stupid Venice Question
 

As I look at hotels in Venice I note that most of them are only available by water vehicle. So let's say you arrive by train or car. You have a luggage for several weeks of traveling with you. How do you get to the hotels with said luggage? I picture it being kinda of difficult on little boats? Can the water taxis pull up directly at the hotel or does one still have to walk a ways? I'm sure it must be doable as many do it, but it would be nice to understand the process in advance. thanks

It depends. Some will have their own dock, but not all. Just as common is that you'd get a water taxi (they are not small like gondolas) or vaporetto (water bus), get off nearby the hotel, then walk a ways to the hotel. Once you choose a hotel you can inquire whether they have a porter service. If there are 2 or more of you then one can go to hotel while the other stays with the bags.

I'm sure others will chime in with comments like "I can travel to Europe for 6 weeks with only a purse and a single pair of underwear, don't know why you're not as superior as me." - what you decide to pack is up to you...

J62 - :)

I'll ignore the snark . . . But me personally I'd not arrive in Venice with a boat load of luggage ;) . If you book a hotel with a dock - fine. But if there is no dock you have to drag your bags over cobbles and stepped bridges. Several weeks of travel can easily be accomplished with a 24 or 22 inch suitcase.

You have a luggage for several weeks of traveling with you.

I agree about trying to not have a ton of luggage in the first place, if you are going to Venice. Because yes it is a hassle. Not just on the boat but you may have to walk over bridges, etc. to actually arrive at your hotel.

I have been to Venice twice. I arrived by train. Then took the vaporetto (boat/ferry) to the nearest stop to my hotel. I had only a small duffle both times. It was doable but I wouldn't have wanted to have more to carry much more (the docks bounce around, the boats bounce around, etc.)

Get a hotel with water taxi access, especially if you have multiple bags each. There's no better way to enter Venice for the first time!

Not a stupid question, by the way. The only way to find out is to ask. Here's a link to the service we used.

https://www.venicelink.com/en

Many do it. And many regret taking too much luggage with them.
The watertaxi is not "small". It has a capacity to seat 10 people with varying amount of luggage. Just look at a photo on the web.

First, the amount of trip between where the water taxi drops you off to the hotel depends on which hotel you are referring to. This is not stated. Even when the hotel does have a direct access, it still does not mean you can get there. Just look at how bad the November flood was in Venice. If there was any low bridge before you get to the hotel, you can't get there. Also, depending on how high the dock is located at the hotel, the dock itself could be under the water. If the water access requires going off the Grand Canal, even when the water level is ok, if there is a congestion on the way, you might be told to get off and walk the rest of the way. The driver would just shrug off and tell you the boat cannot go further.

The usual killer dragging luggage on land are the bridges. Most of them don't have ramps. You have to hoist them up and down stairs.

Second, you are not home free after you arrive at the hotel. Unless you are staying in a higher end hotels, they don't have elevators. So you are told the hotel staffs could help you. But, that is if they are available.

Since cars aren't allowed, we'll say you arrive by train. It IS a good question! We had the same reservations when we went to Venice the first time, 29 years ago with a 1 year old baby, with stroller and baby back pack, not to mention a ton of luggage (2 big suitcases where we split the baby stuff between my husband and me). The first thing I did in my research was find a hotel within relatively close proximity to a vapretto stop. That way we didn't have to cross a dozen bridges with baby, stroller, and luggage to get to and from the hotel. It worked just fine. And it was easy getting all of our stuff on the Vapretto, that has an area for luggage.

The walking part can include bridges with steps up and down so you need to book a hotel with water/ dock access. We travel with a 22” suitcase and it was difficult going up and down those little bridges.

Stay on Lido & drive right up to your hotel.

When I travel to Venice I try to arrive dressed in a tutu and a boa and just carry an oversized Bottega Veneta tote with an extra pair of underwear.

:tu:I love a lady who knows how to travel well!

I disagree totally that arriving Venice is "no big deal" or "not much harder than arriving anywhere" :-)

We arrived by plane, took the bus to Piazzale Roma, got the 2 or 3 day pass for the vaporetti from the newsagent shop where the bus had dropped us off, got on the next vaporetto for two or three stops, got off, walked 200 meters to our hotel (level ground, no bridges), and checked in to a room on the ground/ first floor. The whole trip from the airport to the hotel took an hour, maybe a bit less. No part of the trip had been especially demanding.
The hotel had been chosen for its proximity to the vaporetto stop (without bridges), and because it was far enough away from Rialto and San Marco to ensure some "non-touristy" experience (non-touristy compared to the zoo elsewhere).

"Many do it. And many regret taking too much luggage with them."

Traveling with a lot of luggage is almost always a choice and usually not a necessity. But traveling with a lot of luggage does invite some things to consider:

If you rent a car, you'll need one that can hold all of the luggage out of sight and/or in the trunk. This usually means renting a car that is larger than you would otherwise need or want.

If you travel by train, you'll want to imagine climbing on and off trains with all that luggage (because the steps are steep and you can't count on getting any help) and keeping your eyes on all of the pieces.

If you stay in hotels, you may want to pay more attention to the size of room you reserve. We've stayed in some rooms that were very small with little space for more than a couple pieces of luggage.

Alternatively, you could see whether your hotels offer overnight laundry service. Then use the laundry service every 4-5 days and pack less clothing in fewer/smaller pieces of luggage.

Excellent advice in #6 and above.
We arrived by train and did as Peter said.
We returned by plane so took the Alilaguna to the airport.

We stayed in a wonderful hotel - the Hotel Galleria - and we did not have to deal with bridges at all. It is just steps away from the Accademia brdige vapretto stop in one direction and a slightly longer walk to the stop for the opposite direction. It's a short walk to the stop for the Alilaguna. We loved the hotel for many reasons, but not having to deal with bridges was a big plus!

