Where to stay for our trip in Venice?

One of the best things about a visit to Venice is being there in the early morning and in the evening when the crowds are much smaller. The only way to really experience Venice is to stay there. Yes, it does cost, but keep looking for the less expensive places and you'll be glad you did. One place we like to stay in Vencie is Pensione Gueratto. Check it out and see what you think.

May of this year, as in next month?

We stayed here, and we loved it. It's not outside of Venice. It's actually very central, and yet it's on a quiet canal. It has suites that would be suitable for families. We thought the price was reasonable for Venice.

If it's this May you're looking for, you may be too late, but in case there's availability: https://www.residenzadelosmarin.com/

Sorry, yes it will be this May.

I just realized we are ending our cruise in Venice Trieste which is quite far from Venice.

Four nights is too few for four places anyway. Where are you flying home from? Trieste and Venice would be nice.

This is our itinerary:

Toronto -> Paris
Paris train to Barcelona
Barcelona 9 day cruise ends in Venice (Trieste)
4 nights in Venice
Marco Polo -> Toronto.

Our top choices will be to visit Venice/Bolgna/Modena. Was thinking 2 days in Venice and 2 days in Bolgna with stop in Modena.

After discovering we will be in Trieste, would Treviso be a better home base? Heard some nice things about Treviso.

Venice can be expensive. We have been to Venice about six times and found the area near the main train station is much more affordable.

If you fly into Venice airport, you can take a cheap bus from the airport to the Piazzale Roma that is just across a canal from the main train station.

Finding accommodations now will be a challenge. We like staying in Cannaregio section of Venice.

2 days Venice/2 days Bologna are fine. Travel from Trieste to Bologna, then from there to Venice. Makes getting to the airport easier. What time do you depart from Venice for home?

Consider a monastery/convent stay in Venice. You might find more reasonable pricing. Accommodations are basic, you can often find a triple room though. I'd book directly with the property, not a booking service which may have a mark-up on prices.

I spent two nights in Bologna last week. It's a busy, beautiful city. Lots of shopping. And of course the food culture.

I want to be sure you understand the situation: There is no such place as "Venice (Trieste)". Your cruise company has invented that. Trieste is a separate city of over 200,000 people. It is almost 100 miles from Venice--about as far as you can go to the east before you bump into the Croatian border [oops--it's the Slovenian border, but you're also close to Croatia]. The trip from Trieste to Venice by train will take over 2 hours unless you happen to catch the one Frecciarossa (express train) departure per day with a change in Venice Mestre that takes 1 hr. 54 min. The 2:00+ train trips will make about 10 stops (or more) between Trieste in Venice; Trieste is not a suburb of Venice even though your cruise company may be trying to imply it is.

I like both Bologna and Padova (Padua), but Padova is a lot closer to Venice, with many trains taking just less than half an hour vs. trains to Bologna taking just over 1-1/2 hours. I haven't been to Verona yet (will finally get there later this year), but I will point out that the "Padua" chapter in Rick's guidebook is longer than the "Verona" chapter. There is quite lot to see in Padua, which is a pleasant university town that doesn't feel terribly touristy. It's also generally an inexpensive place to stay, unlike Venice and Florence. As a major business city, Bologna can have unexpectedly high lodging costs.

Honestly, if I had four nights remaining after a cruise and had good flight options for returning home from Venice, I'd try hard to find an affordable lodging place and stay in Venice the entire time. It is a magical city. It would be easy to make a spur-of-the-moment day trip from Venice to Padua or Treviso (a similar distance away), but I wouldn't be able to tear myself away from Venice so fast.

Also keep in mind that 4 nights means 3 full days (not 4 full days). I agree with posters who recommend spending all 4 nights in Venice. You waste too much precious time moving around.

4 nights is 3.5 days
You don’t have time for all 4 of the locations you’ve listed
You have time for 2 at best
If if were me I’d give all 4 to Venice and maybe day trip to Bologna

If you are flying out of VCE you really need to be in Venice the night before

If Bologna is a must
Train from Trieste to Bologna 2 nights or maybe just 1 night then take evening train to Venice 3 nights so that gives you 2 really full days in Venice

If you want to see/experience Venice try hard to stay IN Venice
There is nowhere else in the world like it

...if I had four nights remaining after a cruise...good flight options for returning home from Venice...find an affordable lodging...stay in Venice the entire time.

Listen to acraven and the others. Use all the time for Venice, and you'll still just scratch the surface.

hey hey jamesonch
i would stay in venice the whole time. your time is too short to see the places you want, spending time in train stations & on trains will take up your time getting to these places.
have you been to venice before, what is your budget in euros for the three of you, any amenities you need, mobility issues (many stairs/steps/bridges to cross with luggage on cobblestones/uneven pavement (pack light). you're in the beginning of high season to travel with higher prices, it's not only venice it's everywhere. i'd look for a hotel that has front desk help for questions, harder to find a room for 3 with the types of beds: one bed & sofa bed, three twins, family rooms. look at booking.com plus you're late booking when many rooms have been booked for months.
what time is your flight back to toronto from VCE, many are so early (6am), getting up, shower, packing, finding transportation that early depending where you're staying. we like staying in the canareggio area near train station and buses at piazzale roma, we take the more costly ride with a private water taxi. add it into our expenses with no stress,
remember check in is 2-4pm and check out is 10-11am. finding your way around can get confusing with many canals, dead ends, the fun of it. been 4 times, first time my friend and i just walked and roamed, got lost, and laughed so much trying to find our way, took a food tour, took a boat (vaporetto) to burano, an island away from venice, stayed away till late afternoon/evenings to see the sites everyone wanted to see at the same time with all the crowds.
agree with acraven about the "cruise" saying venice but trieste which is a train ride (2 hours away). since cruise ships not allowed in venice proper many are confused when they find out it's not venice, just like the cruises that stop or leave from ravenna, couple + hours to get to venice.
hurry up and book your stay and hoping all works out for you. remember where ever you decide if not venice, you will be paying train fares to get to venice and back, day tripping with all the crowds that turns people off with bad reviews. we loved staying in venice, lots to see and do.
aloha

Don't know your budget, but a friend and I recently stayed at Hotel Olimpia. We each paid $154/night for our rooms. So not terrible.