Hi,
I read a lot of postings on hotels in Venice. I also searched a couple of travel sites and saw some mentionings of hotels in the Lido. Hotels seems to be cheaper there. Any comments on whether or not it would be better to stay there or closer to the attractions? (i.e.How convenient would it be to get back to the hotel at night.) I'm looking for hotels around 120 Euro for double occupancy with private bath. Thanks.

What dates are you looking at?

The Lido is cheaper, but many people have posted here saying that with the hassle of the commute in and out of the Lido to Venice, you lose a lot of the Venice experience. I think the postings in the past have been almost entirely in favor of staying in Venice.

You can easily meet your limit with hotels in Venice, depending how much luxury you are seeking on what dates.

There are big boats every half hour non-stop from the Lido to San Marco, and more frequent vaporetti to the Grand Canal via San Marco. These run all night, at a reduced frequency, so there's no problem with commuting. The Lido is busy during the short summer season when people go to the beach, but can be very quiet out of season, especially away from the town centre near the landing stage.

Hi nancy,

You can find vaporetto schedules to and from Lido at http://www.actv.it.

nancy I never got to the Lido but one of the major differences is there are cars on the Lido whereas Venice is all boats and waterways. Aside from the commute back and forth, you don't get the same sense of history I gather. That said, many Venetians live on Lido.

You should be able to find accomodation in Venice at your price but it may not be as nice as what 120 will buy on Lido, especially during the winter.

If you do a text search for budget hotels AND venice you should find a lot of previous posts. I think the Galleria may have rooms at your budget. This is well located right at the Accademia bridge and the Accademia museum. Only downside is it can evidently get noisy in some of the rooms and some are very small. Also look at Hotel Tre Archi which gets good reviews on tripadvisor.com. and Locanda Ca Del Console. Veniceby.com has good photos.

nancymaat

We recently had a holiday in Venice, during which we spent some time on the Lido. We liked what we saw and think we may well stay there when next we travel to Venice (the optimistic approach !!)

We stayed on the Lido two years ago at Albergo Quattro Fontance, a lovely bed and breakfast about two blocks from the beach. Since we were with our kids, we appreciated the option of going to the beach in the late afternoons after returning from sightseeing in and around Venice.

However, if I were not going with kids, I would definitely opt for staying in Venice proper. I think you definitely miss out on the sense of being in the midst of historic Venice ( because you aren't!) when you stay on the Lido. Also, there aren't nearly as many restaurants and hotels to choose from.

Good luck, and have a great time!

Thanks WillTravel,
I'm looking for a hotel for November 23-25. Sounds like Venice would be a better choice. I'm looking for a clean hotel that would have larger room around 120 Euros. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Personally I would stay in Venice rather than on Lido. You go to Venice to experience the canals and the little bridges, the tight little alleyways and fabulous restaurant discoveries - all of which are missing on Lido. And as someone says there are also cars on Lido which are blessedly absent in Venice. It is so nice just to weave your way back to your hotel after dinner rather than having to wait for the vaporetto. You will get a hotel for the amount you want to spend - just do a google search and look at areas away from San Marco and you should be ok. Once you shortlist hotels in your price range come back to the forum and people will be able to advise what is good value.

We stayed on the Lido in May at the Hotel Villa Pannonia. The staff, room, breakfast, etc. were excellent. We did not mind taking a short vaporetto ride to Venice, spending the day walking thru those alleyways, seeing the sites, and then retreating to our less expensive hotel where we could take long walks on the water, etc. away from the hords of people.

I guess it's what one is looking for. We preferred to be in a quieter location than in the touristy hubub of Venice.

I'm so glad to hear people with positive responses to staying on Lido. I've put in requests for 2 timeshares for May. We've been to Venice several times before and have stayed in Venice itself and loved it, but this time we need to budget more and we have 2 weeks or timeshare with II and this is one way I hope to do it (and get to stay longer).

Can any of you who have stayed there recommend any restaurants on Lido?

Also, do you know how late the vaporettos run?

nancymaat, let us know what you do and how you like it.

We tried 4 restaurants on the Lido and thought they were just acceptable. One, that is near the vaporetto stop (don't remember the name) looked like it was very popular as it was full every night when we returned from Venice. We ate their toward the end of our stay and found that it is a tourist/tour group place that was just fair. We marveled at how a large group of tourists came in about 30 minutes after we were seated, had a set meal and were out of the restaurant 10 minutes before us. Talk about a fast meal!

If I remember correctly the last vaporettos run about 11:00 p.m. We took an early train to Firenze one morning an caught the first vaporetto at 5:30 a.m.

Mthromp, Thanks for the information. Looks like we'll be eating our meals in Venice.

Wait...wait...

There is a golf course on the southernmost end of the island. No foolin, have played there. Sure you don't want to reconsider?

Casale-Villa with No Bidet
http://www.angelfire.com/film/casale

I think staying on the Lido is another opportunity to view a different part of the Venice area.Although the beaches are busy during the summer months, it is way less congested than the city of Venice. I enjoyed seeing how the folks "used" the beach there as compared to the USA. Much more formal..we ordered some cappucinos from a kiosk on the beach while we were sunbathing. It was served on a table that was set up for us, complete with white tablecloth and silverware! Can't imagine that happening here on the East Coast!!

In November, there won't be a lot of opportunity to see how folks use the beach.

The Lido is a beach resort--totally different from the rest of Venice. I can understand budget concerns, but it's like visiting New York City but staying in Newark because it's less expensive. Yes, you can see all the famous sights in a series of day trips, but it just isn't the same as staying in the city.

Now if you want to spend time at the beach in season, that's another issue.

Hi Nancy
I also replied to your email about Rome and I also spent a week in Venice in September so thought I might add some points. The last reply suggested that Lido is like staying in newark and he is absolutely right. The commute will cost you 10 euros per person per day and time. You will have to wait for vaporettos and the winter evening timetable is not very regular. i have stayed in venice a few times and each time weighed up the lido versus city and each time I have been sure I made the right choice in staying in Venice. It is too amazing a place to not be 'in' it and be able to wander at night, go to dinner or just wander the Piazza di San Marco and listen to the orchestras playing in the cafes. I have posted a review of the apartment we stayed in called 'San marco' (booked through Veniceby.com) and it was perfect. Cost was reasonable but again, Venice is not a cheap city. If you can stretch the budget here, it is worth it. The San Marco apt has lots of bakeries and delis nearby so you can cook dinners etc.
good luck! Vicky. (Australia)