I am questioning my decision to stay outside of Venice in Lido Venice. Has anyone stayed in this area? I have booked a Hotel by the beaches, and was told the Vapereto takes about 20 minutes to get to the main area of Venice. Is Lido a nice area and have entertainment, restaurants? Thankyou!
The Lido is nowhere near as active as the main island of Venice. If you do stay there, be sure to buy a vaporetto pass for your entire time. It will save you money. We'll be staying on the Lido in May, but that will be our third trip to Venice and we are curious to see what it's like there for a few nights. But I'm really glad we stayed in Venice proper the previous two times. We stayed at Pensione Guerrato, near the Rialto Bridge. We recommend it highly.
If you have time to change to the main part of Venice, you should consider it.
Lido is nice, but much quieter than Venice and you are going to be spending a lot of time taking the vaporetto back and forth. That may get to be a bit tiring, especially if you want to walk around Venice at night. I've been to Lido and there are lots of restaurants in the main area.
Aside from the 20 minutes on the vaporetto, there's the waiting time, especially evenings. If you are looking to save money, try the Dorsoduro area - it is quieter, more residential, yet only a few minutes' walk to much of the best in Venice.
Thankyou all for your input!! Kind regards! LH