I am going to go for it, and stay a night in Venice when we land on Saturday. I do have a few questions. How long is the ride from Marco Polo airpt to Venice? I will need to go back to the airport by 12:00 noon the next day on Sunday to catch the free bus to Cortina. Is there a hotel right next to a bus stop in Venice that will make this easier? I would like a reasonable hotel since we are going to Cortina. Any suggestions on a hotel and what a 1 day and night itnerary should look like would be helpful. Please let me know. Thanks

One hotel that might work for you would be Pensione Wildner. It very close to the landing for the Alilaguna boat from the airport, moderately priced, easy to find, and in a good location. I think the boat takes about an hour from the airport. A water taxi would be faster, but probably more expensive.

Watertaxi for sure is more expensive, about 90 euros! Probably not what you want to spend on this visit.

Do have a beautiful time!

There are 3 basic ways of getting to/from Marco Polo into Venice. The water taxi takes you door to door for ~85-90e and takes about 30-40 mins. The water bus (alilaguna.com) takes 1hr & 10-15 mins (it makes stops along the way) and costs ~10e/person. (main stop San Marco but it also makes other stops like Arsenale and Zattere)

There is a land bus that is the cheapest way to go (maybe ~2e/person) that goes to P. Roma near the train station and that only takes about 20mins according to their schedules (actv.it) You could also take a land taxi on this route that would probably be ~30e.

So from a practicality standpoint, one option might be to stay somewhere near P. Roma. That location would prob. also be a bit less expensive. I think the Hotel Abbazia would fit the bill but I don't know whether you can book for just one night.

From that location, you could take a vaparetto (local water taxi) down the Grand Canal to San Marco where you have the Doge's Palace, the Basilica, the Campanile Tower, the Correr museum. That could take easily all day, esp. on a Sat. when it will be busier. You could also decide to just do one or 2 of these things and then just wander around, most people's favorite pasttime in Venice.

Thank you all for your information. I will probably take the public bus and stay near where the bus end up. What street is that on and is it near St. Marks square? My question is if I take a private car taxi into Venice with the family will it cost more than 50.00 US? Also what are 2 moderately priced hotels one next to the bus stop and one next to the major attractions. I can decide which route I want to take with the taxi and public trans. My guess is to go the taxi route because we have such little time. One BIG Question is, can we leave luggage at the airport? I would like to leave most of our luggage at the airport for when I go back to pick up the transfer to Cortina. Does anyone have that info? Thank you for your information.

frankdaddy, Hi, think you will be glad that you see Venice while right there.

Regarding storing your luggage, I went to the airport website which is www.veniceairport.it. I did not find any are marked as luggage storage (except for unclaimed luggage storage). This did not really surprise me (because of security reasons).

However, just I am almost certain that there is a luggage storage at the Venice Santa Lucia train station. At least there use to be. Maybe another poster would know.

BTW, why not check out the Venice Aiport website - there is a ton of info there that I believe would help you with your plans.

Imagine you all are going skiing in beautiful Cortina? Do have a wonderful trip!

frankdaddy,

People who haven't been to Venice often have difficulty visualizing how it's laid out, and I sense that looking at a map of Venice may help you figure out where you want to stay. The city of Venice is on an island. There is a long bridge for trains and automobiles that goes to the NW corner of the island. Piazzale Roma is where buses come in to pick up/drop off. Close by is the train station, which drops passengers off at the entrance to the Grand Canal, which bisects the island. Once you have reached the island by train, car, or bus, you must take a boat of some sort to get around. There are gondolas (mostly for enjoyment rather than practical transportation), and the vaparetti (water buses that go down the Grand Canal and to some of the other nearby islands). There's also a slow-moving water bus called the Alilaguna that takes you to and from the airport, which is located on the mainland.

I think your best bets would be to

1) find a hotel located near an Alilaguna stop (a good map will show you the stops, or you can google for the website)

2) find a hotel on the northern end of Dorsoduro, near Piazzale Roma, where you can walk to the bus.

3) if you can't find a reasonable quad room in either of those locations, spring for the water taxi to and from the airport. Expensive but much faster.

Good luck.

St. Marks Square (Piazza San Marco) is in the part of Venice which has no cars. As Jocelyn P said, the bus or train will leave you at one corner of Venice. Other than in that one corner, which is connected by road and rail to the mainland, there are no cars. Therefore, a private car taxi will only be able to get you to the bus station, no more convenient than taking the bus. The water taxis can take you to the rest of Venice, including the Piazza San Marco, and can get you quite close to most hotels, but they are expensive. If you stay near the bus station, you can get to your hotel without taking a water taxi or other form of water transportation (Alilaguna or vaporetto). Then to get to the rest of the sights in Venice, you can either walk or take the vaporetto, which is like a public bus but on the water.

