 |
| Mobile Index | Hotel Guide |
Our No. 1 Warning!
We hope you'll forgive the scary headline, and we don't want you to start your trip planning on a negative note, but we aren't kidding. We really do have a "No. 1 Warning" for travelers to Venice, and here it is:
-
Know where you want to stay!
As we explain in Top 11 Tourist Mistakes (and how to avoid them), we often receive e-mails from readers who have booked hotels through travel agents, airlines, cruise lines, or other sources without knowing where the hotels are or whether the hotel locations match their needs.
Location may not be critical in most cities, but it really does matter in a city of 425 footbridges where walking is the primary mode of transportation.
Our advice:
-
If you're in Venice for only two or three days, stay near the Piazzale Roma (airport buses and land taxis), the Santa Lucia Railroad Station, or an Alilaguna airport-boat stop. You'll waste less vacation time getting to and from your hotel, you'll avoid long ticket lines at vaporetto stops, and you'll save 14 euros in waterbus fares.
-
If you're loaded with luggage, we also recommend staying at a hotel near the Piazzale Roma (airport buses and land taxis), the Santa Lucia Railroad Station, or an Alilaguna airport boat stop. Venice's narrow streets can be crowded during the tourist season or on weekends, and hauling bags over bridges isn't fun--even when you're young and fit.
-
If you've got mobility problems, stay at a hotel that's close to public transportation, or you may find yourself struggling up and down the steps of pedestrian bridges.
-
If you're sleeping in Mestre, on the mainland, choose your hotel carefully so you'll be in downtown Mestre--within 10 to 12 minutes from Venice--instead of being trapped in an isolated, depressing motor inn on the road to the airport. (See Mestre-Marghera Hotels for specific recommendations.)
Above all, don't let someone else make a booking decision for you! If a travel agent, airline, or other resource has already booked you into an inconveniently-located hotel, cancel the reservation and make your own hotel decision (unless you're stuck with a prepaid, non-cancellable booking).
For more detailed advice on where to stay, see the articles below. And while we'd obviously love it if you booked your hotel through the links on our site, we hope you'll heed our No. 1 Warning even if you find a room by other means.
- Durant and Cheryl Imboden, Venice for Visitors
| Venice hotel recommendations by area: |
| Piazza San Marco Hotels |
| Marco Polo Airport Hotels |
| Railroad Station Hotels |
| Cruise Terminal Hotels |
| Mestre & Marghera Hotels (Mainland) |
|
|
| Mobile Index | Hotel Guide |
