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Updated July 30, 2008
This guide has been developed specifically for Pronto Professional Seminars participants who will be attending Monica McGoldrick’s workshop 14-19 September 2008. We are grateful for the staff of Just!Venice who collaborated on the writing and fact-finding. If something is not clear or if you have questions, please contact us immediately. We wish to provide you with the best tips for a pleasant and relaxed stay. Upon arrival, during the welcome reception, we will give you a Welcome Kit with city maps, news and further information on tours as well as the latest things to do during your stay.
1) FROM THE VENICE AIRPORT: HOW DO I REACH GIUDECCA ISLAND?
o The ALILAGUNA ferry service (for details and discount fares check the Venice Card section of this brochure) will take you from the airport to the Venice centre, Zattere waterbus (vaporetto) stop.
To get to Giudecca Island, you can get the vaporetto #2 from the Zattere stop that heads to Piazza San Marco. Note that the number of the vaporetto is displayed prominently on the side with a clear map of its route with all the stops.
To reach the Just!Venice Head Office get off at the Redentore stop, turn right and walk along the embankment: after 1 minute you will see the “Venice Cube” long white building on your left where our office is (on the right you will have the Canal!). The main entance door is green.
To reach the Hotel Domina get off from at the Palanca stop, turn left and walk along the embankment and then turn right after crossing the first bridge. The hotel is at the end of the street, Calle Ferrando, on your right.
o WATER TAXIS FROM THE AIRPORT TO VENICE
Rather expensive, the service starts from a minimum of €50 for short distances within the city. The journey from the airport to Venice, or vice-versa could cost you around €110 during the day. However, they hold up to 10 people so can be worth getting if you split the fare with a group of friends.
Contact numbers for booking Tel. +39 041 240 6711 / 24h service Tel. +39 041 522 2303
o TAXIS FROM THE AIRPORT TO VENICE (by road)
This is an excellent service from the airport, fast and comfortable, at a reasonable price (about € 40). It will drop you at Piazzale Roma where you’ll find the main vaporettos, waterbuses, and landing stages. From Piazzale Roma, to get to Giudecca Island, you can get the vaporetto #2 (just down the steps from the buses’ terminus, the number of the vaporetto is displayed prominently on the side with a clear map of its route with all the stops) heading to Piazza San Marco.
To reach the Just!Venice Head Office get off at the Redentore stop, turn right and walk along the embankment: after 1 minute you will see the “Venice Cube” long white building on your left where our office is (on the right you will have the Canal!). The main entance door is green.
Otherwise, from Piazzale Roma, you can reach the #41 stop by walking along the embankment till the end and take the vaporetto heading to Murano. It will take you about 15 minutes to get to the Redentore stop.
Contact numbers for booking Tel. +39-041 936 222
o BUS (by road)
You can take the ATVO bus (Venice direction) just outside the Arrivals area (ticket €3,00) or any other orange ACTV bus heading to VENICE (ticket €2,50) (*). It will bring you to the Piazzale Roma where you can take the vaporetto as explained above.
(*) The ticket for ACTV buses is free if you have a Venice Card (see paragraph below).
2) FROM THE VENICE RAILWAY STATION: HOW DO I GET AROUND AND/OR REACH THE GIUDECCA ISLAND?
From Venice railway station, you can either take the vaporetto #2 heading to Piazza San Marco (it leaves every 10 mins) or the vaporetto #41 heading to Murano (it leaves every 20 mins), as explained in the TAXIS section above.
Piazzale Roma is the next stop after the railway station.
3) TRANSFER SERVICE
Just!Venice offers transfer service from/to the airport/railway station on arrival and departure. Our staff will wait for you and help you out with your luggage for reaching your accommodation or the airport/railway station on the day of your departure.
We will send you on request a form to fill in with all the information regarding your departure and arrival (e.g. flight schedule, accommodation, etc) in order to organize your transfer service the best way possible.
4) HOW DO I GET AROUND AT A CONVENIENT PRICE? WHAT ARE THE HOURS OF THE VAPORETTO SERVICE?
HOW TO USE THE ACTV WEBSITE: http://www.actv.it/english/home.php
Just click on the Water Buses section. On the first page you will find all the information on fares. If you click on the Timetables section, you can choose your departure and arrival stop, your expected arrival time and you will be able to see all the information related to the vaporetto line, the route and the schedule. If you click on the PDF link in the bottom part of the page, you can also download the complete waterbus timetable. In any case water buses are very frequent; for example lines 1, 2, 3 leave every ten minutes and the other lines every twenty.