On my next trip I'll probably follow trophy's lead and take a private water taxi. We DID take a water taxi tour on the first night (with prosecco and apps) it would be a wonderful way to arrive in Venice.

Here's a link to the hotel -
https://www.hotelgalleria.it/
Highly recommend. We stayed in the biggest room and spent hours watching the view of boat traffic just out the window on the Grand Canal. They bring breakfast to the room on a silver tray and I would stand at the window, fascinated, while eating the best peach crossant ever.

Good luck and NOT a stupid question.

We each had a rolling suitcase and one other tote type of luggage. If you have a LOT of luggage, I would definitely do the private water taxi option.

From the looks of Google Maps/Street View, your hotel is on the Grand Canal with a possible dock where a taxi can let you off with only a few feet of walking to the door. However, it may be a private dock...as stated earlier, check with your hotel. However, there is Vaporetto stop very close (~200 ft) which would not involve any steps as well.

...and it's always good (not snarky) advice to travel a light as you can -- realizing that everyone has his own needs a lifestyle -- but especially in Venice. The cobbles and stepped bridges can be a real hassle with a lot of luggage -- as well as hard on the luggage itself. We always travel with 20" and 21" carry-ons for trips up to two weeks. We actually had the wheels of one of the bags destroyed by the cobbles on one visit...had to buy a new one.

ssander

NOT a stupid question, IMO. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for many of the responses. :( While the advice to cut down on luggage is undoubtedly well-intended, no one needs to know the reasons behind your choice, nor even whether it is a lot or not. Again, IMO.

For reasons laid out by greg, historytraveler, HappyTrvlr, and a few others, there are challenges to arriving in / departing from Venice that are not common to other locations. They aren't insurmountable, but worth thinking through in advance.

There are hotels close to the train station. Not only are they easier to get to they are often cheaper.

If you are traveling by rail not enough emphasis as been put on the hassle of dealing with the train station and train. Station elevators don't always work . When they do work they might be out of the way. There is limited space on the train. Officially Italo's lowest ticket class even has a luggage limit.

In Venice you can just take your time. If instead of getting to your hotel in twenty minutes it takes you forty not exactly life changing. Missing your train because you couldn't manage your luggage will be a bigger hassle

Finally you could always hire a porter at the Venice train station to carry the luggage for you to the hotel. Cheaper than a taxi I'm sure.

Thank you all. I have gotten a much better sense of what we will be dealing with and some of the options available. Interesting, you all gave a much clearer sense of it than the guide books have. Just to be clear - we don't travel with a lot of bags, but we do tend to travel with one large rolling bag (thanks for the warning about the cobblestones and lack of elavators) and one backpack. We can handle airports and train stations just fine - but it sounds like Venice is a city with different issues. We will continue to study it.

Excuse me, but unless you know something about the OP that is none of our business, then you don't know whether any particular person will have a problem or not. Some people are injured. Some people have mobility issues. Some people have specific limits for other reasons. Assuring people that its "no big deal" or that they'll "get used to it" is really not a very helpful information, particularly when people who HAVE difficulties might not care to share them.

IMO that's not "a lot". And if you can manage on a train, you can manage in Venice just fine.

I would avoid bridges if possible. And it is possible if you choose your hotel carefully.

That was one of my favorite things about our room on the Grand Canal - watching all of the "utility" boat traffic in the early morning, including the huge piles of laundry bags going off to be washed elsewhere.

I would say that considering all the many, many trip reports I've read from Peter_S_Aus about Venice I'd take his advice seriously. He is the authority as far as I'm concerned, having been there more frequently than most of us.

Oh, brother. Drama Queens in Fodorville.

Chill Felicia!!!!!

Simple solution: take water taxi to a hotel that has a water door. The Hotel San Cassiano Ca' Favretto is such a hotel. Google is your friend. So is Klonopin.


Thin,aristocrat 🌭

Already stated. See post #6. Great minds, and all that...

Threre are some good hotels close to the railway station. They have neither boat's piers nor hotel boats as they can be reached on foot (without steps) in a few minutes from the train platforms.

ask the hotel
 

The short answer is to ask the hotel if they have a dock for water-taxi access. If you have a lot of luggage, you probably won't want to use the vaporetto. It could be crowded and not have much space, plus you'll have to take the bags on and off by yourself. You don't say how many days you'll be there, but one possible (and possibly expensive) solution is to store the bags you won't need at the train station. There's a daily charge for each bag, but I can't remember what it is.

Did I miss something? Is the OP disabled?
I didn't get that impression.

They don't have a lot of luggage to deal with or store -

"with one large rolling bag (thanks for the warning about the cobblestones and lack of elavators) and one backpack. We can handle airports and train stations just fine..."

The discussion began as a trip involving "luggage for several weeks," but it turns out to be a 2-week trip with a normal amount of luggage. So, replies started off from a point of warning of potential difficulties, but I think we can assume the OP will be just fine.

Did I miss something?

I guess so. They phrased the question in their OP as "luggage for several weeks of traveling with you" so people took it to mean more stuff than "Just to be clear - we don't travel with a lot of bags" the information we got in post #22.

I believe Starrs was referring to the long post on travelers with disabilities which I don't think applies to the OP, or at least they haven't mentioned anything specific. fwiw.

Presumably the OP is aware of their own capabilities and can pick & choose which information given is applicable to their overall situation. I don't know why threads so often degenerate into nitpicking on what we think we know or don't except that when the good information has all been given we just can't seem to leave it at that. Though I enjoy many of the people here, when I want information without BS I go to TA. So here I am nitpicking. I definitely need to get a life and I seem to have loads of company in that regard.