Venue Information

Venue Information

The conference will be hosted by the University Ca’ Foscari in the historic centre of Venice.

Ca’ Foscari University is a university in Venice in northern Italy. It was founded in 1868, as the first Italian business college. The main building of the University, Ca’ Foscari Palace, is placed in a strategic position on the bend of the Grand Canal, in the heart of the city. Just like the city that hosts it, it is a crossroads of cultures, art, history, ideas, and creativity. Venice is unique and completely different from any other city in the world. A place that welcomes and captures the hearts of all those who visit it. The visitors arriving in Venice are carried into another world whose atmosphere and beauty remain incomparable.

Università Ca’ Foscari, Dorsoduro, 3246, 30123 Venice, Italy

Google Map Screenshot

Access

By air:

Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) is located nearly 8 km to the north of Venice. It is the city’s main international airport and the fourth busiest airport in the whole of Italy.

There are various ways of getting to Venice from Marco Polo Airport:

Bus no.5:
Bus no.5 connects Venice’s Marco Polo Airport and the city center (Piazzale Roma). The bus stops several times before getting to the last stop, so the journey can take from 30 to 45 minutes.

ATVO blue bus:
ATVO’s buses run from Venice Marco Polo Airport to Piazzale Roma in just 20 minutes, since the bus only has two stops. The blue buses run approximately every 30 minutes.

Alilaguna:
Alilaguna’s water buses (vaporettos) connect Marco Polo Airport with Piazza San Marco. The water buses run all day, from very early in the morning until late at night.

Water taxi:
The water taxis can fit a maximum of ten people. They are expensive and are only worthwhile if you are traveling with a large group.

Find more information on the airport's website.

By train:

Many domestic and international trains stop at the Stazione Ferroviaria Santa Lucia. It is Venice’s central train station.

The railway station’s water bus stop is called Ferrovia. It is located just in front of the station and connects the various islands with Santa Lucia, as well as the main Vaporetto lines to several parts of Venice.

However, not all trains come into the historic center. Some through trains merely stop at the mainland station of Venezia Mestre as they pass Venice. If your train does not continue into the city, you will need to change to a local train in Mestre for the short trip to Venezia Santa Lucia. Trains run frequently, and the trip takes only 10 to 12 minutes. You can buy a ticket on the Trenitalia website.

By car:

Venice is a car-free city, but it is possible to drive to Venice by car. Venice can easily be reached by car from any major city in northern Italy. It is about a 3-hour drive from Milan (highway A4). Driving from Florence to Venice takes about 3 hours, Bologna to Venice 1 hour 45 minutes (highway A13). You will have to leave your car in one of the parking areas outside the historic city center.

Piazzale Roma is a large square located at the end of the Ponte della Libertà and the entrance of Venice. It is one of the only places in the city center that is accessible to cars and buses.

Tronchetto island is an artificial island where you can find many car parking garages. The area is further away from the city center, but it has a very good public transport connection.


Accommodation

The Privacy Symposium organising committee aims to provide a pleasant stay for all our guests in Venice. Please see below a list of recommended hotels. All listed hotels are within walking distance from the conference venues, with the exception of NH Laguna Palace located in Mestre.

Hotel Saturnia & International

Stars: 4│Use code PRIVACYSYMPOSIUM for a 10% discount

Hotel Saturnia & International is a four-star superior located in Calle Larga XXII Marzo, in the heart of Venice.

Housed in a patrician palace with typical Venetian forms and dating back to the 14th century, the hotel, managed and owned by the same family since 1908, overlooks the splendid street of the boutiques of the greatest Haute Couture brands, which is the wide street that connects Piazza San Marco with the Accademia area. For art lovers, nearby are Piazza San Marco with its museums, Palazzo Fortuny, the Gallerie dell’ Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Entrata Giorno

Hotel Papadopoli Venezia – MGallery

Stars: 4│Use code PRIVACYSYMPOSIUM for a 10% discount

The Papadopoli Venezia MGallery hotel is in the heart of the city, nestled in the park with the same name, and a short distance from the Grand Canal and the Constitution Bridge. Strategically located, Hotel Papadopoli is close to Venice Santa Lucia station, Piazzale Roma, and Venice’s main waterway.

