Venice, Italy travel info needed

[El Chupacabra]

Mrs. C. and I are going to Italy this fall, including a couple days in Venice. I'm looking for a place to stay in Venice, but Airbnb & hotels are expensive for fairly crappy-looking places. I can stay in Mestre on hotel points for free -- good idea, or are we going to regret having to travel back-and-forth from Mestre to Venice?

[GimpToo]

We stayed in the hotel across the street from the Mestre Train Station https://www.raileurope.com/europe-tr...n-station.html - sorry, cannot remember the name - it was a breeze getting across the canal to Venice - one stop!!

Love Venice - make sure to get lost in the little walkways and find local restaurants - very friendly!!

[Benny Profane]

We stayed in the Hotel Fontana, the cheapest place very close to San Marco. It was fine. Great little bar next door.

But, if you want to stay on the mainland, which isn't a bad idea, why not Padua? Very close by train, and, a twofor, because, you'll be waking up in......Padua, a city with plenty to see on its own.

Benny will be in the Veneto most of November, based in Verona. Only an hour fifteen to Venice by train. I'll be over there four or five days. There's also Vicenza and Ravenna.

[54-46]

If you need anything at the pharmacy in Verona, go see my friend Elena: https://m.facebook.com/premiatafarmaciaroma/

[54-46]

Venice is more charming after dark. Stay in town at least a night or two. Stayed here many years ago and it still gets good reviews: http://www.aglialboretti.com

[bigdude2468]

Mrs. C. and I are going to Italy this fall, including a couple days in Venice. I'm looking for a place to stay in Venice, but Airbnb & hotels are expensive for fairly crappy-looking places. I can stay in Mestre on hotel points for free -- good idea, or are we going to regret having to travel back-and-forth from Mestre to Venice?

Spent three days in Venice last September prior to a cruise. We stayed on the main canal and it wasn't cheap but it was not outrageous. August is high season so maybe it was less expensive with it being Sept. Definitely get lost on the little side streets. We found a small park /square area with kids running around on scooters and bikes with local's hanging out. It was in the evening, we had pizza there and it was a non tourist area which felt good. There are about 250,000 people that live in Venice and try to live normal lives. We were surprised at how cheap beer and wine was at COOP grocery stores. We picked up wine and took glasses from the hotel and sat on the canal in the evenings. Study the water bus routes and it is easy to get anywhere you want to go. We had heard stories that Venice was dirty and smelly but that was not the case at all. We found it very clean, had a great time. Found a picture of our hotel, The Carlton.

[plugboots]

We stayed at:
http://mobile.palazzostern.it/
Loved it. Roof top hot tub.

[Kenny Satch]

Love Venice - make sure to get lost in the little walkways and find local restaurants - very friendly!!

Great advice
We took a water taxi from the train station area to San Marco Square. Walked all the way back with very little need of a map.
Say more than we expected with it being only a 2 day trip.

[Kenny Satch]

There is another thing you need to address
October to January flooding can be an issue
Bring some waterproof hikers/boots just encase.

Don't let some water stop you...the Venetians build a great city in spite of water.

[goldengatestinx]

We stayed in Isla de Jesolo (sp) at a cheap hotel (78 euro/night) right on the beach with a last minute reservation (www.hrs.com). It was a bus ride and a ferry away but managed a day/evening in Venice.

Definitely wander and find a café after the tourists leave on the cruise ships and go back to their hotels. The town quiets down, families come out and it's an amazing experience.

hrs.com lets you make a reservation and not have to pay if you're not too worried about them selling out for that night, and can cancel anytime. And you can give a ccard if you want to guarantee it. We toured without a schedule from Munich, through Austria, Italy then back into Germany. Found a pension in a little town a 20 minute drive from Garmisch for cheap. Little ski aeras all over to wander through.

Check it out if you're on a flexible schedule and not too paranoid about specific hotels and schedules.

[Benny Profane]

There is another thing you need to address
October to January flooding can be an issue
Bring some waterproof hikers/boots just encase.

Don't let some water stop you...the Venetians build a great city in spite of water.

We had flooding for three days in November. They are totally prepared for it and had the raised walkways up immediately. The future does not look good for St. Marks, though. That's salt water.

Bring serious shoes anyway, because you'll be doing a ton of walking.

Sent from my SM-G900V using TGR Forums mobile app

[PNWbrit]

Don't fall out of the gondola.

