Do not stay in Mestre!It is on the mainland, and not a nice area. There is only one Venice, so stay there. You can take the Alilaguna boat from the airport(public transportation) or a private water taxi to Venice.
Your hotel location in Venice will dictate which to use. Bridges over canals have stairs up and down each side so find a hotel on the water where you don't need to cross the bridges with your luggage. Even though we only ever have carry on luggage, the bridges are a pain. We've done it.Find a hotel in Venice on a canal or with a canal access where the bellman can meet you and you'll be fine. If you are going on a big cruise ship, you'll need to get a water taxi to get there. If a smaller ship, it's much easier to get to mooring on the Zattere. Again, do not even consider staying in Mestre,bad, bad idea.

Hi

Congratulations on your 50th. Good health and happiness for your next 50

Firstly re info for hotel. Please provide a budget in euro to assist us with suggestions for hotels.

Transport etc.: GR8 info here - http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruise-terminal-marittima.htm. Water taxis are very expensive but if you can afford it they are the quickest and most convenient means to get from the airport. We used Alilaguna - http://www.alilaguna.it.

I agree with Happy - don't stay in Mestre.

The website that Worldinabag recommended above is a good one, and it lists several hotels that are on or near Piazzale Roma. You can get a bus directly from the airport to P. Roma. Then, the morning of the cruise you can catch the People Mover (tram) to the port.

Thank you all for your replies. I haven't looked yet at hotels in Venice but I am curious as to your recommendations. Is it possible to get something for two nights for 80 to 100 Euros per night? Piazzale Roma sounds like a good location. Any recommendations for hotels that you have stayed at?
Thank you also for your anniversary wishes. We always travel with carry-on luggage but for a week cruise I don't know if it is possible.

OK I have been checking on Venere for hotels. Is anybody familiar with Hotel ai Tolentini or Hotel Albergo Marin? Any other suggestions? Are non-refundable deals the norm? I get nervous when I am booking so far in advance and anything can happen between now and then. We are budget minded but want our two nights in Venice to be nice. This is our second time in Venice but the first time leaving on a cruise from there. Thank you for your help. Carole

I just checked Priceline and they offer two hotels. Is anybody familiar with Hotel Dolomiti or Hotel Adua? Thanks.

"We are 70 and don't want to be lugging luggage and walking. We are budget minded... I get nervous when I am booking so far in advance..."

Three strikes may find you out. Given your criteria, Venice may not be a great place for you.

Lugging luggage and walking is THE way of life in Venice. You can get door-to-door water service (after lugging your luggage for ten minutes to the airport's boat docks), but you need to plan for water-edge locations and you'll pay a premium price for a private water taxi. (IMO, the cost is worth it if you want to eliminate walking and lugging.)

Hotels located near the water's edge tend to cost more. Finding an decent 80€ room that is super convenient to a boat stop is like finding a needle in a haystack. The best cheaper rooms get rented way far in advance. And May is the most popular month for tourists looking for Venice at its best. You're asking for the impossible. You have little time to get your act in gear.

I know several priests who stay at Albergo Al Gobbo. It's a short walk from the train station, and it's over the bridge from Ponte Guglie, which happens to be an Alilaguna stop on the orange (Arancio) line from the airport. It's easy to find with a good map, and the hotel is simple, clean, and well-run.

The Don Orione Cultural Center has a religious guest house, and they may have rooms in your price range. They are very convenient to the Zattere stop in Dorsoduro, a short boat ride away from the cruise ships, but there is a little walking and maybe one bridge to cross.

And frankly, I found HappyTrvlr's poor choice of words in bad taste. Mestre is not Venice, but it's a lovely place with very lovely people.

It's definitely less expensive to stay there, but it's not a convenient choice for the cruise ships in Venice.

I live in Venice, agree with some of the above advice but not all.

Agree don't stay in Mestre, get one of the Alilaguna water buses from the airport to a hotel easily reachable from any Alilaguna stop without (ideally) crossing any bridges. Map of routes & stops here - http://www.alilaguna.it/en/lines/lines-map.

I disagree with the advice to stay near Piazzale Roma which is the most charmless area of Venice, at the land bridge end - Piazzale Roma itself is just basically a bus station surrounded by modernish offices & multi-storey carparks. If however you do decide to stay in that area, it makes more sense to get a land bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma rather than the Alilaguna boats which don't stop there (so another more charmless aspect IMO).

