PatriceMcB333

We are flying into Venice, renting a car and driving to the Dolomites via Verona for 4 nights and then on to Budapest through Slovenia. Our flight arrives in the early evening and that one night in Venice is problematic with a car. I would appreciate any words of wisdom from anyone who might have information and advice on logistics and where to stay. Thanks, Patty

Andrew

Rent the car when you leave Venice, the next day, not when you get to the airport. You should be able to rent one at Mestre, a quick train ride from Venice proper.

Andrew

Don't forget to buy a vignette driving pass for driving on Slovenia's highways - otherwise you risk a huge fine (no warnings for naive tourists). You should be able to buy a vignette at gas stations right at either side of the border.

TDudette

What Andrew wrote, and inputting your budget, look in Trip Advisor for hotels Venice.

Train station is easy Vap ride (check at your hotel desk for details) and Mestre first stop.

Fodorites, can OP rent a car at the Venice airport? Verona is not terribly far away. They could just drive to Verona that evening if they aren't late.

Do you have a hotel there already? Just let them know you are coming in the evening.

Debbielynn

You can rent your car at Piazza Roma, which is by the train station. There is a big parking lot there. You can immediately drive out of Venice from there.

Andrew

I'd probably stay near the train station on a quick one night stay - actually, that's where I stayed on a visit to Venice last month. I stayed at a little hotel called La Locanda Di Orsaria. I'd recommend it but there are lots of little places nearby that would work as well.

Take an ATVO bus from Marco Polo airport to Piazzale Roma; you can probably drag your bags from there to the train station hotels. A vaporetto ticket from Piazzale Roma one stop up to the train station will cost about as much as the bus from the airport and not save you much distance.

Jean

Where are you dropping the car after the driving portion of your trip?

What time are you supposed to land at Venice? Depending on the hour, I might continue to Verona. But I would take the train rather than drive in the dark. We've rented a car in Verona, and it was outside the ZTL, close to the highway. Easy.

Sassafrass

If you have no plan to tour Venice, then take the train straight away to Verona. Spend the night near the Verona train station and pick your car up there the next morning.

frencharmoire

Why not drive to Treviso or Castelfranco Veneto? It won't take any longer than driving to Venice would, and you can probably find a place with easy free parking that would still be within walking distance of the centro.

If you are good with Google you can also probably find small hotels that serve dinner or agriturismi even closer to Venice airport.

frencharmoire

Someplace like this

http://www.fioriefrutti.it/

frencharmoire

and here is a homey place with a restaurant just a short ways from the airport

http://www.agriturismopraetto.it/en/

frencharmoire

FWIW, I would think it is a big nuisance to go to Verona just to sleep. If you are going to schlepp bags to the train station in Venice, just stay in Venice near the train station or in Mestre. But if you pick up the car, don't go very far. The further you go, the less chance you have of getting dinner. And it is a nuisance to drive in a big city like Verona or Padua. Treviso or Castelfranco Veneto are much smaller.

Andrew

I assumed the OP wanted a short stop in Venice itself to start the trip, but if that's not true, then there are lots of other options, of course.

PatriceMcB333

Thanks for all the great information and help Andrew, TDudette, Debbielynn, Jean, Sassafras, & frencharmoire. We are staying the first night in Venice because we are meeting up with other people flying in later than we are, and we have a reservations the following night at an agriturism farm in Verona for wine tastings & touring -- so from your comments I think the suggestion of staying & meeting up would work well at the train station and picking up the rental car there the next morning. Andrew, I did not know anything about the vignette driving pass in Slovenia -- thanks for the heads up. I had checked the State Dept. site and it said nothing about that, just said to get International Drivers Licences.

I can usually find answers to most of my questions by checking other people's posts, but the response here has been very impressive!