Venice > Mestre-Marghera

Mestre and Marghera

Travel and Tourist Information

ABOVE: A platform sign in the Venice Mestre Railroad Station. INSET BELOW: The Galleria G. Matteotti in downtown Mestre, and passengers on a commuter train from Mestre to Venice.

By Durant Imboden

Mestre and its neighboring district of Marghera are often regarded as mainland suburbs of Venice, although they're part of the Comune di Venezia. Both are located at the foot of the causeway and railroad bridge that lead from the Italian mainland to Venice's historic center.

Travelers to Venice often choose Mestre or Marghera as a place to stay for three reasons:

• Hotels in Mestre and Marghera tend to be less expensive than hotels in the centro storico.

• Parking is cheaper and easier on the mainland, and many hotels offer free parking.

• Through trains often stop only at the Venezia Mestre railroad station. This can make Mestre more convenient than Venice's Santa Lucia train station for long-distance rail travelers who have early-morning departures.

From Mestre, it's easy to reach Venice's historic center: Regional trains run often and take only 10 to 12 minutes to reach Venice. Public ACTV buses and the new Mestre-Venice Tram are also convenient.

If you're driving, you can park at the inexpensive San Giuliano parking lot and commute into Venice. 

• Tip: If you plan to sleep in Mestre and travel into Venice, we strongly recommend reading our "Mestre and Marghera Hotels" guide to avoid booking a hotel in an out-of-the-way location.

Read "Introducing Mestre-Marghera" and click the other links below for detailed travel information about Mestre and how to use the Venetian mainland as a base for exploring Venice:

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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