Mainland part of Venice with a historic core and lots of twentieth-century development. What and where is Mestre? Mestre (pronounced May-stray) is the mainland town connected to Venice by rail and road bridges over the lagoon. We include a Google map of Mestre at the foot of this page. At just 10 km from the historic center of Venice, Mestre is the main city on the Venetian mainland with roughly 200,000 inhabitants. It is an integral part of the City of Venice and represents the urban development that Venice couldn’t integrate in the historic center. Mestre corresponds to the mainland area of Venice, in Italy. Although administratively it is part of Venice, from a traveller's perspective it can be considered to be a distinct area. Mestre sits around 10 km away from Venice and became a favored spot for locals relocating from the over-touristed Venice Island. It’s your quintessential Italian town, complete with a charming historic center and a bustling main square where folks gather. Mestre (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmɛstre]) is a borough of the comune of Venice on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of Veneto, Italy. While Venice’s mainland suburb of Mestre has a history and character all its own dating back to medieval times, it owes its growth and fortune to its more powerful offshore neighbor. Unfortunately, it’s everything Venice is not: modern, industrial and cheap. Mestre is the most heavily populated area of Venice and one of the most popular destinations in Italy. So if you're a first-time visitor to the city, check out this list for the must-visits! See what other travelers like to do, based on ratings and number of bookings. Book these experiences for a closer look at the region. From quick jaunts to full-day outings. These rankings are informed by Tripadvisor data —we consider traveler reviews, ratings, number of page views, and user location. 1. Piazza Ferretto. Mestre, on the mainland shore of the Venice Lagoon, is now administratively part of the city of Venice. It existed in Roman times and was the site of an important fortress in the 12th century. Mestre è situata nella Pianura Veneta, a margine della Laguna di Venezia (3 m s.l.m.) cui dista da 3 km, mentre sono 11 dalla centro del capoluogo, e funge da porta d'accesso a Venezia oltre ad essere un importante nodo viario e ferroviario.