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Where to Stay in Venice and MestrePage 2
ABOVE: The Alloggi Locanda Marinella is a delightful small hotel on a quiet street near the Piazzale Roma. (We splurged on a superior double with private patio.) Where to stayDistances in Venice are short, so location isn't as crucial as it might be in a city like Rome or Milan--unless, of course, you're burdened with heavy luggage and don't want to spend your last euro on a porter or water taxi. Here are a few points to keep in mind:
Hotels for early-morning flight departures
Hotels for cruise passengers
Staying in Mestre, on the mainlandFinally, you can save quite a bit of money by staying on the Venetian mainland. Mestre, Venice's modern suburb, is especially convenient if you have a car and don't want to pay Venice's high parking rates. We give our top recommendations to the Best Western Hotel Bologna, the Hotel Plaza, and the Hotel Tritone. These comfortable but affordable hotels are directly across the street from Mestre Railroad Station, where inexpensive trains from Mestre to Venice run almost constantly and reach the city in 10 to 12 minutes. Still, we recommend booking a room in Venice's historic center if you can. During high season and on weekends, the tourist population shrinks dramatically after the daytrippers have gone home. This makes late evening and early morning the best times to enjoy Venice without the crowds. When to bookThe typical Venetian hotel is a former casa or palazzo with a limited number of rooms. This fact, combined with the great popularity of Venice, means that room shortages can occur at any time from spring through fall. Our best advice is "Book ahead." If you do show up in Venice without a confirmed room, try the hotel reservations office in the train station, the parking garage at the Piazzale Roma, or the Venice Autostrada terminus on the mainland. But be prepared to stand in a long line, and the available hotels may be inconvenient to reach (especially with luggage). Where to find hotel listingsFor hotel listings, read the suggestions in "Venice hotels by location" below, see our Venice accommodations index , or get a bird's-eye view of places to stay with Aerial Venice Hotels. Next page: Alternatives to hotels
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Hotel Advice: Location can be important in a car-free city with 400+ bridges, especially when you're walking with luggage. Before you book, see:
Venice for Cruisers:
From our Venice Travel Blog:
A water taxi ride to Venice Airport
From Maggie in Venice:
A dog's life in Venice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The
area around the 
Hotels
near the 
Dorsoduro
and San Polo, on the less touristed side of the Grand Canal, are good
bets during high season. Cannaregio also has a neighborhood
feel once you get away from the busiest streets. Closer to San Marco, the
Castello district has some quiet areas not far from the main tourist
attractions.
The
Lido, an island that separates the Venetian lagoon from the
Adriatic Sea, is popular in summer--especially with well-heeled beach buffs and
golfers who can afford the tabs at classic resort hotels like the Hotel des
Bains and the Excelsior Palace. Luxury hotels have free shuttles to the Piazza
San Marco; guests at smaller hotels may have to rely on the public water buses.
If
you're leaving Marco Polo Airport before 10 a.m. or so, see
When
arriving or departing on a cruise ship, your best bet is a 
