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.

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.