vafgo

My husband and I will be traveling to Venice for the first time in March. We are on a pretty tight budget, planning picnics, etc, but I have found a canal view room for about 2x the cost of our original hotel choice. For those of you having traveled to Venice, was the view worth the extra money to you, or if you didn't get a view room, did you regret it? Thanks

Worktowander

I sacrificed some luxury for a beautiful view of a side canal near San Marco.

I can't afford the better hotels with canal views, but I found a little privately owned gem for the right price at the right place. And then I popped for 10 euro more per night for the canal view. So yes, I guess I did pay more for the canal view, after a fashion.

It was worth it.

worldinabag

Hi

Yes I would definitely try to squeeze out your budget to get something with a canal view. Try Al Vagon Hotel - http://www.hotelalvagon.com - but book ASAP. Your in luck! They have a special offer for March - "DOUBLE SUPERIOR WITH BATH AND CANAL VIEW 95 EURO PER NIGHT". And they knock 5% off this if you pay cash. You won't find cheaper with a canal view. Read Eurocheapo's write up of the joint - http://www.eurocheapo.com/venice/lis...on/alvagon.asp

Happy travels - you will love Venice.

kappa

Most of the times I was in Venice, I chose Canal view (Grand Canal, Lagoon of San Marco Basin, Giudecca and small canal) paying a bit of extra but never 2x of a room of the same hotels (3/4*). It took some time for research here and there and I think I always had great deals and those views were worth paying an (a little/never a lot) extra.

ira

Hi vaf,

I wouldn't pay double, especially on a tight budget.

You can always go to a fancy hotel and have a snack with a canal view.

baldrick

How much time will you spend at your window looking at the canal? All day? 4 hours a day? 2 hours a day? 15 minutes?
Will you sacrifice time for walking and visiting and stay at your window?
Have you seen a picture of the canal view you'll see, because there are canals of all kinds, nice and calm ones, noisy ones, stinky ones,...?

ekscrunchy

I agree with the comments of the last two posters. If I were on such a budget, I would skip the canal view; you will be walking or riding along the canals for hours during your stay; you will be in your room mostly to sleep. Spend your money on some great meals instead. Twice the price is a lot to pay anyway.

StCirq

No, if I were on a tight budget I wouldn't pay double for a canal view. In Venice you're surrounded by canal views all day long - does it really matter if there's a canal outside your window while you're sleeping?

RufusTFirefly

It really depends on your particular situation. It was worth it for us as I'm an early riser while Mrs. Fly likes to sleep in.

I spent quite a lot of time enjoyably watching the activity on the Grand Canal in the early morning hours while sipping coffee and nibbling pastries.

Same thing when we stayed on the Mosel--though the room didn't cost extra, I enjoyed watching the boat and barge traffic on the river each morning.

Intrepid1

Frankly, I'd save my money by not getting either a canal view or a balcony of any sort; I'd spend it on getting a hotel located in as central an area as possible.

mr_go

To me, the whole purpose of visiting Venice is to go out, wander and take in the nice views...up close and personal.

Back in the hotel room, I want to close the windows to block out the noise and get some shut-eye.

So no, the view is not worth a lot extra to me.

vafgo

Thanks for the advice. Looks like we will be skipping the canal view from the hotel, and instead enjoy the view from a cafe.

daisy58

this trip is our first to italy, thus venice. we are on a budget too, but this was not an area we wanted to compromise on. that being said, we booked a grandcanal view at the antiche figure hotel on the grand canal, even I know I will spend most of my time tripin' , there just seems to be something so romantic about looking out your window and seeing the canal, so quintessential venice..and it is our last 2 nights of our trip, so even more important to end it with a "bang"

tedgale

1. A little puzzled by the question. Do you mean Grand Canal?

If so my answer would be: For me, the Grand Canal merits no premium at all. It is Venice's Main street, in fact its highway.

But 2. there are hundreds of other canals and canal-view often means little more than "outside view" rather than "courtyard-view".

