mmmooommm

We are just here for four nights, over Christmas, and, I THOUGHT I would absolutely stay in San Marco area....close to sites, save on cold walking to get to areas we'd like to see. (my family, we are early 50's and two teen boys...all active people!).

BUT!! started looking at apartment rentals (which we usually do when we travel) and finding more about areas like....

.....Dorsoduro (south of C. Margherita I hear, and NOT too near the P. Roma) as I hear the university area is lively with later night people watching, activity...not looking for bars/dancing! Just restaurants and activity as the daylight hours are minimal. BUT, have to take transportation to SM area.

....Castello...more middle class so great food, great prices...plus walk to SM area. I hear stay near Via Garibaldi? and I suppose, the closer to SM basilic, the less walking involved. Maybe help me here on areas?

....San Polo...walkable across Rialto bridge to SM area. lots of restaurants, a good food area and markets.

I don't know if any of the other areas are too interesting to us.

Our 'wants' are REASONABLE walking/transportation to sites. GREAT FOOD!!! We won't cook at home, other than breakfast items, so markets are not critical other than being interesting to see. CHARACTER in the neighborhood. CANALS, don't want roads galore! Something to do after the sun goes down! People watch. Coffee houses. Restaurants that are great food, we don't care how casual the place is, in fact, we love casual, but finding great family run eats is great!! Interesting shopping (for me) but not expensive, and I won't shop much!! Would love to be able to have a boat rental, but that's another question!! I guess we just want to see Venice and get to know our little part of it!!

BUDGET? we don't mind $250-$300 a night, so other than right spanking in SM, seems our options are pretty open!

willowjane

We stayed in an apartment that is very near to St. Marks square but I don't know if it is what you are looking for. http://www.cavecchiopozzo.com/
I would recommend: Monica Bittante - (she grew up in this home) and I would highly recommend her for a guide if you want a look at the real Venice. We had a fabulous 3 hour private tour.

ellenem

One could walk from the train station/Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco in 40 minutes. Nothing is ever very far away. The biggest key to me would be to chose an option that is close to a vaporetto stop. I prefer NOT stay near San Marco since that area has more touristy shopping and crowds of people and pricier. Lately I've really enjoyed Santa Croce (Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo, Campo San Gacomo dell'Orio is a real neighborhood) and Dorsoduro near Accademia. About the only place I'd avoid is Lista di Spagna right by the train station--from previous experience.

nytraveler

Um, there are NO roads in venice proper. You can get a car on the Lido but there is no place to drive it - and no reason for you to go there that time of year. Other than that the causeway ends at the Piazzale Roma. After that it is just canals.

Venice is actually very small, but it is dense and can be tricky to get around - you WILL get lost - since you will find yourselves on the wrong side of a canal with no bridge and have to backtrack. Part of the fun of exploring.

Sorry - can;t advice on where to stay - all my vacation trips we have stayed near San Marco (native New Yorkers we are used to crowds, and they leave in the late afternoon) - and one business trip was the Lido (where the Congress center is).

Leely2

I avoid San Marco and anything right around Rialto--just too touristy, though there are parts of San Marco that are less busy, I think. ellenem has given you some good options.

Pepper_von_snoot

I don't mind Lista di Spagna/Strada Nova. It is colourful, young. Mostly European tourists here, not Americans.

I wouldn't stay directly on this thoroughfare, but a side street would be fine.

Lots of inexpensive shopping, Billa supermarket, ATMs, tons of restaurants.

Close to Jewish ghetto, Ca' d'Oro, Madonna dell'Orto.

My favourite place in all of Venice is Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio.

Thin

ellenem

I'm fine with Strada Nova for all the reasons Thin mentioned. To me that is different than Lista di Spagna, which is just between Ferrovia and Campo S. Geremia. On the other hand, I'd rahter stay on Lista di Spagna then in Mestre or Lido.

As nytraveler said, no roads in Venice. Lots of walkways (alleyways), but also lots of canals and bridges everywhere.

