It's been a while since I posted last asking for help planning my trip with 77y/o mom to Italy. Decided to forgo travel agents so will need lots of help. Took your advice on staying longer. Got open jaw airline tickets (by myself). Into Venice Sept. 1st (arriving 2nd) and out of Rome on Sept. 15th. Giving myself more days to do 3 cities. But I'll start with Venice. I need help with inexpensive hotels and where you think they should be located. We are flying in and then 5 days later taking a train to Bologna. So, should we stay near the airport, the train station or does it not matter? Just read a trip report by Ellen and she stayed at Hotel Roma. I checked the website and it looks like a good deal at about 80 euros a night. I am looking to stay at around 100 to 120 euros a night for a hotel. We don't mind small rooms. Just want something fairly clean and safe. My mom can't walk fast, but will be able to get around slowly. I ordered books on things to see for each city (Venice, Bologna and Rome). Would just like to start getting the hotels lined up and then the train tickets. Any suggestions?

No need to stay by the train station, and definitely do not stay by the airport. Stay on the main island to not miss the wonderful Venetian evenings when the tourists have gone.

The island is small so it doesn't matter much where you stay, although with mom's walking problems you might prefer to be near the tourist center (San Marco) -- on the other hand cheaper lodgings are found away from the center, like in the area near the train station.

The vaporettos (a vaporetto is a bus that goes on water) go right to the train station. Depending on where your hotel is, either take a vaporetto from nearest hotel stop to the station, or reserve a taxi (also a boat) to get you and luggage there on your last day (wheeled luggage rolls easily on/off vaporettos). The vaporetto is a couple Euros, and the taxi could be 10 - 100 euros depending on where you start from.

Personally I would just buy the train tickets in Venice, one or two days before I leave town.

Hotel "Roma" in Venice? Never heard of it so I googled. It looks like it's located in Marghera-Mestre on the mainland and not on Venice proper. When I travel to Venice, one thing I tried to avoid is not staying in Venice proper (and I have been succesful so far even on my usually tight budget). September is a high season so it may not be obvious for you to find a place that matches your budget but I do recommend you stay in Venice proper. Venice Santa Lucia Railway station is there and most trains for Bologna leave from there.

A single ticket for vaporetto is €6,50. Quite expensive, so consider buying a pass (12,48,36 hrs, etc).

No, do not stay by the airport. I also don't like too much the area right by the train station.Last time we stayed at a lovely B&B called Al Ponte Mocenigo. It's right by a vaporetto stop (St Stae, 3rd stop from train station). We paid around 140 Euros but it was for a superior room. Their standard rooms have lower prices.

I love Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo in Venice and am currently writing a trop report about my 8-night stay there. We paid 120€ for a standard room, breakfast and free internet included, but this was in late March. The hotel is less than a minute from a vaporetto stop, with no bridges in between, for easy access to the rest of the city. (click on my screen name to find my report.)

We also stayed at Al Ponte Mocenigo and loved it, however I would describe it as a hotel not a B&B. Can't remember what we paid but our budget was around 100 - 120 euros per night. I can't think why you would want to stay near the airport as you don't have any reason to use the airport again. There is something magical about Venice that I think you will miss if you don't stay on the island.

cathies, Frankly I don't know what the technical classification for the Al Ponte Mocenigo is. I call it a B&B because , as far as I know, it just serves breakfast, it doesn't have a restaurant or cafe. It's not what I would consider a full service hotel. They do have somebody at the desk at all times, which is indeed different from a B&B. IMO, it has the cozy/intimate atmosphere of a B&B.

I forgot to say, we were there in late August and the A/C worked beautifully in the very hot weather we had .

It's important people say WHEN they stayed as the hotel. rates vary a LOT by the seasons. As I said Septmber is a high season. Go to a booking site like venere.com and see what sorts of rates are available, and read the reviews there and on tripadvisor for cross reference. Some B&B's (1-2 star level) seem available within your budget of €120 for your dates but for that time of the year, I would want to make sure that the place has air-con. JULY-AUG the hottest time is generally a shoulder season in Venice. You had better expect to pay more in September.

