wrenwood

Thank you Ann, sounds simple enough! Just need to know what to look for and where!

wrenwood

Dumb question ~ we cannot use these for our transport from PR to our Hotel, because that is not a vaporetto?

annhig

Dumb question ~ we cannot use these for our transport from PR to our Hotel, because that is not a vaporetto?>>

what is not a vaporetto? [sounds like one of those daft riddles - when is a vaporetto not a vaporetto?]

where is your hotel? because from the PR, there are two ways of getting there [ignoring the water taxis]. walk or get the vaporetto. that's why you are getting the passes - the vaporetti are the only way of getting anywhere, unless you use your feet.

wrenwood

We're staying at Ca'Angeii ~ Calle del Tragheto della Madoneta, 1434 - 30125 Venezia, Italia

http://www.caangeli.it/en/

Our directions

Get off at the S.Silvestro boat stop. When you get off at the San Silvestro boat stop going straight on (except for one small jog left and right) you will reach "Campo San Aponal " (a square, with a church and a well in the middle), turn left and take the little street called "Calle de mezo" (there's a bookshop called "Giunti" on the corner before that street) go through this street till the end and you will arrive in another little square called "Campiello Meloni"; after about 20 metres you should see a Pastry shop ("Rizzardini"), take the street on the left of this pastry shop (Calle del Forno) turn right then left, and after 10 metres you will be arrived at Ca' Angeli (please ring the bell on the left of the black gate - the one close to our doorplate).

michele_d

wrenwood,
You can use the pass if you take the vaporetto to the S. Silvestro stop. If you take the more expensive water taxi then you cannot use the pass.

It is no trouble taking your luggage on the vaporetto. Just be sure to set it off to the side as you board (and stand right by it) because people will be getting on and off at each stop and you do not want to be in their way.

sundriedpachino

The website veniceconnected claims that there is a discount for the blue online fare, as compared to the red full fare, but when looking at the prices for red days and blue days, the prices are the same, so it seems there is no discount.

Something no-one has mentioned is the Vaporetto del Arte add-on for an additional €10 for 72 hours. Any experience with this? They are supposed to be special tourist vaporetti which make stops at the most popular tourist sites.

caroline_edinburgh

As Venice residents we haven't used it but were living here when it was introduced, just a few months ago, and see them all the time. I was aware that a day ticket just for the Vaporetto dell'Arte is E24 but didn't know you can add it to a normal tourist pass for E10. The idea is it only calls at certain stops which are convenient for the major art galleries - so for example they stop at Ca' d'Oro and at San Samuele (for Palazzo Grassi). They are also more luxurious than normal vaporetti, never crowded (I've never seen more than 12 passengers on one) and have some sort of commentary available.

I initially thought the price of E24 just for the VdA was ridiculous until I thought about the fact that a normal 12 hour tourist pass is E18, and VdA tickets get you discounts in the galleries - so if you were having a day focussed on several of the major galleries, it would be worthwhile. And if you can also use it by paying E10 on top of a normal 72 hour pass, that would beem worthwhile too.

tarquin

Wrenwood, don't you have a map of Venice? Your directions are very clear - take the vaporetto to the S. Silvestro stop, then proceed. From memory there are no bridges with steps on your route.

The pastry shop mentioned, Rizzardini, has good coffee and biscotti.

tarquin

Please ask more questions about Venice! I will be there the week before you are.

wrenwood

tarquin I do have a map. I was just letting annhig know where we were staying as she asked.

Thanks for letting me know about the pastry shop, Rizzardini, as we have an early morning Photography Walk the next day and will need coffee! I read they've been in business since 1742!

And michelle, thanks for the clarification about using the pass to get to our hotel stop and the luggage hint.

annhig

wrenwood - googlemaps puts you right next to the Frari, which is a very nice place to be. The B&B looks lovely - do you have a room with a terrace?

Sorry, when you mentioned not using the vaporetto pass to get to your hotel, it never occurred to me that you were thinking of getting a water taxi - no need for that!

as you mention a photography tour, i hope that you'll have lots of photos to show us!

sundriedpachino

Thanks, Caroline. I think we may just try out that combo pass with the VdA. I think I read that it only runs from 10 am to 7 pm. but it would be great during the day.

wrenwood

ann ~ we don't have a terrace, but we do have a grand canal view from our room. Pricey, but I decided I wanted to wake up and know exactly where I am!

I keep thinking every winter that I'll get my photos on flickr or someplace. Then I get busy planning the next trip, and oh well......................maybe this year!

This is the photography walk we are doing

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...ce_Veneto.html

annhig

interesting, wrenwood. He gets very good reviews. I'd be keen to read what you think about his tour - and to see your pics of course!

wesleymarsh

If you're a first time visitor on a serious budget, I don't think Ca'Angeli is super easy to get to with luggage in tow. The walk from the vaporetto stop is about five minutes, if you know where you are going. If this is your first time getting accustomed to Venetian streets, it's easy to get confused in this congested area of very narrow streets with few signs.

I think the hotel has its own dock, which makes it much easier to reach by water taxi. If you're young and energetic, I wouldn't care about the walk or getting lost on my way there. However, if you're not fit and you're exhausted, schlepping bags in unfamiliar territory could be a challenge. IMO, a water taxi, at least for arrival, might be worth the expense.

wrenwood

Thanks wesleymarsh, they sent great directions and there's actually a youtube video of the walk which should be a big help!

But who knows. We might consider the water taxi, depending upon how much it is?

wesleymarsh

I didn't know about the YouTube video. That's amazing that a video of this particular walk exists. It's smart for a hotel in Venice to encourage its customers to post such a video (or produce one themselves) because so many Venice hotels are not convenient to boat docks, and finding them on foot is a difficult experience for millions of first time tourists.

Still, chances are you're not going to follow the walk with your laptop in hand. And I have a feeling that Venice, up close and personal, in the reality of a post overseas flight, will appear quite different than what is revealed on a desktop computer monitor. Studying the video can't hurt.

I hate walking longer than 2 minutes in Venice with my luggage. The wheels take a beating on that uneven pavement, bags topple over easily, and I refuse to carry my bags up and down bridge steps. When I was younger, I didn't care. Now that I care deeply about unwanted injury, I'm more careful.

Every time I visit Venice I witness tourists of all ages struggle with their luggage. Not being able to quickly and easily find your hotel compounds that frustration. I've learned the value of a water taxi the hard way. I don't book anything in Venice that isn't steps away from a boat dock.

wrenwood

The uneven pavement is a good point wesley. How much does a water taxi usually cost?

I meant to post the video for anyone that is interested

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL4vJ8OAXMs

Also, one thing I have done is to enter "S.Silvestro boat stop Venice" on Google Maps as a starting point for walking directions to Ca'Angeli, and switch the map to Satellite, it gives a good overview.

caroline_edinburgh

What uneven pavement? They don't seem uneven to me, apart from where there is work going on with temporary boards laid down. To get from the railway station to where you are staying, a water taxi would be a complete waste of money (bet on at least E50-60). I can see that sometimes there's a case for getting one from the airport (e.g. for reasons of speed, timing or many bags) but not from the station.

annhig

wrenwood - I'm with caroline here. so long as you're not laden down with luggage, it shouldn't be too hard to walk from the vaporetto stop to your hotel.

one way of dealing with it if you're not sure of the way would be for one of you to stay with the luggage at the vaporetto stop, whilst the other one goes to find the hotel. then you won't be traipsing around with your suitcases!