What area in Venice to stay in?

I am trying to think of an unsafe place in Venice, but I am drawing a blank. So stay any where you like on the islands and come and go as you please.

I'm very relieved to know Venice is so safe. I should clarify that I'm also asking for a convenient neighborhood for quick coming and going early in am and late at night. Prefer ten to fifteen minutes walk . Not sure how far away the neighborhoods are from each other. San Marco area seems to have most sights but very expensive. Next best area?

I would try and book something in Canareggio.
It's the part next to the train station as you turn left out of the station.
Then it is mostly along and in from the Canareggio Canal.
From there, it's easy to get to and from the train station, there are many great restaurants and bars.
You will not feel unsafe in Venice.
The biggest threat is perhaps a pickpocket, or tripping on the uneven cobbles and flagstones.

What is your budget? Venice is expensive. I see my favorite place is 560 EUR for 2 nights for a basic double room. A favorite of Rick Steves in the Pension Guerrato, which 290 EUR for 2 nights for a double room with en suite bath.
https://hotelguerrato.com/en/
It is popular, so book as soon as you can. It is close to the Rialto Mercato vaporetto stop, on the west side of the Rialto bridge. A good area with lots of restaurants in the area as well as easy to get to the San Marco area, either by walking or the vaporetto.

Speaking of that, my criteria would be easy walk to a vaporetto dock. Some hotels, and some are very nice, are in the deep interior of the islands and can be difficult to find until you get your bearings.

There are some areas in Mestre and especially Marghera (both in the mainland) that are not ideal, but in the historical center in the middle of the lagoon, there is zero crime. By far the safest place in Italy and probably in Europe. Petty criminals (nearly all foreign immigrants) can't afford to live there. There are some gypsies that occasionally commute into town to make a quick buck pick pocketing people on the vaporetto (water bus), but it's much less prevalent than the typical city bus or subway in other cities because the vaporetto, for safety reasons, is never crowded like city buses. When the vaporetto starts getting full, the captain stops any further boarding. Just use caution at crowded vaporetto stops before boarding. Don't worry about Venice at night. Those few pickpockets who venture into the city center during the day, will be gone back to the mainland by evening.

You cannot, IMO, beat the convenience of Ca'Angeli in San Polo. Close to a vaporetto stop, not far from the Rialto Bridge for walking to the other side, and an easy walk to Dorsoduro. They have a 24x7 front desk, comfy rooms, and a great breakfast. San Polo has become our favorite area after 10 stays in Venezia.

Thanks so much for all the advice! Booked Pensione Guerrato in San Polo through Booking.com for only $246 for two nights!

We've stayed in the San Toma/San Polo area on our visits to Venice. Not too far a walk from the Rialto - we stayed 3 times at a B&B that was just a 45 sec walk from the San Toma vaporetto stop. Last trip we stayed at an airbnb right near the Church of Saint Apollinaire.

I can say I never felt unsafe walking around Venice in the evening - but I had my husband with me. The place pretty much empties out at night...of course, be aware of your surroundings, but no need to be constantly on high alert.

Just want to mention a great restaurant we stumbled on our last stay/last night...it is a bit convoluted to find it, and we didn't know - but they get great ratings on Trip Advisor. We are def going to make sure we go back when we return to Venice...https://www.allamarone.com/

Scarlettfan22,

The best way to get from the train station to Pensione Guerrato is this: In front of the train station is a vaporetto stop. Take vap. # 1 (the "slow" boat that stops at every stop) to the Mercato (or Rialto Mercato) stop. It will be on the "right" side of the canal and is the stop after Ca' d Oro which is on the "left" side of the canal. Do not go all the way to Rialto Bridge -- you will have cross back over the bridge an have a much longer, harder, and much more crowded walk to the hotel.

When you get off the vap. at the Mercato stop, walk straight ahead through the arched doorway. There will be a small plaza slightly to your left. Turn right and walk straight. If there are a lot of vendors in the walking area, be sure they are all on your right side so you do not miss the next turn. Before you get to the place where the building juts out in front of you from your left, turn left on a small street named Calle drio la Scimia and look for the hotel sign on the left.

If you go to bing.com and use the map feature you can get very good aerial photos of the train station area and vap. stop location. If you go to googlemaps.com, you can get not only aerial photos, but street level views as well so you can virtually walk the route before you get there. Takes a bit of experimentation to get the hang of it, but it is great for getting the lay of the land.

Thank you everyone for all your valuable advice!

TC, thanks so much for the great directions to hotel!!! I appreciate it!

On an RS tour we stayed in Hotel Serenissima -located on a quiet canal about 5 minute walk to Piazza San Marco. Small and very cozy - we all liked it and since
we were 3 nights - we had lots of time to really enjoy Venice.
We would really recommend it and if I get a chance to go back to Venice (my dream) I would stay there again.

Hotel Serenissima, Venice2-star
Calle Goldoni 4486, Venice, VE, 30124, Italy, 800-491-6126
Hotel with bar/lounge, near Rialto Bridge