Amy

Hi, <BR> <BR>One of the hotels I'm interested in, says that they are in Venice, in the "San Giulano" area of Venice. <BR> <BR>They say that they are in "close proximity to the brdige that links the mainland to Venice." It's about 7km from St. Mark's square. <BR> <BR>Has anyone stayed in this area? Is it difficult/a pain/ etc. to get to the main parts of Venice every day for sight-seeing? <BR> <BR>Would it be worth it to stay in this area for a great price, or is it better to cough up the extra money and really be in the center of things? <BR> <BR>Thanks!

John

Stay in the heart of Venice . . . or spend more time where ever you are coming from and skip Venice. <BR> <BR>Cough up the dough. I cannot think of another place in the world where location, location, location is more important than dollars.

Debbie

John- I know I am going to sound brainless but it is late and with my exhaustion (just lost my Dad few days ago) may I ask, "which parts make up the heart of Venice?" Which part would you suggest staying in and why?

John

I am very sorry to hear about your loss. Our prayers are with you. <BR> <BR>I will do better than your request. Consider staying at the Hotel Art Deco. The lady that owns the hotel spent several years in the U.S. as a young girl. She has a wonderful property, is very helpful, has great suggestions and makes your Venice experience super, high quality and complete. <BR> <BR>If you choose not to stay there, stay as near San Marco as you can. It is centric to a quality Venice experience. <BR> <BR>In Venice 'distance measured in kilometers' means 'out of the mainstream'. Proximity is everything and San Marco is the apex of measurement. <BR>

elaine

Venice isn't very big, so no matter where you stay IN Venice you're not too far away from the center, which is Piazza San Marco. The most-touristed areas, and the most hotels are in the sestieri (districts) of San Marco, <BR>Dorsoduro, Castello, Cannareggio. The Lido is an island in the lagoon (there's a more precise geographic term for it I'm sure but I don't know where it is)and it is not far, but you do have to take a boat from there back and forth to San Marco, and even on the Lido you may have to walk a distance from the boat stop to your hotel, unless your hotel provides a private launch. <BR>San Polo and Santa Croce are less-touristed, but that doesn't mean there isn't some great little hotels there. <BR>What you want to avoid, because you'll be missing out on the wonderful experience as well as being inconvenienced, is staying outside of Venice, in Mestre or wherever the heck <BR>San Giulano is. "7 km from San Marco" is not only not in the heart of Venice, it's either not in Venice at all, or on the fringe.

debbie

Thank you John for your good wishes. <BR> <BR>Thank you too and Elaine for insightful replies. <BR> <BR>John, did you stay at Hotel Art Deco? Since I do speak Italiano it is not a problem to take a hotel owned by a nativ, but will look into Hotel Art Deco. <BR> <BR>Never knew about San Marco as the "epicenter" for distance measurement. That is good to know. <BR> <BR>Elaine, I will now research the different parts you mentioned. We will be in Venice this mid October and I hope it is not getting late to book a hotel!

Gina

John's right that to experience the best of Venice, you should stay *in* Venice proper, but I don't agree that that means you must stay in sestiere San Marco. We stayed in Cannaregio, near Campo San Geremia, and had a magnificent time for our 3 nights there. Elaine's quite right about the distance; once you're on the island of Venice, most things are quite close. <BR> <BR>San Marco is the "epicenter" of tourism in Venice, true, but some of the best sights (little jewel box churches, interesting neighborhoods, etc.) are off the beaten tourist track. No one visiting Venice should miss Piazza San Marco or the Basilica--but after that, there is *so* much more: the Accademia, the Guggenheim Museum, the old Jewish Quarter, the amazing churches like Santa Maria della Salute (Dorsoduro) and Santa Maria dei Miracoli (Cannaregio) just to name a few. <BR> <BR>Don't stay in Mestre (the icky, charmless industrial city just over the causeway from Venice), and I probably wouldn't stay on the Lido either, since it does require a vaporetto trip to get to anywhere of interest in Venice. Beyond that, though, I don't think you need to feel "required" to stay in San Marco sestiere to get an authentic Venice experience. <BR> <BR>My favorite introductions to Venice are Jan Morris' The World of Venice (one of the most beautiful and evocative travel narratives I've ever read) and Time Out's Venice guide, which is wonderfully thorough on sights, neighborhoods, history, culture, and accommodation/restaurants. <BR> <BR>Have a wonderful time!