Where oh where?

We are a family of five looking for lodging in Venice. What is the best location? We have looked on this forum and others and are just confused!

Any recommendations in the mid to high mid price range?

Lots of good neighborhoods, the most popular being San Marco and Dorsoduro.
How long are you staying in Venice?
What do you want to spend on accommodations per night for the five of you?
You may find for a family group that an apartment is the way to go, some can be had for periods even less than a week.

What about staying on the Lido? It is quiet, green, a lot of cheaper and, with the vaporetto, you are within 9 minutes at San Marco (which is faster than from many downtown hotels). I recommend Albergo Quattro Fontane. See my review:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...ce_Veneto.html

Personally, for a first trip to Venice, I wouldn't stay on Lido (as nice as it is). I'd stay in Venice. I wouldn't be too hung up on which neighborhood -- Venice is pretty small -- unless you're looking for a certain type of accommodation (i.e., exceptionally quiet, quad room, canal view, etc.).

Need to know your idea of "mid to high mid price range" in order to make any specific recommendations.

We are going to be in Venice for only 3 nights and want to be closer to the center of town.

We assume that we are going to need two rooms and would like to stay under 175E per room.

Good 3/4 star for €175 quite possible in low season. In high season, not as easy. When are you going?

captainmoroni--when are you going?

The Lido can be an alternative, but it is a beach resort so the atmosphere is very much different from that of historic Venice. It's EXTREMELY quiet in the off-season (some would say dead), and very busy in the summer season.

If you want a beach resort vacation in the summer, then the Lido is fine. If you want to experience Venice, then I'd stay in Venice--especially for a first time visitor. But it is a matter of personal preference.

As pointed out above, historic Venice is pretty small, so you won't be "way out" of things just about any place you pick. However, the westernmost areas (near the train station and near P. Roma where cars can park) are the least convenient in terms of seeing the major sights (e.g., everything near P. San Marco, the Rialto area, Accademia and Guggenheim museums, etc.).

That said, on our first family trip to Venice, we did stay in a hotel (Continental) just a few steps away from the train station on the Grand Canal, and it wasn't terribly inconvenient. A vaporetto stop was nearby, and we enjoyed walking through and exploring the twisting, tiny streets of Cannaregio, Santa Croce, San Polo, San Marco, and Dorsoduro to get from one place to another.

On our next couple of trips, we chose to stay in Dorsoduro and enjoyed it a lot. We're thinking about moving east next time and trying some place in Castello.

If you stay in Venice itself (not the Lido or Mestre) then there is no bad area. Even near the train station, an area in many cities considered undesirable, is fine in Venice. My first time there we (family of four) stayed across the canal from it (Hotel Canal Walter) which was nice enough (150€ for a quad). It was convenient to not have to take a vaparetto when we first got there with luggage, we jsut walked across the bridge. It took longer to walk across the city to San Marco but that's the point of Venice, to just wander around. The second time I was there I stayed very close to San Marco, but since I was familiar with the vaparettos I didn't mind needing to take one with my suitcase, and I travel light anyway. I think I did like the San Marco location a little better, I can recommend the Hotel Violino d'Oro highly. It was only 60€ for a single (double actually but I was alone) in July but the price in the high season for that room was €200.

We will be in Venice in mid March.

So,as others have already pointed out, there simply is no "best" location in Venice. As long as you are in Venice proper (so not Mestre, and not Lido), you're fine, not just from a safety point of view, but also from a "is there cool stuff in the immediate neighborhood?" point of view. Venice is very compact, and you are literally never more than 5 minutes on foot from some very cool site.

So it comes down to the sort of experience you'd like. Are you interested in seeing a bit of the local life? Or are you all about monuments, as many of them as you can see in a day?

I'm going to stick my neck out and say Dorsoduro. It has everything: many, many points of interest, easy access to the San Marco side of Venice (by traghetto), and neighborhood feel.

Last April I took my four children to Venice.

We rented a large apartment in San Marco, on the Frezzeria and just behind the Correr Museum and Bacino Orseolo. It was up one flight of stairs.

We rented it through

www.oikosvenice.com

I paid around 800 euros for 6 nights and we were generally happy with it, although one bedroom at the back was over a restaurant and a bit noisy until around 11.30ish. However the apartment sleeps 7-8, so as there were 5 of us we either stayed up late or shifted around. Oikos rent for as few as 3 nights, and I was satisfied with them and their service. They have many apartments in each sestriere, including ones on the Grand Canal, so take a look at their website if you are considering an apartment.

Well, I do have a favorite location in Venice and you can find it under either the Hotel Ala or Locanda Barbarigo. Others are good--this one is perfect for me.

I also am a big fan of the Dosoduro area. Try Pensione La Calcina for your hotel. It's at the Zaterre (sp?) vaporetto stop. Lovely quiet area on the Guidecca canal but close enough (10 mins. walk) to San Marco.

Try the Best Western Albergo San Marco, just across a footbridge out the back of San Marco Sq. An excellent location & comparatively inexpensive.

Have you noticed that everything is always :10 walking from whatever. I realize it depends on walking speeds, but I would guess closer to :18 from La Calcina to San Marco.

bob, you may very well be correct. i often don't wear my watch on vacation! i should have said it is "not too far" or "off the beaten track but still well located for touring".

viamichelin.com estimates 1.3 km and 19 minutes.

RufusT: Is that with or without taking a traghetto?

"but I would guess closer to :18 from La Calcina to San Marco."

Or about 30 minutes if you stoppa for a grappa.