Links to Topics:
- Venice, Italy
- Bari,Italy
- Katakolon (Olympia)
- Izmir (Ephesus)
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
Venice
Venice is one of those places that as soon as you stepped out from the train station, a beautiful, albeit dilapidated, vista unfolds in front of you like a lively panoramic painting. I still remember my first time seeing this unforgettable view. Sometimes reality does intrude when the summer heat brings you face to face with the stinky aroma from the canal. And of course, mosquitoes rule in the summer so DON'T even open the window of your room for fresh air! And under no circumstances should you stay in a non-AC hotel (I've done it before in July and believe me, mosquitoes zoomed around like WWII airplanes at night!)
Venice is beautiful and it comes with a hefty price tag. I went when Italy was still using Lira and it was still expensive. Now it's in Euro so I can imagine everything is overly inflated! As soon as I confirmed the my cruise, I started the hunt for a place to stay.
Accommodation
It's not a secret that I am a fan of Rick Steves. Although I don't agree with some of his hotel choices, Rick's recommendations for where to stay is usually right on. He suggests the premier areas in Rialto, San Marcho, and Dorsoduro. I totally agree. I have stayed in various areas in Venice in my previous three trips: the first time near the train station (Santa Croce area), the second time in San Marco, and the third time right next to the Rialto Bridge. If I have choices, I would not to return to the train station area because it's far away from all the actions. Here's my feelings:
- Nothing beats the San Marco area (see map). It's noisy but you can still find a place on the side streets. We stayed here once and the loved hearing the church bells when we opened the windows. The convenience of walking to all the main attractions. It was so easy to enjoy the night life. The last time I was here, the most special moment for me was when I woke up at dawn and walked to the canal in front of the Doge's Palace. Venice was just starting to wake up while the sun peaked through the horizon, I snapped a few pictures of the gondolas parked under the lighted street lamps. It was moments like these that made the trip for me.
- The Rialto Bridge (see map) is also a good compromise. It's a short walking distance away from San Marco. At night, it has a night market atmosphere.
- We have wandered around Dorsoduro (see map). before and it was very peaceful and felt like a little town within Venice. It's a 15 minutes walk from San Marco and Rialto.
The best "budget" place that I could find for us was Ca Centopietre in Dorsoduro area, where The Academia is. You can find it at: Search Hotel Prices on Over 30 Sites at Once!
This Hotels Combined website, which does not charge commission, searches a bunch of popular hotels websites and gives you the best price. I like it better than Kayak.com.
The Ca Centopietre inn is run by owner Carlo and it seems from all the tripadvisors.com reviews that it's a great place. It doesn't charge for kids; however, the owner forced me to pay for the superior double (which will have 3 beds) with breakfast for 120 Eur in July! For 2 persons, the price is more reasonable: around 80 Eur - 90 Eur.
- Quite a few cruisers prefer to stay near P. Roma area for convenience to P. Roma. You can easily get to San Marco either by a long walk or by vaporetto.
- In the P. Roma, these were highly recommended: Hotel Abbazia , Hotel Arlecchino , Best Western Hotel Olimpia .
- In the San Marco area, Locanda Orseolo.
For sentimental reason, I decided to return to this area for my fourth time in Venice. And I was fortunate to find my hotel, Antigo Trovatore Hotel, at a reasonable price.
This hotel is well reviewed at Trip Advisor (see Antigo Trovatore Hotel Review). For the price of $260 for 3 people per 2 nights (July, 2010), it can't be beat. I believe this is the same hotel that I stayed at more than 10 years ago. If you look at the Antigo Trovatore Hotel Map, you can see how close it is to the San Marco area and the water buses.
What to do in Venice
If you only have 1 night there before the cruise, I would recommend just walk around and take in the main sights and sounds of the city: the orchestra at St Mark Square, the Rialto Bridge, St. Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace, etc. Take a vaporetto down the Grand Canal. If you are going with your significant other, try the gondola experience (we paid about $75 for 30 minutes 10 years ago during our honeymoon. It was worth it to be serenaded by an Italian tenor!) Definitely, more than anything, wander and get lost in the city. And if you are not tired yet, go and explore the city at night when all the lights lit up the whole city. Stand in the middle of the bridge that connects San Marco to the Academic and take pictures of the lighted gondolas gliding on the Grand Canal at night!
For us, we will also wander around the Frari Church area and stop by to view Titian's famous "Ca' Pesaro Madonna" (1519-26) and other art works. If you have more time, read Rick Steves' Venice 2010
My most favorite movie about Venice is Katherine Hepburn's Summertime - Criterion Collection
Getting to Cruise Terminal in Venice
Check out the procedure on how to get to the Cruiser Terminal in Venice.
