venice
 

Hello Fodorites! My daughter and I will be leaving Lisbon and flying into Venice in July for 2 nights. Is there a nearby town that is a good point for a day trip into Venice. The lodging there in Venice is so pricey that maybe there is a reasonably close area and take public transportation into Venice?

Mestre is close to Venice, a ten minute train ride to the station, Venezia Santa Lucia.

Two days is a very short visit. I would not consume any un-needed travel time to get to St Marks & beyond. Get a paper route, or some other means to come up with the money to stay close to St. Marks.

Stu Dudley

You have 2 nights and want to commute? Two nights is really only one full day - I would stay as central as possible. Definitely no farther than Mestre.

If you are spending the money and time to fly from Lisbon to Venice, don’t cut short a single minute there. Stay in Venice! Wake up to the sounds of Venice in the morning, boats bringing in Food, laundry, flowers! Enjoy the quiet night time after day trippers have left. Somewhere in Dorsoduro would be as good as, if not better than, St Marks area. Even near the train station, Santa Lucia, would be better than commuting.

"Even near the train station, Santa Lucia, would be better than commuting."

I agree - staying outside the city can definitely be a false economy

You all talked us into staying for longer! Now any suggestions for hotels?

Can you provide us with your budget range, in Euros?

Also when? The prices November are a fraction of summer pricing.

The OP said July. I agree, stay IN Venice!

https://www.pensioneaccademia.it

I have not stayed here, but the reviews are great and the location is excellent. Many places are going to be booked already, so book as soon as you can make a decision.

You've got a couple of options that won't break the bank. Consider staying in Mestre. It's right on the mainland across from Venice, and you can catch a train or bus that'll zip you into the city in no time. Plus, it's got its own little buzz, so you won't feel like you're missing out when you're not in Venice. Another cool spot is Padua (Padova). It's a bit further out but the trains are super frequent and it's only about a half-hour ride to Venice. Padua's got some sweet sights of its own, like the Scrovegni Chapel with Giotto's frescoes, so it's like getting a two-for-one on your trip. Moreover, you can check out Treviso. It's a charming town with canals, too, so you get a mini-Venice vibe without the crowds. The train ride is about the same as from Padua and you'll find some lovely spots to chill after a day of Venetian exploration. No matter where you choose, you'll find good public transport options that'll make your day trips to Venice easy-peasy.

To me the biggest benefit of staying right in Venice is the ability to take a mid day or afternoon break, rest up, refresh, then enjoy dinner out and an evening stroll. If you stay anywhere outside, even Mestre, once you leave for the day you’re not likely to return and will miss a very enjoyable part of the day. Or if you decide to slog it through all day, you’re likely to be a zombie come dinner time.

Staying longer and doing multiple day trips does’t solve that issue.

Stay in Venice. The Dorsoduro section is a great choice, well located and easy walk to everything. We had a wonderful stay at Palazzo Guardi, a boutique hotel with excellent rates when we were there ( off season). If staying there try to get room 4 or 5. Both are extra large and overlook the San Trovaso canal. Breakfast is included. The rooms actually are well represented by the photos. The hotel is the 3rd floor of a building in alley and the elevator is miniscule. The nearby Taverna San Trovaso was very good and popular

Another "not Mestre" vote here.

You can get to the Venice train station area rather quickly from Mestre, but then you will want to go to/from the St Marks, Dorsoduro, Armory areas (where all the "action" is) - and that's a long slog away. As J62 and others have stated - it is a wonderful experience just hanging out in Venice so you can see St Mark's in the very early morning when the sun is shining directly on it & the Doges, and nobody is there yet. And hanging out in the evening in St Marks to hear the orchestras playing is a very romantic experience. The mid-afternoon "rest" at the hotel/apt is a welcome event for us. We stayed in Dorsoduro for a week on our last visit - and before that several 3-5 night stays near St Marks.

Staying in Venice allows you to see things early & late in the day before the hoard of tourists arrive & after they depart. If you stay in Mestre, you likely be in the hoard of tourists.

Stu Dudley

I appreciate all the input you all have given us, my sincere thanks. I am now looking for a hotel or some kind of lodging in Venice itself.

If you tell us your budget we may have useful recommendations.

If budget overall is a concern, be very careful of potential costs for sitting at a cafe. If it's in the big piazza and you sit outside, a coffee or wine could end up expensive due to add-on costs, for sitting outside, for the music, service charge etc. If you eat or drink in the quieter back streets it will likely be cheaper.

