Where to stay in Venice, Island or outside of island?

You can get direct trains from Florence to Venezia S. Lucia, and from there direct to Milan. That is on the island, thus negating wasted time travelling to and from Mestre on the mainland. Just get a hotel close to the station. There are plenty to choose from.

Venice for just one night means being on the island, not the suburbs. We stayed in the Ghetto on the island our first trip, and the Arsenale the second trip.

Stay on the island. There are many hotels near the train station, not a long walk away.
Besides, day trippers are now getting charged 5 to 10 EUR to visit Venice. If you are staying on the island, you avoid that annoyance.

You will wish you had more time. So stay in the heart of town.

hey hey angelahyang
as others have mentioned, stay in venice, too bad only for one night. many hotels near train station to choose from with check-in times 2-4pm and check-out 10-11am. pack light luggage and if too early for check-in drop bags at hotel and roam around. you will get lost which is how it is. is it only you traveling and when is this trip?
i've used booking.com for hotels, check the price, you can always email hotel to see if they offer a better rate. give yourself time for your leaving in morning (shower/pack/breakfast maybe train station/walking to station & getting ticket to milan
trenitalia.com or italotreno.com
for reserving trains. good luck and enjoy
aloha

I agree with all of the other posters. The best time to be in Venice is evening and early mornings and you miss out on those magical hours if you do not stay in Venice proper, especially with such limited time there. Be sure to take a vaporetto ride along the Grand Canal in the evening and pre-book tickets for St. Marks and the Doge's Palace if you want to see them.

Thank you guys for sharing your experience and offering great advice- this is great helpful-

Island! Island! Island!