venice actually has greater challenges than most foreign cities in this respect...Most cities, you can just get a cab from one point to another. In Venice, by car, bus or cab, you can only go as far as the Piazza Roma. Replace the notion of ground transportation with boats--Vaporetti or water taxis for the most part...and then, consider if your hotel has its own dock or is near a Vaporetti Station...And from the Vaporetti, it's not just rolling your luggage over sidewalks--it's up and down steps and bridges and over cobblestones...Truly can be an adventure--but it can be done. When you make your hotel reservation, ask the hotel how THEY suggest getting from the airport to your hotel...

 

Let me pick your brains about this: how LONG in Venice before heading out on our cruise? The cruise is 18 nights so there's no need to extend our stay in Venice just for the sake of increasing the length of our vacation. But, I do want to stay long enough to become comfortable with the town and be satisfied, just in case we don't make it back there again.

My average stay in Venice has always been 2 to 3 days...I could stay longer and become really relaxed,, but I wouldn't want to stay shorter than, say, two nights...You do want to tour the Doge's Palace and maybe the Ghetto...and maybe visit the Peggy Guggenheim Museum...and you want to spend some time shopping around the Rialto...But, most of what you'll want to do is just wander, eat and enjoy...

 

And one more question, how much should I expect to pay each day for meals for two? Let's assume that the free breakfast at the B&B will hold us over until lunch, and that we eat lunch & supper at some average eatery located nearby. Can I do a meal for two for under 20-30 Euros? We don't care about going to the fancy, expensive places, so I'd rather hit local places that are affordable. I'm just not sure what "affordable" translates to in terms of $.

Venice actually has a wide range of restaurants...and a lot has to do with where you look to eat...My personal favorite area for low-cost but good food is along Lista d'Spagna--the street that runs East from the RR Station...between the RR Station and the Ghetto, there are several very reasonably priced restaurants, including many with outdoor seating on small piazzas, where you can get a multiple course fixed price dinner for between 8-15 Euros per person...Typically, they give you a salad or appetizer, a pasta, a main course, a desert and a drink with a few different choices of each...

We ate at one ("Cafe Brindisi") last time for around 10 euros per person and found it to be very good...

 

OTOH, the night prior, we ate at an outdoor restaurant at the Piazza Santa Margarita and every course was small and "a la carte"...And some cafes, largely near San Marco, will throw on a "cover charge" just for the privilege of holding down an outdoor table...

 

For lunches, we found a lot of small pizza places all over town...

 

But, my recommendation, if you want to keep your costs down, look for those places with the fixed price menus and order from the offered choices...

 

Have fun...

[Petoonya]

Another highly rated (on Tripadvisor) B&B that we stayed at in May of this year is La Calcina

http://www.lacalcina.com/

It was 140 EU for a lovely room with a partial view of the canal. Fantastic breakfast and restaurant on site. Wonderful hosts. It is just 500 feet from the Zattere stop for Alilaguna (airport) and ACTV (vaporetto) and no bridges in between.

About an 8-10 minute walk to San Marks in quiet Dorsoduro.

We actually walked between La Calcina and the ship where it berthed in Stazione Marittima with our luggage- about 15- 20 minutes. (Not something I would recommend to everyone but we'd been to Venice several times and knew our way around.)

[wwinfl91]

What we did with our bigger pieces of luggage was leave it in the held luggage office at the airport. Then when we were needed it we returned to the airport to pick it up. You can take a land cab or even use the cruise ship transportation the day of the cruise to get from the airport to the ship. That eliminated the problem of trying to drag all our luggage from the cruise around in Venice.

 

As far as eating goes what we did was get our breakfast at the B&B. Then we would stop at one of the many street side eateries and get a sandwich or couple slices of pizza and some bottled water to go. If you sit down in almost any restuarant or eating place in Italy you will end up paying a bread and service charge but you avoid this if you either stand at the bar or get your food to go. By doing that we saved money for eating out in the evening. Our high for a meal for two with a bottle of wine and a full 4 course meal with desert was under a 100 euros. We did find meals for less than that in the evening but even with a pizza, salad and bottle of wine it still came to around 50 euros. But since we had saved on lunch it didn't seem as bad.

