Mestre for Venice cruise passengers
08/11/2011
ABOVE: Venice's Marittima cruise basin from the deck of MSC Poesia.
2016 Update: We've closed comments on this post. If you're looking for a hotel in Mestre that's convenient to the Venice Marittima cruise basin, we suggest reading the Mestre Hotels for Cruise Passengers page of the Venice Mestre & Marghera Hotels guide at our travel-planning site, Veniceforvisitors.com. (And if you're already booked into a hotel in an inconvenient location, we suggest that you cancel your reservation and book a hotel that's more practical for cruise passengers.)
In a recent post titled "Trains from Mestre to Venice, and parking in Mestre," we offered suggestions for money-conscious tourists and motorists who might be thinking of staying in Mestre, on the Venetian mainland, instead of in Venice's historic center.
Now we'd like to discuss a related topic: Why spending a few nights in Mestre may be a good idea if you're cruising from or to Venice.
First, some basics:
- Mestre is at the foot of the causeway that leads from the Italian mainland to Venice's historic center and cruise port, which are about 4 km or 2.6 miles offshore.
- Although Mestre is often described as an "industrial suburb," it's actually part of the Comune di Venezia, a.k.a. the City of Venice. It's a pleasant, prosperous town with a population of nearly 186,00 and a thriving commercial center with a number of historic buildings from the 12th through the 19th Centuries.
What does Mestre have to offer cruisers? Mainly this:
- If you're laden down with luggage--as cruise passengers often are--you can take a cab from Marco Polo Airport to a hotel in downtown Mestre for about a dozen euros. When you're ready to board your cruise ship, you can hire another taxi to the cruise terminal (either Marittima or San Basilio) and ride directly to the ship for 25 euros or less.
As a bonus, Venice's historic center is only a 10- to 12-minute train ride from the Mestre Railroad Station, so you can easily sightsee before or after your cruise even if you've chosen to stay on the mainland.
We'd like to make one thing clear: We prefer staying in Venice's car-free historic center ourselves, and we think it's your best choice if can manage it. But if you lack the strength or enough hands to wrestle suitcases filled with tuxedos and evening gowns over Venice's footbridges, a taxi-accessible hotel in Mestre is likely to be a practical and less stressful alternative.
For more information about Mestre, including how to get there and where to stay, see our 23 pages of Mestre travel advice and photos at Veniceforvisitors.com.
BELOW: Shoppers on the Piazza Ferretto in downtown Mestre's pedestrian zone.
Get to Venice's Piazzale Roma (your hotel's receptionist can point you to the nearest train, bus, or tram), then take the People Mover to Marittima. For more information on getting to or from cruise ships, which hotels are most convenient for cruisers, etc., see our Venice cruising pages at http://veniceforcruisers.com.
Posted by: Durant Imboden | 10/09/2015 at 07:10 PM
Hello - how much would a taxi be for 8 people from Mestre (Antony Hotel) to the cruise port terminal? Thank you!
Posted by: Dayna S. | 01/08/2016 at 05:10 AM
For specific water-taxi fares, check with the Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia. You'll find a link in our "Venice Water Taxis" article at Veniceforvisitors.com::
http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/water-taxis.htm
- di
Posted by: Durant Imboden | 01/08/2016 at 04:07 PM
We are going on Msc Magnifia in April ?what is the cheapest way to get to the cruise port how much is a land taxi .
Thank Ann.
Posted by: Ann Ryan | 01/19/2016 at 05:11 PM
Everything you need to know about getting to your ship from the airport (or getting from your ship to the airport) is in our "Venice for Cruisers" section at Veniceforvisitors.com. You can go there directly by typing or clicking:
http://veniceforcruisers.com/
Posted by: Durant Imboden | 01/19/2016 at 06:18 PM
I am planning on arriving on September 27 and staying at the Holiday Inn Ratonda Romea to take a cruise on Holland American. What is the easiest way to get to the ship with four passengers and of course loads of luggage?
Posted by: Dave | 02/06/2016 at 02:36 AM
We're not familiar with that hotel, but apparently it's in Marghera, on the mainland. The easiest way to get from a hotel on the mainland to the Marittima cruise ship is by land taxi. Just ask your hotel's reception desk to call you a cab.
Posted by: Durant Imboden | 02/06/2016 at 02:56 AM
We are staying for 1 night at Hilton Garden Inn (Mestra) after our cruise then onto the airport. What is the best way to get from the cruise terminal (MSC Magnificia) to the hotel and then onto the airport
P Dewar
Posted by: P Dewar | 03/08/2016 at 02:04 AM
The Hilton Garden Inn isn't in a very convenient location for public transportation, so we'd suggest taking a taxi from the pier to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport unless you can arrange a cheaper shuttle with the hotel's reception desk.
Posted by: Durant Imboden | 03/08/2016 at 02:08 AM
We are arriving in Venice on a "Celebrity " Cruise Ship, I have a mobility problem.
I can walk very slowly, but do not want to go on a Water Taxis, as vertigo will start. Is there away that we can get to see the sights? Your help really would be appricated.
Regards
Carole Good
Posted by: Carole Good | 04/05/2016 at 10:46 AM
Ms. Good: You could take the People Mover or a taxi to the Piazzale Roma (on the edge of Venice's historic center) and walk from there, but the walking might be too much for you if you want to visit the Piazza San Marco, the Basilica, etc. A better bet, if you could manage it, would be to ride the Alilaguna Blue Line airport water bus from the Marittima cruise basin (near your ship) to the San Marco stop and explore from there on foot.
