Reasonable bed & bath for couple in their 80's . Close to gondola rides, etc.

We're going to book a boat ride to see glass made & several areas. (6 hours)..other than that with not being able to walk very far, we just want to watch people & the canals & the gondola rides.thank you John & carol from Az.

I’m thinking you are really talking about a B&B (bed and breakfast). Would you consider a convent/monastery stay? These are often basic and less expensive accommodations and are throughout Venice. I think you need to be close to a vaporetto stop vs. a gondola. You can still have that dream gondola ride, but will probably take the vaporetto for transportation.

https://www.monasterystays.com/?a=newsletter&id=89

you mean bed and breakfast? Close to St. Marks will be very expensive. Also, most B&Bs are homes without elevators, so you most likely will have to carry luggage upstairs. Venice floods often, so most B&Bs will have flights of stairs. I'd say get close to the Vaporetto, don't worry about the Gondolas. And be sure you don't have lots of bridges to cross getting there from the airport with luggage. We love Campiello Zen - no bridges, very close to Vaporetto stop - but there are stairs. The owners are VERY helpful.

Will you please clarify a few things so we can help you?
*What is reasonable priced?
*Gondolas do not go out to Murano and Burano but vaporettos do. Did you sign up for a tour of the islands or are you going on your own?
*When is your trip?
*How far can you walk? Can you walk up and down several steps? Almost all the canal bridges have steps.

Thank you China Lake & Retired Carol!!...these are things we need to know, especially being unable to walk far. ..

Are vaporettos the same things as boats? We want to stay for 3 nights. Hopefully around $100 per night if at all possible..we're going to JERUSALEM & Greece, so will fly from Athens to Venice on our way home. Is a bus the only way to get from airport to a b&b or hotel? What about a taxi? Thanks so much for your help Everyone!! Johnnie & Carol. .we are celebrating our 63rd anniversary in Venice ..

Horsewoofie, yes we can walk aways
ok...my husband has a fold up walker but it's a drag to bring it.so we're not... . we're exercising now..ha! Thanks so much

Are you using a travel agent or tour company for your Greece and Israel part of your trip? Maybe they could help with your logistical and hotel requirements for your 3 day stay in Venice at the end. If you try to do it yourself in this unique city, you’ll need to rethink your budget for a hotel with an elevator close to a vaparetto stop (boats that take the place of cars). You might to need to increase the budget and also hire a water taxi (Alilaguna, more expensive boat) to get to and from the airport with major your walking problems.

When will you be in Venice?

Vaporettos are boats that function as public transportation (like a bus on the water) around the main canals of Venice. Vehicle taxis cannot take you directly to your hotel in Venice, but a water taxi can, if the hotel has a water taxi dock nearby. It will be expensive (over $100 each way), but probably worth it.

I’m going to recommend that you look at a site like booking.com for your dates and see if there is anything for your dates near your budget. I think it may be very challenging. Venice is not an inexpensive place. Finding a place close to a vaporetto stop is important, but location makes places more expensive.

Here is a link to a short video about Vaporettos.
https://youtu.be/VrksgMi9t4M

Thank you everyone so much! Will be in Venice August 15-18th. Yes sounds like we need to budget for a water taxi from airport & place near a vaporetto with an elevator or ground floor place to stay. . No, we are flying to Athens from Phoenix Az. Then boarding a cruise thru Greece, Turkey, & Israel. then back to Athens where we will then fly to Venice & our kids will fly back to Phoenix. Carol. Anymore helps much appreciated.

Yes I found a vaporetto for 6 hour tour that we like..I'll book it myself but need to know how to get to it...

The monastery sounds good if we can get ground floor sleeping arrangements. Looks like we will for sure have to find a place with a vaporetto closeby & eateries also.

We will be celebrating our 63rd wedding anniversary in Venice!!

Hotel Abbazia might work
But it’s probably over your budget-which I think is unrealistic for Venice and what you require

We always stay at Hotel Ala
Close to vaporetto stop, no steps or bridges to hotel
Has elevator. Great bkft and location
Some rooms overlook small side canal and we have seen gondolas-singing, accordion and all from our window.

ETA- Can you handle a few stairs?
Hotel Ala has an elevator but there are a few steps to get to that. I think there are rooms that DO NOT require those steps- email and ask. They also have a rooftop terrace that does require a few stairs but if you can handle that- it's a nice view over Venetian rooftops.

As far as a boat tour to Murano/Burano- most better/bigger hotels offer one, it's a bit of a gimmick but will get you there easily- pick up at the vaporetto stop right there next to Hotel Ala.

You do have to do some steps in Venice- no getting around that.

Sorry, but I just don't think that a $100 per night budget in Venice is realistic for a couple of any age that is unable to walk long distances. Maybe you should consider spending one $300 night in Venice with the amenities that will make your trip bearable.

Venice is pricey. You won't find $100 a night. You really need to buy the Rick Steves Venice GuideBook. Also - there are NO cars or taxis in Venice. Boats only. There are lots of stairs and bridges. It's a tough town if you can't walk far. You also need to be able to get off and on a boat/Vaporetto well. The islands of Murano and Burano also have lots of walking.

https://www.trips2italy.com/package/shore-excursions/venice-cruise/6-hour-doges-palace-gondola-tour/tab/travel_itinerary

Is this the 6 hour vaporetto tour? It is mainly a tour that picks people up from the cruise port, takes them on a walking tour with stairs of the Doges Palace and ends with a gondola ride. This doesn’t seem like the best fit for you given the logistics of getting to the meetup point for a long walking tour and a typical gondola ride you could arrange on your own, closer to your hotel.

