Flying to Venice via Air France but arrival is late... Hotel, taxi?

Under the circumstances, we would opt for a hotel as close as possible to the airport that will be able to accept a late arrival and has a shuttle. That way you can head straight to bed and go to the city Monday morning. In all probability, the tour hotel will allow you to drop your bags and roam about the city until you can actually check in. Let us know if you need info as to how to get to the tour hotel.

If you are arriving at the Venice airport at 11:30 pm I suggest booking an airport hotel with a shuttle to it that evening.
This is my experience- when I arrived at the Venice airport in the morning hours, (January 2023) I had carry on luggage only and walked outside the luggage carousels into the main airport. There was a place right outside to book Alilaguna public water taxi that transports to the island of Venice. I booked my ticket and had to walk about 15 minutes to the docks. I waited about 30 minutes for the public (shared with other passengers) There are different colored lines (depending on where you will be dropped off) with different waiting areas so you need to pay attention to that. The line you choose will be based on where you want to be dropped off on the island of Venice. Here is the public water taxi schedule-
https://www.alilaguna.it/en/timetables
The public boat ride to the island of Venice took me about 45 minutes.
At my correct departure point, I still had to navigate thru the alleys and bridges of Venice to reach my hotel. Remember- Venice is an island with no roads or cars. Narrow passageways and Bridges and NOT so easy to navigate. In the dark, unless you have a very good idea of how to find your hotel, I would imagine that would be very difficult, especially if it is your first time there.
If you book a private boat to pick you up at the dock- that may be easier but still you will have the issue of trying to find your Venice island hotel in the dark.
If it were me- I would book an airport hotel that evening upon arrival. I did not check the schedule so not even sure if there is a water taxi even available that late.
When booking the airport hotel, or upon arrival, I would ask the front desk for specific directions to the Aligaluna dock and tickets- or if you want to spend more money- how to book a private water boat into Venice that morning. I would look at the Venice (island of Venice- not airport hotel) hotel website you are going to to map out the best way to get there and perhaps even write down directions to read aloud as you are doing it.

Venice isn’t easy to get to from the airport, but many travellers do it every year so it’s not impossible! I would just get my ducks in a row ahead of time before arrival- which you are doing now- good!

This is my experience and perhaps others have more advice to offer. But I guess my main point is that 11:30 pm arrival it’s prudent to stay in an airport hotel. I hope you have a wonderful time- Venice is one of my all time favorite magical cities!

There is a Marriott Courtyard five minutes from the airport, but it's not walkable. The hotel shuttle didn't run after a certain hour, as I remember. A Taxi should cost about 20 euros because it's late. We stayed there a few years back when we also arrived around midnight. Why spend big bucks that night when all you need is a shower and sleep? The Alilaguna schedule (the airport water transportation to old Venice, ) thins out at that hour. The water taxis will be over 110 euros. The vaporettos do not serve the airport.
The next morning, right in front of the Marriott, is the #5 bus, which takes you to Piazza Roma, where you can purchase vaporetto pass/ tickets. The hotel sold us the #5 bus tickets, about 2-3 euros.
Have a great time!

Also, the front desks of many hotels don't stay open for late night check in in Europe.
Coming in the day before is not always the best with the current airline chaos. If your airlines tries to reschedule your flight for any reason, negotiate with them, see if you can arrive two days early. My last two of three international flights had significant delays, ( 24 hrs and 6 hrs) and you wouldn't want to miss your first evening with your tour group.
Have a great time and enjoy your adventure!

Great advice, Pat!

Have you booked anything yet?

The type of hotel RS uses for the tours generally do not have a 24 hr desk, so that may not be an option

I want to be smart about our choices

Arrive a day earlier an option?
When Tues AM arrives and the walking tour starts around 830AM you may be still bleary eyed from the time zone transition.

Agree that the airport area hotel is a good choice for your arrival time

Call the Marriott Courtyard and ask if they have 24 hour front desk. Most Courtyards of this size are staffed 24 hours. Their phone is +39 041-5416 567.

The other accommodations in the area are mostly B&B's.

Taxi's are available into Venice from there.

Are you flying via Paris? If so, how about staying overnight in an airport hotel there? It will be hours earlier than 11:30. You will be able to crash and rest comfortably, and then continue on early the next day for your RS tour. As others have mentioned, going a day earlier (Friday) may be a good idea, but I would still consider an overnight stay at the connecting airport. I am thinking it may be Paris because that seems to be a direct route on that airline into Venice. I am NOT suggesting going into Paris and seeing the sights. I am suggesting staying the night at an airport hotel there. This scenario may offer up less agitation and a smoother start to your tour.

Spending the night in a CDG hotel would be a good idea if it doesn't require a higher airfare, but it probably does. Not knowing when this trip will happen makes it harder to suggest strategies.

