Hi Sue, there is a Hotel Panorama located in Piazzale Santa Maria Elisabetta, on the waterfront, just opposite the water bus arrivals / departures to Venice and the alilaguna stop. Is that your hotel?

It takes about 50 -75 minutes on the alilaguna from Marco Polo airport to Lido.

To visit Venice main island from Lido, it's about 12-15 minutes on the vaporetto and there is a frequent service.

Alternately, you can take a land bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma (P.Roma) and then take a vaporetto to the Lido. Numbers 51, 1 and 82 go to Lido but check the links from MariaH.

Check with your hotel too - most hotels are very helpful and will provide information to assist guests.

Enjoy your holiday. I have stayed on both the Lido and Venice main island and each has it's merits. Venice is a wonderful place.

Thanks very much MariaH and ElaineM for your info it is most helpfull. Sorry for delay just been away for a few days, I have no excuse for getting lost now!! - Regards - Sue

you are very welcome.
Elaine xx

Can anyone help. I have been looking at Hotels in Venice and most of them state Non-Smoking in Rooms, as well as all public places.

Is smoking banned in Venice everywhere? if not, whereabouts can you smoke if you are not allowed to smoke in your rooms.

Smoking was banned from indoor public places in Italy in January 2005. As far as I'm aware, it's the same laws as GB. We have stayed in hotels in Italy which do have rooms where you can smoke. You'll just have to search around a bit more I think.

I've always gone on package beach holidays but I've never done a short trip before or visited Venice and its one place where i would like to go and i think a 3 day trip here would be ideal.

Where are the best places to get short trips from - Travel Agents, Web site i.e last minute or arrange your own flight and hotel? - Can anyone recommend anything - i would like to fly out from Bristol.

Bit of back ground information myself and my partner are late twenties and early thirties. Were looking to go to Venice just to see this remarkable City and have a nice few days there seeing the sites and having nice evenings in Restaraunts etc - Nothing to flashy just a nice few days away

Hi claire . not sure where you live but your best bet would be to book yourself a budget flight first i,e ryanair, easyjet or whoever operates from your loacal airport . weekday flights have the best deal but if you get your timing right , watch for the deals you shouldnt have to pay more than about £100 including taxes for 2 of you even on a weekend :D. we have paid £86 including taxes for the 2 of us for rome with Ryanair going out friday coming back Monday from gatwick . once you have got that sorted then move on to looking for decent, cheap accomodation. the budget airlines can offer good deals on hotels but i always like to use http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk to check out reviews and this site as well as being good for reviews gives you the opportunity to "check prices" on many hotels with various accomodation sites if something takes your fancy. Just type in Venice in the search at the top of page and you will get lots of info from reviews ,booking hotels , destination guides and forums. http://www.hotelsconnect.co.uk is another good site for deals. I would generally stay clear of package type operators for short breaks as they dont normally include the budget airlines although I believe http://www.lastminute.com do enable to put together a package using budget airlines.

lyn

ps. sorry claire just seen you wont to fly from bristol :oops:. If you cant get a decent deal from Bristol you might like consider driving to Gatwick

In one way the Italian law is much better than any of the British versions - if you smoke illegally and within in range of children the fine is increased by a considerable amount.

Back to the question - they definately say No Smoking in the rooms? It's not just poor translation of Non Smoking rooms available is it?

Hi Claire.

Easyjet fly from Brizzle to Venice landing at Marco Polo. MP is just down the road from Venice and it takes around twenty minutes to get onto the island.

Look for a hotel actually on the island and not on the mainland. Saves having to get across the bridge everyday and you could drop on a super hotel right on a canal.

We stayed at the Hesperia in Cannareggio: http://en.venere.com/hotels_venice/cannaregio_ovest/hotel_hesperia.html?ref=120614

Lovely, reasonable hotel, right by a canal and in a nice area.

Thanks everyone for your replies. Its bad enough not being able to smoke in pubs etc, but to not being able to smoke in your room is a bit much. Looks like Venice is off.

Hi Claire

You may find the Venice sections of my trip report from last year useful:

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=86878

Venice is fab - I'd love to go back soon!

Hiya Claire

Just back from a very similar long weekend in Venice Take a look at my review in Hotels under San Lio Tourist House. We flew from Stansted into Treviso. If you need anymore information, don't hesitate to pm me

Many thanks for your review Pam

Hi all, we just got back from Lake Garda on Sunday and there was a notice in our room saying 'please do not smoke in the room, only on the balcony'.

So just go, and pray for fine weather so you can sit on the balcony (or make sure you have an umbrella).

Can someone help me with the airport to fly too. I see a cruise starting there also what airlines?

I think it's actually called Venice Airport (Marco Polo), and the code is VCE.

Ryan Air use Treviso Airport which is further away.

Kath HT Admin

Kath, Many thanks

Last week we booked a weekend break to Venice in February. We booked with Expedia, can't believe the price! It was £345 for BA flight from Gatwick + 3 nights 2 people in a hotel on the grand canal, which in our guide book is listed under the expensive hotels! When I have looked before the prices of the hotels in the centre have made it an expensive break - so snapped this one up.
There were other breaks available to other cities for similar prices.