slawecki

you sure about that 13 min?

When we're tired, we get on at s. zaccaria ride to p. le roma, swap busses, and ride back. on the #1, that takes about 1 hour. the water bus cannot run over 6 mph in the canal, but seems to run about 20 mph between lido and s marco.

There is an express in the summer, but I have never been on it(never been to venice in summer).


The straight line distance from the train sta to s marco is about 1650 meters, which is almost exactally 1 mile.

Dovster

I rounded it off. It was 12 1/2 minutes on http://www.actv.it/

GUWonder

Not all the private transfers are as private as "private transfers" may imply to some there. Some hotels in Venice that offer "private transfers" have been known to charge the same price and put together several individuals on one boat still. Agree on a price with a regular water taxi and it might even be cheaper and just as "private".

slawecki

http://www.hellovenezia.com/jspvenez...rivalTime=null

according to this page, the #1 leaves train sta at 2:01pm, and arrives at vallresso(s.marco west) at 2:40pm & lido at 2:59.

The #82 2:51 to 3:17, and lido by 3:34. I think the 82 only runs that route in summer. in winter it turns around before reaching s marco.

ghia74

Thanks for this info, are the busses convenient when you have luggage?

obscure2k

The water buses are fine when you have luggage. No problem. You will see many folks with luggage. Moreover, you don't have to be concerned about the doors slamming shut. The gatemen are nice about letting folks disembark with their luggage.

bdemaria

It all depends on what line you take for P ROma to S Marco, if you catch an express it can be very, very quick. The 1 however can take well over 40 minutes depending upon the time of year.

gregorygrady

I just stayed at the Westin Excelsior Lido a couple weeks ago and arrived via train from Milan as well. I read a couple different places where it suggested that you take the Water Bus (Route #1) all the way through the Grand Canal and on to the Lido. It was mentioned that that is a great way to acquaint yourself with the city and see everything for the first time. I did this and I am very glad I did it. It was a great ride, plenty of room for luggage. It was 6 Euros per person if I'm not mistaken and then a 8 Euro taxi ride from the Lido port to the Westin Excelsior. Once you get to the Westin, they have their own free ferry leaving for the other SPG properties in Venice every 30 minutes, so you'll get lots of chances to go on that ferry as well. I personally would reccommend the #1 waterbus if you don't have way too much luggage. FWIW, I wasn't that impressed with the Westin Excelsior Lido. It was fairly old and worn, especially for a Cat. 6 hotel.....................and the beach there was certainly nothing to write home about compared to FL/CA/HI beaches.

ghia74

Thank you for the tip, I think I will attempt your suggested routing. I chose the Lido over the Venice proper properties based on lot of reading through the threads back in November. Venice is at the end of our trip and at that point we will have spent the previous 9 days at the Westin in Rome and Grand Hotel in Florence. Since my 1 year old is coming along I figured the fun of the beach was better than the romance of the canal views. It was the easy water shuttle access to the canals that made the Lido attractive. I had not read much about the condition of the rooms so your feedback is news to me. As it will be my sons first time at the beach sounds like it will only go up from there. Since I booked before the devaluation there is no point in switching anything now.

bdemaria

Nothing in my post indicates or suggests "haggling" I meant that the set price should be in the area of 50-60 Euro. It certainly won't be less than 50 and that it could be slightly more (a large party, lots of big bags, etc..)

gregorygrady

Just don't get your hopes up too much about the beach. The sand consistancy is basically very similar to dirt. Very few people seemed to be lying on the beach when I was there, and I can see why. The water was okay. There were these cabanas lined along the beach that cost ~$250 per day that most people seemed to rent, but I wasn't about to shell out $250 for a few hours in a cabana on such a crappy beach. The rooms aren't terrible, and yes I can understand that they will be old since the hotel is turning 100 next month, but the carpets were fairly worn as was some of the furniture. It wasn't bad, just not what one would expect from a Cat. 6 hotel. I've stayed in many Cat 5, 4, and 3 hotels that I would say were nicer than the Lido. But I guess it's not the niceness that makes the Category, it's the price that the hotel commands, and this hotel is quite pricey along with all the other hotels in SPG. If you got in before the devaluation, definitely stick with it as the price is right. The free hotel ferry was definitely a nice perk. And the other great thing about this hotel was that they had free breakfast, even on my award stay!!! ^ That said, I walked thru all the other SPG hotels in Venice and I certainly wasn't overimpressed by any of them. Yes, they were pretty nice, but not outstanding as I would expect for Cat 6 and 7 hotels. But again, Venice is a great and very unique place, and obviously that's why the rates (and Category levels) are so high..............

FrAAmer

We just were in Venice. Arrived at the train station and paid 70€ for 4 people plus 4 bags to the Westin Europa and Regina.

Water Taxi was called by hotel for a 7 AM pick up to the airport and they were at the hotel to the minute. Fare to the airport was 95€ for 4 people plus 5 bags (yes, we did some shopping and had to buy another suitcase)

After arriving by train with baggage during a busy time, I canīt imagine taking the water bus (with luggage) then walking across the plaza and to our hotel. Same for departure. I agree with all who posted in favor of the taxi. Expensive for one, but divided by 4 made it very worthwhile. (Plus is it a good 15 minute walk from the taxi station at the airport to the terminal.) You can also pay additional for porter service so you donīt have to wheel you bags.)

cup.of.jo

I'll be in Venice at the end of July for 2 nights (first time in Italy, 2 people). Has anyone taken the helicopter from the airport into Venice? www.heliair.it -- looks like they fly from VCE to Lido & then a water taxi/public transportation into Venice. A bit more pricey than the water taxi but looks like an interesting way to see the city and it is suppose to only take 8 minutes.

Also, any recommendations about staying at the newly opened Hilton on Giudecca or staying at one of the great hotels closer to St. Mark's? I'm concerned that I won't get the 'true flavor' of Venice staying at the Hilton since the end of each day requires a decent taxi ride across the canal back to the hotel rather than a leisurely stroll.

I appreciate any input as I'm very torn about the hotel decision. There have been a few great reviews on the Hilton forum but mainly about the rooms/hotel rather than getting back & forth to the rest of Venice. Hoping someone here has experience with Venice & suggestions before I book every available room in Venice as I try to make up my mind .

Thanks!

anele

I believe it all depends if you like - in general - city centers (with lights / noise / dirt / people etc.) or not. I live in the Giudecca island (close to the new Hilton) and moved here because I had enough of the thousands of tourists and souvenir shops (also properties here are still a bit cheaper !).
The Giudecca is Venice 100%, so you will enjoy its flavour ! It is only 10/12 minutes away from St.Mark (with the private Hilton launch) but is much more quiet and relaxing. You can also take public transport and have a walk . It is only a matter of tastes !

As regards your helicopter ride, this is not very Venetian and might take longer than scheduled (f.i. Lido is very crowded now and so are public transports from there !). I would rather take a water taxi from the airport and enjoy a nice ride through the canals. If you want to see Venice from high, go to the campanile in San Giorgio.

cup.of.jo

Thank you Anele! I wasn't sure what the trip from Lido to Venice was going to require regarding time. Sounds like it could end up taking longer via air than by water so I appreciate you heading me off that path as well as the suggestions about the hotel. I'm glad to know that I won't be missing out on any of Venice's charm by staying on Giudecca.