[goldengatestinx]

The gondoulas are ridiculously over priced. Buy a day pass for the water taxis, grab a seat outside in the stern and go all over watching Venice from the water whenever you want.

[old goat]

If you want a gondola ride get a cheap one across the grand canal--the locals use those if they're not near a bridge. And yes a real ride is ridiculously overpriced, but it's venice, you have to do it once, wish I could have convinced my wife.

[54-46]

If you want a gondola ride get a cheap one across the grand canal--the locals use those if they're not near a bridge. And yes a real ride is ridiculously overpriced, but it's venice, you have to do it once, wish I could have convinced my wife.

Proposed to my wife in a gondola near Bridge of Sighs under a full moon in Sept. You would not believe how much mileage I got out of that!

[mcski]

^ #poopenhausen ^

[El Chupacabra]

Thanks everyone -

I booked the Mestre hotel on points -- fully cancellable, so I'll keep looking at on-the-island options to see what's available. The free hotel is a Sheraton that is brand new, and near the Ospedale train station. Google transit times say it's a 19 minute ride from there to Venice Santa Lucia station. We're looking at 3 nights of (1) free and new Sheraton, with 19 min commute, or (2) $450+ for marginal accommodations on Venice proper. That's the difficult tradeoff.

We'll be there in early October. Should be cooler than the peak tourist season, and hopefully not flooded or buggy at that time.

This is at the tail end of a 2.5 week trip, starting in Florence for four days, then to Bolzano for two days before beginning a bike tour that ends in Venice, then spend a couple extra days in Venice before flying home. Longest vacation that Mrs. C. and I have ever taken.

[54-46]

The Danieli used to be affordable on Starwood points. Used to be like 12K points a night in 2002.

[Benny Profane]

Thanks everyone -

I booked the Mestre hotel on points -- fully cancellable, so I'll keep looking at on-the-island options to see what's available. The free hotel is a Sheraton that is brand new, and near the Ospedale train station. Google transit times say it's a 19 minute ride from there to Venice Santa Lucia station. We're looking at 3 nights of (1) free and new Sheraton, with 19 min commute, or (2) $450+ for marginal accommodations on Venice proper. That's the difficult tradeoff.

We'll be there in early October. Should be cooler than the peak tourist season, and hopefully not flooded or buggy at that time.

This is at the tail end of a 2.5 week trip, starting in Florence for four days, then to Bolzano for two days before beginning a bike tour that ends in Venice, then spend a couple extra days in Venice before flying home. Longest vacation that Mrs. C. and I have ever taken.

Sounds good.

You're biking from Bolzano to Venice?

[El Chupacabra]

Sounds good.

You're biking from Bolzano to Venice?

Yes. Looks like a fairly easy route, lots of sightseeing time.

The Sheraton is 11K points for all 3 nights. Pretty happy with that redemption, just not certain on the location and travel time issue.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Man, I'm so jealous.

[old goat]

Proposed to my wife in a gondola near Bridge of Sighs under a full moon in Sept. You would not believe how much mileage I got out of that!

Near the Bridge of Sighs--where prisoners got their last glimpse of the world before being thrown into a dungeon and forgotten about. Seems appropriate.

[54-46]

Near the Bridge of Sighs--where prisoners got their last glimpse of the world before being thrown into a dungeon and forgotten about. Seems appropriate.

OG, you are a hopeless romantic! You may know history but you don't know the legend about kissing under the Bridge of Sighs? See: https://m.thevintagenews.com/2017/05...and-happiness/

[goldengatestinx]

I'd do the on island hotel for +$450. It only happens occasionally and not having to do the commute would be well worth it even though it's short. You'll be pretty much part of the scene this way and not a spectator. Walk around, find a café deep inside the town, not worrying about having to get out.

[Mudfoot]

Mestre is not a bad alternative because it is incredibly cheaper and the bus ride is no hassle, short and cheap. A working class town that seems to appreciate the tourists more than tremendously crowded Venice. Some interesting folks around the train station neighborhood. Lots of African immigrants who are culturally adrift, so they have adopted the US rapper look. Nothing like a black guy in baggies, gold chains, wearing his baseball hat off angle and speaking Italian with an African accent. The look was a little intimidating, but actually nice people and cool to talk to. Some great stories on where they came from and how they ended up there. It was some local Italian color I was not expecting. Would have never experienced it if we had taken the train straight to Venice and stayed there.