Greetings,
We will be only able to "wet our appetite" for Venice for one day. The following day we plan to zip northeast to Austria. Would anyone be able to recommend an accommodation outside Venice that might agree with the pocketbook?
We will have a car.
Gerri, since you only have a day in Venice, I would stay in Venice. Search this site for budget accommodations...you don't have to be super particular since you've just going to use it as a place to sleep for one night.
Staying in Venice will give you the best value eventho per night lodging may seem high. You must enjoy Venice after dark as well as before dark to truely experience its magic. Hopefully you are going during offpeak season and midweek. There are some lower cost lodging options nr train station. ck www.albregomarin.it or ck RS guidebk for options around train station.
Forgot to mention,
You can leave you vehicle at overnight carpark nr train/bus station. Ck parking costs ahead so you can factor that in.
I drove into Venice with a car and wouldn't do it again. Parking takes time to get in and out of and costs a lot. I'd park on the mainland and take a train in.
Having said that, I would definitely stay in Venice. The best times are early morning and evening/night when you can hear the water lapping against the buildings and wander through nearly empty streets.
You don't say when you are going. We felt our lodging was very reasonable. We showed up without reservations and found an apartment by calling ahead in the morning. I'm not sure it works during high season but I seem to get a lot of good deals on lodging waiting rather than booking ahead.
Try this highly rated budget B&B in Venice...