ellenem Thank you for the link and yes it would make a difference but it seems like (unless I'm doing something wrong) the E29/49 tickets are after midnight, that type of thing. I suppose one pays extra for convenience, eh?

A grand canal view in Venice may seem nice, but not only do many people complain that it is noisy, it is also not necessarily worth 60e per night if the end result is no Venice at all.

There are much less expensive stays in Venice for doubles with air con -- which you will probably want in late April to shut the windows against mosquitoes.

You perhaps will want to buy some water *bus* tickets, but I have been to Venice many times and I have never taken a water *taxi* -- because they cost a lot.

You do not need to spend a lot of money on food in Venice

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/201...s-cicheti-wine

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...ice-food-italy

The funny thing is, I don't particularly even like Venice! But I think if you eliminate it from your trip, it should be because you prefer to do something else. It costs the same to stay in Venice as it does in Rome, and you can buy extremely discounted train fares between the two cities.

Heart cappucino available at Er Baretto in Monti - highly recommended!!

Thank you annhig for the train information, especially the tip about validating our tickets; would not have known that. (I still need to check that seat61.com website.) >>

that tip about validating the tickets wasn't me!

don't be disheartened about missing Venice if that's what it comes to - there are loads of lovely things to see and do in and around Rome!

if you have an American Express card, use it as much as possible. We returned from a trip to Italy in 2009, and because we put most of our expenses on AMEX, when erroneous credit card charges started to appear, and letters in the mail saying we had turned rental cars in late, and were being charged fines (we did not, and kept all of our paperwork to prove it), we were able to hand it all over to AMEX and walk away from it. Our traveling companions, who used another card, spent 2 years trying to clear it up. I hear this happens a lot in Italy, and we also noticed that a lot of merchants would not take AMEX. The "insurance" of having the card company dispute it and make it stop is invaluable.

Sorry annhig, the ticket validation tip was from senozkadir. (Thank you, senozkadir.)

Good news - Venice is back on. (Must have been the Fruits of the Forest strudel I served Mr. TeaLover after our Sunday lunch.)

We've just sent off a reservation request to Hotel Galleria.

Once we added the sums in Euros; converted to Pounds; then divided by half (we're each paying our own way, so to speak) - it didn't seem so bad.

Every step in Venice is a great view, so unless you are going to relax in warm weather on a terrace or spend hours looking out of your window, all the extra money for a view isn't worth it. It is just one bite of candy on top of the full box, which is Venice. All the cruisers head to San Marco and Rialto. The rest of Venice is still yours to enjoy. A bed to rest your head is all one needs.

This may interest you, http://www.guggenheim-venice.it/ingl...eum/index.html this is a fine gallery but one of the hidden aspects is the canal side frontage, you can sit out here without being pestered or pushed about by the mass of tourists (60,000 a day on average.... on average) and watch the boats go by.

The car scam is solved by
1) take all you documents, also take all your flight documents as e-tickets are great but airlines make terrible mistakes
2) Photograph the car digitally (all over it only takes a minute) when you get there including the inside guages with the engine running and a date stamp on your camera.
3) do the same on return

This trick has so far avoided, fuel claims, cleaning claims, late return claims and damage claims.

This a pretty cheap museum but worth a visit
http://www.marina.difesa.it/storiacu...e/default.aspx

If we arrive in Venezia S. Lucia at 6.30pm, will there be a problem getting to our hotel via water bus? Do they keep late hours?

I'm unclear as to the difference: water bus v. water taxi ???

NancyD9393 What a nightmare. Thanks for info.

Tt

Water bus is vaporetto(6€) or you buy 1/2/3 days vaporetto cards as I mentioned above.(public transport)
On the other hand,water taxi is a taxi,so you pay more

Here is the vaporetto lines map to help you
http://www.actv.it/pdf/navigazione/Mappa_linee_2nov.pdf

and this is the link of ACTV
http://www.actv.it/en/movinginvenice/movinginvenice

Vaporetto run late - no problem at all at 6.30pm - but spend a few minutes enjoying just how privileged you are when you walk out of the station and find yourself standing at the edge of the Grand Canal - sublime!

On the third day in Venice, get away from the Cruise Ships by walking into the various neighborhoods as cruise groups will not be taken there. Plus, that is my favorite thing to do in Venice, go exploring. We were there once on the Feast of san Marco and a National Holiday,April 25 I think, the city was jam packed, but we were fine in the neighborhoods.

HappyTrvlr roflol We are in Venice 24/25/26 April. *%$&!!!!

Not to mention it also be Liberation Day. And then we'll hit May Day in Rome. lol Such fun! (I think.)