Second guessing hotel in Venice

Browsing the reviews, the Belle Arti doesn't seem like a great hotel but not awful. Mostly, it seems, you are paying for the location.

I'd look again on Booking.com and see what else is available. Use the map feature.

If arriving really late, I might consider staying the first night near the airport, even though I hate not staying on Venice. But if that removes a constraint for "late arrival" and makes it cheaper, I might do it. You'll have several days.

Restaurants are everywhere in Venice.

I've never sought a place with a view in Venice, but I'm sure you'd pay a premium. I tend to be frugal.

Last time, I stayed near the train station at a cheap place that opened up near the last minute on Booking.com for just one night. I knew this wasn't an ideal location for Venice but didn't care, had been there before. $225 USD/night should be a decent budget to find a good (perhaps not amazing) hotel unless it is really busy the days you are there.

Look at reviews on Trip Advisor and Booking.com. Trip Advisor's reviews tend to be a little harsher. Look at the date of the review. The more current review will tell you what the hotel is like now.

I booked hotels in Venice and Rome for pre- and post- South of Italy tour. The first hotel I booked in Venice had an OK review, but a week later it changed to bad because of bed bugs. Yuck! I instantly cancelled that hotel. I then booked Rosa Salva Hotel. More money but it'll be worth it. I had to change the dates and change from a single room to a double with twins. They easily made the change and got back to me within a few hours.

We too stayed close to the train station. About midnight, a large group of Italians decided to have a big argument below our window. At least until my wife threw a couple of trashcans of water out the window.
They got the message.
I agree about looking at Booking.com to find a different hotel. I also often look at other websites like TripAdvisor to read specifically what some people are saying about a property.
Unfortunately Venice can be hit or miss on accommodations. I've seen 10 watt light bulbs in rooms and I've paid for their optional hot water shower.

How are you getting from Treviso airport to Venice ? If arriving by bus, hotel in the area around or across the canal from the railroad station would be convenient. We have stayed (twice) at Hotel Florida near the station and also Pension Guerrato near Rialto (RS recommendation)

Water Taxis run all night long...yes more expensive late at night. But if you book a hotel with a water taxi door, then just hop in the taxi and be delivered straight to the door of your hotel. I really wouldn't waste a night in Treviso if I didn't absolutely have to do it....and I don't think you do.

There are many many nice hotels in Venice and you shouldn't settle for one that's going to make your first visit less than enjoyable.

I stayed at Ca Gottardi in February and really liked the hotel and the location - right on Strada Nuova (sure it's touristy, but a quick walk and you're in the Jewish ghetto where many tourists don't venture). They have a water taxi door - which I took on the way out of Venice and shared the ride with others -- by myself it was too expensive. I took the bus from the Airport to Venice, then took the vaporetto #1 and got off at Ca D'Oro. You walk the only way out of the stop (narrow alley), at the end of the alley turn left, cross two bridges. Right on your left after the second bridge is the hotel. It's also conveniently located to take the Alilaguna. My view was of an ancient stone but there are rooms with a view. It was clean, the staff was very helpful.

Look at Pensione Accademia.

hey danne
i'd look at booking.com, they have a few away from train station in cannaregio. not that far. how late at night are you arriving and just two of you? take the train to venezia santa lucia, get off and turn left and walk main calle. in this area you really don't worry about that many bridges to cross over with bags, not knowing where you go in the dark. next morning you can walk all around island, stop where you like, take a vaporetto, people watch, have lunch, spritz, gelato knowing you're not that far from train station and away from the craziness. the rooms are not that expensive and some have stairs/steps to climb with bags or lift/elevator, bathroom is ensuite or down hall, breakfast or not. lots of cafes, restaurants, shops, stores around. we've stayed in that area and loved it. get a map even though you may get lost at dead end alleyways, just turn around and walk another way. you'll have a great fun time. something to do is a ciccheti crawl (finger food, wine and history of venice) with alessandro@schezzini.it. email him and schedule a fun evening with him. early morning check out rialto market (closes at 1pm), rialto bridge, saint marks square before the crowds start to invade, then walk away and see another neighborhood, then after 4ish, the daytrippers and cruisers have left and enjoy the evenings, take a ride on the grand canal, if you want to do a gondola ride, do back canals (80E) for boat not each before 7pm, after is a little more. grand canal can be very busy, it's the "Main Street" for everything. check veniceforvisitors.com and read up. had the best tiramisu at restorante del nino on grand canal across train station. had a glass of wine, my dessert, and watched boats, people, the world go by, loved it. enjoy
aloha