You don't *need* to get a water taxi to the cruise terminal, you can get one of the city water buses - the vaporetti. First, look up where you have to check in - most are at Piazzale Roma but for a few you can do it at the old Stazione Marittima, near the San Basilio vaporetto stop on the Zattere (or occasionally at Tronchetto, but I think that's only when works are going on at Piazzale Roma). To either of them, from a hotel which is conveniently near a Alilaguna stop for when you arrive, you can also get a vaporetto when you leave. (The Alilaguna stops are a subset of the vaporetto stops.)

Don't be disheartened! We had my PILs visiting in the summer, they are in their 70s, my MIL is a full-time wheelchair user & we got on fine. They were staying on a cruise ship which docked here for 2 days, and we got around very well each day with a combination of vaporetti and walking. (For anyone who can't do bridges at all, the comune's website has some very useful itineraries - http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/1381.)

I don't personally know any of the hotels you or others mention but here are my comments on the locations:

Albergo Ai Tolentini & Albergo Marin (NB Albergo is the Italian for hotel): both involve 2 bridges from Piazzale Roma which is the nearest vaporetto stop (Alilaguna boats don't stop there).

Hotel Dolomiti: also at that charmless landward end of Venice, but on the opposite side of the Grand Canal, near the railway station instead of Piazzale Roma. Not an area I'd want to stay in - just off the main drag to/from the station, always full of tourists & crammed with cheap tat stalls & shops. Nearest Alilaguna stop is Guglie (across 1 bridge), nearest vaporetto is Ferrovia (no bridge but always v. busy).

Adua Hotel & Albergo Al Gobbo: right on that main drag to/from the station.

Don Orione Cultural Centre: we actually looked into staying there initially when moving here & looking for somewhere cheapish to stay until we got sorted out with a long-term flat. But double rooms (even in March) were E139-152pn - not cheap! It was cheaper to stay in a holiday flat, plus we had more room, could do laundry etc.

(Actually, holiday flats can be a good cheaper option, but most won't do as few as 2 nights.)

There are other convents, some of which are cheaper. When we were doing a 3 month intensive Italian course here, many of the other students (of all ages) stayed at the convent of the Redentore which should be in your price range. One older lady stayed there for a year, so it must be OK! It's not a location I'd normally recommend, being on the Giudecca island rather than on the main islands; but I think it may fit the bill, it's quite a nice, peaceful area with lovely views and has frequent vaporetto services to the main islands. The nearest vaporetto stop is Redentore which involves no bridges, the nearest Alilaguna stop is Zitelle which involves one bridge and a very straightfoward walk along the 'front'.

As for non-refundable hotel rates - this is absolutely normal here, gets you a better rate & I've never had a problem with going for it. If you did have to cancel, that's one of the things that travel insurance is there for.

Hi, I just checked in for a really quick look but I am running out. I read your replies and I think I am upping my hotel rate to about $120 Euros per night. Now I am going to print a Venice map and see if I can figure out all the suggestions. Thanks so much for your help.

Reservation made! We upped the ante, bit the bullet, etc. and made a reservation at the Hotel Anastasia not too far from St. Mark's Square. Thank you all for your help and suggestions. We look forward to next May and our trip to Venice and the Greek Islands.

I'm happy to read you secured a reservation. You'll need to prepare yourself in the following manner:

1. Finding the hotel is not that easy. Make sure you have a good map. It will help to enlarge that particular section on the map. IMO, the hotel map/PDF is useless.
2. The Vallaresso/San Marco vaporetto stop has been moved further away towards San Marco. You now have to cross a rather crowded bridge to get to Calle Vallaresso. It's possible the construction project might be completed by next May, but I doubt it.
3. The walk to your hotel from the vaporetto stop is not a piece of cake. There is a major gondoliere station in front of Harry's Bar at the former Vallaresso stop. They cater to tour groups. You can always count on congestion at this very crowded corner.

Calle Larga XXII Marzo is one of the busiest streets in Venice, because it connects St. Mark's Square to the Accademia Bridge.

You also have to cross the large bridge at Campo San Moise.

Clearly, millions of tourists make this trek with their luggage and manage. When someone claims they don't want to schlep luggage (at the age of 70), it would be unwise to advise caution.

HI NYCfoodsnob,
Thanks for your comments. We have been to Venice before and schlepped our bag with no problem it is just that I just had two major foot surgeries on the same foot and my husband had a heart attack in May but that is not holding us back from our travels. By May we will be ready to go. I will be armed with good directions and maps. Plus on another forum someone else had very explicit directions on how to find this hotel. Also there is a large sister hotel on the canal and this hotel is right behind it so I am hoping to have no trouble. I think we made a good choice by staying in the heart of Venice. It is our favorite city. We will truly enjoy our time there and look forward to the cruise of the Greek Islands. Again, thanks from a fellow New Yorker (now transplanted in Florida). Save travels.