There's a B&B called Casa Andrea right at Piazzale Roma. I think I've seen it advertised on ryanairhotels.com for a cheap price and I noticed it when I was at Piazzale Roma. I remember thinking this location is probably the most unattractive in Venice, but it would work very well for an overnight where you arrive by bus. You'd be right near the vaporetto stop, and could go anywhere then. However, it's possible there'd be noisy traffic and gas smells (can't say because I haven't stayed there).

I also am going to Cortina with my wife and two chrildren ages 11 and 15 that week.We are spending 3 days in Venice prior to.We are bringing our ski boots but plan to rent skis. I have looked at assorted web sites. Can anyone reccomend one rental shop over another?Also do you need a ski guide while you are there?If so can anyone make a reccomendation who to get?I am also wondering whether I should buy a Ski Dolomiti Pass or get a local one and whether I should do it in advance on line or when we get there?

Poncho

I have received many messages about Cortina and IMO the best way to go is the Dolomite Ski Pass. The extra money is probably worth it because the ski busses can take you to other places are well are free so the pass is well worth it. Do you have a meal plan with your hotel? I would recommend one. My understanding is that the rentals are excellent because most Europeans rent their gear. Also, you get a 10% discount when,you rent your equip. You can get a lot of info at the Dolomiti Super Ski web site. I am a little concerned about the lack of snow. There is a map of the ski rental places in Cortina. They all charge the same amount. It also makes sense to get it there. What Hotel are you staying at. I am at the Hotel Corona

I know you said that you wanted to take the bus into Venice, but let me add this - the water taxi (small speedboat that will take the 4 of you) altho more expensive, is the way to go. It was the highlight of the enire trip for my 12 year old son. Cruising into Venice and then down the Grand Canal in that boat is unbelievable. The extra money is worth it for the experience, trust me! Plus, after a long flight, it's nice to get to your hotel FAST and the ride will wake you right up! Fun!!

Thank you for your replys. I am going to be staying in Venice for the night staying at the Hotel Olimpia on the Grande Canal S. Croce near the Piazza de Roma. I would be interested in a good walking tour and some decent restaurants for lunch and dinner.

Message: FrankDaddy
Thanks for your advice. We will see you there. We do have a meal plan and are also staying at the Corona.

What a coincidence Poncho.

Are you going Presidents week as well. Are you flying into Venice and what day Sat. or Sunday. You asked about info on Cortina and you can get quite a bit of info from the website. How old are your kids? Are they boys or girls?

The conditions should be great. Looking forward to it.

I have a son age 11 and a daughter age 14. We are going a few days early (15th)(Wed) and visiting with some friends in Venice then going to Cortina on the 19th(Sat) until the 26th.

If you missed Venice, even for a day, you'd regret it. My daughters and I were just there. "Oh My God" is all I can say. We stayed at the Ambassador Tre Rose, just a block from St. Mark's. Incredibly priced for such a location. Great staff. Read some bad reviews AFTER I had booked it and so very glad that's when i read them. It was great.Have a wonderful time. You can easily spend the whole day in St. Mark's but do yourself a favor and roam through as much of the city as possible. It'll make you want to return!
Oh, BTW, the transport to the airport can take longer than predicted so give yourself extra time to get to the airport.

Sallyjane thanks for the info. We are staying near Piazza Roma so we can be near the bus. Was the bus easy to find when you land and was it able to handle the luggage we will be dragging with us? Did you wait long for it? Did you have to walk far to find it? Did you do any tours or did you just walk around. What about lunch and dinner, any suggestions? How about the exchange, and did you do any shopping? What looked interesting to buy? What was the weather like and finally how was the food?

Poncho
I guess we will see you in the dining room at the hotel. We will be there Sunday. I will be the one with the 2 boys 15 years old and and 8 years old. The boys will be eating up a storm. Our first day skiing will be Monday. We will do the novice runs early and then maybe progress from there. If you are renting you also get a 10% discount on your equipt that you rent at the rental shop.The rental place will deliver the equipt to the hotel when you rent as well. You can buy the ski lift passes at the hotel as well. Cannot wait. This will be a blast. Look for me.

Hello frankdaddy, a wonderful restaurant in Venice is the Alla Madonna. To give you the location the easiest way is to say that if you are walking over the Rialto Bridge (away from the San Marco area) when you leave the Rialto Bridge turn left. The street named madonna is the first or the second one on your right. Turn onto that and the restaurant is on your left. Not inexpensive but if you want a restaurants loved by the natives and others in the area of Veneto then this would be a good choice.

Do have a beautiful trip with your family. You must all be very excited.