Going on a Cruise from Venice HELP!!! with hotels and attractions
 

Im really lost and clueless of where to stay and go on Venice. We are taking a cruise from Venice and we'll be arriving 3 days prior to the cruise. We really want to maximize our time and we are looking for a centric location that will be easy to go in an out considering that my husband is legally blind (he can see a bit but walks with a cane) and we will be taking our 10 month old baby. ANY advise will be greatly appreciate it.

We read online that Venice hotels can be tricky as they are not all accessible by cars and walking might be hard considering the stroller and my husband cane. We will like something "nice" at least 3 stars (better if they are 5 LOL).

We also need to know what to visit and what are just "tourist traps".

Thanks in advance to all of you who provide guidance to us.

None of the hotels are accessible by car in Venice proper. It is a city built on an archipelago.

You might consider getting a guidebook to Venice to know what there is to see.

This might give you an idea:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...14405643/show/

Um - Venice has no streets - only sidewalks and canals. to get somewhere you either walk or use the vaporetto (water bus - crowded, often people standing) or water taxi (very expensive).

So you can't take a car to any hotel in Venice. It is possible to get cars on the Lido but I've never seen a taxi - and you still have to take a boat to get there from either the train station or the airport.

I think traveling with an infant and a husband who can;t see might be a challenge, since there are briges over every canal and you have to cross them to get almost anywhere. (Strollers are usually pickd up and carried over the bridges. Unless you plan on carrying your infant.

What I would look for is a hotel with a private dock that you can approach by water taxi and the driver will ring a bell and bellman will come to help with luggage. But these are usually only the most upscale hotels. And your husband would still have to climb the sometimes slippery steps from the boat up to ground level (and from ground level down into the boat). But at least their would be a driver and a bellman to help. Vaporettos are more even with the dock - but you are still steping across a gap between the boat and the dock - difficult enough with luggage - can;t imagine how to do it if you can't see.

You may want to check out this http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/...nal-hotels.htm

Or you may want to stay on the mainland in Mestre.

Walking in venice may be difficult as there are many bridges to cross the canals with stairs going up and down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gc7G9KMWNc

The above video is by Dennis Callan--who is president of the Hawaii Geographic Society. I find his various videos of European locations to be very helpful in order to understand what a place will be like.

Venice will be packed with tourists during the high season. You will encounter a "tsunami" of tourists around St. Mark's Square, so be prepared.

If I were you, I would try to find a hotel along the Grand Canal so you can take a vaporetto (water bus) to various tourist sites locations around the city.

One such hotel is San Cassiano Ca' Fravetto in San Polo. There are many others.

You will find Venice a real challenge with a baby in a stroller and a blind husband.

Good luck to you.

Thin

I have stayed at 3 hotels in Venice that have private docks, Hotel Danieli, Westin Europa & Regina and Luna Baglioni. They are all centrally located within minutes of Piazza San Marco, with the Luna literally just steps away. However, they are all 5-star. You might check their websites and see if they are having any kind of specials.

I, personally, can't think of a major attraction in Venice that would be considered a tourist trap. However, I would avoid restaurants that have someone standing out in front trying to get you to come in.

As the previous posters mentioned, none of the hotels in Venice are accessible by car, only by water taxi, gondola or on foot (from another location or a vaporetto stop). If you can possibly do it, stay in Venice proper, not Mestre (the area on the mainland close to Venice). Much of Venice's charm is in the early morning and evening when the daytrippers have left.

Hi to everyone how has responded to my post. All of your responses are very informative and I appreciate soooooo soooooo sooooo much. I will check everything out and I will try to make a decision on where to stay very soon.
As crazy at it sounds, Im really exited to go on this tour with my husband and daughter. From what I see here, chances are I will have to carry her on a baby bjorn and take a very light stroller just in case. In regards to my husband, Im sure he will love the little he can see although it will be a challenge to walk around with a cane. Im sure it will be one amazing time for the 3 of us. Keep on posting suggestions. Im reading each one of them

On the SlowTrav Italy forum you will be able to use the search
function to find information on strollers in Venice and a lot
of information on managing the city for disabled.

A guidebook is certainly essential and since you don't say
when you will be in Venice be warned that hotels are going
to be very close to filled during the next few months.

hi I will be in venice from the 15 to the 18th of july and then another 2 nights from August 30-31st

You need to keep topping this thread so others will see it and help you.

Thin

Oh, I almost forgot.

It isn't true that no hotel in Venice can be reached by car.

You can reach the Hotel Santa Chiara by car. It is located near P. Roma.

They have private parking for you.

Thin

Yep, Santa Chiara is right, or other hotels close to it. Look for "piazzale roma" area, this is where a bus from the airport can take you - and it's convenient for sightseeing and cruise, but not in the "center" of activities.

Buy vaporetto passes before going on this trip. Plan your trip around their stops. You will be close to the first stop of several lines where it's easy to get a seat. Even on other stops don't worry, it's Italy. Unlike the US if Italians see a person with a cane or with a baby, they get up to offer you a seat.

Depending on where you are going, you won't see many bridges.

Come back with more questions!

Oh, one more thing: when you pick a hotel, e-mail or call them to ask if your room will have an elevator access. We were in Arlecchino, there not all floors had elevator stop, and we saw a young couple carrying a stroller up the stairs to the 2nd floor.

Since they will be touring the rest o Venice, a hotel with car access is not really the point. The OP needs a hotel with good access to transportation that will help them see the rest of Venice, which in this case probably means a vaporetto stop.

I don't think you've mentioned your lodging budget, but look at this hotel which has some outdoor space and its own dock. It's also very near the Accademia vaporetto stop.

http://www.pensioneaccademia.it/index.asp [special July offers available]

Jean is right about the Accademia, where we stayed for a week a couple of years ago. Also, they have some rooms right on the ground floor, in a very pleasant courtyard/garden at the back of the lobby. Lovely people at the desk and everywhere at this hotel, but it's a walk and a bridge to get to the vaporetto stop, so the fact that they have their own dock might only help on arrival.

I usually like staying near San Marco as its centrally located to the sights I enjoy. But recently when we took a cruise, we stayed at the Best Western Hotel Olimpia as many on cruise critic recommended it for convenience to the cruise shuttle. It is very convenient for arriving and departing Venice. near Plaza Roma where the cruise shuttles, buses and airport shuttles arrive. near train station if you decide to venture outside of Venice by train. A good choice if you don't want to hassle with your luggage in Venice. Just request main hotel that has elevator and not the annex. they have a pretty garden to have breakfast.

When I visited Venice I stayed near San Marco. It is center place to all places. This place has very good access to the railway station and airport. Strolling around Venice is a bit difficult with your husband walking with a cane. You need to climb many bridges to glance the beauty of Venice. Most hotels have spacious rooms and a very pleasant courtyard/garden at the back of the lobby. You can opt for ground floor accommodation, which will be very convenient to your husband. Since strolling through the Venice streets (the floating city) is an enjoyment, You take back home the streets artistic souvenirs and handy crafts depicting the cities rich heritage. It is really worth the stay there. I have some beautiful pictures here http://www.traveldiaryofviswa.blogsp...tractions.html.