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Venice’s New Hotel Tax : An Overview and Tips for Paying Less of It

Earlier this year both Florence and Rome implemented a new hotel tax and now Venice is jumping on the bandwagon.  Or should I say, jumping on the gondola?!  Venice’s hotel tax which started on August 24th, may dissuade would-be visitors from setting foot in this already expensive Italian city. Many repeat visitors who’ve already visited Venice once may decide to steer clear, but for first-time visitors, I would still highly recommend you visit.

Since the specifics are lengthy, complicated, and require an accounting degree to decipher, I’ll give you a general overview of the tax, give you a few tips on how to avoid paying top dollar for your overnight accommodation in Venice and provide you with links to the detailed info.

Quick Overview of Venice’s Hotel Tax

• The hotel tax is similar to those in Rome and Florence in that the tax is based on a sliding scale of the hotel’s rating. So, generally speaking, a 1-star hotel in high-season in the historic center carries a 1€ fee, a 2-star carries a 2€ fee, and so on, all the way up to five stars.
• B&B’s, apartment rentals, room rentals, guest houses, campgrounds (yes, there are a few in Venice) and monasteries each have their own tax rate, which are a different rate than hotels.
• All tax rates, no matter what type of accommodation, vary by location.  There are three separate location categories.  Staying in Venice’s historical center garners the highest taxes, followed by the Islands (Lido, Murano, Burano).  Staying on the mainland offers the lowest tax rate.
• Taxes are calculated per person, per night.
• Taxes will be collected on stays of up to five consecutive nights.  So nights six and beyond are free – bonus!
• A visit in high-season will be taxed more than in low-season.  High-season is generally considered the periods surrounding major holidays, ie – the new year, Carnivale, Easter, Christmas – and the busy months from April through the end of October.
• Children under 10 are exempt.  Children up to the age of 16 will pay half.
• Hostels are exempt.

Tips for Avoiding or Paying Less of a Hotel Tax in Venice

• To avoid paying the hotel tax in Venice, consider staying in a hostel, since these are totally exempt from the tax.
• If hotels are more your bag, opt for a nice 2-star hotel instead of a five-star. The additional tax on a five night stay in a 2-star for 2 people would be 20€.  The same scenario in a 5-star hotel will levy an additional 50€, so you can see how the cost can add up quickly.
• Travel in low season.  This will not only offer you the best rates, better availability and less tourists, but it will also garner you a lower tax rate. The months of March and November seem to qualify.

Two Tempting (but not recommended) Options

• Though staying on the mainland or the other islands will offer the cheapest tax rate, I caution you against this, especially with limited time or on a first-time visit. You need to weigh the time and cost associated with traveling back and forth to Venice.  Personally, I would always pay a bit extra to stay right in Venice proper.  For me, an extra euro or so per day, is totally worth the convenience of strolling right outside my door and being able to get around, any time of day or night.
• You could take a day trip to Venice and avoid paying the overnight tax (rumor has it that Venice is also considering taxing day-trippers), but being that Venice is such a special place, meant to be savored at a slow pace, I don’t recommend it.  I’d much rather see you pony up a few extra pennies to spend at least one night.

I suggest  you check directly with your accommodations when booking to get the skinny on exactly how much you should expect to pay.  You can also consult the City of Venice Tourism website, which offers specific information on the tax rates, specific dates for high and low season and location breakdown.

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Ready to plan that dream trip to Venice?  You might be interested in one of these Venice tours.

Image of the Week : Gondola on the Grand Canal

© Robin Locker Lacey

Venice is a city built on water with no car traffic, so scenes like this are a dime-a-dozen, but I still never tire of seeing them. This photo depicts the quintessential Venetian gondola dressed in his typical outfit rowing his passengers out from a small canal onto the larger Grand Canal.

I love the terracotta palazzo and rooftop tiles, the arched windows and the balconies with vibrant red geraniums.  I’m also a sucker for ornate details like the iron lamp dangling from a bracket on the side of the building on the left.

Paris Travel Inspiration for Under $10 Bucks!

I’ve spent the last few years here trying to give you tips, advice and reasons for going to Paris, one of my favorite cities.  This is of course assuming that you, as a reader, actually have a huge desire to go to Paris.  Perhaps you’re in the midst of planning a trip or dreaming of the day when you can finally get there.

But what about those of you who aren’t quite sure if they ever want to travel to Paris?  (Yes, I know you exist!)

