Staying in Venice..location, location, location????

I worried so much about this our first trip and found Venice was so easy to get around (small) that it was not terribly relevant. After 10 visits we find we like San Polo the best, but if you find a property you like, that is the most important, IMO. (I like to be really happy with my lodging without being extravagant.) And I like to be close to a vaporetto stop on the Grand Canal.

Once you have narrowed down to a couple of properties, use Google Maps to estimate the time it will take to get to some of the sights you plan to see and evaluate if the walking is doable, what vaporetto options there are, etc.

Thank you very much.

What is it that you like best about San Polo area?

Did you stay in an Airbnb? Do you have a link to the property that you could share?

Venice is compact, and location is not that big of a deal. You can cover just about the whole town in 20 minutes if you know what alleys to go down.
I've even stayed by the railroad station and eaten meals in the railworkers' cafeteria--to save $. No big deal.

I love the Canneregio area, more residential, less tourists, but centrally located to everything. Next to the Jewish ghetto, but walkable to San Marco and Rialto. The Guglie bridge and vaporetto stop is minutes away. This is where we stayed, twice, because we loved it so much! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2783287?guests=1&adults=1

We very much liked staying at this airbnb apartment: CA'GIRASOLE WITH WI-FI ---- https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1325679?guests=1&adults=1

It's right off the Via Garibaldi in the area called Castello ---- a few yards away from the Grand Canal, very untouristy, very neighborhoody, right between two vaporetto stops, beautiful view from the Via Garibaldi across the Grand Canal, and lots of nice places to eat. 10 minute walk along the Grand Canal to San Marco, so it is impossible to get lost. The apartment has no views at all and a rather small kitchen, but the host is pleasant and is was less than $75 a night. It's almost as far from the train station as you can get, if that matters to you --- we liked it that it was.

A vaporetto pass (purchased from outside the train station) is worth every penny because then you can treat the vaporetti like a hop-on/hop-off bus and get anywhere you want to get to or just ride it for fun.

I echo the comments about location being substantially less important in Venice than in other cities, because it is easily walkable and because of the convenient vaporettos. I highly recommend Corte Campana, which is also recommended by Rick's and other guidebooks. It's a very small B&B, located in a charming, history-filled, centuries-old building, run by Ric (native Venetian) and Grace (native Californian), who are wonderful hosts. It's just a few minutes walk from St Mark's, and it shares a courtyard with the Hotel Colombina, a fancy-schmancy place that will let you sit on their flower-becked bench, on the canal looking right at the Bridge of Sighs, if you buy a drink at the hotel bar and carry it out there. Venice at its best!

https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p840077
We stayed here in 2015 and loved it.
It's walking distance from the train station, and just along the canal from the Guglie stop for the AliLaguna to and from the airport.
It faces the back, so is quiet; and was clean, with a great terrace.
The host was very attentive, and even left me a birthday present when he realized it was my birthday after he copied my passport!
We would have stayed there on our last visit in 2017, but it was booked.

This is our spot in San Polo. https://www.vrbo.com/155941#comments. We have been the only tourists on the street, although since we often go in winter that is a factor to some degree. But it is off the main route through San Polo from the Rialto to the Frari Church. Very peaceful and close to a favorite restaurant, Nono Risorto

Been many times ... if you see McDonalds your on the busiest pedestrian path LOL .. n e way last fall we stayed on Murano away from the mob ...ground .level apartment.and reasonable ... just remember when the cruise ships pull in that's 3000+ tourists each ship ... supposedly 20,000 ppl on the weekends .. their this kind g of taxing every visitor... I cant see how .......oh ...get a 1...2.. or 3 day vaporretto pass visit all the islands + do night cruising and not get off (round trip) ... enjoy ... you'll probably wish you spent 3 weeks as 1 week or 2 weeks go by so fast ..after 3 weeks we're ready to come home etc.