staying in venice

Hi Lisa ,,, We were in Venice in May 2007. It was very, very, very crowded. You must have a reservation.We stayed at the Campiello which we loved, as it is right off the boat docks for not only the vaporetto , but the boats to the islands. It is not inexpensive, but very quiet, has an elevator, a wonderful breakfast buffet, a computer to use, and air-conditioning, which you will probably not need, but could in late May.We flew into Venice and drove out , rented a car, etc.

If at all possible get rid of the car.

Thanks for the info on parking in Venice.Is overnight parking overly expensive? Any idea how much an average to low cost room would be in May?

I agree - try to get rid of the car! You won't need it. I also am going in May (2nd trip) and am finding many places already booked. I did get an apartment/B&B, recommended in Rick's Italy book. It is Le Mansarde in the residential district of Canareggio. It had very good reviews here and on trip advisor.

Parking at the Tronchetto (which is the large parking structure just as you get into Venice) is 20 Euro a day. It's perfectly safe. Hotel prices vary widely, and you'll need to factor in that there are three of you. You can get a quick idea of rates on venere.com.

We had the same experience as Jane above. We were there in the last few days of May 2007 and it was crowded. Watch out for the 2-3 day minimum that many hotels require. We had a 3-night stay in Venice but 2 were on our Hilton points at the new Hilton Molino Stuky and we needed a single night elsewhere. We had trouble getting a single night and finally did at the Hotel Messner (in RS book). They placed us in their 1-star annex. We had to book 3 nights if we wanted into the main hotel.

Yes, amazingly enough parts of Venice do get crowded during the high season. (^_^) The trick is to avoid those parts during the crowded times of day (usually 10 am to 5 pm).

Why do you want to have a car while you're in Venice? The only parking option you'll have is the one described above. Are you planning on driving out during the days?

As for places to stay, we prefer RS's favorite place - Pensione Guerrato near the Rialto Bridge (in the San Polo district).

http://web.tiscali.it/pensioneguerrato/homepenen.html

And, yes, book it now. They won't be making any more rooms between now and May.

I just booked a room for October and couldn't get what I wanted as they were booked. May is even more crowded. Book now!

We sayed at Pensione Guerrato last summer and loved it. It's in great location by the Rialto Bridge and was 115E for a double with bath.

Thanks for all of your input on getting a room. I will look into booking soon.We have a car rented for 10 days,venice is just one of our stops. Thanks again!!!

I also rented a car and Venice was in the middle of my trip.However I parked in Mestre across from the train station and took the train.It is cheaper parking there and I think better security.I had previously parked at Tronchetto and that was more expensive with a lot of broek glass on the ground.

We booked our room at pension guerrato.3 people w/shower & breakfast 155 euro. i thought that was a great price. Spoke with them breifly on the phone. Seemed like a great place to stay.Very pleasant to talk with.Thanks for the advice!!

Lisa

Venice accommodations: Google GliAngeli B&B. It is close to the arsenale. It is about a two block walk from the vaporetto stop. It's quiet but you can see a canal if you sort of lean out your window. There is a great park further down that had the biennale with many artists. The art exhibits are shown every other year and we were pleased to be in Venice this year.
Sonia is very pleasant and the room was VERY nice. Had food for breakfast in our room. Good luck.

Just returned from Italy and have to agree about Pensione Guerrato. Loved it. Also agree that you should book it as early as possible.

We stayed in Venice for 4 nights in April last year and the Pension Guerrato rented us the most incredible apartment. We are a family of 4 - but there were 3 bedrooms. Very close to the Rialto Bridge as well. Email them and check out the availability of the apartment or their hotel. I would highly recommend either. We stopped in at the hotel a number of times to ask questions and they were wonderful.