Peter_S_Aus

think about www.vrbo.com/149494 150 euros a night, which is $200 US, which would fit your budget.

Thin would approve - 50 metres from his favourite campo, San Giacomo. There's a supermarket there, and a shop that does bulk wine (2.20 a litre and drinkable, just along the calle. Five minutes walk from the Frari, ten minutes and two bridges from the San Stai vaporetto stop - and the Alilaguna ferry also stops there.

The photos of the apartment are a little deceptive - it is much bigger than they indicate. The heating works really well, as does the hot water - important with teenagers. WiFi is ok, and we had no problems with it.

The Ae Oche pizza place is downstairs, and the four of you would eat well for about 50 euros, and the bar next door is fun.


People watching - you can lean over the front balcony, and observe people outside the bar drinking spritzes, and lost visitors consulting maps. Views of six or seven campaniles - I spent a while with a map identifying them, and it was fun.

It sounds as though I'm promoting the place, and I'm not particularly pushing it. We spent two months there and loved it.

Click on my user name for some trip reports for Venice ...

amamax2

bookmarking

Jean

One reason why I like Pensione La Calcina in Dorsoduro is the light. The hotel faces south, overlooking the wide Giudecca Canal. It's less than a mile to Piazza San Marco and close to the Peggy Guggenheim palazzo, the Accademia Gallerie and bridge. Campo Santa Stefano is just on the other side of the Accademia bridge.

http://www.lacalcina.com/

mmmooommm

From lower eastern tip of dosoduro, taking a vaporatta across the grand canal seems to make sense. The walk to the academia bridge seems too far...is this how you, on a cold day, would go?

I've got queries into the links above. Thanks! On iPhone and hard to type to individually thank you all, reading glasses and all! Leaning to an apt, cheaper tan hotel quads in most cases.

It is hard to make out the scale of the city.

samoca

Royal Apartments Ca' Pierre (google it). Am booked with them through Cross-Pollinate.com at end of September. Four bedrooms but rented by number of people not a set price if you book through that agency. It's in the Castello, east of San Marco--about 12 minutes' walk. This is apparently where the real Venetians live. I rented from the same landlord and the same agency in 2009--a much smaller place in Canarregio (twice from the agency on the same trip--the other place in Paris). The landlords are local Venetians--meticulous in their furnishings and very nice people. Google them to check the reviews (they do rent through other agencies apparently but cross-Pollinate.com has a special deal with them.) I have a really great price but I think it's because I rented so early in the year and the prices were still quite low. The reviews are uniformly great for this apartment online and the Micoud family who own the place. Cross-Pollinate.com gets great reviews too; check them out for future use in other places. Buona fortuna!

Indogirl1

Bookmarking

vincenzo32951

Jean mentioned the Campo S. Stefano, which I like and which seems to fit what you're looking for.
But really, everyone has a personal favorite in Venice, and you'll be fine just about anywhere -- your budget presents a lot of options.

NYCFoodSnob

The "scene" in Venice during Christmas is very different than at any other time of year. It might be good to lower your expectations a notch. The enjoyment of exploration will largely depend on the weather you encounter.

Many of the top restaurants are closed that week. It takes some work calling and planning a foodie itinerary during Christmas week in Venice. "Great food" is scattered all over. You need a good map, research closing days and hours of operation. Every neighborhood has a people-watching cafe. Venice is in Italy. Shopping is everywhere, too.

Winter in Venice can be excruciatingly cold, wet, and windy. There's a good reason why local women wear fur in winter. The damp wind can cut through your bones like a new Wusthof knife. If your goal is to visit the "main" sites with "reasonable" walking, I would house myself nearest your "site" area. You (and your family) won't regret this advice.

Campo Santa Margherita is popular in warmer weather, especially with kids, when people eat and drink outdoors. Not so much fun in winter. Personally, that campo does nothing for me. Over-rated is the word. It's too large, oddly shaped, lacks charm, and on warm summer days, it's filled with college students drinking/eating pizza, or American tourists pretending to be hip. Yawn. Visit and decide for yourself. It's quite a walk from San Marco, especially in the cold.

