Travel with The Professor on his next small group tour to Venice and Italy.  Or, if traveling alone, follow his advice on getting to your hotel from the airport or train station.

There are only two ways to get to Venice, from the airport or via train.  There are NO cars or taxis within the historic district of Venice.  Walkways are twisting and turning with many of the streets being unmarked.  The "roads" are replaced by canals, which give Venice much of its charm.   Getting to your hotel from the airport or train station can be an issue, especially for those who don't like dragging heavy luggage through cobblestone walkways, up and down the small bridges crossing the web of canals.

From the Airport:  Our option for getting to our hotel on our small group tours to Italy is to take a water taxi.  Cheap it is not.  Expect to pay about 120 euros.  However, no other option should be considered if carrying checked luggage.  Upon exiting the airport, stay to the right and take the 15 minute walk to the marina. Contract with a water taxi operator.  If possible, have the water taxi driver call your hotel so they can meet you at the point of disembarkation to help with luggage and guide you to your hotel.  I like the water taxi because you can ask the driver for a scenic private tour down the Grand Canal, at an extra price, of course.

On or small group tours to Italy and Venice, we like to stay at the American Dinesen Hotel. The primary attraction to this hotel is that it is located right on a canal.

Another option at the airport is the Alilaguna shuttle at about 14 euros (online purchase price) per person.  However, they follow a pre-defined route and provide no services other than dropping you at certain points.  You will need to know how to get to your hotel from these points.  The shuttle can be crowded and extra charges may be assessed for large luggage.

From the Train Station:  The Alilaguna option is not available here.  Again, a water taxi is the best option at about 60 euros.  An option I do not recommend is the vaporetto at 7 euros per ride (discounted, multi-ride and multi-day tickets available).  The crowds can be crazy, the routes confusing.  You are on your own in terms of selecting the right stop and getting to your hotel.