Hi, I am presuming that you are not staying in Venice and your friends are? There are hundreds of Crown Plaza's in Italy.

Once you get off the train, you could just get on the vaporetto (water bus, because there are no cars in Venice so you walk or take a boat)and take it to St Marks Square and go to their hotel.

Or, just get your friends to meet the train. There is a bit of a plaza just outside of the train station (there is only one in Venice and it is St Lucia. The trains are very punctual so they will not be waiting at all.

I would suggest for Day 1 that you meet in front of the Santa Lucia church. It is adjacent to the station ( at the bottom of the Scalzi bridge). As there are many trains that come in from mestre it would be a bit hard to meet up.

Then maybe you could find a central meeting point rather than your friends having to come up to the station every day if you are going to be touring the centre.

Mind you it is easy to get to Murano from the Station and to go off and explore other areas.

Isnt it the S.Maria di Narareth by the Scalzi Bridge, a beautiful Church.

eeek has it a different name ? I have honestly always referred to it as the chiesa di Santa Lucia ( apologies to all the 100s of people I have incorrectly informed !!!!)

Thanks everyone. The church by the station sounds like the easiest place to connect the first day. Later in the day, we can all go to their hotel so that we will know the way for the other days.

Ellie