Venice > Where to stay > For early-morning flights

Early-Morning Flights from Venice Airport

For early-morning departures from Venice's Marco Polo Airport (VCE), we recommend any of these hotel options:

ABOVE: ZzzleepandGo is right inside Venice Marco Polo Airport's departures lobby. In the morning, you can roll out of bed and into line at the check-in counter.

• A ZzzleepandGo "resting pod" in the airport's departures area, next to check-in counter 139. The mini-rooms are small (and designed for one person), but they're a big step up from sleeping on a bench or the floor.

• A hotel near the Piazzale Roma in Venice's historic center, which will let you walk quickly to ground transportation at dawn. From the Piazzale Roma, it's only a 20-minute trip to Marco Polo Airport's front door by airport bus, starting at 4:20 a.m. See 10 hotels near airport buses.

• The Best Western Hotel Bologna, the Hotel Plaza, or the Hotel Tritone in Mestre, on the mainland. These three hotels are right across the street from the Mestre Railroad Station. From the station, the inexpensive ATVO "Fly Bus" has frequent departures to Marco Polo Airport, and the journey takes only 17 minutes.

• The Best Western Titian Inn Hotel & Residence, a three-star hotel within 900 meters (about 0.6 mile) of the Venice Marco Polo Airport terminal. There's a shuttle for a small fee, you can park your rental car if you have one, and a restaurant is nearby. Other hotels in the vicinity include the Annia Park Hotel Venice Airport (4 stars, shuttle), Courtyard by Marriott Venice Airport (4 stars, shuttle), Antony Hotel (4 stars, shuttle), and the Hotel Gronda Luganare (2 stars, public bus to airport).

• Other good choices that aren't too far from the airport include Dream, Agriturismo Il Melograno, B&B Airport Venice Diego 2, and La Noghera. (These are most practical if you're going to the airport by rental car.)

If you're a little more adventurous and are willing to pay close attention to the Alilaguna boat timetable, another possibility is also worth considering:

• A hotel on the glassmaking island of Murano, which is half an hour from Marco Polo Airport by Alilaguna airport boat.

Again, you have several convenient choices:

• ATVO airport bus from the Piazzale Roma. The blue express coaches normally start running at 4:20 a.m. and take 20 minutes to reach the airport departure terminal.

• A car taxi from the Piazzale Roma. Plan on spending at least €50. The trip will take 15-20 minutes, depending on traffic.

• A water taxi from your hotel, which shouldn't take more than 20-25 minutes but will cost €120 or more. (However, you'll need to walk from the pier to the terminal when you reach the airport, which can take 10 minutes or so.)

Important!

• For early departures, we do not recommend the Alilaguna airport boat, because the trip will take longer than a bus, car taxi, or water taxi, and you'll waste valuable time walking from the Alilaguna and water taxi piers to the terminal after you reach the airport. (Exception: If you're staying on Murano, the airport boat is worth considering.)

• We also do not recommend relying on a vaporetto (water bus) to reach the Piazzale Roma if you're leaving at the crack of dawn. You'll save yourself hassle and worry by staying near the airport or the Piazzale Roma. (If your departure is at a more reasonable hour, you can stay anywhere and take the Alilaguna airport boat to Marco Polo Airport.)

• If you're departing from Treviso Airport, which is about 25 km or 16 miles from Venice, you can book a hotel near the Piazzale Roma and catch the Treviso airport bus, or you might want to spend the night in Treviso's attractive town center (for example, at the Hotel Continental) and take a taxi or local bus to the airport. (See more Treviso hotel listings.)

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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