Where to stay and park in Venice

[LunarOne]

Hi chaps,

I’m one week into a three week holiday road trip in my Boxster. I also have work time in Paris and Luxembourg either side of my holiday before I return to the UK. This year my focus is on Italy. So far I’ve spent the time from leaving Paris where my office is getting to the alps and doing the major passes. You know the drill. Furka. Grimsel, Stelvio and a few of the lesser known ones. Then I’ve spent some time at Lago di Garda and then a day each in Brescia and Verona. My next must see is Florence but as I’m so close, I may as well visit Venice. Never really done anything in Italy other than Milan and Genoa so it’s pretty much all new to me.

Also tomorrow 22nd happens to be my 51st birthday so hopefully Venice will make it a nice one even though I’m travelling solo.

Because of the way I like to travel, I just follow my nose and only book a hotel in the afternoon once I have a good idea where I’m going to be in the evening. But I’ve left it a bit late today. Any recommendations on where to stay and where to park in Venice welcome. I know there are a number of parking garages that charge an arm and a leg. I’d prefer somewhere safer rather than cheaper. Especially since the car is more or less full to cover 6 weeks of travels in total. Budget for accommodation is preferably under £150 a night but can stretch if necessary. I think I need at least two days in Venice especially as I hear from a biker I chatted with in Garda that Venice is absolutely heaving right now…

Thanks!

[Actual]

In 2005 we were touring Europe and took a car ferry through the middle of Venice and parked on a side road on the Lido close to our hotel.

Afterwards we drove back nonstop via the Channel Tunnel to home.

[Metric Max]

A long time ago we flew to Venice and stayed at a hotel a short walk from a railway station, a short ride took us to Venice.
If we went there with the car I would do something similar as understandably parking at Venice is at a high price

[omniflow]

We parked in the main carpark at the end of the road over the lagoon (SR11 I think). It wasn't cheap but it was very convenient. You have to leave your car unlocked and they keys on the dashboard, but it's staffed 24 hours a day. Like you we were on a long (4 weeks+) driving holiday and only took an overnight bag into Venice. The car was (and still is) a Maserati convertible and the boot is miniscule, so most of our luggage was on the back seats.

Absolutely no issues whatsoever.

Just get the water bus in, there's no need to bother with a water taxi

It was a lastminute decision for us too, so we just booked a random hotel that looked like it was in the right location. It turned out fine, but I don't have any record of the hotel name as it wasn't pre-planned - plus it would depend on what's available at short notice. We really loved Venice - we didn't feel like we were ripped off anywhere.

[LunarOne]

In the end I’ve got an Airbnb apartment in Mestri complete with private parking for a couple of days so I’ll just figure out getting to Venice proper tomorrow morning. And it means I can do a whole bunch of clothes washing overnight which will be welcome!

[Metric Max]

Google says 1 1/2 hour train ride