 

We were in Venice from Saturday morning when our ship arrived until Thursday morning when we had to go to airport to catch an early afternoon flight and still only got to see about half of what we had wanted to see. We used the AAA Spiral guide to Venice which has excellent maps and also daily tours laid out for you, I would say if you can arrange for 3 days you can see the highlights but everything takes a little longer than you think so the more time the better.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[pmc7704]

OK, so if you get the food to go, where do you go to eat it? Do you just eat as you're walking the street, or sit down on a street bench, or park ? :confused:

[wwinfl91]

We did a couple of different things. One time we found some steps that led down to a canal and sat there and ate. Another time we were near a small square where there were some benches and we sat on one of them and ate. One other time we were close to our room so we just got the food and went back to the room and ate there in the little lobby breakfast area. We saw other people doing the same thing with their food including some locals.

 

As I also said you can usually stand at the "bar" or counter and eat as long as it doesn't get crowded. The Italians seemed to do that and just held their ground so we didn't try to crowd in anywhere.

 

There are several small parks as well as some of the larger walkways (i.e.streets) that have benches that you can sit on and eat also.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[stuttgart28]

Hi anybody! ineed some help.Are there any hotels in venice that pick you up from the pier when you dissembark.We have a lot of luggage but we would like to spend a couple of days in venice but with all these canals how do you get your luggage to a hotel?any recomendations for a place like that , i don't want to spend a fortune but i like a decent place.

thanks willi

[Member]

Hotel Santa Chiara right at the edge of Piazza Roma is one of the limited few around that can be reached by ground taxi at the pier in 5 minutes. And it has elevator from the ground floor to the guest rooms too.

[RHefley228]

OK, so if you get the food to go, where do you go to eat it? Do you just eat as you're walking the street, or sit down on a street bench, or park ? :confused:

 

You should be aware that new rules were recently put into place; so far, they seem to only pertain to the area around St. Mark's Square. Here's the article from the LA Times:

 

When in Venice, behave yourself By Tracy Wilkinson

 

Los Angeles Times

 

VENICE, Italy - Call them the slob police.

Officials in Venice -- as well as the handful of actual Italians still living in the lagoon city -- have declared themselves fed up with trashy tourists.

To combat what they see as a scourge, Venice authorities are distributing leaflets and posting posters with a new set of rules.

In St. Mark's Square, it is now forbidden to sit or recline under the porticos or on the steps along the Procuratie Nuove or the Ala Napoleonica, the buildings that ring the city's iconic St. Mark's Square. And don't even think of stopping alongside the Doge's Palace to nibble on a panino, a gelato or some other snack.

"It is forbidden to stop to eat or drink anywhere other than at tables set out by public restaurants," the leaflet says. "It is forbidden to litter or leave behind wastepaper, cans, bottles and any other type of solid or liquid waste."

The sale of takeout food, a staple for tourists, is being banned around St. Mark's Square.

The trash, pizza crusts and pigeon excrement that coat the square are of particular concern to city officials, who say the rubbish is ruining the site.

"I've been saying for some time that drastic measures are required," Augusto Salvadori, a senior tourism official, told the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The struggle over rules reflects the dilemma for popular tourist destinations. Communities crave and rely on tourist dollars, but at some point they feel overrun by the very visitors they've courted.

Such is the case in Venice, where at times crowds are so thick that it's difficult to move through the city's winding streets.

To impose order, some city officials are even thinking of directing foot traffic through St. Mark's.

"[The tourists] walk like sheep," said Marisa Boffelli, an official with the town hall. "I sometimes can't even move; I'm stuck and am late getting to the office."

And so, for now, the "decency patrols," as the local media call them, will enforce the new rules.

Violators who litter, eat in undesignated areas or loiter under impermissible porticos may be fined up to 500 euros, or about $675.

The rules

Here are a few of the new rules the decency patrols are enforcing in St. Mark's Square in Venice:

No eating.

No bare chests.

No sleeping on sidewalks.

No camping out.

No littering.

[agabbymama]

I visited Venice in '98, but my friend hasn't been, so for Oct '08 we are planning 2 days post cruise. I'll be 61 and she 78, so schlepping our own luggage isn't something we want to do. Will have to schlepp to Piazzale Roma, then either taxi, bus or train to Golden Tulip Tritone Hotel in Mestre. The price for '07 is $145 (I'm hoping it will be about the same for '08). The train station is right across the street from the hotel. Plan to purchase the Vaporetto 48 hr pass for $35, and the train is 3 EUR each way. The bus to the airport is also 3 EUR. But it beats the $250-$500 they want for hotels in Venice proper.

