Three seniors capable of handling their own luggage traveling with a handicapped senior who can walk with a walker but will be unable to handle her luggage. How can we get from the airport to a private condo located next to the Hilton Hotel and at the most reasonable cost?
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
Norma, assuming you mean the Molino Stucky Hilton on Guidecca, there are couple of ways to go from the airport. the fastest, probably the most convenient but also the most expensive would be to take a private water taxi from the airport dock to the condo. You will not have to transfer once on the boat. There is however about a walk from the terminal to the dock at the airport. It usually takes us about 5-10 minutes to walk it. In theory, there is supposed to be a shuttle, but we have only seen it once about 5 years ago. The price for the water taxi would be in 90 to 100 euro range. You can book in the terminal.
You could also travel to Venice proper and then hop on a vaporetto (a public water bus) to get close to your final destination. Probably the easiest way to do this would be to take the bus from the airport to Piazzole Roma and then get on the vaporetto and go to Guidecca. You won't have to walk to the dock at the airport and the docks at P. Roma are fairly close to where the bus lets out.
Fnd out from the rental folks which vaporetto to get on and where to get off.
I would take the blue ATVO bus. It is an express and the driver helps stow the luggage underneath. costs 3 euros. It is however a long haul type bus with luggage storage below so it sits a bit higher meaning more steps to get in. Once again bus tickets are available inside the terminal.
I would strongly suggest you encourage every one to pack lightly. Venice is hard on folks that have a ton of luggage unless you are willing to pay someone to carry it for you.
Depending on your length of stay, you may want to investigate the multi-hour vaporetto passes for each in your group. You'll be on Guidecca and to get to the main part of Venice you'll need to get on a vaporetto each time. The passes will quickly pay for themselves.
The vaporetto will be fairly easy for your limited mobility person. the stops are all ramped and the transition at the boat entrance is level and very stable.
Posted by
Bend, OR, United States
1167 posts
The fact that one of your party needs a walker is going to serious complicate your visit to Venice. I would suggest that you contact the Hilton or the condo manager and ask them how they would suggest you get there.
Posted by
OH, OH, USA
1158 posts
A taxi might be too small for all 4 people plus the walker which is not small. I paid about 35 EUR from the airport to Venice bus station area.
I don't know where your Hilton Hotel is, maybe you can tell us in which area of Venice is.
The bus that Ron mentioned is very fancy and it costs only 3 EUR. I think there is also a vaporetto from the airport to Venice. From there they can take another vaporetto to the final destination. There are passes for the vaporetto or multi tickets for reducded prices. You can find that info on line.
Posted by
OP
New Orleans, LA, USA
2 posts
Hi,
Thanks for such a quick reply. We are not traveling
until May so I have time to study the info you
provided. You are correct in assuming the Molino
Stucky Hilton on Guidecca. When you refer to the
water taxi cosing 90 to 100 euro range do you mean
per person or total for 4 people?
When you say we can book in the terminal, do you
mean when we arrive?
We are going out of town now to a funeral and will
investigate this more later.
Thanks,
Norma
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
The charge would be the total for the boat. Most will accomodate 6 to 8 people and luggage. so you would have plenty of room with only four of you. If the place you are staying is on a canal the water taxi will get you almost to the door. probably in about 45 minutes.
As far as booking, there is a spot in the arrivals terminal for arranging transport. You can arrange the transport when you arrive. You don't need to book in advance.
Public transport (ATVO bus and vaporetto) today would cost you about 38 euros for the four of you. 3 for the bus and 6.50 for the vaporetto each
After doing some research it appears that the public boat Alilaguna also makes a run from the airport to the Hilton. It leaves from the same dock at the airport as the water taxis. It makes some stops and is slower than the sleek speedboats so it would take about 90 minutes or so to get there. cost is currently 15 euros per person. that ticket can also be purchased in the terminal and the boats run frequently.
Here is a link for the Hilton's website that outlines transfer options.
http://www.molinostuckyhilton.com/transferinformation.php#contentRight
These options would be available to you even if you are not staying in the Hilton property. If the condo you are staying in is affiliated with the Hilton, you should be able to take advantage of the free shuttle the Hilton runs for guests. It goes from the Hilton to a stop on the Zatterre in Dorsoduro just across the Guidecca canal from the hotel and also goes to Piazza San Marco.
So here is my advice, don't care about spending some extra cash? take the water taxi. You'll feel like royalty or James Bond and it truly is a wonderful and unique experience.
Want to save 40-50 euros then take the Alilaguna. Still a unique experience, just coach instead of first class.