A Month In Venice

Cortina d’Ampezzo is one of the better locations in the Dolomites. The location for many mountain climbing movies such as Sylvester Stallone’s Cliffhanger and James Bond’s film For Your Eyes Only to name just a few. One of the more stunningly visual and visceral places in the Italian alps this place is known for great skiing and mountain climbing as well as a pretty good night life as well.

Since this is a skiing town it would make sense that the 1956 Winter Olympics was held here. You can ski downhill or even try your hand at ski-jumping if your heart pulls you in that direction. If skiing is not your thing then you are probably interested in trying speed-skating. There are many highly qualified instructors that I am sure if the price is right would give you some of the best individual attention that you can find nowhere else in Italy if not the world.

The nightlife scene or Apres ski scene is quite known and popular in this town. Apres ski is an activity where many downhill skiers dance the night away at the various nightclubs and discos that cater to this crowd. This however is really only geared towards the young kids and adults who seem to take favor to wasting whatever excess energy they may have dancing.Since this town caters to the very wealthy there is not a whole lot of budget hotels in the area and it may be best to stay near this town with a friend if you are so lucky enough to have one. However here is a list of some of the better hotels in the area that are not too much of a rip off.

Miramonti Majectic
Via Pezie 103
Tel: 0436-4201
One of the more traditional and rustic hotels in the area. This hotel does not disappoint however in its charm and warmth. Be sure and get a room with a balcony as that is one of the better ways to enjoy your evenings in this small town.

De La Poste
Piazza Roma 14
Tel: 0436-4271
This is one large historic chalet in the center of town. The hotel’s bar is part of the towns social scene so if you plan on getting out and seeing the locals and the tourists then stay here and you do not have to go far.

Da Beppe Sello
Via Ronco 68
Tel: 0436-803-828
This is a smaller hotel that does not lack in warmth or charm. Containing one of the best restaurants in town this is the place to stay if you are foodie like many of the other Europeans.

The city of Mestre is on the mainland that connects to the Venetian lagoon. For many travelers to Venice you will not stay in this part of Italy. This is not really such a bad thing as there really is not too much to do and see in this city. Rather Mestre is more of a jumping off point to get to Venice.

So then why devote an entire blog post to this non descript city? Well for many that want a
cheap romantic vacation in Venice but do not want to spend loads of money you have the option of staying in Mestre. Mestre caters to the budget Venice traveler as many of the hotels are a fraction of the cost then what you will stay in Venice. So you see a romantic stay in Venice is possible if you are willing to venture out a bit and stay in the less glamorous sections of this lagoon.

Here are just some of the places you can stay in Mestre that is sure to be kind ot your wallet.

Bw Hotel Bologna
Via Fiave 214, Mestre, VE 30175
One of the better rated hotels this is a sure bet to have your cake and eat it as well while you enjoy your stay.

Ambasciatori Hotel
Corso Del Popolo, Mestre, VE 30172
Another fine establishment that is sure to please many if not most. Certainly worth a visit if you are in the area.

Hotel Paris
Via Venezia, 11, , Mestre, Veneto 30171
I have not heard any negative reviews of this hotel yet so I am very confident that you should enjoy your stay here.

Kappa Hotel
Via Trezzo 8, Mestre, VE 30174
A quaint place that is sometimes well received by some. Since the reviews are hit and miss I might venture someplace else but it is worth mentioning.

There are many other places to stay because as I said that Mestre caters to the budget traveler and there seems to be an endless supply of those in the world. Besides who wants to spend an enormous amount of money when your eyes are closed anyways? I am sure you understand what I mean. If you are planning on going to Venice at some point make sure you check out Mestre as it will sure save your wallet some bucks.

Jack from Eyeflare.com did a great post on resources to plan a Venice trip and I want to continue on what he has done with a post of my own. There are thousands upon thousands of webpages dedicated to the city of venice so how does one decide which one is better then the next? Well that is more up to personal opinion then anything else but there are some factors to consider such as how often a website is updated and how accurate it is.

For instance I have found that the Venice City Guide from Time Out Travel to be one of the best resources online that you can find. Not only is the site comprehensive but it is also accurate and timely to boot.

The website of world 66 is also a great site if you plan on visiting Venice or any other city they may cover. The information covers all the bases to eating out to the history to day trips to and from Venice. Definitely worth a look.

Lastly I would recommend a website i recently just came across called Living Venice where it is from two people who actually live in Venice right now. You will not find a more up to date blog then this one. Well perhaps mine can come in a close second place.

Another update to the Vaporetto system that I guess I should tell all my readers about. The city of Venice is getting a brand new electronic card system called imob.venezia that will replace the current paper system in use. These cards are going to be of great benefit to the locals but also to the tourists as well.

One benefit of purchasing a imob e-card is that you will be able to use these cards to see the various museums and art shows that are in all of Venice. Gone will be the days that you will have to purchase some tickets for one museum or group of museums but rather the dream is to just have one card that allows you to travel all throughout the city but also to get into to see the historical sights as well. At least that is how I interpret things as going. As with all new systems there is sure to be some snags in the system and others will not cooperate but at least it should remove some of the headaches of the previous system.

I am trying to make the blog a bit more topical and I hope you like what you are reading as keeping this blog up to date is one of my top priorities. Just a quick post I guess today.

If you know anything about the country of Italy you should know that things do not remain constant for long. This is definitely the case for the public transit system in Venice called the Vaporetto that runs all throughout the canals and is the best system of navigating the city of Venice.

The ACTV has just posted up an update to their fares on their website. The details are just too numerous to go over and you should really think ahead or consult a local as to what is the best option for you to choose when purchasing a ticket.

Each ticket can be purchased in 12 hour blocks that are activated after the first swiping of the card. Of course the currency that is in use is in Euros as the Italian Lira as been completely phased out by now.

Here is the fare schedule:

12 hours – 14 Euros
24 hours – 16 Euros
36 hours – 21 Euros
48 hours – 26 Euros
72 hours – 31 Euros

Of course pick the card that is the most cost efficient for you to use based on how long you stay. Also keep in mind that you can purchase a month long card that gives discounted rates. If you are a senior citizen or a student there are also some other considerations as well. This I guess is a bit of housekeeping in order to keep this blog as up to date as possible.