Based on the reviews I would not stay there. Plenty of decent hotels. No need to stay near the train station. I find that area totally lacking in the charm that is Venice. And do splurge on a water taxi if you are arriving late. Having to navigate to your hotel from a vaporetto stop at night when you are tired will be very stressful. Getting lost in Venice is part of the fun, but not on arrival.

I looked at google maps and it does look like a really easy 5 minute walk on a good pavement/sidewalk from the Zattere vaporetto stop to the hotel. With your back to the water, turn right and walk a few meters to the church, turn left at the corner of the church and walk straight to the courtyard entrance to the hotel.

I love the area, it's where I've stayed on all 4 of my visits to the city. However, I would be concerned that they haven't responded to your emails.

I have two comments:

1) I don't think a water taxi is worth it, if you arrive at Treviso airport.

2) I support the princess in her recommendation of https://europeforvisitors.com

We used Hotel Ala Venezia in Venice and were very happy with it. Very close to the vaporetto stop, comfortable rooms, wonderful breakfast buffet, elegant decor. Close to sights.

We spent a week last month at Hotel Flora. It was recommended by other folks on the forum, RS, as well as friends who stayed there. It's walking distance to sights and restaurants. 5 min. easy walk from Giglio Vaporetto stop. The hotel is tucked away with a lovely garden to enjoy your delicious breakfast. The hotel is immaculate, and the staff were always accommodating. They supply a city map that made it easy to locate sights. Good signage on buildings helped as well. The price was close to your budget. We booked directly with the hotel. It was less than booking.com.

I agree that Hotel Flora is nice and the garden is lovely, but be prepared for crowds when you exit the narrow street is on. My daughter (at age 38) was almost hysterical because she had to push her way though the mass of tourists, since it is on one of the "high ways" between the station and St Marks Square.

Ah, Treviso airport. I missed that. Water taxi only an option if you hit the lottery before then. And I second Hotel Flora. Stayed there many years ago. Only caveat is some rooms are very small even by European standards. Location is close to St. Marks. Get a room overlooking the delightful little garden if you can.

DAnne, 3 reviews reported bed bugs.............................................. might be a good idea to go elsewhere?

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. I'm definitely going to cancel Hotel Belle Arti (yikes I hadn't seen the bedbugs reviews!) and do some research on your suggestions.

Our plane arrives at Treviso at 9:20 PM. There is just two of us and we have only carryon luggage and backpacks. Our plan is to take a bus to Piazzale Roma and then a vaporetto to hotel. If I'm reading the vaporetto map right, I need to find a stop that is on the N line at night? Or perhaps I have misunderstood and the 1&2 run at night as well?

I would LOVE to arrive by water taxi, but from what I've read that is out of our budget. I thought about staying the night near the airport and navigating to our hotel in the morning but we only have 3 nights and I hate to lose one at the airport.

Yes, the location of the Belle Arti is what attracted me (and price and it's in the RS Venice book). It seems like it is a quiet location, yet very convenient to the bridge to get over to St Mark's etc and convenient to the Guggenheim which I'd like to visit. Something similar would be great.

Any other input/advice for a first time visitor would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again.

The "N" boat starts after the other boats stop running. If you are coming in that late, you need a hotel that has a 24 hour front desk, and that puts you in the higher end hotels.

The last No 1 boat is at 23:41. The first "N" boat is at 00:09, then every 20 minutes until 1:09, then every 30 minutes until 4:39. The No 1 boat then starts running again at 5:01. Note that every other "N" boat only goes as far as Rialto.
http://actv.avmspa.it/sites/default/files/Orario%20linea%20N%20dal%2029%20marzo%202018.pdf

Edit - I see that the last ATVO bus to Piazzale Roma is at 9:55 pm, so with carry-on only and your flight is on time, you should make it. That bus gets to Piazzale Roma at 11:05 pm, in time to make one of the No 1 boats.

