I will be doing a 10-day Norwegian Cruise starting in Trieste (Venice) and ending in Athens starting mid-October. I am spending a couple of nights in both of these cities (before embarkation at Venice and upon disembarking at Athens).
A few specific questions regarding Venice: 1) What is the most resonably priced and convenient location to stay at for a single person? Based on my research so far, this would be close to Mestre since it is only a 10-minute train ride to Santa Lucia station to explore Venice and is likely much cheaper than staying in Venice itself. 2) What is the best & most cost-effective way to get from Marco Polo airport to Mestre? Seems like this might be the ACTV or ATVO city busses. 3) What is the best way to get to the port of Trieste from Mestre? Seems like there are frequently running trains that take just over an hour and a half. 4) Lastly, do I need to book any of these several weeks in advance?
Likewise, any thoughts on similar places to stay and transport in Athens at the end of the trip would be helpful.
Thank you.