From 10 pm to 6 am the lines are less frequent.
THE VENICE CARD –a discount travel card
Venice is a wonderful city for walking but you will need to take the vaporetto, the public waterbus, which will also give you the experience of seeing Venice as it is meant to be seen, on the water, through its world-famous canals and other waterways.
The standard fare for non-residents is € 6,50 for 60 minutes and tickets are available from most landing stages, tabacchi, shops displaying the ACTV sign, tourist offices and the VeLa/ACTV office in Piazzale Roma. But you will almost certainly save money by buying a travel card when you arrive.
Since your stay will range from 5 to 7 days we suggest you purchase the Venice Card Blue for transport: www.venicecard.com
There are two types of VENICE card:
VENICE card BLUE Basic and VENICE card ORANGE Culture
You can buy both of them at:
VENICE MARCO POLO AIRPORT:
o Welcome Desk VeneziaSì (info@veneziasi.it) in the Arrivals area
o VELA desk in the Arrivals area, open from 9 am to 7 pm. (call center /+39/ 041 24 24)
o ALILAGUNA/ATVO desks in the Arrivals area, open from 7 pm to 12 am
VELA desk Piazzale Roma, open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
VELA desk at the railway station, open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
TREVISO AIRPORT ATVO Ticket office c/o Aeroporto di Treviso
We suggest you buy the card on your arrival at the airport/railway station so you can start using it straightaway (the online service has experienced difficulties and you would have to collect the card at the airport/railway station desk anyway).
We recommend you buy the VENICE card BLUE Basic.
It offers various services and it is the best one to choose if you don’t intend to visit the churches and museums included in the VENICE card ORANGE Culture.
You can find all the information also in the following website: http://www.venicecard.com/VC_blu_eng.jsp
OUR TIPS for the Blue card
The Blue card offers you:
o Unlimited use of public transport and use of public toilets and baby-changing facilities in the town (2 visits per day);
o Discounts on tickets to see exhibitions and cultural initiatives in Venice;
o Discounts in the main car parks, bars, restaurants, hotels and shops displaying the VENICEcard sticker;
o Free entrance to the Venice Casino for senior card holders
o Complimentary Venice map
BLUE VENICEcard Senior for cardholders 30 years and over price EURO 58.00 for 7 days
BLUE VENICEcard Junior for cardholders up to 29 years old price EURO 57.00 for 7 days
There is also the ORANGE TYPE.
It is your discount ticket to the city's major tourist attractions and it is worth buying only if you intend to visit the museums and churches included.
You can find all information also in the following website:
http://www.venicecard.com/VC_orange_eng.jsp
ORANGE VENICEcard Senior for cardholders 30 years and over price EURO 85.00 for 7 days
ORANGE VENICEcard Junior for cardholders up to 29 years old price EURO 76.00 for 7 days
VENICE card ORANGE Culture offers you:
o Unlimited use of public transport and use of public toilets and baby-changing facilities in the town (2 visits per day);
o Free access to Venice’s 10 Municipal Museums;
o Free access to the 16 churches in the Chorus Circuit, the Querini Stampalia Foundation and the Jewish Museum (48-hour and 7-day cards only);
o Discounts on tickets to exhibitions and cultural initiatives in Venice (Palazzo Grassi, Peggy Guggenheim, etc.);
o Discounts on the main car parks, bars, restaurants, hotels and shops displaying the VENICEcard sticker;
o Free entrance to the Venice Casino for senior cardholders.
o Complimentary Venice map
The ALILAGUNA ferry service is the only direct ferry from the airport to Venice, the ticket cost € 12.
You can choose to buy your VENICEcard with the Alilaguna return ticket included, but since the discount is minimal (€2) only choose this option if you intend to use the service upon arrival and departure. Otherwise just buy it on site.
For more info see the ALILAGUNA site http://www.alilaguna.it
Both Orange and Blue VENICEcards cover the bus service from the airport.
