Venice Befuddled at 83 on transport and hotels

We always stay at Hotel Ala
Great location and excellent service
It is right at the SM Giglio vaporetto stop with no stairs or bridges to cross in a small quiet campo yet still just a short walk to San Marco
Very good breakfast
( Ala has quite a number of fans here)

https://www.hotelala.it/

You can book a private water taxi here-both to and from the airport -about 130-140 euros each way
They will assist with your luggage

https://www.motoscafivenezia.com/en/

While in Venice you should get a length of stay vaporetto pass to help you get around-it’s a huge savings over individual rides
You can buy the pass at the airport
Validate every time you board

For other lodging possibilities start with booking.com
Use the filters for budget, location and read reviews-you can filter reviews as well for things like “stairs” “Lift”
I assume you will want a hotel with elevator
We prefer hotels that have 24 hour desk so they can help with maps, directions, recommendations etc

Hi Sheldon,
Our last few trips, we have booked a private water taxi from the airport to Venice. They will drop you are the dock closest to your hotel/accommodation in the city. There is a bit of a walk from the arrivals doors to the docks, but the area is covered and there are moving walkways which could help. If you are packing light (we do carry ons and backpacks) then it should not be an issue. I am unsure if there are porters who may be able to help, but others might know. The staff at the dock and the captain loaded our luggage onto and then off the boat. I believe it was €120 on our last trip. More expensive than the other options but easy and I love viewing Venice from the water. I know you can also catch a taxi or bus to Piazzale Roma and then catch a vapporeto, but those can get crowded and be tricky with a lot of luggage.

We have stayed at the same AirBNB in Cannareggio on our last 3 trips. It is clean, quiet, and easily accessible to the train and vapporeti. I know some hotels have their own docks which may make it even easier as the apartment we have stayed at is about a 10 min walk from the dock where the water taxi will drops you off.

Edited to correct my terminology------

Regarding getting from airport to hotel in Venice - there are several options (and threads about this on this Forum.)
The Allilaguna (multi-passenger water taxi) from the airport to downtown Venice and through the Grand Canal is easy to pick up at the airport - just get your luggage and follow the signs. The vaporetto stops at various locations in the city, but you'll likely still have to roll your suitcases along the streets/up and over bridges a ways to your hotel.

We had your same situation several years back. If you have a big suitcase for cruise clothes, as we did, it was challenging to wrestle it down the water taxi stairs and then up again onto the dock nearest our hotel. So if money is no object, you can book your own private water taxi from the airport.

Several discussions on this forum about Venice hotels too (use the Search feature at top of page, and focus on newer posts.) You may want to decide on a hotel first and let them advise you about securing a water taxi.

Have fun! Venice can be chaotic and also is magical.

Just to clarify above post

The vaporettos ( water bus) DO NOT serve the airport

Alilaguna boats or private or shared water taxis do
Other option is bus or land taxi to Piazzale Roma then vapotetto

The Alilaguna ( Orange line) does stop at SM Giglio I mentioned above and they will also help with your luggage in and off the boat
I think Alilaguna is about 30 euros

Your trip sounds lovely. My husband and I have been to Venice several times, more recently staying at Hotel Flora which is a short walk from San Marcos Square. It has a lovely garden and very helpful staff.

Regardless of where you stay, I would suggest that you take a water taxi from the airport to your hotel. While you can arrange it yourself, I would suggest you ask your hotel to arrange the water taxi and to meet you at the dock when you arrive and escort you to your hotel. Hotel Flora did that for us and while we could handle our own luggage, it was nice to have someone available to help. For your transport to catch your cruise, ask the hotel to help arrange that as well. The water taxi ride from the airport is a wonderful experience in and of itself.

The other recommendation I would make is to either arrange for an early check in or book the night before, so the 15th so that you can have the room available. When arrive, you can then check in, rest, get a shower and relax. If you can’t get early check in or don’t want to pay for another night to get the room early, then see if the hotel can store your luggage and recommend a place nearby so that you can get a light bite and relax before you have to check in.

I second the recommendation of Hotel Ala. We stayed there many years ago. The location is ideal, with easy access to the vaporetto stop with no bridges to cross with luggage.

Hotel location is really critical in Venice to avoid extra stress and challenges with luggage. You can use google earth to explore the area between the Vaporetto stop and the hotel and see how many bridges you may have to cross. Some hotels have their own docks and a water taxi can deliver you to the door. The Hilton Molino Stucky has a vaporetto stop. But it is located on the island of Giudecca. You have to take the Vaporetto across to the main sites. We stayed on the island one summer and loved that it was removed from the hustle and bustle.

If the cruise ship offers a bus from Piazzale Roma instead of the airport, that would be closer.

For hotels look at booking.com to figure out location and potential cost but book directly with hotel through their website, you often get a better rate and there may be more availability. Booking.com will show you the cost for four nights, so if you are seeing costs of C$1200 divide by four! Costs vary depending on whether you choose fully refundable or non-refundable, breakfast included or not. Italian hotel breakfast tend to be sweet breads, croissants, juice, yogurt, sometimes cold cuts and cheese, oh and hard boiled eggs! And of course coffee or tea.