If you miss the ATVO bus, looks like you need to get to Treviso Centrale train station, then a train to Venezia S. Lucia station where you can get the No 1 or "N" boat. Regional trains there at 10:25 pm and 11:25 pm. Takes 31 minutes and costs 3.45 EUR per person.

So most of your lovely suggestions were already booked for some of our nights, but using booking.com we found a place in our price range with good reviews that looks like it has a fairly straightforward walk from Ca'D'oro stop. Hotel Mignon. It has free cancellation until next week but unless we find an awesome deal before then I think we are satisfied with the choice.

It does have 24 hour reception and luggage storage which we need for our last day.

Here's a probably dumb question, but assuming vaporettos go in both direction which direction do we want to go from the bus station? And is there any reason to pre-buy tickets online or just get bus and vaporetto tickets at airport.

Also, I've been told that the airport busses raison d'etre is to funnel people to Venice, so if our plane is late then the bus will still be there waiting. I hope that's true!

Thanks again for your help!

So most of your lovely suggestions were already booked for some of our nights, but using booking.com we found a place in our price range with good reviews that looks like it has a fairly straightforward walk from Ca'D'oro stop. Hotel Mignon. It has free cancellation until next week but unless we find an awesome deal before then I think we are satisfied with the choice.

A glance at the reviews shows it is probably a pretty decent place.

Here's a probably dumb question, but assuming vaporettos go in both direction which direction do we want to go from the bus station?

You'd want to go toward the train station (Ferrovia) and Rialto. Look up directions on Google Maps from Piazzale Roma (bus stop). You'd take the #1 vaporetto toward Lido to Ca' d'Oro. Depending on the timing, taking the #2 to Rialto may get you to the hotel faster but will involve more walking. (#2 boat has fewer stops so is faster.) I'd take the #2 only if it gets you in 30 minutes earlier or something; if 5 min earlier, just wait for the #1 for the shorter walk.

If there's any chance at all you'll have a working smart phone, Google Maps can tell you all of this in real time: when the next boat is coming, how to walk where, etc.

And is there any reason to pre-buy tickets online or just get bus and vaporetto tickets at airport.

Might save you a little time in case you are just about to miss the next bus. I've never flown into Treviso. At Marco Polo, last time I did buy my bus tickets to Mestre in advance. Didn't really help me - my ATVO bus was late anyway. Had I not, I might have taken the slower ACTV city bus because it left as soon as I arrived. At Marco Polo, there were lots of people there to help me and direct me, even sell tickets. I have no idea what the bus options are from Treviso, though.

Also, I've been told that the airport busses raison d'etre is to funnel people to Venice, so if our plane is late then the bus will still be there waiting. I hope that's true!

I don't think that's necessarily true. Planes arrive at different times. If there are people on the bus from another flight, is it really going to wait around for another late flight? I wouldn't count on it.

The No 1 vaporettos originates at Piazzale Roma, so no worries. There is an electronic sign board at the Piazzale Roma dock showing all the boat destinations for the next 1/2 hour or so and which dock to board. There is a ticket window in the building, plus vending machines to buy tickets. 7.50 EUR per person for a ride. You can also buy mult-day passes for 1,2,3,7 days. They start the clock the first time you scan it. It has a chip. You must scan every time you step on the dock.