Al Ponte Mocenigo is technically a two-star hotel, according to the star rating system of Italy which is based on amenities.

Venice is expensive as you have inevitably found out. Three of us are going to be in Venice the end of May. I found a lot of nice apartments to choose from at VRBO.com that were significantly cheeper then the hotels and in nicer neighbourhoods. Most of them had a three or four day minimum.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for all your advise... I'm looking at the apartments that Kigallo suggested. Might be a great idea for Venice and Rome. Will still need a hotel for Bologna, I think. Only staying 3 nights.

we have used www.veniceapartments.org in the past with good results.

www.viewsonvenice.com also gets good reviews.


just remember that the first floor in Venice is a US second floor, if stairs are a concern

Also suggesst you look for places with air conditioning as it may be hot still. You will probably also want to keep windows shut because of mosquitoes at night.

we're staying here (also a mother-adult daughter trip) in the room with two separate beds:

http://www.campiellozen.com/en/

Reasonable price, right nr vaporetto stop ( or walk 10 mins from train statin) and great reviews.

Thanks to your advise I went ahead and booked two apartments (a first for me) one in Venice (near Rialto bridge and one in Rome (near Trevi Fountain). I'm waiting to get the guide book I ordered on Bologna to see where I think we'd like to be in that city/town. Then I think I'll go with a hotel or B&B since we'll just be there 3 nights. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions later... thanks again... I feel so brave renting the apartments like you pros... I also think I feel safe enough to wait to get train ticket when we get there... This is really different from the usual me who has to have everything planned and done before leaving.

I highly recommend the following for Bologna:

http://www.albergocentralebologna.it/rooms.htm

It's listed as a 2 star, but is more like a 3 star. For some reason, the owner doesn't want it to be a 3 star. It's 1 or 2 blocks from P. Maggiore, on the bus route to the train station, couldn't be more perfectly located. If you decide to stay there, be sure to request a QUIET room, as some of them overlook Ugo Bassi and are quite noisy day and night.

In Bologna, Hub and I stayed in Sofitel Hotel. It is right across from the train station so convenient for day trips and return. A taxi to the center would be good for your mom.

Have a great time. One note about getting around, since your mom is 77:

You should be OK walking around Venice, since you can move at your own pace. Be aware of the time and problems with getting to and from the airport. There are a number of ways you can do it.

Take a bus: You'll get off near the train station, and then have to get onto a vaporetto (water bus) to the stop nearest your hotel. It's possible you'll have to cross several small stepped bridges, with luggage, to get to the apartment, depending on location. That can be strenuous for a 77-year-old, so pack light.

Take the Alilaguna: That's a water bus from the airport into Venice (13.5 euros per person). You'll have to walk about 10 minutes from the airport terminal to the stop. Once in Venice, you'll have the same situation with bridges and luggage. There are porters near the Alilaguna stops. Never used one, but I'm told they're expensive.

Take a water taxi: Fastest, easiest, most expensive. The water taxis are near the Alilaguna. You can hire one for about 90 euros total. They may be able to get you closer to your apartment than the vaporetto or Alilaguna.

Since your apartment is near the Rialto Bridge, the easiest and most cost effective way into the city would be to take the bus right out in front of the airport to P. Roma, then the vaporetto to Rialto. Depending on which side of the Grand Canal your apartment is located, you should get off at the Rialto Mercato stop OR the Rialto Bridge stop, so you don't have to lug your luggage over the bridge.

Again, thanks to all. The information about the bus to vaporetto is wonderful. I have printed out the info and will use it on our trip. Only a month away from leaving...
Got a hotel in Bologna. All set I think... You guys are the best... Girl Scout Mom...

Looking forward to hearing how everything goes!