Hi all-

We're planning on staying in Venice for three days as part of a honeymoon through northern Italy. What parts of Venice do you recommend for a younger couple? We'll probably be sampling the nightlife a bit, and won't mind the crowds/noise as much as some might, but also would appreciate being a little bit out of the ruckus. 15-20 min walks to get to places won't be a problem.

I'm gathering from these forums that San Marco is pretty much tourist central, so does anyone have opinions about Cannaregio vs. Dorsoduro vs. Castello vs. Santa Croce?

Also, if you have specific hotel raves/rants, we'd appreciate those as well. Thanks!

I neglected to mention that we're on a bit of a budget--so we're trying to stay around 100 euros a night if possible.

Another thing you can mention is when you are going because accordingto the seasons, you might pay 30 - 50 % in low seasons of what would cost in high seasons. The hotel rates can change that much in Venice.

Cannaregio, Dorsoduro, Castello, Santa Croce are all nice areas to stay, I have stayed at all (incl.San Marco) except Santa Croce.

Venice...night life?? I think you have chosen the wrong city for night life. Venice is the kind of city where you wake up early in the morning and go out and enjoy the wonders of it's history and culture, get lost and do a lot of walking and boating. You can stay late at restaurants but the sort of night life you find in Spain..oh boy!

I agree with Rd. Venice is not a great destination if you're looking for nightlife. We're an older couple but still found Venice quite dead at night.
One of my very favorite cities though.

From Rick Steves:

While Venice’s splendid decay is undeniably charming by day, you must experience Venice after dark. Even during busy summer months, the city is quiet at night, as tour groups are back in the cheaper hotels of Mestre on the mainland, and the masses of daytrippers return to their beach resorts.

By 10 p.m., restaurants are winding down; by 11 p.m., many bars are closing; and by midnight, the city is virtually shut tight. But darkness brings a special romance. Get out and roam; even the dark and distant back lanes are considered safe after nightfall.

One of my favourite cities as well. We were there in May this year (2006) and spent 7 days. I was determined to get this city out of my system and thought I had until we left it behind!!!

Thanks for the responses thus far.

Perhaps I threw people with the 'nightlife' comment--I meant more just late dinners than anything. We're not a couple looking to go out to clubs or anything...sorry about the confusion.

As far as the budget--I understand after looking at many of the hotels online through other posts that there's not much in that 100 euros/night range. However, I thought that there might be some hidden gems that folks on here might be aware of...but it sounds like that's unlikely. (Especially considering our travel dates--we'll be there 6/19-6/22.)
Anyway, I'll just face facts that Venice will be our more expensive stop of the trip.

We stayed at The Rio, located at campo SS Filippo e Giacomo. It's just a couple of blocks behind St. Marks and under $100 a night, with comfortable, spacious rooms, and good eating nearby. We enjoyed staying so close in because we didn't have a lot of time there, but also enjoyed being able to roam the back streets in the evening. I found the Rio through venere.com, and here's their link:

http://en.venere.com/hotels_venice/c...hotel_rio.html.

I'll never forget coming upon a violinist, who we hear for blocks away, and who attracted quite a crowd, but that was the extent of the ruckus.

We sat on San Marco's square one night and had the most expensive night of wine drinking in our lives, but the music was lovely, and we had a great time.

Have a great honeymoon, and congratulations!

Jules

Yes, June is high season so you probably have to expect to pay the price accordingly. Why don't you try www.venere.com mentioned above and see what it gives for your dates? It's a bit too early for some hotels to be listed that ahead but you can still get many available (actually I tried it), from €500 - €70.

There are another site that lists mostly low cost hotels:
http://www.eurocheapo.com/

You might find relatively cheap ones even in high seasons, but be sure to check if such rooms have air-con. I would be happy to have one in honeymoon. Beginning of June this year, I had a cheap single room in Venice with only fan and it was not that bad though.

This is where we stayed. Very clean, great location, fabulous breakfast and the price is right.
http://www.bbalessandra.com/index.php

I think you've got the right idea. San Marco is great to visit but not the best place to stay.

Its hard to do within a budget but try to find a place with a canal view if possible.

For the price, the bbalesandra looks great - also, for the location.

Great pick for a stop on your honeymoon. We were there on our honeymoon last month (see my trip report). We found a nice place for drinks that is open until 2am. It is called Centrale . Two beers, two wine and service charge was 26.88 Euros. They give you olives and potato chips on the table. Very nice place to relax after a long awesome day in magical Venice. http://www.centrale-lounge.com/
Don't forget to bring the pocket flashlight to read the map at night.