Posted by: Durant and Cheryl Imboden | 04/05/2016 at 01:48 PM
Hi, I will go on cruise with MSC Orchestra, would you please guide me how to get to the port from Royal San Marco by public transport. Thanks
Posted by: Long Nguyen | 04/13/2016 at 01:22 AM
From the Royal San Marco, walk to the San Marco Giardinetti waterbus stop and take the Alilaguna Linea Blu airport boat to the Marittima cruise basin.
Posted by: Durant and Cheryl Imboden | 04/13/2016 at 09:29 AM
We are staying at the Bartolomeo San Marco and departing by Royal Caribbean on 3/June 2016. What would be the easiest way to get to the Cruise Terminal.
Many Thanks
Posted by: Ian Monteith | 04/17/2016 at 11:39 PM
The Hotel Bartolomeo is in a poor location for cruisers who are using the Marittima terminals, where large ships of lines such as Royal Caribbean, NCL, MSC, and Costa depart.
You'd be much better off picking one of the hotels close to the Piazzale Roma, the Piazza San Marco, the St. Mark's Basin waterfront, or even the Lido that we feature in our "Venice Cruise Terminal Hotels" article at Venice for Visitors:
http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruise-terminal-hotels.htm
Still, if you can't change your booking, your best bet is to walk from the Hotel Bartolomeo to the nearest Alilaguna Linea Blu airport-boat stop (probably San Marco Giardinetti) and catch the Alilaguna Linea Blu boat to the Marittima cruise basin on your day of departure.
(Another Alilaguna route, Linea Arancio or the Orange Line, stops closer to your hotel--at Rialto--but doesn't go anywhere near the cruise terminals.)
Posted by: Durant and Cheryl Imboden | 04/19/2016 at 07:46 PM
Hi, we will stay over night at Delfino hotel , Mestre Venice, can you tell me which is the cheap way to cruise port.
we are on Norwegian cruise.
Many thanks
Posted by: teresa | 04/29/2016 at 10:05 AM
Hotel Delfino in Mestre to the Marittima cruise port:
If you don't have too much luggage, you can take a public bus to the Piazzale Roma and catch the People Mover automated tram to the port from there. Your hotel reception desk will tell you which bus to catch and should be able to sell you tickets for the bus and People Mover.
If you're carrying a lot of luggage, you'll probably want to take a taxi to the port. (I can't tell you the exact fare--it's probably in the neighborhood of 25 or 30 euros.)
Posted by: Durant and Cheryl Imboden | 04/29/2016 at 04:12 PM
We've now closed comments on this post. If you need hotel advice for Mestre, please see our Venice Mestre & Marghera Hotels guide at Veniceforvisitors.com:
http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/mestre/mestre-hotels.htm
More specifically, see the Mestre Hotels for Cruise Passengers page of that article, which suggests where to stay and how to reach the cruise port:
http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/mestre/mestre-hotels-cruises.htm
Finally, for general information about cruising from Venice, please see:
http://veniceforcruisers.com/
Posted by: Durant and Cheryl Imboden | 04/29/2016 at 05:18 PM
1. We are arriving on 8/23/16 and staying at the JW Marriott Laguna di San Marco. How do you suggest 4 people with 6 medium luggage and 4 carry on pieces get to the hotel.
2. We will then leave on 8/26/16 on Royal Caribbean Cruises for a 10 day cruise and will need a transfer from the Marriott to the cruise terminal.
3. We will arrive back into Venice on 9/5/16 and have a flight to catch at 10:50AM and will need a transfer from the ship to the airport. What time should we disembark from the ship?
Thanks,
Jesse
Posted by: Jesse | 07/02/2016 at 10:30 PM
Hi,
I'm traveling by train from Florence to Venice at the same day of my cruise on September 5. I'll arrive at Mestre around 10:30am.
Do you think should I keep it or better change my plans (besides I think I can't get train ticket reimbursement) and go to Venice one day before my sailing?
Tku!
Posted by: Fabiana | 08/26/2016 at 06:34 AM
Fabiana:
You should be okay, assuming that your ship leaves in late afternoon (say, 5 or 6 p.m.) as most cruise ships do. It's only about a 10-minute by ride by taxi from Mestre to the cruise port. (Longer if you use public transportation.) Usually you can't embark before noon anyway.
Posted by: Durant and Cheryl Imboden | 08/26/2016 at 03:39 PM
I am travelling to Venice on 8th October (Marcopolo Airport) for a Cruise on Costa Deliziosa. The ship docks on 9th October at Venezia Passenger Terminal. Can you please guide which hotels would be nearby to this Terminal. Are Hotels based at the Mestre Area or Venice Islands near to the terminal?
Posted by: Violet | 08/27/2016 at 09:13 AM
Violet:
Costa ships use the main Marittima basin. For hotel information, please see:
http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice-cruise-terminal-hotels.htm
For general cruising information about Venice, see:
http://veniceforcruisers.com/
Posted by: Durant and Cheryl Imboden | 08/27/2016 at 05:18 PM
I will be in hotel Paris in Mestre.
On 25 May I have to catch msc cruise.
Is my hotel near station and what's best to get to cruise liner.
Taxi land or taxi water?
Posted by: Eveline Slap | 02/19/2017 at 02:46 PM
Ms. Slap: Take a land taxi from your hotel in Mestre to the cruise terminal (Marittima or San Basilio, as the case may be). All the piers are accessible by car.
The trip shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes (15 minutes at most).
Posted by: Durant and Cheryl Imboden | 02/19/2017 at 05:29 PM