Venice is a captivating city. There is no place like it! We were there a year ago and went with really strong positive reviews and some really strong negative reviews. We could not wait to get there and see for ourselves what it was like.......WE LOVED IT. We stayed at Hotel Campiello, right off the water a couple of blocks down from St. Mark’s Square. It was a great location for a very good price. I was not ready to see how easy it was to get lost in all of the winding streets and canals...and I have a great sense of direction. I wish we had rented a Hippocketwifi to have in our pockets to allow us to use our wifi on our maps features on our iPhones and iPads to figure out where we were. You try to remember how to get to that fabulous gelato store again (GROM) but you just get turned around and it is so easy to get lost! The paper maps were too hard to read and get our bearings on. I would try to find my way back to a wonderful shop I wanted to see on day 2 and could not remember the way there....frustrating! Wifi would have been great!! I also should have done a lot more studying of our hotel location on the map to figure out where to get off of the water taxi at our arrival there when we were near our boat dock. A very kind Vaparetto operator helped us get off at the correct dock......he was an angel sent down to help us or we would still be there circling the docks! We did not want to pay for a private taxi.....too pricey!
I would also suggest taking the boat trip to the island of Burano. We knew we were not interested in Murano and the expensive glass so we checked out Burano. I am a seamstress and was very interested in purchasing lace and seeing it made. What a great surprise! The beautifully painted houses are a feast for the eyes.....the residents there were so kind and when the ladies there knew I sewed they loved sharing their craft with me. It was a day I will never forget.
That Sunday morning that we caught our vaparetto back to the train station we were standing in the pouring rain on our boat as we viewed that incredible city from the water......the church bells were ringing and I decided it was a sight I would never forget.....and I haven’t!
Have a great stay and make a trip report when you return so we can share it with you!

I you use a mapping app like CityMaps2GoPro or Maps.me, you can download the appropriate map(s) ahead of time. Your device will then be able to locate your current position on the map via GPS; you don't need to have a Wi-Fi connection. My smartphone sometimes takes quite a bit of time to zero in on my location, but it eventually finds me.

Just a few tips about the vaporettos: there are often more than one boarding area. It’s helpful to know which direction you want to go (right or left). If you want to get on a boat heading LEFT, you go to the boarding area on the RIGHT. When in doubt, ask the crew as you board if the boat goes to your stop.

Some of the larger stops (P. Roma, S. Marco Zaccaria, F. Nove) have multiple boarding areas designated A,B,C etc. The electronic boards will tell you which letter to go to.

The time listed on the boards is the time the boat leaves, not arrives at the station. We found that the N route may stop for several minutes at large stations (S. Marco zaccaria) waiting for people to board. We made the mistake of thinking it was the wrong boat (couldn’t see the #) because it arrived 5 minutes before the listed time. We had to wait another 20 minutes for the next boat. Again, when in doubt - ask!

The vaporetto information is very helpful - thanks for that. The public transportation part of this trip is my biggest concern - I live in a rural area where our car is the only option, so public transport is not second nature. I like to know in advance what I am doing.

My husband's phone will have service as it is required for his work. I plan on downloading a mapping app that can be used offline on my phone, so thanks for the suggestion. We also bought a paper city map which doesn't seem too complicated. We are also fairly good navigators, though I hear Venice is a whole different ballgame. Everything I read says getting lost is the best part.

I too have heard mixed reviews of Venice. My son had been there for a super hot, crowded August day on a school trip and didn't love it. But my sister has been there for a week at a time and adores it. I've finally decided I must visit and see for myself. I thought October would be a less busy time, but based on hotel availability, I guess it's not.

And to be honest, I'm a librarian and I'm obsessed with the Donna Leon mysteries that take place there and they have made me want to visit for the last several years.

As an anniversary present, my sister has given us money for a gondola ride if we choose. Any suggestions on who and or what to book? I see there are many choices and some not too great.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it. Thank you for all your help - it is greatly appreciated.

Danne, regarding gondola rides. Do a Search on this (gray box, top of page), and you'll find many threads on whether to do it or not. My advice would be yes, do it while you have a chance. Otherwise you'll never know. It's not just a recent touristy thing - its a centuries old tradition. Which one? Not a relevant question - like asking which taxi to take. More important is where and when. Do it in the evening when the sun is down and the lights are on and traffic is reduced. You dont need to book it before you get there. You'll see places where they dock all over, and you can just walk up and ask, reserve one for later, or even ask your hotel for advice on the nearest place to find them.

PS you do know that there is a book "Brunetti's Venice: Walks with the City's Best-Loved Detective" that might be of interest. Also there is a walking tour of Venice based on the books, or at least was when we were there in 2014.

