Meredith

Hello!

We are currently planning a two-week trip to Italy in June with our kids (ages 7 and 5.5 at the time of the trip). The one part of the trip that has us stumped is Venice... I know there are tons of threads here about where to stay in Venice, but I'm still a little unsure about things and would love some input.

So, I've been thinking we'd stay in San Marco. I know it's super touristy, but we're OK with that. This will be the last leg of our trip, and I expect our kids will have low energy (as will we) - so convenience and minimizing walking distances is key. However, we also LOVE local, non-touristy restaurants, so that is a factor for us as well.

With that in mind, can anyone advise which part of San Marco we should stay in? From looking at a map, it's hard to get perspective on just how big or small San Marco is. Just about every apartment I've looked at says it's a 5-minute walk or less to Piazza San Marco - is San Marco really that small that a normal person could reach the major sites in 5 minutes? (It takes my kids more than 5 minutes just to walk down the street to our neighbor's house!) Is there a particular area of San Marco that is convenient but still has quieter back alleys and local restaurants?

Also, should we consider Dorsoduro or anywhere else on the west side of the Grand Canal that is still as convenient as possible to San Marco?

I'd really appreciate any advice on this. I've looked all over the Internet, read a bunch of books, searched the forums... and am still unsure about what we should do. Thank you!!

Meredith

ellenem

Meredith,

To give an idea of scale of Venice, I could walk from Ferrovia (the train station where the causeway reaches Venice) to San Marco in 40 minutes.

With your family and the situation you might describe, I might stay on the Castllo side of San Marco (east of the piazza) where you'll find quieter streets and be able to walk to the public gardens and playground (giardini) and walk along via Garibaldi, a shopping street of real Venetians.

vincenzo32951

Last time there, we stayed in the San Maurizio area, a little bit east of San Marco, across the canal from the Guggenheim. It's a good area -- fairly quiet and accessible.

I have to tell you that I consider Venice to be one of the worst walking cities in the world for children. The walkways are narrow and crowded, especially during the daytime. Lots of up-and-down bridges, too. Not umbrella-stroller-friendly, either.

Dukey1

Meredith, San Marco is "touristy" <B>for a reason</B> as is the area around the Rialto and a couple of others.

Walking around can get a bit more wearisome and complicated because some of those walking routes have plenty of STEPS.

"Real" Venetians are EVERYWHERE, believe me.

Be sure to visit San Marco about dusk after the "fake" Venetians have left and the "real" ones are there collecting your money.

jamikins

We just spent 9 days in Venice over New Year's and loved it. But I would highly recommend NOT staying in San Marco with your kids at the end of your trip when you are likely to be a little burnt out. This area is chock a block FULL of tourists clogging the streets. I would look in Castello or Cannaregio as there will be less people clogging the main roads and more local restaurants etc.

thursdaysd

When will you be there? How much time will you spend in San Marco compared to the rest of town (Venice is really a place for wandering the back streets, and then there are the other islands)?

With kids, in the summer, I would consider staying on the Lido, where there are beaches, and getting vaporetto passes. The boat will take more than five minutes, but will drop you right at San Marco.

StCirq

We were in Venice for 5 nights over Christmas. I think of Venice as being a great walking city, but between the crowds (shoulder-to-shoulder anywhere near San Marco, loads of them with enormous strollers) and the people congregating at the top of every single bridge taking selfies and clogging up the pathways), it got maddening at times.

Also, it's close to impossible, IME (and I've been to Venice multiple times), to find anything I would call local, non-touristy food in the area. The best meal we had in the San Marco area was lunch on Christmas Day, at a Chinese restaurant.

The Lido is a good suggestion. I would also consider Cannaregio.

annhig

Hi Meredith,

How will you be arriving and leaving? I ask because one of the main problems of staying in Venice can be getting to and from your hotel either by boat or walking, especially with luggage and children in tow. So you want to make the coming and going as easy as possible.

Mimar

Distances are not great in Venice but you can't always walk directly. You have to find a bridge to cross. One way of shortening the distance is crossing in a gondola, a traghetto. At certain points there are traghetti crossings; a good map will show you where they are. And there are signs.

The cost of a crossing is 2 euros; don't know if there's a special rate for kids. But they will be thrilled.

vincenzo32951

Amend my post: San Maurizio is **west** of San Marco, not east. My compass has been drinking.

