late arrival in Venice

You don't give us enough info. How late is late? Are you arriving late to Venice airport or arriving at the station by train?
Where exactly are you going (which hotel)? The Vaporetti run until after Midnight. So unless you arrive after midnight at the train station (or Piazzale Roma) there won't be much difference between day arrival or night arrival. Vaporetti are rather frequent also after dinner time. Maybe every 20 min. instead of every 10.

How late? Where in Venice will you be arriving - train, airport, bus?
I would also suggest that you get a copy of RS Venice Guide Book if you do not already have one (it can be ordered elsewhere on this web site) as it has information on arriving in Venice that we used in 2012 when we visited there.

Hi and thanks for the follow up questions. My flight arrives at 19:40 PM and my hotel is Antico Panada, 646 San Marco. I'm concerned about safety and signs at night. It will probably be 9 or 9:30 by the time I am getting off the Alliguna. Is it safe to be walking with a suitcase and being tired? Thanks for your thoughts.

Trudi, in my experience and from what I read, Venice is a relatively safe city. However, it also is a challenging city to find your way around, even in the day. On my first visit, I arrived in the early evening. Instead of trying to find my lodging in the dark, I took a bus to Padua and spent my first night there. Next day, I visited Padua and took the train to Venice in the late afternoon (about 30 minutes). I was very glad I did that. I was staying in Dordoduro, no more than a block from the Salute vaporetto stop. However, it would have been very difficult to find the place in the dark, particularly tired and jet lagged. You might consider staying in Padua or another nearby city that interests you. The advantage is that you can have a taxi take you to your hotel, something that's not possible at most Venice hotels. If you do decide to go to Venice the first night, make sure you have very precise directions to your hotel (not just the address, since it can be relatively useless if you're on your own). Don't count on, or expect, much in the way of street signs. And have a good quality flashlight; some of the little alleys are very dark.

You are totally safe, but it is a difficult city to navigate alleyways are actual streets on a map. I'd see where you're staying in relation to your vaporetto stop and see if its too difficult (or ask where you're staying). Unfortunately, only upscale hotels have their own water taxi stop. Ad since you'll be lugging your bag up/down the bridges, I'd recommend a carry on. I saw lots of women struggling with large bags.

Sherry beat me to it. The issue is not safety, but getting lost. Venice is difficult to navigate by day (that's part of its charm, that getting lost is inevitable). But at night trying to find your hotel, getting lost won't be "atmospheric." Your hotel's websites has a map and directions for arriving from the airport: http://www.hotelpanada.it/location.htm. Print these out and have them handy (if you're taking the Alilaguna, you follow the red line on the map). Don't be afraid to keep asking directions whenever you need to (stop in a bar or restaurant). At 9 or 9:30 in Venice, many people are finishing dinner and getting back to their hotels, so there will be lots of people everywhere. An hour or so later, the crowds definitely thin out in many places, but not where your hotel is. Don't worry that it will feel (or be) deserted. This is particularly true on the path shown on that map (you'll see what I mean when you arrive - it's one of the most congested parts of Venice, at all hours).

Hi everyone Thanks for all the suggestions and support. Many minds work better than one and you all have some great suggestions. I think I will do the night in Venice with precise directions, as much as one can get precise. I will definitely have a flashlight, and I will ask directions. I will also let my hotel know. Glad to know Venice is safe at night and that the dinner crowd will be out and about. Happy travels to all of you!
Trudy

We've found that if you follow the hotel's directions like it was the holy grail you'll be fine. Hotel Directions: Get off at x water taxi stop. Proceed pass the front of the Basilica, turn right. Left onto Spechieri (about half way down the side of the Basilica). Don't cross over any bridge, look for hotel. My suggestion would be to get a streetwise map of Venice (streetwisemaps.com). The Map is great for wandering around during the day but you'll still get so lost you won't know which end is up - honestly, part of the fun. It's an island for goodness sake. Not like you can wander off to Rome by mistake - lol. You'll have a great time. My sister and I would go out for drinks at 2300 and never felt the least bit concerned. You hotel looks to be in a great location.

I am also flying into Venice soon, and will be staying at a very small B & B on a very small street, although I will be arriving there in mid-afternoon. In addition to the written instructions from the inn, I looked the inn up on TA or Yelp, which includes a Google map of its location. I then enlarged the map as large as I could, so it showed just the vaporetto stop and the inn, and the area between them, thus showing every little street and alleyway, it would seem. I printed that and together with the written instructions, I figure this should give me a pretty good chance of finding my way, and could even help me find it again the second and third times I go there. Certainly you should be sure to have a bright little flashlight with you. That YaYaDa Street sounds interesting, is it very touristy? (Ooops, looks like Marie deleted her great reference to YaYaDa Street, must be her secret little street!) :-)