Venice is an Island connected to mainland by bridge . The Island itself is called Venice and mainland Mestre .

Stay in Venice Or Outside?

When you are looking for hotels in Venice and you are cost conscious you maybe tempted to book one on the main land . DON’T DO IT !

The charm of Venice is staying in the town itself and getting to enjoy it early morning and late at night after the day tourists have gone . Similar to other famous cities like Santorini/ Positano you have to stay overnight to truly enjoy these cities !

Photos from Venice early mornings & late at night :

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Sometimes It Makes Sense To Stay Outside Of Venice …

You can stay over in Mestre if you are getting in late to Venice and just need a night to crash . We did this . We had booked the St.Regis in Venice for two nights and didn’t want to book it for a third night since we were getting in around 10 pm from Florence . We stayed at a hotel in Mestre for the night and caught a bus early morning to get into Venice for early checkin at the St.Regis !

Conclusion

Spend less time in Venice if you have to but do stay in Venice . It will make your trip much more enjoyable and you will get to experience Venice at times without the boatload of tourists !