Well, for those people, I have some great news!  For those of you on the fence, I guarantee to have something that will push you over the edge.  More of a hard shove, really.

And it will only cost you less than $10 bones.

Can’t wait to find out what it is it?

I won’t keep you in suspense.  It’s Woody Allen’s new film, Midnight in Paris.

You don’t even have to get more than 10 minutes into the film to realize why.  In fact, the opening sequence, which is set to lovely music, is a beautiful photo montage of the most glorious scenes in the City of Light.  No dialogue, just a photo slideshow, each one more evocative than the next.  I could have left after the first 10 minutes and felt I’d gotten my money’s worth without even seeing the movie.

The rest of the movie doesn’t suck either. The movie itself is fun, charming, heartfelt and enjoyable.  The plot really resonated with me.  But, in terms of Paris, here are just a few things you’ll get a glimpse of:

• Many Paris bridges, including Pont Neuf and Pont Alexander III
• Outdoor cafe and dining scenes
• Monet’s Garden at Giverny
• Rodin Museum
• Too many shots of the Eiffel Tower to count
• Champs Elysees and Arc du Triomphe, both day and evening shots
• France’s First-Lady, Carla Bruni, as a guest star
• Pont Royal

Take a peek at the trailer:

And if after you see the movie, you still aren’t motivated to jump on the next plane to Paris, well, then I give up.  There is officially no hope for you wanting to travel to Paris!

Planning a trip to Paris? Click here to see how I can help!

How to Survive Summer Travel – 7 Tips for Beating the Heat

A few weeks ago, I explained why I don’t travel to Europe in the summer months.  I also don’t recommend it to my clients.  But, I also understand that there are some people who have no choice but to travel in July and August, especially those with kids.

One of the biggest obstacles to summer travel is the weather.  Strong sun and high temperatures in all of Italy and most of the South of France can make travel downright uncomfortable.

Here are a few tips for how to beat that summer heat.

1.  Stay hydrated.  It seems like the most obvious thing to hydrate, but still people forget or just ignore the good advice.  Never be without a bottle of water.  Some cities have fountains with potable spring water, so you can fill up along the way.

2.  Don’t forget the sunscreen, hat and sunglasses.  The summer sun is very strong and nothing makes a trip more miserable than looking like a lobster by day two.  Get in the habit of applying your sunscreen all over, right when you hop out of the shower or when you start your day. Don’t forget tips of ears, in between toes and the backs of ankles. Reapply often.  It’s best to get a waterproof or sweatproof formula as you’ll likely work up a sweat sightseeing.  The hat and glasses serve as extra protection for scalp and eyes.

3.  Be mentally prepared. Start with the understanding that you won’t accomplish as much in the heat as you would if the climate was temperate. Scale back on your activities, don’t overload your itinerary and come up with a good balance between indoor and outdoor activities and relaxation time.

4.  Give yourself a break. Sometimes you need permission to strike things off the planned itinerary if you’re hot, tired or  just not feeling it.  I’m giving you permission!  Rest and relax when needed and don’t push yourself.  It’s better to enjoy your time on vacation, rather than have heat stroke because you just had to persevere and check every activity off the list!  Resting in a hospital bed surely won’t be as much fun as relaxing at a cafe.

5.  Head for the shade. This can be easily accomplished in parks, gardens or rural areas, but a bit harder in the city.  One thing I’ve noticed in the city is that you can use tall buildings and the sun’s position to your advantage.  Sometimes just walking on the opposite side of the street or taking a different route can provide some much-needed relief.

6.  Do like the locals do. Get an early start on any outdoor sightseeing so that you hit those activities during the coolest part of the day.  When the hottest part of the day arrives, head indoors.  Hit a museum, eat a leisurely sit-down meal inside or outside under the shade of umbrellas.  Head back to your France design hotel or Italy vacation rental, close the blinds, take a nap and perhaps a quick shower to cool off.  Then once the sun starts going down, head back out to continue exploring.

7.  Dress for success. Wear light, comfortable clothing.  Lose the denim and opt for fabrics like linen and cotton. Maybe even moisture wicking clothing or undergarments will go along way to help keeping you cool as well. And if you want to blend in, remember to leave the shorts and logo t-shirts home.  Italy and France are a bit more fashion concious, so consider that as you’re packing.

