A day in Venice. Is it worth it with family?
 

I am planning a trip to Cortina D'Ampezzo in Feb. with my family wife and 2 boys age 15 and 8, and might want to stay a night in Venice. I arrive at Marco Polo airport on Sat. 10 AM and was wondering if it pays to spend the day/night in Venice and travel to Cortina the following day. I will need to get back to the airport by 10 AM to take the shuttle to Cortina. Does this sound feasible? Any suggestions on Hotel?

I would say yes - - unless, per chance there is an opportunity to work it into the itinerary, later in the trip.

Exhaustion that first day can be a real problem. It's rather an expensive place to just go to your (ahem... "over-priced", putting it diplomatically) hotel room, and crash.

Your criteria for a hotel choice wouldn't be any different than any other Venice visitor, IMO. Avoid Mestre and the Lido, Search here for Maravege or Ala, for example.

Best wishes,

Rex

Even a few hours in Venice would be great - europe's finest visual feast - the Grand Canale being to me the single most amazingly beautiful thing in europe. better to stay a few days but if you've never seen Venice or those in your family havn't at least do a quick glance.

That would be the worst possible way to see venice--jet-lagged, hurried, with kids, overpriced, tough logistics.
Save yourself the pain until you have 3 days minimum---5 is better.

Venice is a must see...we spent two days and two nights before heading to florence..i day would be fine if you keep moving. enjoy, venice is wonderful.

I tend to agree with bobthenavigator, but having said that, if the day is all you have and don't know about travel in the future, then you have the chance and take it for whatever it gives you. Venice is just fabulous...have a wonderful trip.

I love where I live (Floyds Knobs, Indiana)... but I have to say...

<<That would be the worst possible way to see venice--jet-lagged, hurried, with kids, overpriced, tough logistics.>>

Seeing Venice in the WORST possible way, is still better than seeing Floyds Knobs in the BEST possible way.

I think if you don't have any other agenda other than walking around and seeing what you see, it would be fine.

Joelle

Sure, why not, you're going to be in Venice anyway, you might as well see it. I think Rex's take on it (better than Floyds Knobs) is perfect.

Is this the best place in the world to ask travel questions? All of you are great and I am very thankful for all your responses. The decision now is to do the night stay when we come in or when we leave. Does anyone have any good suggestions about a moderate priced hotel?

A quad hotel room may be hard to come by if you're there during Carnevale, which attracts many visitors to Venice in Feb. (I don't know the exact dates but someone here will). Check on venere.com for a four-person room and see what comes up.

Hi frank,

I would just keep going to Cortina and crash there.

I would definitely arrive Venice the afternoon of 2 days before leaving and spend 2 nights and a full day in Venice.

3 nights and 2 days would be better.

((I))

Thanks for the info. It looks as though I will probably do the back end of the trip. I am staying in Italy the week of Feb 19th to the 26th so I am not sure that is part of Carnevale. If someone knows of a moderate hotel for a family of 4 2 adults and 2 kids let me know. Thanks for your responses.

Frank - Why go back to the airport to get the bus to Cortina? It picks up in Venice Mestre outside the railway station (at 08.05).

You can find details on the ATVO site:

http://www.atvo.it/cortina.php?ld=or...p&id=2-3-1

Hope this helps ...

Steve

P.S. If you want to go straight up to Cortina on the day you arrive you will need to go by train (to Calalzo, then bus to Cortina).

On re-reading the timetable you don't even need to go to Mestre. It starts at Piazzale Roma :)

Steve

Definitely go straight to Cortina when you arrive and work in 2 nights in Venice at the back-end of your trip.

:)

Frank,

I googled Venice Carnevale and it looks like it will run through Feb 8 this year, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding a place to stay.

In case you don't get specific recommendations for hotels here, try www.venere.com You can specify dates, areas, price, and how many people in a room and it will give you a list of what's available. You may also try to search here on fodors for "Venice quad room" and see what others here have liked/disliked. Tripadvisor.com is also a good place for hotel reviews, once you have your list narrowed down.

On our last trip to Venice, my husband and I stayed at Locanda Ca'le Vele. http://veniceby.com/levele

We stayed in the huge junior suite for 150 euro in March. It has a terrace overlooking a tiny canal. Very close to the Rialto bridge. They serve breakfast (brioche, breads, coffee) in your room. I think they also have a quad room that can fit four and a large suite that can fit up to six according to their website(also reasonably priced).

The reason for going back to the airport on the front side of the trip is because the hotel offers free transfers to the hotel from the airport. I will still have to pay for the room in Cortina even though I am not staying, and the transfers are included in the Ski Package. If I stay on the back end of the trip and go to Venice on Thursday I still will have to pay my way back to Venice instead of using the free transfers. So as someone who wrote in a post about when I went to Canada and was looking for moderate restaurants in Banff and I was staying at the Fairmont he wrote "If you want to play with the big dogs you will have to learn to piss in the tall weeds" I guess that is just the way it is. The only problem is the Euro's to the dollar.

We spent a night and day in Venice after landing, jet lagged, in Ljubljana a few hours away! We loved it. We really just walked and soaked everything in and didn't try to do too much. For just one night, there are decent cheap hotels, we stayed in the Bernardi Semenzato. Good luck!