Hotel recommendation in Venice

We stayed at the Hotel Mercurio in Venice on our RS tour. It was very nice and had a great location. I would stay there again.

Thank you, I am going to check it out now!

When I visited Venice wth a RS tour we stayed at the Hotel Al Piave.. I thought it was great.. rooms are all different.. lots of character.. super helpful staff too.. its on a quieter street but only a 5-10 minute walk to St Mark square. Its on Ruga Giuffa.. be careful when looking it up as there are several hotels with similar names.. on tripadvisor.com its listed as 45 out of 485 hotels in Venice.. which considering the great price point ( its not a luxury hotel but it very nice..) and the fact the staff really are wonderful ( desk staff had a great suggestion for my 11 yr old and I,, visit the Costume Museum.. it as a great day out )

Hello, stayed on a RS Tour at the Belle Arti hotel, near the Accademia Bridge. It is a great central location. Venice is magical, especially at night when the cruise boats depart. You are smart to stay overnight (assuming a couple of nights?) Enjoy!

Venice is full of great hotels, B&Bs and some apartments, too. It also has its share of mediocre places, too. So just jump over to TripAdvisor and check out any property which you're considering.

As Tim says, Venice has a lot of nice hotels and BandB's.

You might limit the field by considering what amenities you want---canal view or on a square, elevator, close to a vaporetto stop or away from the main tourist paths, etc. you can use Tripadvisor to filter for amenities as well as price and neighborhood. As for neighborhood, any of the six Sestrieri in Venice proper is fine! although we prefer to be closer to the center rather than the extreme east or west ends. Just do not opt for a place in Mestre to save money.

We always like a rooftop terrace so I start with that.

We have stayed at the Pensione Guerrato both before and during RS tours. It's between the Rialto Bridge and the Rialto Market. About a block from the Vaporetto stop at Mercato Rialto.

Also, just completed making reservations there for a trip this May.
Good Luck,
Gene

I'll add another vote for Pensione Guerrato. We stayed there this past August and really enjoyed it. Friendly owners, good location, close to a vaporetto stop, Rialto bridge, the market. There's also a couple convenient ATMs nearby.

If you're in the area check out Alessandro's cicchetti tour...

Allessandro Schezzini

Great fun.

Another vote for Pensione Guerrato! Perfect location, great hosts.

I will throw my vote in for Pensione Guerrato as well. I stayed there on my own and then a year later was there with a RS tour. I love the convenience of the location. A quick two minutes to the Rialto Bridge. You can walk to St. Mark's Square in about 15 minutes. You can also walk to the other side of Venice and catch the vaperetto to Murano. Get a good map if you have specific places in mind for walking. Also, the hotel is seconds from the Rialto Mercado stop so it's really easy to get to from the train and airport.

I had the opportunity to spend 5 nights in Venice last October. This was our second visit to Venice but our first visit with overnight stays.

For this trip, we decided to rent apartments (also visited Florence and Rome) and we LOVED it. Apartments are so much more comfortable than your average hotel rooms. You get room to spread out and relax PLUS a kitchen (great for breakfasts) and a lounge to relax in. We also had clothes washers in each of our apartments.

While in Venice, we stayed in an apartment overlooking Rio Marin and just 5 minutes from the train station. Although we were so close to everything, we were also off the main tourist routes so noise was not an issue. We also had a grocery store and two nice restaurants beneath the apartment and many more "non-touristy" restaurants within easy walking distance. This apartment was a lift-served, two bedroom/two bath with a full kitchen and cost less than $200 a night.

The main islands of Venice are very walkable as long as you can handle stairs. I wouldn't worry too much about being "close" to major sites because EVERYTHING is close. The hardest problem will be finding your way, especially in the evening, in the maze of tiny alleys. During the day, you just follow the (crushing) crowds, but at night, when the day-trippers go back to their hotels/cruise ships, Venice is transformed.

I really recommend staying in an apartment if you are spending more than just a couple nights in Venice. I booked mine through TripAdvisor but there are many web portals for vacation rentals.

Some other advice:

If you are physically able to walk and climb stairs all day, don't worry too much about the vaporetto (water bus) system. They can be more of a pain than they're worth. Up near the train station, it may take two or three boats before you can finally get on one because the crowds are so bad.

The further away from major sites/tourist routes, the better and cheaper the food gets. Look for a place that doesn't translate their menu into every language imaginable and the smaller the menu the better.

If you're spending more than 4-5 days in Venice, consider taking a break from the crowds and visiting some of the other cities in the Veneto. Even Verona (Romeo and Juliet) is only about 2 hours by high speed train and is well worth a visit. Or, book an escorted trip into the Dolomites...

If traveling in the warmer months of the year, take a mosquito repelling device.

Lola - which hotel/b&b have you found with a rooftop ????

Last year we stayed at Ca' dei Dogi. It is behind Saint Mark's but a breath of fresh air. It is in a little alley and if you are lucky enough to get a room with a patio you will think you are in heaven as you face pine trees and the back wall of the palace. We sat out drinking wine and could not believe we were a block away from San Zaccaria boat terminal and over a little bridge from Saint Marks Square. The place is lovely with exceptional staff, breakfast, air conditioned rooms and we had a large Jacuzzi room as there is no elevator so we wanted first floor with less steps. Prices are very reasonable and you can't beat the location as the boats to the airport are also just down the block. We highly recommend this place.