Pepper_von_snoot

Miss Thing, my advice to you is that if you were to stay in San Marco find an apartment near San Samuele or San Angelo vaporetti stops. This is a quiet part of San Marco.

My favourite area of Venice is the Jewish ghetto/ Madonna dell'Orto. Far from the tourist tsunami.


Thin

annhig

The cost of a crossing is 2 euros; don't know if there's a special rate for kids. But they will be thrilled.>>

but possibly not an option on arrival or departure with all your luggage!

Fodorite018

Take a look at the Hotel Canada. We stayed there back in 1999 when our kids were your kids ages. Like you, this was at the end of a 2 week trip. It was a perfect location for us. It is not fancy, but it suited us just fine. I looked on TA for the current reviews and it looks like it would still be a good bet. We liked that it was easy to get to, close to the Rialto as well as San Marco, yet was not chuck full of people in the immediate area. We were there in May, FWIW.

Lexma90

Look for a place to stay on or near Camp Santa Maria Formosa. It's close to San Marco's, but not in the middle of the tourist hordes. Also, the Campo is pretty much surrounded by buildings, so your kids could run around a bit while you sit at a cafe

rialtogrl

If you choose to stay in San Marco I agree with Thin to stay close to Sant' Angelo or San Samuele. It is a little bit quieter back there. And you can walk pretty quickly over to the Accademia bridge to get to Dorsoduro.

Having said that, if you want to be a little more central, you could choose something around Campo Santa Maria Formosa (Castello) or Campo SS Apostoli (Cannaregio) which are within walking distances of many sights but also more residential neighborhoods. Around Campo SS Apostoli you will find some good restaurants that won't break the bank. You have to be careful wherever you eat in Venice though, get some recs here by doing a search.

From Campo Santa Maria Formosa it really is a 5 minute walk to Piazza San Marco, if you know where you are going Campo SS Apostoli, more like 10.

Annhig makes a good point about transportation with luggage, it can be a real pain. You might consider splurging on a water taxi too and from wherever you end up.

Meredith

THANK YOU all so much - this is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to hear! There's still lots of options for us to consider, but all of this will be SO helpful. Can't thank you enough.

To answer a few questions...

We'll be in Venice June 10-13. We'll arrive most likely by train from Tuscany (although driving a rental car is also a possibility) and departing straight to the airport via water taxi, I think. Haven't fully worked out all of those details yet.

cherie2125

The San Marco area is extremely busy so I would follow the advise of those above to stay in a quiet part. I was in Venice in late October and it was unpleasantly busy. I stayed near Piazza Roma and that was saner. (not suggesting this with your kids however)
I like Venice but I don't know if I would stay there again. The main part of my visit was to Vicenza which is about 45 minutes on the train from Venice. I returned to Venice and Verona for day trips.
Agree that a water taxi might be good for you since you have kids. I came in by bus but I was staying near the bus drop-off point.

annhig

We'll be in Venice June 10-13. We'll arrive most likely by train from Tuscany (although driving a rental car is also a possibility) and departing straight to the airport via water taxi, I think. Haven't fully worked out all of those details yet>>

Meredith - those details are important because they determine how your stay in Venice will start and end. Personally, I would look for somewhere near the station along the Rio Tera Lista da Spagna which is within walking distance and no bridges. you and the kids will be tired from the journey and you want to make your arrival as easy as possible. When you leave, OTOH, you should be fresh and more comfortable with being in Venice, so you might think of walking across the new bridge to the Piazzale Roma and getting the ATVO bus to the airport [every 20 mins, approx €5 each one way, not sure about the children's fares] or getting the Alilaguna. [the Alilaguna are boats that go across the lagoon from Venice to the Airport; it would cost about ½ of a water taxi fare].

of course there are other places that you can stay in Venice but I think that's what I would do in your case. Once you are there you will find Venice easy to walk around, you would be near an area where there are fewer tourists [though the Rio tera Lista de Spagna gets busy] and you would be able to use the vaporetti to go further afield.

suze

I suggest staying in Dorsoduro. Very easy vaporetto access from the train station, easy walk over to San Marco , but a smidge out of the tourist hordes. Overlooks the Giudecca shipping canal.

thursdaysd

Sorry ann, but I completely disagree with staying near the station.

The OP doesn't say where in Tuscany but it's only two hours by train from Florence, so they should be in pretty good shape, and when you walk out of the train station the vaporetti are right there. (See no point in arriving by rental car.)