Per my other related thread, we are including a night in Venice on a Europe trip. (Prior 4 nights in Rome, subsequent night on the sleeper train to Munich). DH definitely wants to be in Venice itself to enjoy the less crowded evening and early morning times.
DS has been there on a daytrip as part of hs music tour. He recommends we stay near the train station to avoid schlepping luggage on cobblestone and bridges (which I see now in photos have steps up and down). Before he said that, I had been leaning toward an apartment recommended in Rick Steves book nearer St Mark’s square -
Campiello Hotel Venice http://www.hcampiello.it/
As you are arriving and leaving by train, i would agree with your son. We stayed near the train station and it was so convenient and there are some interesting touristy shops that are less crowded than some of the central areas. It is easy to get the vaporettos to travel to the tourist areas. (Do make sure you are staying near the train station on the islands and not on the mainline). I would stay near the station again if I was travelling by train.
Thanks for the feedback. Good point about the island train station. Although there are much cheaper rates on the mainland, we are aiming to have a one night splurge in Venice itself.
We will be there in late summer/early fall and are staying 2 nights in Venice. I really want to be on the Grand Canal, and would have loved to stay at the Grand Canal Hotel with a Canal view. It’s only 5 minutes from the train station according to the Trip Advisor reviews. If you don’t mind not having a canal view, it’s still a little pricey when I’m going (300 euros per night). The Canal view suite is 400 euro. You said you wouldn’t mind splurging a little for one night, so I’d check out that hotel.
We are staying at a B&B on the Grand Canal…fantastic views and close to everything, but basically no service. . I would have prefered a hotel. And I’d like to be close to the train station also, as we’ll be leaving from there to Rome and would like to just walk over. However, it would be $350 more for the 2 nights and I’m not sure I want to spend the money as we will be splurging on a water taxi and I"ve heard it’s a bit pricey to eat there. I CAN’T WAIT!!
I would stay at the Hotel Campiello - it looks like it’s only a short walk (2 minutes straight up the alley - no bridges or steps) from the S.Zaccaria Vaporetto stop. It will be a bit of a pain to schlep your luggage on and off the boat, but it’s really not difficult at all. It really is worth staying in that part of Venice rather than near the train station.
Water taxis are pricy - they start at $100 for a short trip (10 minutes or so) and go up from there. They are incredibly comfortable compared to the Vaporetti, which are pretty bad - the engines are loud and smelly, and they usually scrape against the pier when they dock, making a horrible noise (and just about knocking the passengers off their feet).
We parked a car, left all our luggage, and carried just a day worth of clothes. It seemed like most people who were parking around us were doing the samething. Not sure if there are any people keeping luggage near the train station.
Many of the hotels have their own boats that shuttle you from train station to hotel dock. And their own dock. We stayed at Boscolo Venezia, which is overlooking Murano and away from crowds. But if you are just staying a night, I would opt for thencanal area.
Be sure to get the Vaporetto pass for either 24 or 48 hours. I think it’s 20 or 30 Euros. But each ride is 7 euro, so pass is well worth it.
Thanks for the hints. The kids will have backpack-ish bag, and I will have a rolling carry-on. DS may have a bigger bag. For those coming in by train (not car), there is an option to check luggage at the train station. We probably won’t do so because it sounds like there can be long lines at droppoff and (more of a concern) lines at pickup.
Hotel Campiello has replied to email questions - “From the train station you have to catch a water bus that take 40 minutes to arrive in the St. Mark area where the hotel is located. We confirm you the possibility, before the check-in and after the check-out, to store your luggage in the hotel until the time you need.”
If you are taking Rick’s suggestions, seriously consider taking his packing suggestions as well (pack light). Consider narrow slick-marble steep stairways and no elevator. If I were you, I would go for a backpack bag and pack light. I assume “DS” means Dear Spouse and not Dear Son? I would have Spouse pack lighter too. If you want to do Europe through the back door, you have to accept the warts, and prepare accordingly. If you need the conveniences, you may not be so happy with a tiny no-elevator hotel.
Slightly hijacking the thread–still about hotels in Venice. H and I are starting to plan a trip to Venice, which would be the last leg of a trip to Croatia this fall. Has anyone stayed in the Hotel Cipriani–is it worth the enormous price?
Just splurge. The dollar has soared 20% vs the Euro since I was there last September so you are getting a good discount.
Bromfield2, I find Croatia’s prices rather high, especially in Dubrovnik. Go to the old city after 12PM and you will miss tons of tourists
We stayed at the Hotel Campiello for a couple nights before a cruise in October 2013. Great location! We did not use the train at all – flew into Venice, took a vaporetto from the airport to the S. Zaccaria stop and then a vaporetto to the cruise ship. Probably less than 100 yards of walking. Great location and friendly people. The room was small and the bathroom tiny, but it was clean and very reasonably priced. Would stay there again.
@10smomic, if you were on the top floor overlooking the canal, can you comment on the steepness and slipperiness of the staircase? And the absence of an elevator.
Oh - another detail. Hotel Campiello near canal and St Mark’s area would be an apartment on first floor (they call it “raised ground floor”, up 3 steps)
Splurging on a really good hotel is well worth the money in Venice. A good concierge can be really helpful. Venice restaurants vary between the notoriously bad and world renowned good, with very little to speak of in between. They will steer you in the right direction and make reservations when needed. They also come in handy if you want to book a ticket to a concert, an opera or a private tour of a museum. I love the Hotel Bauer especially.
@ItsJustSchool We were not on the top floor. 2nd floor, I think and we overlooked an alley in the back. We didn’t notice the stairs being especially steep or slippery. We don’t usually use elevators (even going up and down 8 floors on a cruise ship :), so that was not an issue for us.
We stayed at Hotel al Ponte Antico which is on the Grand Canal but on the “back” side, with a view of the Rialto Bridge. It was the #1 trip advisor hotel back when we went to Venice the first time. Amazing little hotel. Water taxi easily there and to the train station (bc it’s on the GC).
@jaylyn …I would love to stay there but it’s 490 euros per night! At first I thought you wrote Hotel Antico and that’s a nice little place too, but not on the Grand Canal…although some rooms have small canal view. One reviewer wrote not to worry abou not having a grand canal view, as you won’t be in your room much and you’ll be on canal a lot anyway with dining, taking the water busses, etc. I’m really considering reserving another hotel that is a full hotel, with all the amenities.
I’m currently at Locando Leon Bianco, in the best room with magnificent views of the canal, for only 250 euros per night. However, since it’s a B&B, the owner isn’t there the majority of the time, so you get a key and you are on your own. Rolls and coffee in your room. The owners personality gets mixed reviews. Not sure what to do. Suppose can always reserve another then decide.
I went ahead and booked at Hotel Antico Doge. It’s just a itsy bit more, but we get breakfast and a the normal hotel amentities. I sprung with the canal view. I think it will be okay, but I do highly doubt we will be in our room much, and it would be nice to have recommendations for restaurants and help those first couple nights in Italy…especially as this is our first european trip.
If you are interested in eating well and only going to be there for a couple of nights,I would recommend that you make dinner reservations online for both nights a few weeks before you leave. I know that it seems a bit obsessive, but it really is unlike the rest of Italy (where you can just stumble in to any restaurant and have a fantastic meal). Most Venetians cleared out of Venice long ago the food culture has really suffered.