Although less romantic than a ferry ride, the service is fast and frequent and drops you at PIAZZALE ROMA where you’ll find the main vaporetti landing stages. (for details on buses see the section above, for details on vaporetti from Piazzale Roma see From The Venice Airport: how do I get around and/or reach the Giudecca Island? Section)
5) THE CONFERENCE VENUE and Just!Venice
The Seminar will be held at Just!Venice headoffice in Giudecca Island. It is a wonderful conference room overlooking the Giudecca canal with a view on Piazza San Marco and the Zattere.
Just!Venice is located inside the Venice Cube, an incubator for innovative companies, a very special place in Venice. The building lies between the Palanca and Redentore stops where you can get the #2 (every 10 mins) or #41/42 (circular service, every 20 mins) vaporettos taking you to the main sights.
To reach Just!Venice Head Office from Hotel Domina, simply go back to the embankment, turn right enjoying the view of Piazza San Marco and walk for about 5 minutes. Cross two brigdes and after the second one, called Ponte Lungo, you will find a long white building on your right, called the Venice Cube.
Please note that the bridge called Ponte Lungo is equipped with an elevator for disabled.
Are there good value restaurants near the Conference venue?
Top range (upwards of €70 a head, drinks excluded)
- Altanella: terrace overlooking small canal;
- Cipriani Hotel: overlooking main canal with a view of St. Mark’s;
- Harry’s Dolci: offshoot of the famous Harry’s Bar; al fresco dining;
- Hilton Molino Stucky – Skyline bar: sushi and jazz.
Mid range (from €15 to €50 a head, drinks excluded)
- Ristorante Redentore: al fresco dining with panoramic view;
- Mistrà: spartan surroundings (no al fresco) catering mainly for local dockyard workers; plain menu, cheap food (in the evenings there is more refined menu at slightly higher but still very reasonable prices).
- On the Fondamenta (canal wharf) between the Venice Cube and the Palanca landing stage you’ll find a series of reasonably priced trattorias and bars.
You can also buy food at the nearby supermarkets (Prix and Coop).
How do we organize lunch each day? Where will we have lunch?
Those wishing to have lunch in the nearby Food & Art Canteen just need to book at our desk day by day.
Food & Art is run by Pierino Fortunato, a friendly art-loving host, and is housed in an old shipyard. There are tables both outside and inside and a self-service counter with a choice of fresh pasta, cheese, meat and fish dishes.
The menu is typical Italian and varies every day.
Do you hand out maps of Venice?
Yes, during the welcome reception.
Will we have all meals together?
No, lunch and dinner on your own: each day there is a lunch available for purchase (approximately 10 Euros) near the conference centre at the Food and Art Canteen featuring high quality local Venetian food.
We will have recommendations of restaurants of different levels and menus available.
We will have two Aperitivos together at typical Venetian wine-bars called osteria as well as a nice Welcome Reception at the Conference Venue in Giudecca on Sunday at 7pm, before the seminar starts.
6) HOTEL DOMINA
Since the seminar is being held in peak season, in order to guarantee excellent quality at good prices, we have selected Hotel Domina for our main conference hotel. Hotel Domina is a few minutes walking distance from the Just!Venice Head Office at the Venice Cube Conference Center.
Directions to Hotel Domina: From Venice railway station or Piazzale Roma, to reach it you can either take the vaporetto #2 heading to Piazza San Marco or the vaporetto #41 heading to Murano. Get off at the Palanca stop, turn left and walk along the embankment and then turn right after crossing the first bridge. The hotel is at the end of the street, Calle Ferrando, on your right.
GOOD NEWS: Thanks to the work of Just Venice and Pronto, Hotel Domina rates were reduced as of 14th July (current exchange rate 1 Euro = 1,56 USD). All participants staying at the hotel will receive these rates:
single : euro 170.00
dus : euro 180.00 (double used as single)
double: euro 200.00
triple: euro 235.00
7) IS THERE A PROGRAM FOR SPOUSES AND TRAVEL COMPANIONS?
Just!Venice has designed a program for spouses and traveling companions for people who are not going to the conference in the morning. The program will be availbale on site after we received all the surveys telling us the number of spouses and travel companions.
8) SPORTS
The best way to get to know the real Venice is by running through its streets early in the morning. No hordes of tourists, just shopkeepers opening their stores, sleepy schoolchildren on their way to school and porters unloading boats.
