We've never stayed at the Hilton Molino Stucky, but many of our readers (especially American cruise passengers) are booked into that hotel by travel agents or cruise lines.

Often these readers don't know where the hotel is and how to reach it, or how to get between the Hilton Molino Stucky and the cruise port. In this article, we'll answer those questions. But first, a few words about the hotel:

Molino Stucky Hilton and Spendour of the Seas

ABOVE: Royal Caribbean's Spendour of the Seas passes the Molino Stucky Hilton on its way up the Giudecca Canal.

The Hilton Molino Stucky occupies a wing of the former Molino Stucky, a 19th Century flour mill and grain warehouse that shut down in 1955. For years, the 13-building complex sat vacant, and its once-handsome brick façade had more broken windows than grandeur.

Molino Stucky facade A few years ago, Venice and the Hilton hotel group collaborated on a plan to renovate the Stucky Mill, converting the old buildings into a hotel, a convention center, and luxury apartments. The Hilton Molino Stucky opened in 2007, and today it's Venice's largest hotel with 380 rooms, a rooftop pool, a fitness center, and a number of bars and restaurants.

Because of its size, the Hilton Molino Stucky attracts leisure- and business-travel groups. It's also popular with tourists who are redeeming Hilton Honors points that they've accumulated on business trips.

Molino Stucky Hilton shuttle boat But be aware before you book: The Hilton Molino Stucky has an out-of-the-way location on the island of Giudecca, across the main shipping canal from Venice's historic center. A free shuttle boat runs between the hotel and two central locations (San Marco and the Zattere in Dorsoduro), but you may feel isolated when your hotel is a boat ride away from most of Venice's sights, shops, and restaurants.

Now for the good news: Travelers who have booked rooms at the Molino Stucky Hilton often assume that the only way to reach the hotel directly from the airport or the cruise terminal is by water taxi. That isn't true, and on the following pages, we'll tell you about more reasonably-priced alternatives. We've also included a Google aerial photo map to help you identify landmarks and understand our directions.

Next page: Getting to or from the airport

In this article:

Hilton Molino Stucky Transportation - Introduction

Getting to or from the airport

Getting to or from the cruise port

Aerial photo map: Hilton Molino Stucky and Cruise Port