 

I've looked at B&Bs, but they don't have twin beds. When they say double, they mean a double bed. Also many of the B&Bs don't have elevators. But they still just want too much money to stay in Venice proper. My friend and I like each other, but we don't sleep together, and we certainly don't plan on being out walking around at midnight to feel the ambiance of Venice.

 

The cruise cost me $2500, I certainly don't plan to spend that for the 2 days pre-cruise in Rome and the 2 days post-cruise in Venice.

 

I found a nice little B&B in Civitavecchia for $97 per night that I'm thinking about. The only drawback is the hour ride on the train into see Rome.

 

I'm praying the dollar gains some stength before Oct '08, so maybe prices will come down a little.

 

Everyone have a great next cruise!

[okbrit]

We were in Venice last summer on a Girl Scout trip. Do not stay at Maestre if you can avoid it - that is not the real Venice and you will get less from the experience. Venice is one of the few big cities where I was ok with booking us near the train station (most big cities in Europe areas near train stations are not the best). You do not want to be lugging suitcases along crowded Venice streets, on the Vaporettos, and over bridges etc. After much researching on tripadvisor we stayed at the Hotel Abbazia. it is less than 5 minutes walk from the Venice St. Lucia train station or the Venice car park (where I believe busses/shuttles from the Airport will drop you off). Is a converted Convent. Very easy to reach everywhere in Venice by Vaporetto (there is a stop nearby). A nice selection of shops nearby. (we actually bought all our jewelry - so much selection it was overwhelming and we are all kicking ourselves for not buying more - and some masks and glass in that area). We paid around 150Euro for a double in July of 2006 and it included breakfast. You can book direct with them. They were always very helpful and responsive when I emailed with questions etc. we loved it and I would stay there again in an instant.

 

Oops - I just noticed the original post was 2005 so I am a bit late there! But I will leave the info in case it is of use to anyone else.

[Member]

Hotel Abbazia is fully booked on our desired night but I heard that same alley has a few decent hotels around, particularly the one right across the entrance of Hotel Abbazia. Does anyone know the name of it?

[agabbymama]

We were in Venice last summer on a Girl Scout trip. Do not stay at Maestre if you can avoid it - that is not the real Venice and you will get less from the experience.

 

okbrit,

I just don't get it. What is the REAL Venice. We aren't the rich and famous people from the olden days that built Venice to get away from the heat of summer inland. You are there, you are seeing the deteriorating buildings, pilings, etc. What possible difference could it make if you stay in Mestre or Venice proper? I saw nothing romantic or special about Venice, other than it was Venice and the lore and history of the place. San Marco Basilica is absolutely beautiful, and if anything I felt anger toward the Italians that let this desecration take place, without doing something long ago to try and save it. The main feelings I had were anger and sadness.

 

I felt Stresa on Lake Maggiore and Cefalu on Sicily were much nicer areas for visitors to Italy. I think Rome and Venice are way over-rated and way over-priced.

 

I will be staying in Mestre, if we even go on this cruise. If the dollar keeps nosediving, I may just cancel the entire trip and keep my money in the U.S. I've been to Venice, but my travelling friend hasn't and she'd like to see it, otherwise I wouldn't even go back.

[lambs2]

[quote=agabbymama;10905922]okbrit,

I just don't get it. What is the REAL Venice. We aren't the rich and famous people from the olden days that built Venice to get away from the heat of summer inland. You are there, you are seeing the deteriorating buildings, pilings, etc. What possible difference could it make if you stay in Mestre or Venice proper? I saw nothing romantic or special about Venice, other than it was Venice and the lore and history of the place. San Marco Basilica is absolutely beautiful, and if anything I felt anger toward the Italians that let this desecration take place, without doing something long ago to try and save it. The main feelings I had were anger and sadness.

I felt Stresa on Lake Maggiore and Cefalu on Sicily were much nicer areas for visitors to Italy. I think Rome and Venice are way over-rated and way over-priced.

 

I will be staying in Mestre, if we even go on this cruise. If the dollar keeps nosediving, I may just cancel the entire trip and keep my money in the U.S. I've been to Venice, but my travelling friend hasn't and she'd like to see it, otherwise I wouldn't even go back.

 

 

I am so sorry that you sound so bitter concerning Venice - my favorite city in the entire world! I also know it is a favorite for considerable numbers of world travelers and many here on this board. We spent three days in Venice pre-cruse and another two days post-cruise. What a truly WONDERFUL experience we had! One has to do their "homework" to fully realize that this was THE richest and most cultured city in the entire world in its heyday and it is so great that so much of its beauty and history has been preserved for later generations. Yes, they have their struggles with preserving it for future generations, but there has been much progress in recent years - such as the cleaning up of the canals and their plans for a dike to help stem the ever-advancing water!