Staying in Mestre would. be a terrible choice. If you want to see Venice, STAY in Venice!

The OP has now said in post #16 that they will stay in Venice itself.

OP, renewing mine and janisj's request for you to please provide your budget and your local currency. This will help us help you suggest accommodations.

If you are looking for more budget accommodation, avoid San Marco. Take a look at Dorsoduro or Cannaregio.
On a map of Venice (DO get a paper map, you need this), draw a line from Piazale Roma to the San Basilio vaporetto stop. Don’t stay much west of the line. Similarly, don’t stay east of the Arsenale, at least not for a first visit.
We found the area close-ish to the Salute to be a bit dead. The area around Campo Margherita and Campo San Barnaba is good, lively at night.

Seriously, check your dates with Palazzo Guardi as I suggested above. They include a good breakfast so that saves. The rooms are very nice, especially rooms 4 & 5.

I have stayed at Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo. Great little hotel. I will be staying there in September this year.

https://alpontemocenigo.com/

If you stay in Venice then...

do get up early and wander the quiet alleys before everyone else gets up and do the same in the late evening. The place is especially magical when there are no tourists about, just the few locals, the rubbish boats, the local's shops opening up. It might be tiring but trust me the best time in Venice is when you own it.

I did find accommodations at https://www.venicehotelmontecarlo.com/en/
Really, I almost stopped looking at the prices and just found something that had good reviews and after looking at the location and street views, wow!

I booked athttps://www.venicehotelmontecarlo.com/en/
Honestly the choices were expensive I thought but then again my home town near Vancouver, the prices for hotels are the same so I got out of my little box and sprung for it and wow what a freeing feeling to have booked 4 nights in this iconic city. I love the advice you have listed here and will do exactly that. Watched my first You Tube video of Venice and spent a bit of time getting the WISE card yesterday as well.

Great advice, thank you!

Sorry I missed the question, our budget was going to be no more than $200. a night but we are dealing with Canadian currency so more like$300. a night but being in Euros, well the exchange rate and all...so I just ordered a WISE card to maybe save the added fees on the credit card rates. I think I ended up at close to $300.CAD a night thats $270? US I think,

This place looks wonderful, the reason we went for Hotel Montecarlo is its about the same price, a bit more but includes a breakfast the travellers said was very good. But thank you so much for the recommendation. First time Italy for us and we will I know be gobsmacked!

You will doubtless be using vaporettos (water buses) to get around. The app Chebateo is good for vap planning.
Also:Getting to Venice from Marco Polo Airport. [Make sure you have seats on the right/starboard side of the aircraft, for a view of Venice as you arrive]



Do take a look at your hotel website – there may be info there. Otherwise,



1. Water taxi will get you close, maybe to, the door of your hotel. Can carry about ten people, will cost about €140 for the boat. No need to book, taxis are waiting at the Marco Polo dock.

2. Shared water taxi. Minimum of two people. Book in advance, wait at the desk in the terminal for the others sharing the taxi. Costs about €30 per person. Google “shared water taxi Venice”, use the venicelink dot com web site. Will get you to a vaporetto stop near your hotel.

3. Alilaguna ferry, as per below.

4. Bus to Piazale Roma, then walk to your hotel, or take vaporetto to the nearest stop. Buses leave from the outside the terminal, tickets at the machine.



Water transport in Venice.

1. Gondolas. Only for pleasure, not for transport. 90 euro for half an hour for the boat, more for evenings.

2. Traghetto – big gondolas, two oarsmen, about ten passengers, for crossing the Grand Canal. Found at Rialto, San Toma and a couple of other places. Cost 2 euro per trip, can save a heap of walking.

3. Water taxis, which are like a floating limo, costs to match.

4. Vaporettos - ACTV. Are like a floating bus, operate on a bunch of routes. Get the app Chebateo for routes and schedules. Vaps do not service the airport. Vaps are not water taxis.

5. Alilaguna ferries, service the airport, run from Marco Polo via a bunch of stops to the main part of Venice, Murano and Lido. They stop at some, but by no means all, vaporetto stops.

Thank you for all this fabulous information! I do so appreciate all this, you are so informed.

Do a search for hotels in the Camp Stefano area. I vote for staying in Venice for as many days as possible!