Below you will find all that you need for your time in Venice. To download a printable PDF of this information, click here.

Venue information

Please note UR2016 will be held in two different venues. See below for how to get to both venues.
Focus Days (Monday, May 16 – the morning of Wednesday, May 18) – NH Laguna Palace, Viale Ancona, 2, 30172 Venice Mestre. Location here.
Main Conference (the afternoon of Wednesday, May 18 – Friday, May 20) – Arsenale, Sestiere Castello, 7016, 30122 Venezia. Location here.  Note: If you Google Map “Arsenale”, it will direct you to a different part of Arsenale than where UR will be. Please use this link to find the exact location. The public water boat (vaporetto) stop closest to the venue is “BACINI – Arsenale Nord”.

The part of Venice where Focus Days take place, Mestre, is on the mainland. This part is not the historic area that most think of when they hear “Venice”.

Important information for UR2016 attendees

  • We highly recommend buying a public transport tourist pass, available at ticket offices throughout town. More information on public transport is below. Please ensure you always validate your ticket before boarding the boat.
  • All participants need to purchase three single public transport tickets, unless you have a transport pass, in order to be transported out of the Arsenale. These tickets can be purchased at an public transport office located throughout Old Venice.
    • This boat will take you to Piazza San Marco (convenient spot to walk anymore in Old Venice, or to access public transport hubs for Mestre or Lido).
    • If you don’t purchase these tickets, it is very difficult to walk from the Arsenale and access other parts of Old Venice.
  • Wherever you are staying in the Venice area, please keep in mind that it will take longer to get to your destination than you expect. Please plan accordingly. All days of the UR Forum begin at 9am. 
  • If you are attending a Focus Day event at the NH Laguna Palace on Wednesday morning, a boat will be available for transport from the NH Laguna Palace to the Arsenale. The boat has a capacity of 350 people, and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The boat will begin boarding promptly at 12:15pm and depart at 12:30pm. PLEASE ENSURE YOU BOARD THIS BOAT. Otherwise, it takes a long time (by public transport) or is very expensive (by water taxi) to get to the Arsenale for the opening ceremony.
  • Please ensure you keep your UR2016 badge with you throughout the whole event.
  • Lunch will be provided all days.

Things to know about Venice

  • In old Venice, you can only get around by foot or boat. There are no bikes or cars.
  • Piazzale Roma is the main transport hub of old Venice and is the only place in old Venice that is accessible by land transport. Here you can get a land taxi or land bus to Mestre or the airport; or a water taxi or water bus to get to the Arsenale or elsewhere in old Venice.
  • We recommend you have plenty of Euros to pay for transportation costs, as not all taxis (water and land) will accept credit cards.
  • Nightlife is not that common in Old Venice, and things tend to become more quiet around 9-10pm at night.

Getting into Venice

Moving around in Venice, Mestre and Lido

How to get to the NH Laguna Palace

How to get to the Arsenale

Practical information

Useful apps

Moovit: A free social app about public transport, where information about transport means is shared by its users in real time. moovitapp.com/

Venice Tourist Guide: The official Venezia Unica tourist guide – conceived mainly for moving about Venice, supplies visitors with waterbus timetables. http://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/tell-me-where-you-want-go-timetables-and-routes

Having fun in Venice

 

A number of sightseeing packages have been made available by Italian EVENt BETTER. Click here to download the packages.