Prices overall in August seem to be a bit lower. I just looked at booking.com for your dates and one listing popped out- Hotel Ca’del Campo. Reasonable price for three nights, especially for Venice. They have an elevator! Breakfast is included too. It’s also near San Marco. I neglected to check which vaporetto stop is closest, but being near San Marco, one can’t be too far away. Hotel also has decent reviews.

We stayed at Istituto San Guiseppe, a ‘convent’ accommodation located nicely between Rialto Bridge and San Marco. On a canal where we got a gondola. Twin room for your dates €119. Elevator, air conditioning, English speaking reception. No breakfast but right near a small grocery. We loved it. We booked thru monasterystays.com

Well I'm amazed at everyone's response. Thank you all so much, & I will look into every one.... .also my dates are wrong which will result in higher costs as it goes into the weekend. But it's our once in a lifetime trip so that's o.k. August 17-20th. Staying 3 nites. We need to be careful of stairs, get next to a vaporetto, transportation to the airport

P.S. also a gondola ride is a must. Saw your video on a vaporetto..wow. We're really excited now! We'll get a 2 day pass for that...need hotel/lodging with as much of our needs as we can get. If there are too many stairs, we just won't go there. Can hardly wait! Thanks again to you all...please continue to comment re: Hotels please that have E.Z. airport transportation...that's a biggie...we're going to cut down on our luggage too...would really like to bring a fold up smaller walker for my husband to use but not sure about getting it on airplanes . John & Carol in Az.

I think the monastery in the post just a few above sounds like a strong possibility.

Yes. Thank you everyone. I believe we're going with the Monastery..

One last thing. I am very excited that you are following your dreams in your 80’s when so many people just feel like staying home.

My parents worked hard their entire lives and were great savers. One challenge they faced was that it was hard for them to give themselves permission to spend money on themselves sometimes. I don’t know if this is your situation, but if you can, splurge a little and treat yourselves well. Now is the time to spend.

I’m not sure if this might help….after you land at the Venice airport, there are shared water taxis that will take you to docks relatively close to the hotel you choose. You can see more information on www.venicelink.com..but they are listed as “shuttle” rather than “water taxi”. They are, in fact, water taxis, however. We have used them several times (the last in 2019…hope nothing has changed) and we simply walked to their desk in the main “hall” of the airport. The cost is about €32 per person, and it looks like they want advance tickets, but I don’t think that it would be necessary. We waited for 20 minutes or less while they filled the other 5-6 spots on the taxi, then walked out to the docks…quite a short walk. It’s a wonderful, wonderful way to start your visit, and might be easier than navigating the vaporettos when you first arrive. We will be traveling there a month after your trip and planning to use the shared water taxis again. Have a wonderful anniversary!

We'll surely keep this all in mind . Thank you...

Yes Carol, I've always loved to travel. Usually mostly close to home....we spent 6 weeks in Europe back in 1996..my husband kept saying no we can't afford it. I told him we had worked hard all of our lives & so I booked everything without his knowledge! He of course was thrilled with the trip & acted like he had planned it...we've always had a camper & then a motorhome too. Even though he is in pain from a car accident, he still gets up & tries to keep going. Yes, there are many that wait until it's too late..Carol

One thing that no-one has mentioned: getting back to the airport for the flight back to the states. Copious advice has been offered on other posts regarding the challenges of getting to the Venice airport for early morning flights - the assumption here that they'll have to connect through a European hub.. Will water taxi be the only option?

Regarding your husband's small walker--contact your airline to inquire about their policy. Since it's for a medical issue I would think that he could use it until boarding the plane, then gate check it (he'd get it back as you walked off the plane). BUT I don't know the airline rules so best for you to ask. At the same time you can consider making arrangements for a wheelchair to get your husband from check-in through security and to your gate, if that will be helpful. Do be specific about who needs the wheelchair--once we requested one for my dad as he's the one with mobility concerns; the attendant assumed it was mom who needed assistance:).

Thanks Den..I'll check into this..we both get a wheelchair at airports as neither can walk a long way across airports. I have Asthma. Bur would really like to bring his small walker as there is a seat in it & he can sit & rest. We're still getting around fairly well ..Carol.

Markcw, you have a good point. In checking the same www.venicelink, they also offer their (shuttle) shared water taxi rides from different meeting places (looks like near hotels) to the airport…so that might work for Carol and John. If they have an early flight, their hotel could arrange for a private water taxi…expensive, but it’s an option.

Yes it's important to get to & from airport. We'll definitely go this route. Thank you.

Hi, Venice is lovely! I hope this all works out well for you!

I would recommend Hotel Ala. There’s the Santa Maria del Giglio vaporetto stop for it that you will not need to go up/down any bridges to reach, taking a boat to/from the airport. The staff at Hotel Ala are very nice; I’ve stayed there multiple times. But, be sure to let the hotel know ahead of time that you need a room in the hotel wing where the elevator is located. Some of the others have lots of stairs and some uneven floors. I would strongly advise not to try going up to the rooftop. There’s some stairs, but there’s also a slight unevenness of the floor as you heading to the stairs that I’ve had to catch myself. We don’t want you to have a mishap!

Although Hotel Ala is close to the San Marco piazza, there are a few bridges between them. Buy the vaporetto pass, so you can just take the boat over to the piazza. The #1 vaporetto route goes down the Grand Canal and stops at both sides of the canal, so you could utilize it vs. trying to cross the Rialto Bridge, for instance.

The island of Burano is very charming with the bright-colored painted buildings, and it’s a nice ferry ride over to it that would let you see more from the boat.

I think you could benefit from https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/.

It has a lot of information about lodging and about transport.

This https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/hotelmaps/accessible-venice-hotels.htm may be relevant for you.

Thanks so much for your replies to our questions. As my husband can't walk for long periods these tips are vital to us . John & Carol. Mesa, Az