A few years ago I landed at VCE late at night and spent the night at this hotel, very close to the airport but not walkable (at least not for me with luggage on unfamiliar ground at night). The website says they have a shuttle till midnight but you shouldn't count on making that with an 11:30 landing. You will have cleared immigration at CDG though, saving some time.

I ended up on the sidewalk in front of Arrivals, where a guy with a car, which he called a "private taxi," offered to drive me to the hotel for 20 euros. It was a lot for a short ride but I had no other choice, and I was glad to get my head in bed shortly after. The hotel was fine for what I needed from it. The next morning I took the hotel shuttle back to the airport, the ACTV bus to Piazzale Roma, and the vaporetto to the stop nearest my Venice hotel. I had several days before the RS tour started, so less stress than you'll have managing the jet lag.

I don't know the Courtyard by Marriott but that would seem like a good alternative. I think there's also a Best Western nearby. The question will be whether a hotel shuttle will run late enough to get you there. It's probably worth a phone call, or at least an email exchange, with your hotel about arranging transportation. Maybe you can book a taxi. My "private taxi" guy may still be hanging around. My flight was the last of the night, yours may be too, and VCE became a ghost town quickly.

I have so much gratitude for everyone who has given advice here. Admittedly, I'm overwhelmed by the planning and strategy to get the most out of this vacation so I opted to book a flight that leaves a little earlier the Saturday prior to our Monday start day of our tour. We arrive in Venice at 11 am on Sunday. I know that will help us navigate all that is in front of us. I will look at the vaporetto website next for water taxi times and cost, adding in a search for hotels (if we don't stay at our RS assigned hotel... name to be released soon by the tour). I'm so excited, nervous and energized by this trip. Thank you and now I'll continue to look for advice on the best "extra time" things we should book ahead of time for Venice, Florence and Rome. Venice - choose Campanile di San Marco (bell tower), Dalmatian School Chapel, Jewish Ghetto and Museum, Santa Maria della Salute and San Giorgio Maggiore chores, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the island of Murano (thought we go there on the tour?). Florence: choose Brunelleschi's Dome or Giotto's Tower? Rome: maybe Borghese Gallery? Those are the ones listed on the RS website, there has to be much more that isn't listed to explore. Narrowing this down is the biggest challenge at the moment.

Dramatic, memorable arrivals in Venice are great if you can afford it.

Basically there are three main ways to get from the airport to your hotel.

First: You can take a water taxi and it will be the most dramatic and memorable, but will also be the most expensive. A private one cost about 100-120 Euros. There is a cheaper shared water taxi system now, but we haven't used it and can't comment.

Second: There is the Alilaguna boat. It takes longer, isn't that scenic, but is less expensive.

Third: The least expensive is a combination bus and vaporetto (vap.). It takes the longer than the others, but will (depending on the location of your hotel) give you a trip on at least part of the Grand Canal.

There are two bus lines that serve the airport. One is ATVO and is NOT affiliated with the vap. system. The other is ACTV and IS affiliated with the vap. system. At the airport you can get a vap. pass for various periods and can have a one or two way bus fare added to it A good site maintained by the ACTV system has current prices and such. Don't remember the url so just Google it.

If you take the third option, take the # 5 ACTV bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma. Then take vap. to the area of your hotel and it should be an easy walk from the dock. We've made that trip many times. Easy peasy.

Be sure to validate the vap. pass on the bus. Do not wait until you get on the vap. Also, validate the pass each time you use the vap.

Once you know the name of the hotel, we may be able to give detailed instruction to get there.

Thank you so much, TC!! I took a peek at the AVM website and it sends you to the https://www.veneziaunica.it site to purchase the tickets. We will only be in Venice from Sunday - Wednesday, which is when we will be shuttled by RS to Florence. From your description, I'll need passes to get from the Venice airport to bus to water taxi, exiting in vicinity of hotel (Hotel Guerrato). Only anomaly is whether or not I need an additional water taxi ticket to get to the island of Murano and back. In our itinerary it lists us as going to an island of the guide's choice... unsure if that means Murano or other? I have this question posed to the RS staff via email and will decide on an extra ticket once I hear back from them.

Rhonda5, it is important that you understand the differences between the different types of water transportation. A water taxi is a private vessel, and is not covered by the vaporetto passes. The land equivalent elsewhere would be a private car service. The vaporetto is the mass transit option that services all of the stops on Venice Island, plus the Lido, Murano, Burano. Torcello, etc (but not the mainland). The land equivalent would be a city bus. The Alilaguna boat from the airport to Venice island is comparable to an airport shuttle that stops at selected vaporetto docks.

I'm so glad you said that - would not have realized in the moment that the vaporetto is the water bus system, similar to land. Good to know before we board the wrong vessel. I see on the pre-purchase site that we can get a 75 minute pass, one-day, two-day or 3. Depending on what we want to do on our first day I might just get the less expensive version to get us to the hotel. Then, repurchase for the day we'd want to go to Murano.