3. It sounds like you might be better off in an apartment, which often can rented for less than a week:

We rented a canal-side studio, the Carmine studio, from Ca della Corte, a few years ago. We faced a canal with broad "fondamenta" (sidewalk) at ground level. Had a great little kitchen, even a minute garden -- for 90 E/ night, with makings of a modest breakfast left each day by the cleaner.

http://www.inveniceapartments.com/en/

In March we will rent a canal-view 2 storey apartment -- technically Grand Canal view, in fact -- in a wonderfully open though very unusual location, i.e. near Piazzale Roma. We are paying 88 E/ night for: beamed cathedral ceilings, large living room, large bedroom, 2 modern baths, granite-countered kitchenette, with a spiral stair to a loft that we likely won't even use.

I have posted about this recently -- click on my name to find my posts about Venice and Florence apartments

lmhornet

Why pay for a canal view when you are likely to spend 10 minutes sitting around your room looking at it and can ride a varporetto, stand on the Rialto Bridge, etc. The same money can be spent in far better ways.

jpm

I have to agree with the above about saving your money - especially if you are on a tight budget.

My first trip to Venice we had a canal view by sheer luck, didn't pay for it, but now I see why. As soon as the sun comes up so does the noise (this was the Grand Canal). And if you are on a smaller canal anywhere there is really nothing to see except perhaps an occassional gondola.

Take that extra money and splurge on an awesome meal, or do that most touristy things all, take a gondola ride. This is VENICE! Or buy an amazing piece of Murano glass.

Venice is so amazing that you will never regret NOT having a canal view.

Most of all, just have fun!

JPM

Judeinvenice

It depends on you, of course, but for me, a room with a canal view is worth every last loveliest lira. And even the tiniest balcony is the most wonderful plus. Nothing like sipping a prosecco or a limoncello and watching the passing parade on a canal in Canareggio at the end of a long day. I'm an early riser, and perhaps there is one thing better-- watching the dawn over your own little canal while you drink your first caffelatte of the day. And best of all is lying in bed on a moonlit night with the water reflecting across the ceiling, and out of the silence hearing the sound of oars dipping into the water.

But yes, it's true, some canals can be just too rowdy. Giudecca particularly in my experience. Calcina's a great place to stay, and the view across to Palladio's churches is to die for, but the couple of times I've stayed there the din of working boats and building has been pretty awful.

As others have, I would strongly recommend renting a flat. Vacanza Bella is very reliable--run by a charming American who lives in Rome. Not cheap, though. Plenty of others on the web, some a bit dodgy!

Jude

LoveItaly

I love having a room overlooking the Grand Canal. Watching all the various "working boats" the change of light on the Grand Canal and the buildings at various times.

Coffee in the room watching the sun come up, late afternoon wine in the room before changing for dinner, again the beautiful change of light as early evening sets in.

Some of my best photos in Italy were from the room of my hotel which was across from the Ca de Oro.

But one always has to balance everything out budget wise, time wise, personal interest of course. It is so hard to advise someone else what decision will be worth it to them.

And vafgo I will say I would not pay twice as much for a view of the Grand Canal. Do have a beautiful time in Venice.

Melissa5

I booked us a garden view room at the Pensione Accademia and was exquisitely happy, a very charming hotel with a good staff on a smaller canal just off the grand canal.

You have a canal view for free every time you step out the door of your hotel. By the time you return to your room you will be mighty sick of the canal views and quite pleased to have a little garden view, that's my own experience.

Also, several times we passed a lady in another hotel who had paid for a canal view. She didn't look very happy, and I have to tell you we could see right into her room every time we passed by! I'm not saying a canal view is bad, I am just reporting our experiences. Not for one minute did I regret not having a room with a canal view.

The Pensione Accademia is where I will stay whenever I return to venice. Much less expensive than many of the hotels and quite mmeorable, with antiques in the sitting room that was outside of our room. I think we had a superior room, worth the little bit extra, prices were under $200 euros for the double superior room in June 2004, I believe.

Tries2PakLite

I wouldn't pay twice as much, but I would spend more for the view.

The only time that we spent the night in Venice we had a room with a Grand Canal view and it was worth every single lira. Mu husband pulled a chair up to the window and watched the world go by while he waited for me to get up and ready.

We will be back in Venice in August and we spent a little extra for an apartment with a canal view, and I still think it is worth it.

But, I would say again, I wouldn't pay twice as much. I'd rather spend hours poring over hotel websites until I found one that combined a view with the right price.