You could take the Alilaguna straight to Lido, and stay at the Riviera which is about 20 yards from where the boat docks. If you are willing to walk more like 80 yards the Helvetia is very reasonably priced. From Lido there are boats that go virtually everywhere.

Hi dfourh,
Thanks for the thought. I did look at Lido but we decided we did want to be on Venice in the heart of it all. This will probably be our last time to Venice and we're only there for 2 days so we will make the most of it.

Caroline thank you so much for all the helpful and encouraging information. We will take the Alilaguna (blue line) from the airport to the Marco Polo stop and find our hotel. When we are leaving to go to the cruise terminal we will probably take the vaporetti. I will get the information when I receive my cruise documents of exactly where we have to go to check in. When we arrive at Marco Polo airport can we purchase a two or three day water bus pass that will cover the Aliliaguna and the vaporetti? Is there a shop at the airport that sells them? Grazie!

Caroline I just checked out the Aliliguna website and I see it is 15 Euros each from the airport to San Marco and then 15 Euros each from the cruise terminal to the airport. Then I will look into a 48 hour vaporetti pass. Grazie! I am starting to get the hang of it. Warmest regards!

carolenap - some of the vaporetti passes certainly used to include an alilaguna ticket.

it might be worth looking into that.

We stayed in P.le Roma area at Arlecchino - this hotel has an elevator. If this is important for you, check your hotel's website and send an e-mail with any questions.

P.le Roma is where you want to be. Which cruise line? NCL has free shuttles from the square to the port. You can take a bus from the aiport, it's all land, don't get a water taxi - too expensive (unless money is no object).

From P.le Roma you can take a vaporetto after you drop off your luggage at the hotel. Get a pass from home, if your credit card works on-line, you will get a discount.

Venice is a great place to visit. FOR EVERYBODY. I worried about bridges - vaporettos took us everywhere, don't remember that many steps. It's true sometimes it's difficult to find a bench, don't wander too far away from a stop, all stops have benches to rest a little, and continue.

Hi Dayenu, Yes we are doing NCL Jade. We are arriving Thursday noon in Venice and departing on the cruise Saturday morning. I am not doing a water taxi because of the price but I thought the water bus (Aliliguna). What better way to come into Venice but by boat? We will get a 48 hour vaporetto pass. I am thinking we can use the vaporetto to go to the cruise line. I have to find out exactly where NCL Jade will be and then figure out the rest. I did check out the website and will order my passes getting the online discount. We were in Venice a few years ago and walked over many bridges but then I got a little hesitant but now I feel we can do it and have no problem. We will be looking for those benches when we need a rest and if we walk too far we'll just look for a vaporetto to get us back. Part of the magic in Venice is to just walk around and get lost and discover some amazing piazzas, restaurants, etc. After 49 years of marriage we still haven't lost our desire to travel and see the world. Thank you for your help.

A small piece of advice. The walk from the air terminal to the Alilaguna dock is ten minutes or so. Even if you have wheeled bags, it is easier to use an airport baggage trolley, as they are easier to push than a wheeled bag. It’s OK to leave the trolley at the Alilaguna dock.

First time we came to Venice we did not realise this, and dragging our suitcases was not a lot of fun.

You need a one euro coin for a trolley.

I believe that there is no cost saving obtained by ordering your vap. pass on line, but you can buy a pass at the airport.

Yep, I second Peter's suggestion regarding the trolley. Best 1 euro you'll ever spend

> Get a pass from home, if your credit card works on-line, you will get a discount.

Dayenu, there is no more discount offered ( on veniceconnected site I suppose you mean) for vapotetto passes since a year or a bit less. Now there is only disadvantage IMHO because buying/pre-paying beforehand, you limit the validity of the pass to the pre-determined dates. You can buy it at any manned vap counters in Venice or at airport just before you need to use vaporettos.

> I second Peter's suggestion regarding the trolley. Best 1 euro you'll ever spend ..

I suppose that depends on how much luggage you have. OP is likely to have a lot of them for cruise trip, so trolley is a good advice. Other(inter-european) travellers that tend to have smaller luggage would be fine without trolley. I have carried a middles sized wheeler and a carry-on without trolley between airport and dock with no problem. That of course depends on your mobility as well.

"You need a one euro coin for a trolley."

Actually, you have three coin choices: 50-cent, 1 Euro, 2 Euro

The carts are FREE. You don't need the coin to pay for their use, you need the coin to release the latch that locks the cart to the other carts. The coin will be released the second you re-latch your cart.

A lot of tourists are not aware of this process, which is similar to the grocery carts in Venice grocery stores. They are free, too. But in grocery stores, the carts take just one coin: 1 Euro.