Did you find these tips helpful?  Click here to find out how spending an hour with me can be helpful for your next trip!

Travel Photo Friday : Critter on a Cooler

This month’s Travel Photo was submitted by Alexandra.  It’s a cute photo that was taken during a trip to Australia.

Alexandra writes this about her photo:

“When I was backpacking in Australia with my sister. We went camping for five weeks, and one night the little fellow in the pics woke us up. He was trying to steal our cooler. My sister grabbed it back from him, but they had a bit of a tug-of-war before she got it.”

Thanks for the chuckle Alexandra!

Want a chance to see your favorite travel photo here?  Send it along with a short description to mymelange [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Join us on September 2nd for the next edition of Travel Photo Friday!

Travel Tip Tuesday : The Travel Mistake I Made & How You Can Avoid It

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, I made a horrible travel mistake. Well, actually, the jury’s still out on who made the mistake, but let’s just say that regardless of who was at fault, I was certainly involved and effected by the horrific, stressful outcome.  And this one was even worse than our Rome driving debacle.

I like to refer to it as the homecoming from hell.

After spending a lovely time in Paris, we enjoyed our last rainy day exploring the city and eating a leisurely lunch. We returned to the hotel, packed our bags and were waiting calmly for our taxi to the airport.

As we were sitting in the hotel lobby, I reached into the bag to locate our airline tickets.  I pulled them out, glanced at them and took a double-take at the flight time.  My temperature went up, I began sweating and a feeling of panic set in.

Wide-eyed, I stared at the tickets in horror and disbelief as I began calculating the drive time and the two-hour requirement for international check-in. Somehow, we got the flight times mixed up and what we thought was plenty of time for a 9pm flight now became a dangerously small amount of time for our 7pm flight.

This is the series of events that followed:

1.  We frantically asked the front desk to call the taxi to ask them to come quicker, even though the taxi was already on the way.  The hotel clerk looked at us like we were nuts, which we of course were.  You could hear the phrase “Stupid Americans” rolling around in his brain.

2.  We jumped in the taxi when it arrived, tried to explain to the driver that we were late, so late, and to please do everything he could to get us to the airport.  Pronto.

3.  We prayed.

The taxi sped to the airport.  Of course, we hit traffic along the way.  Upon arrival, we flew out of the car in a frenzy and ran to the nearest gate attendant.  We frantically explained our situation.  I was hopeful because we were there about an hour before the flight took off and we had no bags to check (we only had carry-on luggage).  Surely that would be enough time.  But my hopes quickly turned to despair, as we were denied boarding. Essentially, we had missed our flight.

Since it was the last flight to our destination for the day, we now had to reschedule a flight for the next day and because I don’t sleep in airports, we had to find a room at an airport hotel, which was no easy feat.

We finally got settled into a hotel at some ungodly hour of the morning and intended to get a few hours of sleep, but then something else happened. As if I hadn’t suffered enough that evening, in some cruel twist of fate, the universe flipped a switch that brought on what I’ll refer to as intestinal distress.

Exactly what you want when you’ll be trapped  in a window seat on a plane for a nine-hour flight.

Nice.  Real Nice.

Needless to say, it was, and still is, the most stressful, uncomfortable travel experience of my life.  I don’t wish it on anyone.

So why am I telling you this?  Because I’d like you to learn from my mistakes and give you a few tips on how avoid it and/or deal with it should something similar happen to you.

How can you avoid the same mistake?

1.  Make one person responsible for the arrangements, tickets and itinerary.  This way there is no back and forth and “Oh, I thought you knew what time the flight was.”

2. Double and triple-check your tickets for the date and time of your flight.  Then check again the day before you leave. And check again the day of.  You get the idea.  Never enough checking.

What would I have done differently?

1. Have both the domestic and international phone numbers for the airline programmed into your cell phone.  Just in case.

2. Stay put.  Don’t even try it.  Looking back, the one thing I wouldn’t have done is attempt to make the flight.  Once I knew it might be next to impossible to make the flight, I should have just called the airline and changed my tickets for the next available flight.  Stay another night at the hotel or find another close by.  You may end up spending a few bucks you hadn’t budgeted for, but you’ll also end up spending more time enjoying your vacation, which sure beats putting yourself through a very stressful situation!

I’d have paid almost anything to avert the crisis I lived through. Next time, I’ll choose to stay Paris.

Traveling to Paris?  Click here to see how I can help!