Nicole

We will be driving into Venice on a Sunday night, spending that night and all the next day in town. I have heard that having a car in Venice is impossible. With that in mind, what are our options? Are there places outside of town to park the car while taking a bus into the center? Usually we find a hotel/b&b that has parking, but I don't know that we will want to stay outside of town, esp. since we only have a day to devote to Venice. <BR> <BR>Any hotel/b&b recommendations as well? <BR> <BR>Many thanks in advance!

elaine

Hi <BR>I have not driven in, but my guidebook says that you can park in the Garage San Marco, at piazelle Roma, a large parking area that is nearly always filled in tourist season. That one is near a vaporetto (water bus) stop. There is also parking at Isola del Tronchetto from where you can take a vaporetto to San Marco. <BR>You can also park in Mestre, and take the train into Venice from there. From the Venice train station, there are several vaporetto lines to choose from, depending on where your hotel is. <BR> <BR>When are you going? Many of the small popular hotels and pensiones will already be fully booked for this summer. <BR>Here are some websites for hotels <BR>in Venice <BR>www.ve.flashnet.it <BR>www.hotelguide.ch/ <BR>www.venicehotel.com/ <BR>www.italyhotel.com/venezia <BR>www.venere.it <BR>www.italyguide.com/ <BR>Look for the following hotels, which have all been recommended on this forum at one time or another <BR>Albergo Doni <BR>Hotel Caneva <BR>Hotel Minerva & Nettuno <BR>Hotel Riva <BR>Hotel Bisanzio <BR>Hotel Ateneo <BR>Albergo San Zulian <BR>Pensione Galleria <BR> <BR>If you have any interest in looking at my Venice sightseeing notes, feel free to email me. <BR>good luck <BR>

Gina

Nicole, I'd definitely recommend finding a place to stay *in* Venice proper, particularly since your time there will be so short. Much of Venice's charm is best enjoyed in the "off hours"--the early mornings and the later evenings when the day-trippers have gone and the city is a bit quieter. My favorite moments in Venice involved hauling my tired butt out of bed before dawn and wandering down to the canal to watch the merchants bring in their boats of newspapers, fruits and vegetables, and everything else they'd need for the day. You can almost feel like Venice is all yours at times like that. <BR> <BR>Elaine is right about the parking options: Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto, and Mestre. Although I have not had occasion to have a car near Venice, from what I've heard it's also true that Piazzale Roma can be jammed in the summer season. (if that's when you're going). I'd guess that your best bet is to park the car in Mestre and take the very short train trip across the causeway to Venice. <BR> <BR>Based on the current schedule at the Deutsche Bahn site, it looks like the last train to Santa Lucia station from Mestre leaves just after midnight on Sundays. I'd recommend that you try to get a much earlier one, though, just so that you aren't wandering around Venice in the wee hours hunting for your accommodations. <BR> <BR>As far as B&B accommodations, I liked the place we stayed but it's probably a bit far down the budget scale for most folks. The Casa Gerotto, in Campo San Geremia, just off the Lista di Spagna (a short walk from the train station) was only 110,000 lira per night for a large, airy, huge-windowed double (non-ensuite). Definitely not the luxury digs, but clean and comfortable (which is all we needed), and bargain prices. (Important to know: they lock the doors at 12:30 am and don't open them again until 7 am; you can go out between those hours, but don't expect to get back *in* until after 7.) <BR> <BR>The bargain hotels--any hotels, really--book up very early in Venice, as Elaine said. <BR> <BR>

Tom

Hi, again...You may be tired of hearing from me but I strongly recommend the Hotel Flora in Venice: charming, reasonably priced and located about 50 yards from San Marco. You'll eat breakfast in their heavily flowered and vined outdoor courtyard. Magical. B.V!

Scott

We Just returned from Europe two weeks ago.Touring in a rented car was wonderful and as far as Venice goes I would recomend staying just outside and taking a cab or the train into the city. <BR>We stayed at the Plaza Hotel in the Mastre district.The hotel is located right across the street from the train station.By train it is about a ten minutes to Venice.I must tell you honestly that the train station is not for the faint at heart that is why the second day we took a cab.As far as staying in Venice itself you have to carry all your luggage on and off boats,and through the streets to your Hotel.I would not recomend this unless you pack very very light. <BR> The Plaza has nice rooms with A/C,a bar,a resturant,and a parking garage.And I found the prices to be very fair. <BR> If you have never driven in an Italian city you are in for quite an expierence.It makes Washington DC or Manhatten look like childs play. <BR> I would also like to suggest a wonderful resturant in San Marco Venezia called Al Columbo.The building is seven hundred years old .You can dine outside along Beautiful ivy coverd walls in this courtyard or inside in one of Davides beautifully decorated dinning rooms, and the food is excellent.A real first class treat.Casual or dress is fine.

