I made a bold move and reserved a room in Lido, across the channel from Venice for November! Has anyone experience with the area??

why not IN Venice?

...and what about this is a bold move?

The Lido has it's charms, but not really in November. Aside from not being IN the main part of Venice, there are cars on the Lido while there are none IN Venice proper. Makes for a different experience. That said, lots of "locals" live on Lido.

true about the local but the reason is cost, not ambience.

I usually stay in Lido for cost reasons too.I usually buy a 72 hour pass(22 euros) for the water buses (which are also valid on the road buses on Lido). This means you can get across the lagoon in minutes and not worry about additional costs.It is a lovely way to travel, you also get a fantastic view of St Marks each time you cross!You can also visit all the lagoon islands on your pass.One problem could be that water buses are far less frequent to Lido out of the summer season but a timetable is available in English at www.actv.it and it is reliable. Hope this is useful

bk-

I don't know anybody who has stayed on the Lido who hasn't loved it. Seriously. If you are going to stay outside of Venice in order to visit Venice, the Lido is by far the best choice,-far preferable to Mestre, or, as another post here suggests, Verona??? (uh, don't think so!). Many Italians, when they come to visit Venice do the same, and friends of mine who live in Brussels, stayed there a couple of summers ago and loved it (even during the summer). As AO rightly points out, you will buy your vaporetto pass and come into Venice each day by water, and there are few things more interesting and pleasurable than that- passing la Salute and San Marco on your way in and out. The ideal way to combine the cultural uniqueness of Venice with a relaxing vacation by the sea-and that also means in November-because if you're a sea/ocean person as I am, you love it at all times of the year. You also won't have to contend with the hordes of tourists on the vaporettos, that at times in the summer, when they are stuffed to the gills with all manner of humanity, make them look ever so much like refugee boats. Quite the contrary. I love to take the vaporetto at night when there's only a few people on board-it makes you feel as if you have your own private boat. And of course, you are well-placed on the Lido to visit some of the other interesting lagoon islands, in particular, Chioggia-which I highly recommend for its canals, local flavor and wonderful seafood osterie-Chioggia is definitely under-visited, living as it does in the shadow of Venice.

While on the Lido, you should try to stay at a hotel that has a nice sea view-as you know, hotel rates for the better hotels are really quite reasonable in November, plus you'll be able to take nice long walks along the beach-most relaxing after a long day footing it over the bridges and narrow calli of Venice. Many of the hotels on the Lido have indoor pools as well.

And of course, EVERYONE does the bicycle ride on the Lido- this is the thing to do there-all Venetians who live in the historical center come over and do it, and I did too, at the end of August-we had a wonderful time-as I'm sure you will.

You can save money on the Lido, but it's not anything like historic Venice. If you really are desperate to save money and can't visit Venice any other way, then the Lido is certainly better than some other options (e.g., industrial Mestre).

Or if it is summer and you want a nice beach resort experience as opposed to actually experiencing historic Venice, then the Lido is fine as well.

If it is your first, and will be your only trip to Venice, do yourself a favor and do not stay on the Lido! It is NOT the same as being in Venice, at all!!!! I am sure you could find something reasonable in Venice in November because it is definitely not the time for tourism.

I've never stayed on the Lido myself, but I've only stayed occasional nights in Venezia. However, I cannot see that it makes much difference. It's only a short boat ride from the old city to the Lido and the boats run all night, so you can spend an evening in the old city and still come back whenever you want afterwards.

It's like staying in Newark when you visit New York City. Or Gary when you visit Chicago. Yes, you can get to where the action is in a reasonable amount of time, but it's just not the same.