There is a gondola station at Campo S.S, Apostoli near your hotel, just across the little bridge. I suggest telling the gondolier to stick to the back canals and not venture onto the Grand Canal. All the boat traffic on the Grand Canal makes for a very bumpy ride. The back canals are smooth and quiet and you'll see things you cannot see from the streets.
You will walk through Campo S.S. Apostoli on the way to your hotel.

You indicated reading about Venice whetted your appetite to go there. There are a couple of other books you might want to check out (no pun intended) to add more flavor to the trip. One is "A Thousand Days In Venice" by Marlena de Blasé who also wrote "A Thousand Days In Tuscany". The other is "The City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt who wrote "Midnight in the Garden of Good And Evil".

I'm obsessed with the Donna Leon mysteries

You do know that many of the locations are real places?

Don't miss a pastry and coffee at Donolo, just around the back of S Pantalon.

You can also find the questura and many other places. You'll have a ball!!

Thank you for the gondola advice. I'll search some other threads.

I've already downloaded Brunetti's Walks for my Kindle. I've read the Berendt but not the other one.

My sister did some of the walking tour last time she was there and sent me a pic of the Questura. ;)

Going just a few days after you, also for the first time. Staying at Palazzo Veneziano based on online reviews. Hope it's a good location :-)

DAnne: before you go, see if you can find the German- made DVD's made of the Brunetti mysteries, from the 90's, I believe.
They are sub titled in English so you can get the gist.
There were two different actors who played Brunetti; I thought the second one was better.
We have them in our library system , so have a go at seeing if you can find them.
Then, if you do; pay attention to when the " Brunettis" are sitting out on their balcony/terrace; and then when you ride down the Grand Canal, have a look to see if you can spot the filming location of the balcony.
If I remember rightly, it's on the same side of the canal as San Marco, but just before or after the Rialto bridge, and up on a corner where another canal meets the Grand Canal.
I was thrilled when I spotted it, but it took two visits to Venice! ;)
Hope you will love Venice, and will get lost in the back streets!
Have a look at this website; it's full of great information.
https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/
Hotel Arlecchino in on the same side of the canal as the bus station area, just a short walk away.
I haven't stayed there, but a friend did and said it was fine.
I stayed at the Hotel Continentale in 2015.
It's right on the Grand Canal, and about a 7-8 minute walk from the train station on the same side.
I had a room with a view of the Canal, and you eat breakfast on a terrace right on the canal, which is why I booked it.
Not sure of prices for either now, I was only there one night before moving to an apartment.

Thank you all for your helpful advice. We had an amazing time in Venice. The weather was perfect all 3 days we were there; sunny, low 70s, low humidity, cool at night. It was crowded around Rialto and San Marco, but we walked and walked in some of the less crowded areas and it was just fantastic. The advice you gave on getting to our hotel was spot on. We had no difficulties getting the bus from Treviso or the vaporetto to Ca D'oro. We arrived after 11 pm and I swear, and walking down Strada Nuovo felt like I was on a movie set; like nowhere could really look like this in real life!

Thanks for sharing your Venice experience! Always great to receive feedback post trip. Sounds like you enjoyed Venice. It is an amazing place. We loved everything about Venice.
We too avoided crowds during busy times and found things to do off the beaten paths and taking a Vaporetto to other islands.

Glad it worked out well for you in Venice!

Talk about movie sets: one morning on one visit to Venice, I woke up very early to go shoot pictures at daybreak. There was NOBODY out on the streets, including on Starda Nuovo! I felt safe, but it felt very odd - like an abandoned movie set.

I second the recommendation about staying in Canereggio. It's not far from the train station and there are lots of restaurants. We stayed at Aquavenice on the main street from the train station and across one bridge. Pleasant room, large modern bathroom, nice owners, good breakfast brought to our room, two vaporetto stops nearby. I hope you log Venice as much as e did. You really can't get lost!

Hello,

We have been to Venice twice in the last few years. We stayed in AMAZING AirBnB's both times. I would not discount using them as well. Below I have posted two properties that I have actually stayed at. The Venice loft was very nice and in a great location. We have also used AirBnB in Rome, Paris, Florence, Venice, and Greece. All were wonderful experiences!

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/7312362

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5867022