There has been a mention on this board to avoid staying in the train station area in Venice. My budget is limited to hotels in $100-150 range per night. I have found some reasonably priced hotels in the Cannaregio area which have a description of being close to the train station and have good reviews on veneere.com. Should I avoid the Cannaregio and the Santa Croce Ovest areas? What are the preferred areas to stay? Are 3 nights with only 2 whole days enough for Venice?
Thank you for your suggestions/advice.

I stayed at the La Forcola Hotel last august 2002, which is situated in Canareggio. It was within walking distance from S. Marco (15 minutes walking leisurely) and a few meters from San Marcuola ferry stop. I found the position ideal because I was traveling by train and I could reach the hotel on foot. Plus the area is lively, there are shops on both directions (along the Strada Nuova that leads to the station on one side and to the square on the other side). The hotel I stayed in was lovely, clean and not that expensive, considering that Venice is the most expensive italian cities. So I dot know if you've this hotel in your list already, but if you dont, here's the site: www.laforcolahotel.com.
Of course the price of hotels depends on the period of the year you want to go to Venice, so check it out.
I think that 3 nights in Venice is quite ok. You can visit the city centre (S. Marco's area) and I advise you to visit (for you'll have time) also Murano and Burano. Murano is famous for its glass products, and you can also get to go into one of these places where they show you how they blow glass. Burano is smaller but sooo characteristic. It is famous for its laces. Both islands can be visited in one day, that's what I did.

I agree with the above post and just spoke with someone yesterday who stayed in hotel directly across from St. Lucia and thought it was great. You have to be vary wary of the posts here which tell you to "stay away" from this or that area because the reasons for doing so, when given, are often totally subjective. When i go to Venice I always stay very close to San Marco but i can easily afford to do so and that's where I like to stay. Venice, if anything, is very overpriced hotel-wise during the tourist season in particular and whatever seems reasonably priced to you, etc., is probably where you want to stay.
The "preferred" areas in Venice..sorry, but regardless of what folks here say about where they think you SHOULD stay, the "preferred" area has always been and always will be either in San Marco or on the lido which is why the hotels in these two places are SO expensive. But don;t let that influence you..go, stay where you want the first time, see if you agree or disagree with the so-called "preferred" area and then you'll know for the next time.

Hi Aurora,

There are no unsafe areas in Venice. Where you stay is a matter of what you are looking for.

Your budget is quite adequate for a decent room.

3 nights and two days is OK, but you will want to come back again.

You might want to take the no. 1 vaporetto at dusk out from the train station to Lido and come back at night to see the lights of the city.

Waterbus schedules are at http://www.actv.it/eng/home.php

Good morning, Aurora
The area around the Station Santa Lucia
is an excellant choice, you have some
very good choices of hotels in the area.
Many nice ristorantes, and being there
about 10-15 mins walk to the Rialto and
an additional 5 mins walk to the Pza S.
Marco. Check into www.veniceinfo.it...
Hotels are classed as well as locatiions.
We have stayed at the CARLTON, which is
a four star directly across from the
station on the Grand Canal and also
at the Al Sole Palace , a three star ,
being on the same
side of the canal, but about two blocks
further south and much more quieter..
Richard of LaGrange Park, IL...

I'd stay near the train station in a heartbeat, Aurora. Perfectly safe, and the down side of your being just a bit farther from the tourist sites in San Marco will be offset by the quiet and much more hometown feel of Cannaregio.

And no, two days in Venice is not enough. But then a week in Venice is also not enough. Just plan to come back.

We stayed a couple doors down from the station at the Bellini and would do it again! First of all, being able to easily get to our hotel with luggage was a definite plus! We walked everywhere! However, if you choose to travel by vaporetto, there is a stop right there! The area is perfectly safe.
(PS: We found a way of always finding our way back to the hotel when we got lost in the maze of streets, canals and alleys: We just followed people with briefcases. They were always walking to the train station!)