It really helps if time is spent before and after visiting Venice to research the fascinating history of this one of a kind place in our world. I spent many many hours reading and researching and it enhanced my visit there immeasureably. So far it is the #1 high spot in our considerable travels and I can't wait to return one day soon. It is a real GEM and that is why it is so high on the list of 'places to see in the world before you die'. There is no place else in the world truly like Venice!

[agabbymama]

My father-in-law was born in a little village outside of Naples in 1910. His family left Italy in 1917 to come to the United States. In 1998 when my husband and I decided to tour Italy, I did lots of reading believe me, and talking to my father-in-law. Unfortunately I don't speak Italian (or any other foreign language). So touring in Italy was a little difficult as the Italians choose to speak English or NOT at their whim.

 

We spent 30 days driving through Italy down the Eastern seaboard hitting lots of little towns and villages that we liked a whole lot better than the tourist areas of Rome, Venice, and Florence. We then crossed over to the Western seaboard and went on down to Sicily. Cefalu Sicily was probably our favorite stop. I'm told in the Summer it is crowded, but we were then in May, so not hoards of people. We stayed 4 nights we liked it so well. On back up the coast to Naples, Rome, Pisa and ending up in the North at Lake Maggiore. Again really liked the area there in Stresa. There is so much more to Italy than just the tourist stops.

 

I'm not bitter at all, we stayed in Verona and took the train to Venice. We saw it, been there done that. As I stated earlier, I really have no need to return, but my friend hasn't been, so she wants to see it. But we aren't willing to pay $300 to $500 per night for a hotel room that you basically sleep and shower in. You are usually out seeing the sights more than you are in the room. The most I have ever paid for a room was the $210 last year for New York City, and I don't plan on returning there anytime soon either. Been there, seen what there is to see, now I'll move on to somewhere else to visit.

 

I'm sorry that travelers are willing to pay those exhorbitant prices. If people didn't go and the hotels, tours, etc. stayed empty a year or two, prices would come down and be more reasonable. They charge what they do, because people are still going there in droves, but I'm not willing to be one of them. If we weren't two women traveling alone, I'd rent a car and drive as my husband and I did. I think you could still find hotels in the countryside for a lot less than Rome and Venice are charging.

 

Hope all your travels are happy ones!

[okbrit]

Hotel Abbazia is fully booked on our desired night but I heard that same alley has a few decent hotels around, particularly the one right across the entrance of Hotel Abbazia. Does anyone know the name of it?

 

I don't know. Is it the Hotel Stella Alpina - I think that is on the same street (but tripadvisor reviews are not good). All the hotel research for last years Girl Scout trip to Europe was done on tripadvisor. We ended up really happy with all the hotels and did not pay more then 150 Euros a night anywhere and considerably less in most cities. (high by some US standards but pretty resonable for major cities in July in Europe).

 

The area is Cannaregio Ovest. If you look at the venere web site it lists hotels in Venice by area.

 

http://en.venere.com/hotels_venice/cannaregio_ovest/

 

Then check tripadvisor for traveller reviews. My way of approaching it was that if the majority of people gave good reviews i didn't worry about the ocassional bad one. But lots of bad ones I knock the hotel off the list. If you are going to be in Venice in the summer you may want to make sure you have A/C - it is hot and humid. We loved it in Venice - really regretted only having 2 days there.

 

Did you try and book the Abbazia direct through their own web site? If not try that. Also it might be worth emailing them. They were always very helpful.

[lambs2]

We stayed in the Dorsoduro neighborhood of Venice this past May which is just a 10-15 minute walk to St. Mark's square across the Accademia Bridge. The bed & breaffast we stayed at, Pallazzo Guardi, was highly recommended by several folks here on Cruise Critic and has great reviews on Tripadvisor.com. We paid 155 Euros per night for a superior double room with large bath and great Venetian decor, and it included breakfast.

 

http://www.palazzoguardivenice.com/en/rooms.htm

 

We truly had a marvelous stay there and it was very conveniently located. We found using the #51, 52 or 62 vaporetta to Zattere landing an easy way to get to and from and with far less crowding on the vaporetta than the #1 or #82 on the Grand Canal (but can also be used from Accademia Bridge landing).