Venice logistical help please.
 

I need to decide between two hotel options for our 3 night Venice stay in July. My problem is understanding the logistics of getting around in Venice. I am wondering if my current choice is a bit stupid.

Info: We are two adults and two kids, arriving by car. My plan was to drop off our bags at the hotel, and then return the car to the airport on our first day in Venice. Our flight back home leaves at around 8 am on a Thursday. Budget matters, but not at a totally illogical extreme!

I currently have the Hilton Venice Molino hotel booked for two nights on points, and then the Courtyard Marriott near the airport at 136E for the last night (Hilton is too expensive). I am now wondering if it will be difficult to drop the car off at the airport (since I cannot drive to the Hilton), lug the bags somehow (not private water taxi) to the Hilton, then waste time on Day 3 getting over to the Courtyard. But, maybe the Hilton location and hotel itself are worth it?

Option 2 is to book all three nights at the Novotel Mestre. I could drive there, drop the bags off at the hotel, then dump the car at the airport and continue into Venice to visit. It is 89E per night for 4, breakfast included, BUT it is in Mestre. Reading tripadvisor tells me that the hotel shuttle is often booked in advance and not available. Some people take the bus in to Venice, but I do not see much detail on that. I am not averse to busses unless there is reason (ie. too time consuming, convoluted a route, etc.). I will then need to take a taxi to the airport the last day, and I don't see an estimate how how much that might cost. The hotel website only states that it is 10 km away from the airport.

Do you think the Novotel and busses are a better overall option?

I am having a hard time sorting out the ease and logistics of either getting from the airport, to the Hilton, and then the Courtyard with luggage. Or dropping off everything at the Novotel and then bussing it back and forth to Venice for three days.

Those who know, please help!

Thank you

No brainer: It is very much worth it to stay in Venice island. The evening when the tourists all leave is the most magical time of day. (Suppose you were visiting NYC -- Would you stay in Manhattan with a gorgeous view of Times Square, or would you stay in Jersey City?)

What to do: drop the car at Piazzale Roma. All the rental agencies have drop-off spots arranged around the giant parking lot and garages. Then, lug the luggage to the Hilton. A water taxi from P. Roma will cost much less than one from the airport, and if there are lots of it and you, it will be cost effective.

Or, you can take the vaporetto from P. Roma -- it is easy to roll luggage on and off, costs just a few euros -- to Piazza San Marco or Zaterre. The hotel website says they have a complimentary hotel shuttle boat to the Hilton from there.

(Or , hop across the bridge to the train station, and hire a porter standing outside the station to deal with getting your luggage to the Hilton.)

To get to the airport without paying for a water taxi, get yourselves to P. Roma and then take the land-bus airport shuttle.

I agree with the previous advice, with the exception that I see no need for you to limit yourself to the Courtyard when there are other places to stay in Venice that are also a reasonable cost. It would be worth it (to me) to spend a few euros extra to spend that last night right in Venice. Of course, the obviously best choice is to stay at the Hilton for the final night also. Perhaps the hotel will give you a break in rate for the third night -- you don't know till you ask.

The downside is getting a ride to the airport on the following morning. Unless you have to leave your hotel ridiculously early on the morning of departure, follow the previous advice to take a vaporetto to the Piazzale Roma, then a shuttle to the airport. Good luck.

Stay in Venice. Pack light so you can carry rather than lug your bags. My family spent a month in Europe happily with one carry-on each.

We parked in a car park on the Island. I don't recommend it. It's difficult to get in an out of so we wasted a lot of time and it's expensive so we wasted a lot of money. If Venice is at the beginning or end of your trip, pick the car up after or drop it off before your stay.

If in the middle of your trip, park your car at a train station on the mainland. Train in and take the Vaporetto (water bus) to the closest stop to your hotel. If price is no object, you can substitute a water taxi for the Vaporetto and go directly to your hotel.

The best thing in Venice is exploring quiet streets in the early morning or evening when they are quiet. Also be sure to see the Duomo when the interior lights are on (during masses and some other times), it's breathtaking.

I agree--stay in Venice proper if at all possible.

The only "good" way to stay in Mestre is to choose one of the hotels that is walkable to the train station where you could get a frequent train or bus direct to Venice proper. From what I can see, the Novotel Mestre is out on the highway, 2 km from the train station--a poor choice.

Suggested plan:

Arrive at Marco Polo airport by car, dump the car.
Take the Aliliguna ferry from the airport to the Zattere. It is a 500 metre walk from the airport terminal to the Aliliguna waterbus stop, and it’s OK to use an airport baggage trolley to haul your bags. Do this even if you have bags on wheels. The Alilaguna waterbus takes a bit less than an hour for the trip.
Take the Molino Stucky private boat from the Zattere to the Molino Stucky. It does a regular shuttle service.
Two nights at Molino Stucky, check out on Wednesday morning, spend the day in Venice.
Return to Molino Stucky, collect your bags, take Molino Stucky shuttle boat to Zattere.
Take the Alilaguna waterbus from Zattere to the airport late on the Wednesday evening, check into the Courtyard Marriot at the airport.
Thursday – fly out.

I’d recommend not staying in Mestre.

Alternate if the car rental agency allows it, dump the car at Piazzale Roma, and follow Capxxx's avery sound advice above to get to the Molino Stucky.

You are making this too hard. First, drop the car at Piazzale Roma and take the water taxi to the Molino--not far from there via the Guideca canal. Stay there all 3 nites, if you can. If not, change to hotel near Piazzale Roma/train station the last nite and take the blue bus from there to the airport in the AM--catch the 0530.

Doesn't the Hilton have its own boat? I was in Venice last week and I am prety sure I saw a boat with "Hilton" or "Molino Stucky" emblazoned on it....

The hotel does have a private launch - but it's from the hotel to San Marco - not Piazzele roma. I think the simplest thing is to dump the car at Piazzele Roma and then take a water taxi (not that much for 4 people) to the hotel. If you prefer, take a vaporeto to San Marco and the hotel launch from there.

Do not stay at Mestre - a quite unpleasant place - and nothing at all like Venice.

Hi Ted,
Molino Stucky does have its own boat, and a fine looking craft it is. It allows one to travel in the style of the rich and famous (of which I am neither, so have never voyaged on the above mentioned vessel). It does a Molino / Zattere shuttle, but I never saw it at San Marco or P. Roma.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It’s the automobiles that complicate the equation, and Bob the Navigator’s suggestion of a water taxi, and hotel near P. Roma on the last night makes good sense.