Separately, we are staying at the Hotel Guerrato. I just heard back from them via email for securing a hotel the night before the tour begins. They send a link to pay for the room using credit card. Is this normal? And, this is where I may need RS staff help... I tried to explain we are with the tour that begins Monday, just need to add a night onto our room for Sunday night. My hope is to stay in the same room for the duration in Venice but we are definitely flexible. Any thoughts on this?

Well yes, you would have to pay for your pre tour nights separately, since they aren't included in the tour price. When you book the room, check to see if the booking is refundable or not. Sometimes that is an option (although usually a bit more expensive). When you arrive you can ask to have the same room for your whole stay, but there's no guarantee that they can accommodate this. I dont know this hotel, but see if the booking page has a place for requests.

Paying separate for room is expected, just hope I can still have the same room for time there to make it easier but we are flexible. Receiving the payment link via email threw me off for a moment but is pretty normal these days.

That said, I am open to a different hotel for the night before our tour... please share a favorite or "must go to" hotels in Venice for one night prior to tour? If something is out of our budget, I still like to look.

Rhonda5, the value of telling them that you're on the RS tour, is that they will try to give you their same room for the duration. The tour hotels are used to having people come a day or two early (or stay extra on the other end) so they know what to expect. It's easier to just stay settled in the same hotel. That gives you most of the day of the first meeting on your own to look around, rather than packing up and relocating.

Makes sense, plus the ease of staying in one spot and focus on walking/sightseeing has more value.

This os the current pricing for vaporetto tickets and passes:

Single ride: €9.50
24-hour pass: €25
48-hour pass: €35
72-hour pass: €45
168-hour (7-day) pass: €65

You don't want to buy multiple 24-hour passes on a single short visit.

I.wonder whether the tour might give you a 24-hour pass to use for the island trip rather than two single-ride tickets. I would ask that question.

If you enjoy art, the Guggenhrim in Venice and the Borghese in Rome are top recommendations. The Borghese sells outs well in advance, so you'll need to get that ticket early. The Guggenheim isn't that much of a problem, but it is popular, and I observed lines. You won't have a lot of time in Venice, so you won't have a great deal of flexibility. I'd buy that ticket before leaving home.

If you do stay the night before at P. Guerrato, here's the easy way to get there. From Piazzale Roma, take the # 1 vaporetto and get off at the Mercato (or Rialto Mercato) stop. It will be on the "right" side of the canal, and is the stop after Ca' d Oro which is on the "left" side of the canal. Do not go all the way to Rialto Bridge -- you will have cross over the crowded bridge and have a much longer walk to the hotel.

When you get off the vaporetto at the Mercato stop, walk straight ahead through an arched doorway. There will be a small plaza to your left and right. Turn right and walk straight. If there are a lot of vendors in the walking area, be sure they are ALL on your right side so you do not miss the next turn. Just before you get to the place where the building juts out in front of you, turn left on a small street named Calle drio la Scimia and look for the your hotel's sign up and on the left.

You may be able to use Google Maps Street View to "walk" the route before you leave home. It takes a bit of practice to make the images show you the way, but it is definitely worth it.

There is a site called veniceforvisitors.com that has a lot of good info. that you might want to check out. Hope this helps.

What a great first trip for you! You are smart to consider this transportation step in advance. I didn't catch when your trip is, but particularly if it's summer, consider stopping off at the little island of San Michele, which is a water bus stop between Venice and Murano. There is a cemetery and little church. If it's summer, the quiet and leafy green shade is very welcome. There are some famous people buried there, but mostly it is a small respite from the crowds.

Since you will have the whole day to explore Venice before joining your tour, I would recommend you purchase an all day vaporetto pass. You can purchase them at the ticket booths at larger stop such as Rialto and San Marco, then you will be good for the day, remember to tap(validate) your ticket each time you board. Ride the entire length of the grand canal at least once, and try to get on a boat that has outside seats at the front for the best view. If going out to Murano get on at the Fonte Nova stop, then it’s a short ride of just two stops. You could get off at the cemetery island for a nice, peaceful walk before continuing to Murano. The tour will take you to Burano,, not Murano. You will probably want a couple hours for Murano. San Giorgio is the first stop across from San Marco, and I would recommend going up this tower for a view of the city as it’s cheaper and less crowded than the one at St. Mark’s. I’ve done it twice now, and never had to wait in line. Then it’s fun to just get on a vaporetto and see where it goes, getting off when you see something interesting, and getting back on when you get really lost and want to get back to a familiar spot. I did this tour back in 2015 and this is pretty much what I did. I was going to visit the Peggy Guggenheim, also, but found I wasn’t going to have time to with all of the other things I wanted to do. I visited it last year when I had more time and I spent a good hour and a half there. There is some free time from the tour that will allow you to visit something the tour doesn’t. Several of us went into the Doges Palace and really enjoyed it, and it’s right at St. Marks so easy to get to.