Scott

I am planning a trip to Venice and came across Boscolo's Grand Hotel Dei Dogi. It appears to be beautiful but is located in Cannaregio, not near San Marco. Since I've never been to Venice, can someone give me their opinion on this location. It might be nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of the main tourist area but is it sooooo inconvenient as to be annoying? Is it easy/safe to walk to and from? How difficult is it to take water taxis to and from that area? Any insight would be helpful. Thanks.

Wayne

Scott--Get yourself a detailed map of Venice before you go; by "detailed" I mean one that has every walkway and alleyway by name. You'll find that Venice isn't very large at all, and you definitely don't need water taxis to get around. The water bus (vaporetto) will do just fine, and you can walk or ride the vaporetto to anywhere in Venice in very short order. From your location in Cannareggio, the Rialto Bridge will be only a 5 minute walk, and St. Marks will be only about 10-15 minutes walk. The hotel is lovely and I would strongly recommend that you stay there. And it's very safe, as is every part of Venice.

sorella

my sister stayed there and was very upset about the inconvenience of the location although she loved the hotel. Also not much going on in the immediate vicinity-- if you like a choice of restaurnats close by forget it. If you are doing 3-4 days, I'd stay somewhere else. If you are spending more time it might be ok if you do your homework in advance. Do get a map and look up the vaporetto stops and schedules and figure out (sort of -it is Venice) how to get from your hotel to the vap stops. Water taxis are heavily regulated by the government and the minimum charge is over $100.00?? I think just to get into the taxi. Rialto is more than a 5 minute walk.

Remember there is a reason that such a nice hotel is soooo much less expensive.

Tess

Don't worry Scott. As Wayne has already explained, Venice is a small compact city. In fact I think that end-to-end, furthest points on island of Venice are about 2 miles apart, maybe less. You'll be fine staying in Cannaregio district.

igor

I am also planning a trip to Venice and came accross another hotel in Cannaregio - Hotel Antico dei Dogi. We are going to have a lot of luggage and we are flying into Venice from the US. What are our options as far as the transportation to the hotel from Marco Polo Airport? Also, I e-mailed the hotel and they told me that they only a 5minute walk from San Marco. Are they lying to me?

Thanks.

Tess

Now you've gotten a couple of contrasting replies? Hmmmm, well I can see if Sorella's sister is not a "walker", then perhaps it's understandable why she felt the hotel was inconvenient. I looked at website for hotel; it appears lovely & I'd be willing to stay there and trek a few extra steps. The majority of time you'll either be walking in Venice or taking the vaparettos. Wayne is a faster walker than me; I'd guestimate distance to Rialto Bridge closer to 10-minutes & to San Marcos, 20 minutes. Not a big difference, but again, if you're not used to traveling by foot ...

elaine

Hi Scott
I looked it up, it's near the Madonna del' Orto church. http://www.1st-venice-hotels.com/acc...L-DEI-DOGI.asp says that it's one mile from both Rialto and San Marco, which is not possible, but it is not right next to either.
My walking estimates would be closer to Tess's 15 minutes to Rialto, 25 mnutes to San Marco. There is a Madonna del'Orto vaporetto stop, but I believe that vaporetto line is not the most convenient.
I like Cannaregio myself, very much, but this particular location is not central or convenient enough for me. But that's a personal thing. I like being able to easily pop back to my hotel during the day.

Kathy

Hi All,
We are staying 5 nights arriving 5/30 at Boscolos Grand Hotel Dei Dogi. But our reservtion was not inexpensive as someone suggested. One thing I read about the Cannaregio area is that it is one of the few areas where about 1/3 of the Venice residents live so you get more of a good feel of Venice from a local perspective. And there are so few residents of Venice....it is mainly tourists because many locals cannot afford to live there. Normally I like to stay in more residential areas, rather than tourist areas,to get a better feel of the city.

If nyone has any experience staying at this hotel, or this area, I am interested in their opinion or advice. We won't be changng our reservations as we're set but I am interested in learning about this area...things to do.....restaurants...logistics...transportation, etc.
Thanks!

elaine

Kathy
First, don’t miss the church of Madonna dell’Orto (vegetable garden). The dell’Orto is often called Venice’s finest Gothic church. The church is quite light inside, and has works of art by Tintoretto, who attended this church and is buried here to the right of the main altar

You will also be quite close to the Ghetto area, and that in itself is a fascinating experience. Tours are offered, from the Jewish Museum. www.ghetto.it
For some photos of the Ghetto: www.veniceword.com

igor

i have looked at the photos of the ghetto and I did not find them to be particularly fascinating. We are now not quite sure whether we want to stay in that area.