sajoshi

Is it advisable to stay in near the train station and airport in Venice or is it better to book a hotel on the actual island across the canal. We will travel from Florence to Venice by train. We will fly back to the U.S. From Venice. If we book a hotel in the Mestre area how easy is it to travel to San Marco, San Polo area for the attractions. It appears hotels are little cheaper in the Mestre area. Please advice. Thank you....

tjhome1

Personally I think staying on the islands as opposed to Mestre is much better albeit more expensive. Being able to walk back to your hotel from most of the main sites was worth far more to us than saving money on a cheaper hotel.

sandralist

It can be very annoying to stay in Mestre, and cut into the enjoyment of being in Venice. However, that said, food is often better in Mestre! But overall, I wouldn't go to Venice if food is your priority.

If you post what your budget is, chances are that people here can help you find a b&b within it. Or, if you haven't already done this, use booking.com and plug in your avaialble dates and see what you come up with inside Venice.

nytraveler

I think you need to look at a map of Venice.

You do NOT want to be an airport, which is more than 30 minutes from Venice proper.

I don;t like the area right next to the train station - why not stay in the center closest to many sights?

Mestre is an unpleasant industrial suburb (although technically within city limits) and again too far away.

And there is not ONE canal Venice is ALL canals - no roads at all.

We always stay not too far from San Marco (but we're NYers and used to crowds - and avoid it at midday with the worst of the tour groups - like being near the cafes in the evening for a relaxing drink and listening to the music.

mels

We booked a 2 night stay at the Hotel Santurinai, a 10 minute walk to the Rialto Bridge. Friends stayed further away from the square and told us they were disappointed in the evenings not being able to walk out the door, relax having a drink and listening to the music.

traveller1959

The most important thing about hotel location is that it is close to a vaporetto stop. The boat is the only means of transportation in Venice and you have to schlepp your baggage over cobbled stones and stairs from the vaporetto stop to the hotel. So, it must be close.

The vaporetti are so convenient that otherwise location is not so important, although I agree that Mestre is not a desirable place.

vincenzo32951

First, the advice to provide your accommodations budget is good. Some people here can give you good info on hotels in the city that are within your budget.

Second, if it's financially worthwhile, I'll dissent and say that staying near the airport is not the worst idea in the world. There are hotels near bus stops that will take you into the city for a couple of euros and in about 20-30 minutes. I stayed at the Titian once, for instance, when I had an early-am flight, and it was nice and very convenient. Again, it's always better to stay in the city if possible, but you asked about other options.

You asked about whether it was possible "to stay in near the train station." In Venice? Maybe you meant Mestre? Otherwise, the train station is essentially in the city -- though not my favorite part of Venice.

outwest

We stayed at the Ca' San Giorgio which was near two vaporetto stops and was easily walkable from the train station. Personally I thought it was a great location and I would certainly stay there again.

AlessandraZoe

I would NOT stay in Mestre, no matter how attractive the hotel prices. Yes, you can hop the Mestre-St. Lucia train easily and cheaply to get to Venice, but you are going from one unattractive area to another, and then you will STILL have to work your way down from the St. Lucia stop to major sites via water or really out-of-the-way walking (there is no sidewalk along the entire length of the Grand Canal).

Major axiom: Your time is money. Your location may seem a bit more expensive, but may cost you less in the long run.

We have only ever used the bus to get to/from the airport (except for seeing one daughter off when we arrived at Mestre from another location and had to snag a taxi).

We have stayed in three different locations now in Venice:
-- hotel landlocked between Rialto and St Mark's
-- hotel near St. Lucia train station and last car/bus stops (Piazzale Roma)
-- primo hotel near St Mark's.


1) The landlocked hotel was the best of all worlds. We could go by foot to all of central Venice's islands via bridge or we could hop a vaporetto at will. We visited St. Mark's every evening, usually by foot, but we'd often hop a vaporetto to close out the night.

Getting to and from the airport was cheap because we were close enough timewise via the Rialto stop, a stop on EVERY LINE, to the Piazzale Roma, the departure point for airport buses.

2) The train station hotel was on the same side of the bank as Piazzale Roma and Ferrovia was right across a bridge.

Sounds great, right? Wrong. Again, there is NO sidewalk along the entire canal. Getting to St Mark's was a mass crammed tourist trial by vaporetto.

We WERE able to walk our suitcases to/from Piazzale Roma.

3) The primo hotel near St Mark's had some advantages, but getting to the airport was not one of them. There was no way we could haul our luggage via land (heck, even getting a vaporetto near there meant a couple of bridge hauls). For the best use of time, we should have used a Water Taxi or an Aligunia, both or which required far more $$$, which we were unwilling to pay.

So get a detailed map AND a vaporetto schedule. Figure out a way to make the best use of both your time and your wallet.