I'm renting a rental car for a few days of our vacation in Italy and dropping it off when we arriving in Venice. I've reserved a car from Hertz and at this point I'm dropping it off at Piazzale Roma 496 Venice, and paying an extra 49 euros to drop it in a parking garage in Santa Croce on the island, rather in the main part of the city. There are five in my group (husband and our three kids) and it seemed less hassle to drive to the drop the car there than taking the train in.

We are staying in Cannareggio. Do you think it makes more sense logistically to drop the car at Venice Mestre Railway Station and take the train to our airbnb in Cannareggio than dropping the car at Piazzale Roma on the island and finding our way to our airbnb?

I'm not worried about the cost, just the convenience factor. What is easiest? With three kids and two big rolling duffel bags of luggage, easy matters.

Thanks so much for any advice. I've never been to Venice so I'm not sure what is best to do. Drop the car in the city, or on the island. And either way, what our transportation options are to get to the airbnb. The train station is a 10 minute walk from our airbnb in Cannareggio, but the Santa Croce parking garage looks much farther, but I'm not sure since I've never been to Venice.

I dropped it off at Piazzale Roma. Very close to the vaporetto so you can take it down to wherever.

But a couple of years ago, there was all this construction going on in front of those car rental offices.

I think I had to drive it up to some multi story parking structure and I was worried that I had to take a parking ticket to get in and that the agency would charge additional for it.

I think it was okay though. Problem is I picked it up in Florence and of course the people there didn't know about the situation in Venice -- though you would think that's a popular rental, pick up in Florence, return in Venice.

I would just search around other sites to see if the drop off fee is common. They do tack on a surcharge at airports and train stations but 49 Euros seem a little ridiculous but it could be more about the one way rental.

If you can drop the car at the station, you'll certainly be closer to your hotel than Piazzale Roma.

Dropping off the car at Stazione Santa Lucia would be closer and easier.

Buon viaggio,

Where are you coming from? Can you drop the car there and take the train direct to Venice S.L?

There are rental return offices at Venice S.L.? I don't think so.

The multi story car park is at Piazzale Roma. The rail station at Mestre is miles away.

If you drop there, you will have the added step of either getting in a taxi to Piazzle Roma and then a vaporetto or water taxi to nearer your hotel OR getting from the rental return in Mestre, in to the train station, taking a train to Venice S.L. and then getting a vaporetto or water taxi to nearer your hotel.

That's ridiculous.

Return at Piazzale Roma. Remove spouse and kids and luggage first if you have to enter the car park. Sometimes you don't. Just get there when the offices are open.

Then you all walk and lug your stuff to a water taxi or vaporetto. There's no way around that, unless your hotel is just steps from Venice S.L. or Piazzale Roma.

Piazzale Roma is just a bridge away from the train station, Venezia Santa Lucia. And it's in Venice itself, close to a vaporetto stop. I assume there are water taxi ranks nearby.

Look at a map to get a better idea of where your car rental drop off is and where your hotel is. The hotel web site should give you detailed instructions on how to get there from either the train station or the Piazzale.

Drop the car off at Piazzale Roma and walk or take the vaporetto to a stop nearest to your hotel.

I take the #5 bus from Marco Polo to Piazzale Roma, then walk to my usual hotel near the Jewish Ghetto.

Santa Lucia Station is seperated from P. Roma by the Calatrava Bridge.

Thin

Thanks so much! We're traveling as light as we can with a family of five - two rolling duffels, 28", that my husband and teenage son (age 16) can easily carry on their shoulders for a 10-minute walk.

I appreciate the input. I was reading more in a travel guide and they suggest turning in the car at the Venice airport and taking a shuttle boat to the city from there, to see the city by water as you enter it. That sounds nice, but it's about 15 euros a person, so even more than the 49 euros we'd pay for the parking garage dropoff. at least we'd get something out of it tho. it's also an hour to get there over water from the airport, so it's not a quick jaunt.

I looked and it's only a 13-minute walk from Piazzale Roma to our airbnb in Cannareggio, so we might just do it that way. Although it will be awfully hot in July to walk even 13 minutes with two big duffels. Hmmmm....

Oh, someone asked about us turning the car in and taking the train to Venice. I debated that, but we have a friend in Bologna we want to stop and see between Siena and Venice, and train tickets for five people aren't free, so since the car is already paid for, figured we might as well use it rather than drop it in Bologna or beforehand in Siena, if we could even drop it in Siena.

Beware there is walking required for the airport to Alilaguna option from the terminal to the water. I would not consider it easy with a lot of luggage.

Me, I'd likely do Piazzale Roma and Vaporetto to my hotel.

Venice is not flat. There are steps and little rises. You won't be rolling your luggage for long distances.