Rod Hoots

Have parked in the Tronchetto Garage several times and recommend it because you're "in" the city. <BR> <BR>Venice is an island reached by a causeway from the mainland city of Mestre. Since there are no vehicles in the city, you must park your car at the end of the causeway and then go by ferry boat to your destination in the city. <BR> <BR>As you approach Mestre, watch for direction signs to Venice rather carefully. The route is not as well marked as you would expect. Once you get on the causeway, look carefully for signs to the "Tronchetto" parking area. Again, it isn't marked as well as you might expect. <BR> <BR>The Tronchetto parking garage is very large, clean and well organized. You take a ticket from a machine on entrance and pay at a payment office on <BR>departure. After you enter the garage go as close as you can to the far end, because that is where the ferry boats depart. Just park your car (of course lock it and don't leave anything in sight) and then walk out the end of the garage. You will see a one story building in front of you (this is where you pay on departure) and the ferry boat dock is just beyond it to the left. There are signs in English for just about everything. <BR>

Nicole

Scott, <BR>I am really liking your idea of staying just outside of the "centre" the more I think about it. Esp. because we are driving in from Prague that day and I know we will be arriving late. <BR> <BR>I am curious as to what your experience was with the train. I see that the hotel is only about 8km from the centre so, I assume that a taxi wasn't too expensive (although there is probably a ton of traffic?)?

Gina

I have to climb on my "no staying in Mestre" hobbyhorse just one more time. Mestre is convenient, but that's about all that can be said for it. It's a charmless industrial city. Although the train in from Mestre is a very short trip and it runs very often, there's something about the experience of staying in Venice that in my opinion shouldn't be missed. Waking up early and wandering the streets late in this absolutely most magical of cities is something that I wouldn't miss for the world, or interrupt or cut short with train trips back and forth while staying outside the city. <BR> <BR>I remember waking up to the bells out in the Campo San Geremia, flinging the windows wide and looking out to the early morning and thinking "Oh my god! I'm really in Venice!"--all over again after arriving at Santa Lucia the day before. Man, I'm giving myself chills just thinking about it. <BR> <BR>:: off to figure out when I can get back to Venice again :: <BR> <BR>

Paulo

Nicole, IMO you should try very hard to leave Prague not later than 7:30am. If you drive hard, considering you'll have to stop 2 or 3 times to strecth your legs and have something to eat, I estime that you'll need to allow a minimum of 11 hours. You should be arriving in the Venice area around 7pm if everything works out fine. Till you take care of your car, check in the hotel and stuff, it'll be 8pm. <BR> <BR>In your shoes I also would plan to spend the night in Venice (instead of Mestre), even knowing that I'd be spending considerably more. By the time you'll arrive, all day trippers should be gone and parking shouldn't be too much of a problem. In case both the Tronchetto parking lot and the Autorimessa Comunale (public garage in the first building to your right as you leave the long bridge) should be full, there's always Garage San Marco (private, make a right as soon as you can after the first building). This is more expensive and I never had any problems finding a spot there). Should you be heavy on luggage, both the Autorimessa and Garage San Marco have a baggage concierge to rely on (don't know if such a service is available at the Tronchetto island). <BR> <BR>Anyways, in your shoes after such a long drive, I wouldn't want to lock myself in a hotel room. I would want to go out for dinner in a nice place and enjoy a walk and watch people in a nice atmosphere, specially at night when all daytrippers are gone (from the hotel to a restaurant, from the restaurant to San Marco square and then back to the hotel). IMO, this is much more relaxing than locking oneself in a hotel room. <BR> <BR>Staying in Mestre, you won't find either a nice restaurant or a nice atmosphere, and I sincerely doubt you'd have the stamina to take a train or cab to go for a first peek on Venice. If you're sure that after such a long drive all you'd want is a bed, go ahead and book a hotel room in Mestre. Chances are you'd be disapointed once you get to Venice the next morning. <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

Nicole

Very good arguments indeed! <BR> <BR>Paulo, we are hoping to leave by 5 am that morning from Prague. We used to live in Prague, and on one return trip back to Prague from the S. of France/Monaco, we swung by Milan to catch a glimpse of "The Last Supper" on the way home. I was trying to remember how long it took to get home. I think we left Milan at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon and got back home in Prague at about 2 or 3 a.m. This was with a stop or two in the Alps of some gorgeous waterfalls. So I am figuring a 12 hour drive, give or take. I am glad to see your thoughts were about the same. <BR> <BR>My husband also just pointed out that the day trippers will be gone as well, so that getting in shouldn't be as much of a hassle as I was imagining it to be. OK, now I just have to find a hotel! YIKES! The night we will be looking for is only a month and a few days away!