Venice Airport
Jul 7th, 2005, 10:40 AM
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Venice Airport
How far is the Venice airport (VCE) from "central Venice"? I haven't selected a hotel yet but I would want one centrally located, close to St. Mark's. Just wondering if I would need to take a bus or train or taxi from the airport....thanks in advance!
Jul 7th, 2005, 10:46 AM
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VCE Marco Polo Airport is 12 km from Venice (7 mi) bus 5 leaves every 30 mins to Piazzale Roma (near Venice train station) - waterbus takes 60 mins to Piazza San Marco and also serves the Lido - leaving every 60 mins. No train service though the new metro being planned will link the airport to Venice proper. Waterbus will be most convenient if going to San Marco.
Jul 7th, 2005, 10:53 AM
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The airport is on mainland and central Venice is on the island. Your choices (in decreasing order of cost) are:
Water taxi from the airport dock. Expensive, but cool in a James Bond kind of way, and will go as near to your hotel as possible. More economical if you have a group that can share the cost.
Allaghuna (misspelled?). The airport shuttle, a boat. Departs at the airport dock, stops at a few major points in Venice. I recommend it.
Vaporetto. The city bus/boat system. Cheap, but as inconvenient for luggage schlepping as taking a city bus anywhere.
Land bus (I think this is cheaper than vaporetto). You can take a land bus all the way, on the causeway, to the giant parking lot on the north side of the island, and then walk (not a great distance, but lots of ups and downs over bridges) or take a Vaporetto from there. This is just a couple euros.
Jul 7th, 2005, 11:07 AM
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There is a central fact about Venice you seem not to have gasped. It is a series of island surrounded by water. In Venice there are no cars, buses or trains - only boats.
As described above you have a number of options - dependng on your budget, preferences and hotel location (I would take a water taxi if you can afford it and your hotel has a dock - or a public one closeby).
Seeing Venice for the first time in a beautiful motoscafo coming up the Grand Canal is an experience you will remember for a lifetime.
As described above you have a number of options - dependng on your budget, preferences and hotel location (I would take a water taxi if you can afford it and your hotel has a dock - or a public one closeby).
Seeing Venice for the first time in a beautiful motoscafo coming up the Grand Canal is an experience you will remember for a lifetime.
Jul 7th, 2005, 11:32 AM
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A friend of mine who had been to Venice a couple of times recommended the Hotel Ala to us when we went two years ago. A pleasant hotel within a few yards of the far more expensive Gritti Palace (and Grand Canal) with a great breakfast included. Very short walk to San Marco but a little quieter at night. (In the San Marco sector.)
One of the great advantages to this hotel is that it backs up to a smaller canal and has its own "backdoor" water taxi entrance. Our friend remarked that there was nothing sadder than seeing exhausted, newly arrived tourists sitting on their luggage practically in tears because they couldn't find their hotel. (Not many street signs can account for a lot of that.) So we were pleased after a long redeye flight to be delivered right to the hotel. If you have much luggage, it's better to stay in a hotel near a canal that to worry about exact location. Venice is small and compact - but more so when you're not hauling bags or rolling them on cobblestones and dragging them up bridge stairs frequently. Anywhere in San Marco, San Polo or the western part of Castello will have you at San Marco square within minutes.
We paid about $190 a night for a double, including breakfast, in '03, but the dollar was worth more then. However, it's easy to check because the Hotel Ala is a Best Western (www.bestwestern.com). Don't let that put you off, though, as it did me at first. It was not a BW for many years, including not long before we stayed there. I have found a lot of very charming European hotels have jointed the chain recently, probably for the reservations system and website access.
One of the great advantages to this hotel is that it backs up to a smaller canal and has its own "backdoor" water taxi entrance. Our friend remarked that there was nothing sadder than seeing exhausted, newly arrived tourists sitting on their luggage practically in tears because they couldn't find their hotel. (Not many street signs can account for a lot of that.) So we were pleased after a long redeye flight to be delivered right to the hotel. If you have much luggage, it's better to stay in a hotel near a canal that to worry about exact location. Venice is small and compact - but more so when you're not hauling bags or rolling them on cobblestones and dragging them up bridge stairs frequently. Anywhere in San Marco, San Polo or the western part of Castello will have you at San Marco square within minutes.
We paid about $190 a night for a double, including breakfast, in '03, but the dollar was worth more then. However, it's easy to check because the Hotel Ala is a Best Western (www.bestwestern.com). Don't let that put you off, though, as it did me at first. It was not a BW for many years, including not long before we stayed there. I have found a lot of very charming European hotels have jointed the chain recently, probably for the reservations system and website access.
Jul 7th, 2005, 02:01 PM
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Don't worry too much about being especially close to St. Mark's. Unless you get out next to S. Lucia train station or P. Roma, you'll be within easy walking distance of P. San Marco just about anywhere in historical Venice. Even the train station and P. Roma aren't all that far.
Water taxi is the best and quickest way to get from the airport to anywhere in the city, but it is also the most expensive.
Water taxi is the best and quickest way to get from the airport to anywhere in the city, but it is also the most expensive.
Jul 7th, 2005, 03:00 PM
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Was just in Venice and the water taxi to the airport was 85 euros. The water bus, run by Alilaguna, was 10 euros and took an hour. We did the latter. It wasn't bad at all and, for me, any excuse to be on a boat!
Jul 7th, 2005, 03:09 PM
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Well, water taxi has certainly gone up in the last two years. I think we paid 50 Euros. And, of course, they were cheaper Euros, too. I think I'd consider the water bus myself on a future visit. (Though when we had to leave for the airport at 5AM, it was certainly nice to be picked up at the door of the hotel.)