Many tourists leave their coins in their abandoned airport carts because they failed to re-latch them in the designated cart-holding areas. It's easy to see a coin in the handle because it sticks out slightly. If you see an abandoned cart with a coin still stuck, that means the cart was never re-locked into place, and that coin will be yours if you re-lock the cart to other carts yourself.

Glad you are fixed up with a hotel, Carol!

It sounds like you are flying back from Venice. So if you want to take the Alilaguna boat back to the airport, buy an Alilaguna return ticket at the Alilaguna kiosk by the dock - a return is a wee bit cheaper than 2 singles at E27 instead of 2 x E15. I see you can book them online for an additional saving too, at E25 for which you get a voucher to exchange for tickets at the Alilaguna kiosk. (I wasn't previously aware of these as we get different cut-price tickets anyway )

There are no combined Alilaguna & vaporetto tickets although if you were thinking of getting Venice cards (rarely worth it, IMO), there is an option to include Alilaguna. As someone else said, there are no more online discounts for pre-booked vaporetto passes. There are desks inside the airport where I think you can get both Alilaguna & vaporetto tickets but there are usually huge queues - IMO it's easier to get Alilaguna tickets at the Alilaguna kiosk down by the dock as I mentioned above, then get vaporetto passes in Venice when you need them. As well as manned kisoks, the major vaporetto stops all have machines which have an English option & are easy to use. You may find you don't need a 48 hour one and that 36 or even fewer hours will do it - when we used to come here on holiday, we often didn't use a vaporetto at all for the first 2/3 days. So just make sure your first trip is from a stop with a machine, and get them then.

Peter gave you good advice about the trolley - unless I travelled with just a wheeled carry-on, I always found it that bit easier with a trolley. Especially with 2 of you. And especially going back, if you are going to be in a long queue to check bags in.

NYCFS, some supermarket trolleys also take 50c, 1E or 2 - the read-tagged ones at Billa do, but not the white-tagged ones.

Kappa, thank you, I didn't know they no longer offer discounts

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. We will definitely get the trolley. We usually both travel with a 22" carry-on and a small, personal bag. Not bringing laptop although husband will be carrying his camera bag. I wish he would get a small, pocket one but no, he has to have his toys! Well at least I know we will get excellent pictures. I am glad NCL has freestyle cruising. I think we might get away with a few less clothes thereby less luggage. I definitely will buy the vaporetto passes when we are ready to use them. Maybe I could get away with a 24 hour and save a few euros. Our first trip to Venice we noticed we were the only ones buying tickets and then we stopped too. I guess now it is mandatory buying your pass. I wouldn't want to get a ticket or whatever. I wish it was next May already. Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving (if you are American).

Our first trip to Venice we noticed we were the only ones buying tickets and then we stopped too. I guess now it is mandatory buying your pass.>>

now that vaporetto tickets are €7+ each, buying individual tickets hardly makes sense, and you only have to make a journey out to the islands of the lagoon for it to pay for itself. Also, it frees you up to see more of the corners of Venice than you might otherwise manage - one day, we went down the grand canal to San Marco, then over to Santa Maria della Salute, from there we walked along the Zattere and got a boat over to the Guidecca, then hopped to the Isola di San Giorgio and climbed the tower [cheaper and less crowded than the campanile in San Marco and just as good a view] and finally back to san Marco. That's over €35.

And if you get caught without a ticket, the fine is E52 - and I do see inspectors reasonably regularly. And be aware that the E7 single tickets are the only ones you can buy on board - you can't get on (even at a stop without a machine or kiosk) & then ask the conductor for a 24 hour pass or whatever.

We definitely got our money's worth and more on our 7 day pass. Plus it allowed us to feel free to hop on a vaporetto even just to cross the canal by one stop.

On one instance we (and all the other passengers sitting up on the bow) were asked to show our tickets - so, it does happen. This was on the trip between Giudecca or San Giorgio around to Piazzale Roma. Maybe it's on the longer hauls when the attendant has time to cruise amongst the passengers. But for me, taking Murphy's law into consideration, I wouldn't chance it.

Hanabilly, I've also had it happen on the no.1 down the Grand Canal, a number of times.

IMHO, definitely not worth it...besides, who needs the negative karma?

Thank you all for your help. We leave next week and thoroughly look forward to our trip. I feel confident with all the information I received to know what we are doing, where we are going and how we are going that it's going to be an excellent time.

Ciao!

Hello Carole

I have enjoyed the benefit of all the responses on your thread; we too are cruising out of Venice on Norwegian Jade, but not until September this year.

So hopefully we'll be able to benefit from your trip report when you return!

Happy travels, Di