JennieB

I am going to be in Venice during the end of June and I need to find a hostel that is somewhat centrally located, so I don't have spend too much time trying to get onto Venice. Has anyone found anything they would recommend?

bluepea

Edited: had a great post on hostels in Vienna - fortunately I re-read.

I don't know much about Venice, so I'm not sure how it's laid out and what exactly would be considered the city center. Check out our hostel booker (which rocks!!) to browse by price and check out the locations and see which ones seem good to you.

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mark-0

From what I remember hostels in Venice are not all that easy to come by, in terms of traditional hostels. Most of the places seem like apartment style accomodations and with any place you stay in (even if it's out on the islands) it will take you hours to get to where you want to go because of all the narrow alleys and confusing geography of the place, but that's most of the fun of Venice. Just getting lost and finding your way back again. There are a couple places I could recommend, if you want. I don't have time to go sifting through emails right now to get the info because I have to go to work, but I will later. However, Venice accomodation is a bit pricey, but one of the places was fairly close to the core of Venice and after about a day and a half we had memorized the best way to get to the central sights. I recommend the Guggenheim museum. It's excellent.

simply_angelic

Yeah, pretty much doesnt matter where you stay, you'll never make it to where you want to go on a schedule....Venice is like playing a long game of I-spy except you have to be very versitile w/ the way you play...Where's the arrow to where I want to go? Oh, over there. It leads me down a random no-exit alley way you say? Hmm...oooh maybe the arrow is really pointing over there....yeah that makes sense...oops, now where's the next arrow again? Something along those lines...

It's a beautiful place though. When I went I just stayed for the day (7am in the morning to 10 at night, which was definitely the perfect amount of venice for me) but I was with two girls who stayed overnight at a hostel..not sure exactly where it was though (again not the best laid out city ever)...but they had a sign out front advertising that they had rooms available and it was pretty cheap & nice(for venice: like 20 euros)...You could just arrive there & search like we did...

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agriadam

SA I understood completly what you are saying but I don't know that you would unless you've been their but really venice is a big labrynth but neat... I sayed in one of teh camping hostels and it was absolutly incredable... also they had a shuttle that ran to venice every hour so it was pretty easy to get their. and teh night life was a lot better than the canal city of venice.

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lilchappy

I stayed at a campsite as well. There was a boat that travels every hour to get there. I agree, nightlife was fun and cheap. STA travel group while I was there. Drank about 10 pints and finished a bottle of wine I started at 3am with some canadian chicks. GOOD TIMES! I think it was called camping venezia.

To get there, you get off the train outside of the city, and take a bus for a euro. Decent traliers to sleep in. No toilet paper though, ran out and was too drunk to find any.

cya...lilchappy

tumblezweedz

We crammed the 6 of us into a one-bed hotel room, that was still horrendously overpriced, but in a great location. Wandering around getting lost is awesome, but one of my favourite memories was going to sleep with the window open, listening to the almost complete silence - just the lapping of water in the canal and the occasional slap of an oar...it was kinda eerie. And then early in the morning, the fruit sellers opening their shops and calling out to passers-by...very cool. The pigeon flapping up to sit on the window sill freaked me out royally, though. I'm not a bird person.

urOZm8

This comment is a bit of a topic drift but anyway...

I managed to stay in a friend of a friends apartment and so could come and go as I pleased at anytime. I would recommend finding a hostel that DOES NOT have a curfew. The reason for this is that you must go to St Mark's square in the middle of the night! It is deserted and you will have the whole square to yourself to admire. I recommend doing this AFTER being there during the day when it is absolutely swarming with tourists. The contrast is simply spectacular!

ev

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mark-0

Both of the places I stayed in in Venice were apartment style, but for shorter term (one night even) and they were far away from the offices of the people who owned them, we had our own keys. It was basically like having our own apartment for a week, but it was a bit more pricey.

tumblezweedz

I agree with urOz, the most amazing time to be in Venice is late at night, when all the tourists have walked themselves out, and early, early, early in the morning when you can just be still and appreciate it all. I loved walking home at night, through little courtyards way off the main tourist paths, listening to the locals having family dinners and parties and seeing the little private boats in the side canals.

We took the vaporettos around everywhere, incidentally - much cheaper than the tourist boats, and the city is just as amazing from the cheap boats.

MolsonGirl

When I was in Venice I found that there were little to no hostels actually in the city... most were on the mainland and came in on the bus in the morning... and from what i heard the ones that are actually on the islands are REALY expensive. I could be wrong though.

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Somnambulation

There are University dorms that they open up during summer for hostel prices. Its in Plaza San Toma, and they hung a makeshift sign in the window that said "Hostel San Toma". Because it isnt an actual hostel, I dont think its advertised anywhere. I think I heard about it from someone in the hostel I was at in the previous place. Its a great location, very central.

aaa32

ok.... i actually was able to find a hostel in venice last august. it was right across the main canal from the train station which was great. i didnt have to lug my luggage everywhere right when i got off the train. the hostel being by the train station is on the other side of the city from many places such as st mark's but you will not be dissapointed. it was a great little place with very nice people. um.... it's called Residence Santa Croce. great place. GREAT LOCATION. nice rooms... clean bathroom. you should be able to find it at one of the hostel finders. if you dont see it at one, look on another. i saw that it wasnt located on all websites

as with any place IN venice, it will be pricey. a bit pricier than most hostels. everything in venice is pricey but i abs loved actualy being able to stay in the city.

hope this helps

RootBrewskies

hostels in venice are pretty hard to come by. the campsites are typically cheap and are probably a good option if your staying in venice for a few days. you will have to take into consideration though the added expense of getting to and from the hostel each day and the fact that once you leave for the day thats probably it until you return for the evening.

i stayed at Casa Linger when i was in Venice recently. its more of a hotel, but they have privates with shared baths. its significantly more expsive to do this than to stay at a campsite somewhere but if for me it was worth it for a number of reasons.
1. i was only in venice for 2 days and didnt want to spend a large chunk of time trying to get from point A to point B.
2. i was there with my girlfriend and having a private room in venice was pretty appealing.
3. the campsites can be difficult if not impossible to get to at night and part of the allure of venice is seeing the canals at night. the city virtually shuts down, tourists disappear to their hotels and you can be left to wander the canals alone and soak it in. so being in venice is nice for that.

Casa Linger (i found on hostelworld.com) was ok, the location was good. it was like 3 minute walk from san marco square. its not on a canal but your close walking wise and if your on the top floor u have some good views.
the rest of the hotels its vicinity are expensive. actually the best western that i stayed at when i went to venice with my parents was nearby and i know that our rooms there were 300+ a night.

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TravelKid

Venice..

Better late than never....

I stayed at Camping Fusina in May 2005, it was absolutely incredible. There's a bar on site, internet access (not free, but cheap enough), and a small store that has most things you'd need. The camping site is just a bus ride away from the train station in Venice, directions are perfect on the camping fusina web site. You can reserve a trailer online, which I'd recommend. It was easily the cheapest accomodation I stayed at while travelling and was one of the cleanest as well. It IS like camping, you take a minute walk to the washroom and sinks, but they're all cleaned daily and the place is a blast.

Contiki tours come through here at certain times of the year, but the people onboard are highly entertaining at the Fusina bar. I'd definitely recommend it, it's the cheapest way by a long shot to see Venice, you pay for a 3 day ferry pass which isn't much at all, and you get a 10-15 min boat ride twice a day. As someone else said, the boat runs every hour starting around 8 am and the last boat back is around 9:30pm.
Two thumbs up!!