If you prefer to take things easy, why not start the day with a leisurely jog along the Giudecca’s fondamenta, the wide paved paths running alongside the canals? Shrieking seagulls and lapping waves will remind you that Venice is a seaboard city.The island is 5-7 km long from the red neo-gothic Hilton Molino Stucky on the western tip to the Hotel Cipriani at the other end. You can also explore Venetian calli starting from the Zattere landing stage. Just!Venice staff will be more than pleased to help you choose the route that best suit you needs.
Golfers will be delighted to discover that the neighbouring Lido island boasts one of the finest 18-hole courses in Europe (6,610 yards long from the regular tees and 6,700 yards long from the championship tees. Par 72 S.S.S. 72. Large practice course, putting and pitching greens).
Tradition holds that Henry Ford, on one of his frequent visits to Venice, asked his friend Count Volpi di Misurata where he could play a decent game of golf. He was disappointed on that occasion but his request sowed a seed; the count decided to found a golf club, calling upon the Scottish architect Cruickshank to design the links, and in 1930 the Venice golf club opened its gates to players.
Visit http://www.circologolfvenezia.it.
9) IF I WANT TO VISIT OTHER PLACES IN ITALY
Just!Venice staff will provide you with all the information you might need about the places you would like to visit.
We can book your train tickets and hotel rooms in most large Italian cities. Contact us at info@justvenice.com with your travel questions.
However, we do not book, reconfirm or change airline tickets.
10) I HAVE A DISABILITY, WHAT ABOUT ME?
Moving around Venice is certainly not the easiest thing if you are a disabled, and the same must be said for parents with baby carriages. It is highly recommended to have someone helping you because with a wheel chair you may not be able to cross the bridges.
Please check the City of Venice web pages dedicated to the topic:
http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/1332
http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/1340
http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/1381 http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/1381
11) OTHER FAQ
a) Who can attend?
The activities of Pronto Professional Seminars are available to professionals in health-related fields including physicians, psychologists, social workers, psychotherapists, nurses who are qualified for membership in, or are members of, their respective professional organizations and to professionals with health-related graduate degrees from accredited institutions. Applications from graduate students in accredited programs leading to a degree in the above fields will be accepted if they supply a letter from their university/department on letterhead stationery certifying their full-time status.
b) How do I register?
Registration is online. Please follow the links on our Registration page at http://www.italyseminars.com/rates.html
If you prefer to register by fax, we will send you a form.
c) Are meals and/or hotel included in the seminar fee?
The seminar registration fee includes the seminar, the welcome reception and two traditional Venetian cocktail hours. Travel expense, accommodations and meals are not included in the seminar registration fee.
d) Do you offer Group Discounts?
Yes. All registrations must be sent in the same envelope or emailed together. No additions can be made once the original group registrations have been mailed. Please contact us to request a registration form.
Yes, they are as follows:
2 attendees --------15% discount on each registration fee
3 to 6 attendees----30% discount on each registration fee
10+ attendees ------40% discount on each registration fee
Please send an email to info@italyseminars.com with the names in your group. Then we will create individual invoices for all members of the group.
e) Who do I contact if I have questions with my registration?
Please contact:
Ron Pilato
Email: info@italyseminars.com
Telephone: ++415.839.7269 or toll free in the US: 1.877.236.9864
Mail: PO BOX 320714 San Francisco, CA 94132
f) Do you offer Scholarships? Unfortunately, we are not offering Scholarships at this time.
g) Do you send invitation letters for Visas? Not at this time.
h) What is the Program Schedule each day?
From 9 am to 1 pm the seminar meets; optional lunch, excursions and free time for the rest of the day.
i) When is the best time to make travel reservations?
The best time to book travel is after we have enough registrations to proceed with the seminar, which is now.
j) Is there any Internet point close to the conference venue?
Yes, there is one Internet point at five minutes walk from the Just!Venice head office, close to the Palanca landing stage.
GRACE ICT Opening times: 9.30am-1.00pm – 3.30pm-7.30pm
If you have your own laptop, inside the Conference room there is wi-fi.
k) Is there a Laundromat or dry cleaner’s close to the conference venue?
Yes, there is a Laundromat at five minutes walk from the conference venue, just close to the Zitelle landing stage.
l) It is a good idea to purchase travel insurance?
Yes. Most travel insurance will cover some of your costs in the event you could not travel for some reason or the event was cancelled.
m) Do you have any airline discounts?