I've yet to find "great" food in Castello. And then there's the charm factor. You rarely see travel photos of charming, hidden corners in Castello because none may actually exist. I find Santa Croce more charming than Castello.

San Polo is a fabulous area, with lots of great food. But for a first timer, you better have a great map and a great navigator in tow. It's very east to get lost in San Polo, and the walk route to San Marco is the most congested in all of Venice.

Lista di Spagna/Strada Nova is commercial central. It's also the main people-walking drag from the Rialto to the train station. I like to visit the area on occasion, but never during rush hour. I would never stay anywhere near that <i>calle</i>.

mmmooommm

Ok, this bridge I see is just east of the Guggenheim. What is that!

NYC, I appreciate the advice. So it sounds like San Marco is your advice. I am really not familiar with venice. It has been many years since I have been. And I do presume there are other sites than San marks. ( like feeling like the only place to stay in Rome is by the coliseum). I am leaning toward sm, or sp near the bridge. As to food, we don't need the 'top' spots. So I imagine we will find enough decent food to satisfy four days, but I appreciate the heads up on that.

Vincenza, yes, I'm seeing that there is no one consensus, but I enjoy the opinions!!

Samoca, I just put in an inquiry. Thanks!

kappa1

> From lower eastern tip of dosoduro,... The walk to the academia bridge seems too far...is this how you, on a cold day, would go?

From Zattere ( Gidecca side of Dorsoduro) to Accademina Bridge) is a few minutes walk ( from above mentioned le Calcina to Accademina - 400metres - for example). If you are active people as you say, no problem, even walk till Piazza San Marco. And the joy of Venice is walking those often very narrow streets, crossing the numerous small bridges over side canals, again and again. I do it all the time in winter. I have been to Venice over Christmas close to 10 times now, including last year, when I stayed at Ca'Zose 3* small hotel. Located near between Accademia and Guggenheim. Very nice hotel, had a standard room spaceous enough ( the owner lady assured me that size-wise, a standard room was not much smaller than a superior room ). The breakfast room was tiny, that's a little down side but over all the place and location was great for €55 ( ! ) per night for a double room incl. breakfast. Until the Christmas time, many Venetian hotels apply lowest season rates. It gets a lot higher if you want to stay over the new year.

Mimar

Do you know about acqua alta? It's when low-lying parts of Venice flood. This happens mostly in the winter, and Piazza San Marco is one of the worst hit areas. So you don't want to stay in the San Marco area, or in any ground floor accommodations. You might research the most flood-prone areas in order to avoid them.

Many hotels will provide boots. Not so sure about apartments.

kappa1

> It might be good to lower your expectations a notch.

Perhaps that's the right thing to do. I have not been to Venice in Christmas for the festivities. The city is rather quiet and less crowded then than other times. That's what I like. Still a pity there is no Christmas market any more.

I may be easy to please, I have stayed at most areas of Venice, except San Polo/Santa Croce ( although I do walk around there all the time). I think I liked all the places I have stayed, some areas a little more than the others. And I do walk a lot. I'm used to it. And I do enjoy taking vaporetto for island visits as well.

mmmooommm

Y'all keep saying 'lower your expectations'. What does that mean? I am not expecting anything out of the ordinary that I am aware of, am I? I know it will be cold, dark early, etc. But just curious the attitude??

mimar, yes i am aware, apparently the full moon is the 17th, which is five days before our arrival, and should help. But yes, ground floor is a no no. and I understand the south side of SM near the square is the most flood prone, with the Rialto side being the least, of SM anyway. thanks for the tips.

kappa, glad to hear from someone who has traveled there at that time of year a lot. i do wish the market was still there. i love that sort of thing. the area of dosoduro sounds close to some of the areas i have seen available. Any particular place to eat on Christmas eve or day you could recommend? I'd like to get a reservation prior to leaving on those. did you enjoy that area? would you stay in that area again? if one vacation, where did you spend most of your time? (district).

Thanks all, y'all are very informative!!