car ferry to Lido/Venice

Rachel, I know you didn't ask this so feel free to just ignore what I'm about to say. We've been to Venice three times. The first two times we went, we stayed in Venice proper. The third time we went, we decided to stay on the Lido to save a good bit of money. Boy, did we regret it. A huge part of the charm of Venice from our previous trips had been the ability to just wander around, going back to our hotel (Pensione Guerrato) whenever we wanted to for a break/nap, then back out to wander around. And the easy access to the major sights from our hotel was another plus. You just can't do that if you stay on the Lido. The boat ride, although easy in theory, is more of a hassle than we had anticipated. Also, the Lido has very little charm to it, IMHO. Anyway, I hope you accept this comment with good intentions. (That said, we can recommend one restaurant on the Lido, if you would like.) Happy travels.

From the ACTV site, www.actv.it it looks like the ferry price should be 12 euro each way for the car but I think that the driver also has a fare as well.

Thanks, Ron. It would be worth the car fare to be able to keep an eye on the rental.

Thanks for the input, Michael. However, we'll take our chances with Lido. Everything I've researched and the reviews I've read are more in favor of our style of R&R. We actually like a day away from all the tourist sights and sounds and just wander around a village with a stop in a neighborhood cafe/bar or gellato. I'd love to hear about the restaurant you recommend, though.
R

It's the Ristorante Pizzeria Gran Viale, right on the main drag that runs the width of the island - Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta between the main ferry landing and Via Levanto. Very good food, very good prices. There are lots of lousy tourist traps on Lido. This isn't one of them. Here are a few photos that I took on the Lido in May 2011, in case you're interested.

Michael, thanks for the restaurant tip. I love your pictures, especially the glimpse of the Dolomites and the sunset. We're pretty savy about tourist traps as we live in a beachy tourist area. Right now we're flooded with "snow birds" and in a couple weeks the spring-breakers will be invading.... Our wants and needs are quite simple while traveling -- mostly nature's eye candy, architecture, and good food. Thanks for your input.

We've done it a few times as we have friends that live on Lido. Last time we did it (I think it was 2 years ago?) I believe we paid about 30 euros total one way for myself, the wife and 2 kids. There's not much to see and do on Lido except go to the beach unless you're there in September when the film festival is going on.

You don't have to use that ferry. You can drive up the peninsula from the south, from Chioggia near Comacchio. There are a couple of small ferries on the way up. Pretty slow though. Or you can get get there from the north via Punta Sabbioni.

Thanks for all the good info. Nigel, could you direct me toward more specifics re the ferries you mention. We'll be coming from Padova.
Thanks.

If arriving from Padova (hope you will have seen the Scrovenghi Chapel - you'll need reservations) it makes no sense to go all the way around the north to get to Punta Sabbioni or all the way south to Chioggia. Just get on the number 17.

If you do go to the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova (which you should), do be sure to go to the upstairs museum (where you'll wait before going into the chapel) either before or after. It has some amazing paintings.