Venice proper vs Mestre

Mestre will undoubtedly have its nice corners, but if you want to sleep outside Venice, why not in Padua (Padova)? A charming city in its own right, with very frequent rail connections to Venice. Even many of the cheap regionale trains do it in less than 30 mins.

It seems to me that staying in Mestre would be a hassle when everything that you want to see is on the islands part of Venice. Time is a valuable thing when you're traveling. On the other hand, you have to do what fits your budget.

We toured Venice with RS a couple of years ago and it was great to be in the heart of the city (although the Venice hotel was the worst one of the tour, kind of run down with uncomfortable beds).

Some of feel strongly that one should stay IN Venice to enjoy Venice.

You might take a look at this thread:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/hotel-in-venice-near-train-station-04713cd4-acac-49db-841d-dc3c209b1ce3

If at all possible budget wise stay in Venice itself. One of the greatest things one can experience in the city is the lack of crowds during the early morning and evening hours. A really magical place without all the day trippers. On the other hand, do not pass up a chance to visit the city even if it means staying on the mainland.

Thanks to all that responded to my question. It's definitely a hard decision,no matter which choice I make. There are definitely pros and cons to either choice I make. I'm actually leaning towards an apartment rental if I do decide to stay in Venice proper. I'm a little leary of the hotels that I've seen within my budget. Again,I'm there to see the sights,not stay in my room.

Venice has always been a city where we have to dig a little bit deeper for a hotel but we think it is worth it to wake up IN Venice and walk the busier walkways in the mornings and evenings. We explore further on foot or boat during the middle of the day. We've managed to find some perfectly fine hotels for short stays and rented an apartment once for a longer stay. Of course we've never happened to be there during a major holiday but we have been there several times in the summer and fall. I'd vote for Venice for 2-3 nights over anything else in the area.

Thanks Santa Barbara

What is your budget? Perhaps people could give you some recommendations. For me, I like under $100 canadian a night. We've stayed at Al Campaniel B&B 3 of our 4 visits. Mind you, their rates are lower after Sept 15, which is when we stayed. We stayed in the standard double, which has a private locked bathroom across the hall. We enjoyed the breakfast as well, and located just a few steps off the San Toma vaporetto stop, and about 15 min walk to Rialto. Standard double is from 55-100 euro a night - I think when we went, it was generally about 75 euro.

http://alcampaniel.tripod.com/

We also stayed at a nice apartment via airbnb, which was a less than 10 min walk to Rialto, and one stop past San Toma (I think San Silversto, but this was 2014). It was lovely and quiet. My mom was with us so we needed something bigger. It was about $150 Can a night (back when our dollar was a little stronger). She's already booked tho after I checked...

...and what TC said - the best part (for me) of the day in Venice was nipping out at 7am and seeing St Marks and Rialto almost empty of people. You can't really do that from Mestre. Time is worth money as well, so it may be worth the extra $20-30 you'd pay to stay in Venice to save time going back and forth...by 10am SM and Rialto are swarming with people...

What you call "Venice proper" is actually called "Centro Storico" (historical city center). Mestre, Lido, etc. are also part of the city of Venice, but they are districts that have developed more recently, in the last century or so.

Ceteris paribus (all other things being equal), accommodations in the district of Mestre or Lido are of course cheaper. The reason is, well, you are in Mestre and not in the historical center. The same is true everywhere. Accommodations in Queens or Newark, NJ are cheaper than Manhattan, for the same reasons. If you are willing to downgrade a bit your expectations in terms of poshness of amenities, you can probably find accommodations at very reasonable prices in the historical center as well. It will probably make it a bit better in terms of experience of staying in the old center, although it is also true that Mestre is really close, as it is less than 10 minutes away by train, and there are several commuter trains (or buses) per hour that for 1.50€ can take you back and forth from before 6 in the morning till well past midnight, and of course there are also taxis 24h/day.

It's up to you. We give you the facts, you decide.

I have no doubt you can find lodging on Venice Island to meet your budget. Why drive yourself crazy? My first Venice trip I stayed in Mestre because it was affordable...yuk! Practically ruined our first Venice experience. Luckily I've been able to come back many times and have ALWAYS stayed on Venice Island after that initial fiasco. Saving a few bucks (or a Euros) to stay in Mestre is just not a way to plan your Venice experience. Don't stay anywhere else other than Venice Island...not even Padua.

Look at Hotel Santa Lucia on Venice Island just next to the train station. It's budget, clean and air conditioned. We also frequent the far tip of Venice in St. Elena. It's off the beaten path but perfectly wonderful. The B&B Venezia was one of the cheapest places we ever found to stay in Venice and includes air condition

http://www.bbvenezia.com/

And it was perfect to stroll by the canals on our walks from the B&B Venezia to the rest of Venice.

Thank you Nicole,Roberto,and Tim. I've decided to ditch Mestre and stay in Venice as suggested. Now I am going decide on a hotel,b&b,or an apartment,and where exactly. Lol! I'm actually leaning towards a quiet area of Venice,assuming getting around is fairly easy. Any suggestions is much appreciated,and I will look into the places mentioned in your post. I've already started looki ng at Airbnb,Homeaway,etc.

I like Cannaregio, it's quiet and has great areas to walk, including the Ghetto.

I just want to mention you may not want to wait too long to lock down your stay in Venice - I know it's just a small number, but I had an airbnb wish list for Venice with 4 places on it - all 4 are already booked those dates in Sept (I did a check). I know it's only April - but your choices will be farther and fewer between if you wait too much longer...I know when I was booking in 2014 and I tried to stay at Al Campaniel again, I asked in April about their 2 bedroom apartment (my mom was with us so we needed a bigger room) and it was already booked for mid-Sept. So if you see something in your budget and area and has good reviews, jump on it...

You might want to look at monasterystays.com, which helps you book lodgings run by monasteries and convents - in Italy, the monasteries and convents have to be self-supporting, and this is one way they do it. There are several such places listed for Venezia. Many have curfews, and they tend to be very plain and simple, but you might find they work well for you.

It's hard to pick a bad neighborhood in the historic center of Venice. Look at a map of Venice that shows you the major tourist sites. Pick lodging accordingly, factoring in your budget. We've really liked Pensione Guerrato as well as Casa Rezzonico.

Pay the extra cost and stay on the island of Venice and not in Mestre. I used airbnb to find a place to stay 2 years ago. Had a view on one of the smaller side canals that was pretty close to the vaperatto stop

Another viewpoint. I had a car and drove to Venice from my apartment just south of Florence. A very pleasant drive. Stayed at Best Western Hotel Bologna across the street from the train station in Mestre. Fabulous modern rooms, great hotel staff, a really great breakfast buffet. Bought the train tickets to Venice from the front desk (1.50 Euro), 15 minute trip to Venice. Walked Venice from 8AM to 11PM, had lunch and dinner on the island. Repeated for two more days. Works great for those who have a car. Free Parking.

8am - 11pm every day for 3 days??? How positively MISERABLE! and NOT the way to visit Venice.