I liked the area of Canneregio but it’s quite a walk to San Marco. Dorsoduro is also interesting and has a good choice of hotels but it’s the other side of the Canal from San Marco, but the right side for some of the galleries. And the Vaporetto zig zags across the Canal from stop to stop.

Enjoy Venice - it’s a magical city.

One piece of advice - you need a PAPER map of Venice. We are in Venice right now, seeing people gazing in anger/desperation/forlone hope at their phones. Trust me on this one!

I am blown away and humbled by all the wonderful replies. Thank you all. It's 7am here in the middle of Canada and we're off to have our eyes checked in the city --- we live on 32 acres along the Red River just 'down the road' from Winnipeg --- and expect to be back late this afternoon. I'll follow up on all the interesting suggestions and report back. In the meantime thank you all. Much appreciated, Sheldon

We also like Cannaregio , on the quiet back canals. We stay at the charming Hotel Ai Mori D'Oriente, which does have its own dock, so the water taxi can deliver you to the front door of the hotel. Check out hotels on booking.com to read honest reviews, then book directly for the best prices. Venice is small, so nothing is very far away, and vaporetto stops are conveniently located. Have a magical trip!

Most Venice hotels will have on their website a "How to get here" section.

When you are looking for a hotel, you can check that to see how simple/complicated it is, when making a decision.

Is the "$500 a night" Canadian$ ? ( i.e., ~315-320 euro)

Unless you are traveling very luxuriously, I think you will be able to find very nice accommodations for far less than 500/night especially in October. I just checked on the Hotel Ala site and it was 824 Euros for 4 nights. That is about 325/night Canadian and it looks like a wonderful hotel. I have never stayed there, but as one poster mentioned, it is popular with the forum group.
You have been given excellent ideas on transport and definitely buy a pass for the vaporettos. And definitely get a very good Venice paper map. No matter, you will still get ‘lost’ once or twice which many of us find to be the best way to see some of Venice that many don’t see because they rarely venture off the main runs the tourists use. You will enjoy Venice far more if you do. Certainly there won’t be the crush of tourists that there are in the summer, but be prepared for Venice to still be busy.
And yes, if you live on 32 acres, you must be in good shape as it suggests farming/ranching. Good for you to travel at 83. Enjoy!

Hi!

Having the same question as you do regarding getting from the airport the Venice and your hotel, someone recommended watching a YouTube video. Here are a couple of them I watched. I found them very helpful in knowing what to expect.

The hotel I am staying at booked the private water taxi for me and then sent me instructions for after I land, as well as instructions for the taxi driver.

Good luck and enjoy Venice and your cruise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWHxP496414
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCYJXtVryWk

sheldonbowles

Staying anywhere near San Marco or the center of Venice is more expensive and more time consuming to get to and out of. Water taxis are very expensive (est. €130 one way)

We preferred to stay near the Piazzale Roma which is like the entrance to Venice in the last area where motor vehicles can enter. The airport shuttle bus is fast and cheap and will drop you off at the Piazzale Roma (€10 one way or €18 return).

We stayed at the nearby Hotel Olimpia (about CAD$400 per night for your dates) which is usually cheaper than the comparably luxurious hotels near San Marco. The Olimpia is very nice and has a great breakfast.

This could be very convenient for you. Upon arrival, you catch the cheap airport bus to P. Roma, walk about 4 minutes (2 small walk bridges) to the hotel and check in. When you need to leave, you just do the reverse and the airport bus will take you to the airport for your cruise ship bus connection. No need to fuss with luggage in a water taxi or vaporetto or lug bags over a long distance. Use google maps to preview the walk.

Of course, you will be further away from the very touristy San Marco area. It is about a 30 minute walk for a healthy person from the Olympia to San Marco. There are lots of different paths and places to explore in between. Or you can take the affordable vaparettos if you do not feel like walking.

PS Ask the front desk if they still offer a free tour of Murano glass factory. They will arrange a free water taxi to the factory where you can watch a glass blowing demonstration and then take a tour of their gallery. If you get a chance to ride in a Venetian water taxi, you can see why they are so expensive (do you remember the last scene of James Bond in From Russia, With Love). The glass pieces are very beautiful and expensive but you are under no obligation to buy anything. At the end of the tour, there is a small souvenir shop where you can buy glass pieces which are cheaper than in San Marco. I bought glass candy pieces for about €1 each. You will need to pay for a vaporetto back to Venice.

Good luck.

https://book.hotel-olimpia.com/accommodation?channelid=f1237dcb-c674-4348-a97e-927b96e43dee&sessionid=5e983618-8103-484a-9d60-5f7688175022&langid=2&utm_campaign=GoogleHotelPriceAds&utm_medium=HPA&utm_source=google&utm_content=4a83e721-1a20-4e55-93ba-2a2527aa781e&utm_term=mapresultsCAen&currency=EUR&roomconfig=a2&year=2025&month=10&day=16&staylength=4#