First time in Venice, where to stay

Hi Holly, if you were visiting Seattle, would you recommend staying near SeaTac? It’s not quite that drastic, but pick a location that places you central to everything you’re wanting to do in Venice. Then take the vaporetto to the train station when you’re ready to leave. I just returned from Venice this past week for the 6th time. I’ve stayed at Hotel Ala that’s very close to San Marco for the last four trips. Walking over to San Marco within five minutes and enjoying the evening ambiance is wonderful after the day trip visitors have left! And it’s handy to the Accademia Bridge to get away from tourists during the day, etc.

A somewhat hidden expense is the vaporetto. If you’re farther away, you will be taking the vaporetto everywhere which is around $10/ride. During the three days, even with it being my adult daughter’s first trip to Venice, we only needed to purchase three vaporetto tickets for her, and that included a trip out to lovely Burano.

Thanks, Jean.
I'll check hotel Ala.

Last time I was in Venice I stayed by the Rialto bridge and wished I hadn’t. It’s a very busy, noisy area with restaurants and lots of shops, people just hanging around until late. Needed earplugs, and had to close the windows to get to sleep. Many people on this forum recommend the Canareggio area. It’s not far from the train station, but also not in the middle of the tourist area. Venice is quite walkable, just check google maps for how long it takes to walk to a sight from a hotel and pick a place off a small canal or side street.

Not knowing your budget or amenity wants, I recommend https://www.cortecampana.com/index.html. It's a small B&B, a 5-minute walk from San Marco with easy access to the S Zaccaria Vaporetto and Alilaguno for sightseeing and transport to the S Lucia train and airport. I have stayed there twice and just made reservations for next September. Hosts Riccardo and Grace are the nicest people you will ever meet.

We have stayed in the Carnarggio area twice. You need to look carefully at location because it is a large area and some locations are much more convenient than others. We were closer to train station this past time and it meant a 10 minute walk to a vaporetto. Previously we were closer to the center and could walk more easily to sites.

Both locations were quiet. The Rialto bridge area is way too congested for my taste too.

We love the Hotel Ai Mori d'Oriente in the Cannaregio area. No crowds, yet easy access, and a nice energy with shops and business. Happy travels!

Hotel Ala is perfectly located near San Marco but in a quiet campo
Right at S Giglio vaporetto stop- also where Alilaguna stops for direct access to/from VCE

No stairs or bridges -a 2 min walk to hotel

Consider a vaporetto length of stay pass-huge money saver

Be sure to validate your pass each and every time
Fines are high and they will check

Thanks, All.
I decided to book hotel Firenze.
I like that they included breakfast in their rate, about the same price as hotel Ala.
I looked at google map, i don't see any bridge from San Marco Vallaresso stop.

We’ve stayed twice at the convent Istituto San Guiseppe, conveniently located between Rialto and San Marco. Someplace unique to stay. good price, clean. Book at monasterystays.com or direct

That one looks very nice, Holly! If you have the option, request a room that doesn’t have windows on the main path into San Marco piazza, so it’s quieter.

We liked to stay in the area near the main train station. You can walk from Piazzale Roma where the bus from the airport drops you.
Only thing, you have to cross a bridge with luggage and negotiate many steps.

This area has the most affordable lodgings in Venice.

Looks like this is OBE now, but it might be useful for someone else some day. My wife and I stayed at the Albergo Marin for several days a few years back, and it was nice. We arrived late in the evening after a long day. Train from Cinque Terre with a detour to Ravenna and then on to Venice. Hotel is fairly close to the train station, which was nice given how tired we were, and it was on a quiet street off the main tourist trails. We were greeted with snacks and a drink at check-in. Room was nothing special but it was clean and served us well during our stay. Decent breakfast was included. Price was good compared to what others might consider more desirable areas of the city. Pretty good walk to the main sites, but our favorite thing to do in Venice is walk around anyway, so that wasn't much of a negative. A couple years prior to that, we stayed at the Hotel Dalla Mora which was pretty close to the same area. We had a room there overlooking a quite canal. There was a rooftop terrace that all guests could enjoy. Also a good price and with breakfast included. I'd recommend both those hotels for someone looking for budget options near the train station. Having said that, it's been a few years since we visited Venice, so my recommendations are a bit dated. Regards,

Nathan