Venice - train station to hotel

The vaporetto will take you there, even with luggage. Buy a ticket or pass at a booth in front of the train station.

Do you travel light? I usually just walk it. Takes about 20 minutes and even though it might seem confusing it's quite well signed with little "PER S MARCO" signs that look like this: http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/finding-your-way-in-venice-directional%20signs.htm

You could take the vaporetto as well. They're expensive but you could buy a pass that lasts for a day or two or more and then use them liberally throughout your stay. Here's a link to some information: https://quickvenice.com/transportation/actv-tourist-travel-cards.htm

Venice is a wonderfully magical city...except maybe for first-timers arriving with big luggage and no idea of how to get to their hotel. If you want the absolute lowest-stress arrival into Venice then take a water taxi to your hotel. Yes, it can be expensive, but so is the mental anguish and exhaustion of not knowing where you're going or how to navigate this beautifully "different" city.

If your San Marco hotel has its own private water taxi door that would be especially nice for you. Do you want to share the name of the hotel?

Equally, if you share the name, I can help with public transportation.

What time of day, and what time of year will your train arrive at the station Venezia Santa Lucia?

Most hotels in Venice have a "How To Find Us" page on their website complete with close-up maps and directions....

We did not consider the vaporetto expensive...water taxis on the other hand...ouch!

A water taxi from the train station to San Marco will, in my opinion, be way, way too expensive. The vap. system will get you there much cheaper. It is feasible to walk from one to the other. If you need specific info. just ask. I'm sure someone can give you details.

Nancy

I see that usually you have not previously had two way conversations here on the Helpline/Forums, but if you want specific help rather than generalisations, the name of your hotel, time of day, and time of year could really help us to help you. Otherwise we are guessing and can really just say that sometimes a taxi would be better or more convenient, and at others the vaporetto system may be.

In addition to the information requested above, if you could let the group know how many are in your party, as this also makes a difference when deciding vaporetto vs. water taxi.

If you tell us the name of your hotel, you might get a more specific answer.

There will be 4 of us, and we will be going to the Duodo Palace Hotel in early September.

It appears your hotel is in the middle of the island about half way between the St Angelo stop on one side and the San Marco stop on the other. The # 1 vap. stops at both. Saint Angelo would involve the shorter vap. ride. Go to googlemaps.com, type in the name of the hotel, and be sure we are talking about the same hotel location. You might also email the hotel directly and ask for their suggestion.

Like most hotels in Venice, the website for this one includes directions on how to get there. Specifically, it reads:
By train
From the “Santa Lucia” train station, reach the stop of San Marco Vallaresso with the ACTV steamboats (lines 1, 2 and N).Or, take a water taxi (75 euro).

Here's the website: Duodo Palace - Location

Vaporetto: If you are going to be purchasing a Tourist Travel card anyways, you could purchase that when you arrive at Santa Lucia and take the vaporetto to your hotel. This assumes you aren't toting a bunch of large luggage (more than one bag and/or large bags require their own ticket.) If you aren't going to be purchasing the Tourist Travel card, and/or you have extra/large bags, then the water taxi starts to look more appealing, as you'd be looking at € 7.50/pp, plus whatever tickets you need for any bags. Also, from the hotel's website, you will be crossing at least one bridge to get from the vaporetto stop to the hotel. Again, lots or heavy luggage makes this no fun. One of the pictures on their website appears to be a water entrance, so if this is true the water taxi could take you right to the hotel. If you are thinking of the taxi, I would contact the hotel and verify if they have a water entrance and, if not, how close the water taxi can get you to them.

Bottom line: Travelling light, going to buy a Tourist Travel Card anyways, no mobility problems, ok with potentially getting lost finding hotel (don't know if you've been to Venice before, but it's easy to get lost!)--take the vaporetto. Otherwise, I'd take the water taxi.

And the Duodo Palace has it's own private Water Taxi Landing. How fortunate for you. That's exactly how I would arrive if I were new to Venice.

hmmmmm

That's not so easy because the hotel is buried deep in the more remote calles almost exactly midway between two different parts of the Grand Canal, and near La Fenice.

The advice that the hotel gives - quite sparsely I'm afraid - to follow the breadcrumb trail of signs along the route, will probably do the job.

I know the area pretty well, and I often find that, unlike most of Venice, I get turned around in the area of La Fenice. There are calles that I think should lead me somewhere and I find I'm somewhere else.

Nevertheless, find the statue of Goldoni and you can't be far off.

I personally would walk over from S Angelo because it is much less crowded, although there are probably fewer breadcrumbs.

But I know Venice like the back of my hand.

If you are all first timers and because your hotel is a fairly complicated walk from the vaporetto dock, I might suggest (and for the first time, BTW) that in this particular case you consider the use of a water taxi.

Expensive but it will get you to your hotel without getting you lost, and might be fun.

On the other hand, if one of you have previously been to Venice and feel confident in finding the hotel easily, have a go at the vaporetto.

We're also staying at the same hotel in about a week. The hotel indicates that a private transfer is 130 euros - this is a lot more than the amount that other posters suggest a water taxi would cost. If we want to take a water taxi, do we just get one at the station when we arrive?

The water taxi website, https://www.motoscafivenezia.it/eng/ states a price of 80 EUR, but the fine print says it cannot access private docks of the Duodo Palace, but get you as close as they can.