Hotel for Venice with a car

If you intend to stay in Venice itself then you would drive over the causeway from the mainland and park in the large parking stations at Piazzale Roma. You then catch the Vaparetto to the nearest stop to your hotel. Having a car is, therefore, irrelevant to your choice of hotel (assuming your car does not float).

If you stay in Mestre on the mainland (not that I would recommend this) then you will find hotels with parking.

mph is correct. You will not use your car in Venice - no cars allowed. We stayed at Hotel alla Fava in a canal view room (108) and loved it. A small, quaint hotel, our room was very nice, overlooking the canal. Just a short walk from Rialto Bridge but far enough away to be nice & quiet. We loved it. Its about a 10 minute walk to San Marco Square and 2 or 3 to Rialto Bridge so its very convenient. Enjoy your trip!

You could leave your car in mestre at the hotel novotel and take their shuuttle to venice. We were very pleased with this arrangement. And the hotel is modern and exactly what we needed after many band b type stays

JS is correct that you could stay in Mestre. However, the best time to enjoy Venice is early morning and late afternoon onwards when the hoards of day trippers and cruise passengers are not there. I personally think you lose much of the magic of Venice by not staying there.

Mestre is not as beautiful as the historical center of Venice. But if you want to experience the beauty of Venice early in the morning you still can. Trains start running back and forth very early. You just can't experience it from the window of your hotel, but you are only 5 minutes away by train.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I think I will stop by Verona, have dinner there, and then drive to Venice (arriving around 9pm-ish). I will leave my car in the parking garage, and check in a hotel inside Venice for two nights. That way, I can enjoy Venice more. My time is limited.

David,

One question - are you returning the car in Munich or dropping it in Italy? There's usually a fairly substantial extra charge for renting in one country and dropping in another.

Also, are you aware of the usual "caveats" regarding driving in Italy?

Hi Ken, from Venice, I will drive to Florence, Cinque Terre, Milan, and return to Munich. What is the caveat of driving in Italy? I have an AAA-issued IDP. Thanks! - David

Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Milan, Munich - all of these would be better visited by train than by having a useless rental car which is only going to be a boat anchor. You've already said you'll be parking it in Venice (and pay for parking and par for rental days while car sits). CT is not a place for a car. Milan - DEFINITELY do not want a car. Florence - just came from there and can't imagine needing or wanting a car. Munich - just came from there to (and Venice as well) - Munich is well connected by S-Bahn to anywhere you'd want to go.

Forget the rental car and save money and headaches.

David,

It's great to hear that you already have an I.D.P. You will of course have to pack your home D.L. as well.

The main caveat in Italy are the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas, which are becoming increasingly common in many towns and cities in Italy. Florence is especially problematic as the city is saturated with automated cameras and EACH pass through one will result in a hefty fine, which you won't know about until several months after you return home. Your first clue that you've been nicked will be mysterious charges on your credit card. That charge is for the rental company to provide your information to the authorities. The actual ticket will follow later.

You'll also have to contend with tolls (on motorways), automated speed cameras and the very efficient Traffic Tutor system which not only monitors instantaneous speed violations, but also average speed over a set distance. Exceeding either one will result in a ticket (or perhaps two tickets?). And finally expensive and sometimes limited parking and automated fuel pumps that may only accept Chip & PIN credit cards.

As a previous reply mentioned, having a car in the Cinque Terre is about as useful as a boat anchor. Driving is not permitted in the five towns. Where there are parking facilities, they're limited and in July they will be busy. Which of the five towns are you staying in?

Here are a few options to consider....

• You could park in the large lot near La Spezia Centrale and use the local trains during your visit. It's a bit pricey though.
• You could park in Levanto, as that's only about five minutes by train from Monterosso (I can't remember what the parking options are there).
• You could park in the large lot at the end of the new town in Monterosso (there's also a lot at the end of the old town, but it's somewhat new and I don't have much information on it yet).
• Depending on where you're staying, there are a few hotels that provide limited parking for guests.

Tim, thanks for your advice. The reason I want to drive is because it is more flexible and I have my wife and son with me. We can then make random stops on the road or some side trips. We only have a bit less than a week to do all these! We will not go to Milan city center as we have visited there before. We will just find a hotel near Expo and check it out for a night.

Ken, thanks very much for your detailed suggestions. I have read about ZTL. It is definitely something I will pay attention to.

Ken, I will stay at Riomaggiore for one night, July 7. The hotel that I booked, Hotel Villa Argentina, advertises that it has a parking lot (15 Euro for parking, which is acceptable to me).

David,

Thanks for the info on your lodgings in the Cinque Terre. I'm not as familiar with the places in Riomaggiore, so don't know which ones offered guest parking. That hotel appears to be above the main part of town, which is probably why they offer parking. As I recall, there's an Elevator from the upper part of town down to the station plaza, but my memory is a bit foggy on the details.