We fly into Venice Airport (Marco Polo). Our meet up is in Padua. We are arriving 2 days early and thought we might stay in Venice? Thoughts on whether or not to stay in Venice or somewhere closer to airport? Names of hotels helpful too.
Posted by
Irving
3280 posts
You do not want to stay near the airport you want to stay on the lagoon.
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2571 posts
I would definitely stay in Venice instead of near the airport. For hotel recommendations, a nightly budget in euros will help. When is your tour?
Many will say “Stay near St. Mark’s”. Our last visit (our 3rd), we stayed on Giudecca, a quick vaporetto ride from St. Mark’s. We enjoyed being 10 minutes away from the summer crowds. We stayed at Hotel Ala over 20 years ago, and I see it is still recommended on this forum. It’s easy to get to from the vaporetto stop, with no bridges to cross with luggage.
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6552 posts
May I suggest spending those two days in Padua? That’s what we did when we took this tour, and found more than enough to do.
This a a great tour, BTW. You’re in for a treat.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
We are going the end of September.
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6552 posts
If your heart is set on Venice, take a look at Hotel Ponte Mocenigo. It’s easily accessible, in a quiet neighborhood, and has a wonderful staff. And there are good restaurants within a few minutes walk.
Posted by
Seattle area
50 posts
Do consider staying in Padua for the extra days. It's a very interesting place, and if you want to go to Venice, you can easily do that by train as a day-trip.
Posted by
Port Angeles
171 posts
I'm taking the Villages tour as well (June). I opted to spend an extra two nights in Padua, staying at the tour hotel. I was in Venice last September and while I loved the city, the crush of tourists was overwhelming at times. I was thankful to have 5 nights there so that there was enough time to get lost in less trodden streets and explore the outer islands while still experiencing the main sites like St Mark's and the Doge's Palace. I think it would be a wonderful start to the Villages tour if you stayed in a quite neighborhood (we were near the Jewish quarter) and didn't worry about squeezing in the big sites while getting over jet lag.