No, because the market is always changing. If you would like help with your travel planning, including touring in Italy and Europe before and after our seminars, we recommend our travel consultant, Josh Friedman (http://www.joshfriedmantravel.com/).
Josh is an Italy expert and he should be able to save you time while providing high quality service. Service fees apply.
n) Is there any left luggage service at the railway station?
Yes, there is a left luggage office where you can leave your luggage for a maximum of 5 days.
Opening times From 6.00 am to 12 pm
Fee per luggage Euro 3,80 (for a 6-hour period)
Each luggage Maximum 20 kg
Surplus over 6 hrs + Euro 0,80 per piece
Additional surplus over 13 hrs + Euro 0,20 per piece
o) What if my luggage get mislaid?
There is a “Lost Baggage” office in the arrival area of the Venice airport. You will be asked by the staff to provide all the information regarding your flight, the luggage code that you received at the check-in before leaving and a number where you can be contacted in Venice in order to inform you when your luggage arrives as there is no delivery service from the airport to Venice. When your luggage arrives you will have to pick it up at the “Lost Baggage” office.
Opening hours 8.00am – 0.30am for passenger claims
9.00am – 8.00pm for picking up your luggage
Telephone +39 041 2609222
From 9.00am – 7.00pm
7.00pm – 9.00am with automatic answering service
p) Are the rooms at the hotel singles or doubles? Do the rooms have private bathrooms?
In Venice, Hotel Domina has 6 single rooms. Any room can be used for single use with a single supplement fee. Some of the rooms are bigger and thus can accommodate more than 2 people. Each room has a private bathroom.
q) What is the cancellation policy?
For conference registration fee:
100% refund up until 90 days before event
50% refund up until 30 days before event
No refund 30 days before event
For Hotel Domina:
30 days prior to the scheduled arrival date: no penalty.
Cancellation within 30 days prior to the scheduled arrival date:
50% of the whole stay
r) Can I share a room with another participant at Hotel Domina?
Yes, we can help with this. If you would like to share a room, please send your inquiry to info@italyseminars.com including your email address. You must do this AFTER you register and we cannot guarantee a roommate, but we will send you a list of people who have inquired and you can contact people on your own.
s) Do you recommend travelers checks?
You may bring travelers’ checks (only in Euro) if you wish but the easiest solution is probably offered by ATM machines.
t) What will the weather be like?
Sept 14 – 19
The weather will likely be warm to hot, cooling down at nights.
When sightseeing, take things slowly, try to keep to Venice’s shady calli (narrow alleys) and drink lots of water.
u) What is the dress code?
The warm weather dictates light clothing (we suggest natural fabrics in light colors). As a fair amount of walking is inevitable in Venice, make sure you bring comfortable footwear (sandals or similar shoes are best because sneakers and training shoes tend to make your feet swell up in the heat). Remember you are in a city so dress accordingly (casual is fine but remember no bare shoulders, shorts or beachwear in churches and in the central areas).
v) How do we organize our excursions? What tours are available to our group?
Just!Venice has designed selected tours only for Pronto Professional Seminars. These tours will bring you to unforgettable sites, and are especially conceived to avoid mass tourism. There is a proposal for every day of the week. You can reserve the day before at the venue. And there is a complimentary walking tour for you! Tours start from Euro 30. However if you wish to make sure there is room on that special day, please pre-book by sending us an email.
We will be sending you information about available tours in the near future.
w) Will there be a phone number we can call if we are lost?
Yes, the main office of Just! Venice: Tel. +39 041 244 6927 office hours 9 am to 5 pm.
x) How much do you figure the whole experience might cost with regard to hotel, registration, meals and excursions? What is the exchange rate?
GOOD NEWS: Thanks to the work of Just Venice and Pronto, Hotel Domina rates were reduced as of 14th July. All participants staying at the hotel will receive these rates:
single : euro 170.00
dus : euro 180.00 (double used as single)
double: euro 200.00
triple: euro 235.00
The conference including the special hotel rate (in this example, we are using double as single room, 180 euro) will be, in USD, $795+[280x6] 1680 = $2475.00.
If you spend about €50 ($75) per day on meals, then add about $450, so a total of $2925.00 including meals for the week. Transportation might be about $90.00 depending on whether you purchase either the Blue or Orange Venicecard. For one week, we recommend the less expensive Blue card.
For current exchange rates for all currencies, we recommend http://www.xe.com/. |
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