The hotel, dating from the 18th century, is sober and elegant and encloses a beautiful winter garden. The refined rooms offer a wonderful view over the Tolentini Canal and Papadopoli Gardens and a quiet environment.

Please note that the hotel is fully booked on Friday May 16, 2025.

Ca’ Pisani Boutique Design Hotel

Stars: 4

A magnificent late-14th-century palace is the treasure chest replete with charming jewels: the Boutique Hotel Ca’ Pisani is an Art Deco gem where guests can stay in an art gallery adorned with original furnishings and tempera works by Fortunato Depero.

The Boutique Hotel Ca’ Pisani is in Dorsoduro, a district rich in museums, architecture, and art. Just a short stroll from the most beautiful places of the Serenissima, Dorsoduro is both a quiet residential neighbourhood and a buzzing area favoured by young people, where you can enjoy a taste of authentic Venice.

NH SANTA LUCIA

NH Venezia Santa Lucia

Stars: 4

Santa Lucia Hotel is ideally located a stone’s throw from Venice’s Grand Canal. At a short distance from the Santa Lucia railway station, the hotel offers a perfect base in the craft district from which to explore the city’s attractions.

The hotel has completed a renovation preserving its original architectural elements while adding a new elegant design and modern comforts. The hotel’s spacious Venetian-style rooms offer an elegant ambience and balcony terraces provide views of Venice’s most beautiful sights.

NH RIO NOVO

Avani Rio Novo Venice Hotel

Stars: 4

The Avani Rio Novo Venice Hotel, formerly known as NH Venezia Rio Novo, is a modern hotel in the heart of the Dorsoduro district – an area renowned for showcasing the ‘real Venice’ and bustling with restaurants, shops, artisan boutiques as well as important sites like Ca’ Foscari University and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. It’s easy to get from here to the rest of the city on foot (the lively Campo Santa Margherita is around the corner) or by vaporetto. The stylish hotel building, which dates back to the 1950s, is built in Razionalismo Italiano style, featuring sleek lines and geometric shapes.

The hotel’s sleek, contemporary design is reflected throughout the 144 comfortable and spacious rooms, with floor-to-ceiling windows filling them with light. Some offer views over the nearby canal, others views over the distinctive Venice skyline.

NH LAGUNA PALACE

NH Laguna Palace (in Mestre)

Stars: 4

The NH Venezia Laguna Palace Hotel is a striking, contemporary hotel in Venice-Mestre. This landmark building features one of the largest glass-covered structures in Europe. The hotel enjoys a great location 5 minutes from the Mestre train station and is just 10 minutes by car or by bus from the city’s historical centre. The hotel faces a marina, which can be seen from the hotel’s terrace, so you’ve water access too.

The tastefully furnished modern guestrooms are fully equipped.


Venice Information

Moving in Venice

The first thing you should know about Venice is that it is very small. It is possible to get from one end of Venice to the other by foot in just half an hour. Taxis, ambulances, and police cars in Venice are all waterborne, as are the water buses called vaporetto in Italian. In the city centre, the vaporettos replace the urban buses. Transport in Venice is guaranteed on a 24-hour basis. The night service (Line N) is operational from approximately midnight to 5.00 a.m.

Main Vaporetto lines:

    • Line 1: It slowly cruises the Grand Canal from the central bus station in Piazzale Roma until Venezia Lido. It stops at most landmarks down the Canal like Piazza San Marco, Ca’Rezzonico, or Rialto Bridge.
    • Line 3: connects Piazzale Roma and Murano.
    • Line 7: connects Piazza San Marco with Murano.
    • Line 10: is the quickest way to get from Piazza San Marco to Lido.
    • Line 18: runs between Lido and Murano.

Discover Venice

Venice has one of the most important museum systems in the world. The heart of Venice is the splendid St. Mark’s Square, surrounded by the imposing bell tower and the Basilica with its extraordinary artistic heritage. The Venetian Civic Museums unite the main museums of Venice and act as a global monument of Venetian identity. 

As well as booking your flights and hotel in advance, you can book a museum ticket. 

The Venezia Unica City Pass is a custom-made tourist city pass in Venice. Each person can create his or her card based on the services they wish to purchase depending on their necessities. You will be able to have your tickets to monuments and museums, cultural events, Venice’s top attractions, as well as your transport travel card in one card.