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Emily Jablon: Daraius and I went to Europe in September to celebrate our 2nd anniversary for ~2 weeks. It was my first time in Italy so I was very excited! In Italy, we visited Varenna on Lake Como, Milan, Venice, and Rome.Since we were in Europe, we visited a friend in Strasbourg, France and also spent a night in Zurich. We started our trip with a one day layover in Chicago to see friends!
Our Anniversary To Italy – Trip Report Index:
- Part 1 – Planning & Introduction
- Part 2 – Park Hyatt, Chicago
- Part 3 – One Day in Chicago
- Part 4 – Virgin Atlantic Upper Class
- Part 5 – Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge, London
- Part 6 – Under the Channel to Strasbourg
- Part 7 – Hotel Cathedrale, Strasbourg
- Part 8 – What did we do in Strasbourg
- Part 9 – Eating in Strasbourg
- Part 10 – Park Hyatt, Zurich
- Part 11 – 10 Hours in Zurich
- Part 12 – Hotel Eremo Gaudio in Varenna, Italy
- Part 13 – What to do in Varenna, Italy
- Part 14 – Eating in Varenna, Italy
- Part 15 – Park Hyatt, Milan
- Part 16 – What Did We Do in Milan
- Part 17 – Eating in Milan
- Part 18 – Hilton Molino Stucky, Venice
- Part 19 – Around the Hilton Molino Stucky & Free Shuttle Boat Details
- Part 20 – What we did in Venice
- Part 21 – Eating in Venice
- Part 22 – Waldorf-Astoria, Rome Cavalieri
- Part 23 – Eating in Rome, Part 1
- Part 24 – Emily’s Best Meal Was in Italy!
- Part 25 – Rome Cavalieri Imperial Floor
- Part 26 – Activities in Rome
- Part 27 – Activities in Rome – Where to Go, What to See, How to Save Time
- Part 28 – Virgin Atlantic Flight from Europe to US
- Part 29 – Conclusion & Blog Giveaway
Hilton Molino Stucky Shuttle
Link: Hilton Molino Stucky Shuttle
The Hilton Molino Stucky isn’t on the main island of Venice, but on a more residential island called Giudecca. We liked being away from the crowds and it was great to be able to explore the smaller and less crowded Giudecca island.
The hotel has a free shuttle from the hotel to St. Mark’s Square and Zattere. The shuttle runs from 8:00 am to 1:00 am, but it’s not always on time.
Once, we arrived at the Hilton pier in San Marco ~10 minutes before the hotel boat was scheduled to arrive. We waited another 45 minutes for the boat, and eventually took a water bus back to the hotel.
Hilton Shuttle Boat Location
In general, be sure that you’re getting on the Hilton boat, since different boats arrive and depart from the same docks. Some boats go to the airport etc.
However, the Hilton boat is clearly marked!
A. Outside the Hilton Molino Stucky
The Hilton shuttle is directly outside the Hilton Molino Stucky. You can’t miss it!
There’s a big sign with the Hilton shuttle boat schedule. You can also download the shuttle boat timetable here. And you can download shuttle boat stop map here.
B. On San Marco
There is a sign with the Hilton shuttle boat timings by the pier in San Marco.
The shuttle boat schedule was easy to read and makes stops in San Marco and Zattere.
However, the sign is not along the main walkway, but in the pier. So it can be hard to find.
We used the Pensione Wildner Ristorante (see picture below) to find the Hilton shuttle dock. That’s because the Hilton shuttle dock is just opposite the Pensione Wildner Ristorante!
Sometimes there are a lot of folks waiting for the Hilton shuttle!
Water Bus
In case you miss the Hilton boat, you can buy a public water bus (vaporetto) ticket. The public water bus has a lot of stops on its route.We took the “2” route which runs every ~10 minutes. You can also take the “N” route which runs at night.
A single ticket costs 7 euro (~$10), a 12 hour ticket costs 18 euro (~$25) and a 24 hour pass costs 20 euro (~$27). So these aren’t cheap!
It is a 5 to 7 minute walk to the hotel from the Palanca stop. The Hilton Molino Stucky is the building with the green tower in the picture below.
You have to cross a small bridge, but there is no handicap accessible route over the bridge.
Around the Hilton Molino Stucky
The Hilton Molino Stucky is located on a residential island away from the crowds in Venice.
We loved walking down the side streets around the Hilton Molino Stucky and getting a glimpse into normal life in Venice.
I’d suggest walking along these streets even if you’re staying on the main island of Venice to get a glimpse of a quieter version of Venice.
We bought some grapes as a snack.
And walked down piers and streets with nobody else besides us!
There was a gondola maker in one of the side streets and we checked out the gondolas on display!
We continued our stroll and saw clothes hanging to dry, children playing in the courtyard of buildings and folks chatting at cafes!
You can also sit on the benches by the canal and eat in the cheaper local restaurants.
Bottom Line
It does take extra time to go from the Hilton Molino Stucky to San Marco. But we loved being able to retreat to the quieter island of Giudecca after visiting busy Venice!