Question on need for reservations

You're absolutely right - thanks for stating the obvious, guys. So, any recommendations, and when should I make these reservations? Can we get a good deal given the time of year? Our first time in Italy, and these are our first nights. Thanks again!

Can you wait and still find lodging? Yes. Should you wait? Only you can decide. Waiting to find lodging leaves too many things to chance for my taste. I like to do research in advance to find someplace that fits my budget, is in a good location, and that has good reviews. The only good reason I can think of to wait to find lodging is if you want to keep your itinerary open. If you already know the nights you're going to be there, there is virtually no advantage I can think of to waiting. Plus, I'd rather spend the time it would take to find lodging doing something else - like seeing Venice. But ultimately it's your decision. Happy travels.

In your situation, I don't see any advantage to not booking now. The advantage of waiting until you arrive is that you have flexibility with your dates of arrival and departure. But, if you already know you are arriving 12/10 and staying 2 nights, you gain nothing by waiting, and possibly lose out on the hotels you want because they're booked, or have to spend more than you want, or won't get something as nice as you'd hoped. With almost everything being bookable in advance, the person who waits gets the "leftovers" - the lesser values in each price category and type of accommodation. In the off season, or in a not-busy city, that's fine. In a city like Venice, where prices are high and demand is high, I wouldn't chance it. Plus, as Michael says, even if everything works out, time spent finding accommodation takes away time from sightseeing, and adds stress.

You should book in advance and book now. That way you won't waste any time finding a place to stay and you can dump your luggage in your room or at the hotel if you are early, and get started on your sightseeing. Venice seems to be busy at any time of the year. I would definitely book now especially if you have a specific price range in mind. Also, be aware that many hotels in Venice impose a minimum stay. You should be ok with 2 nights, but some do have a 3 night minimum.

Do you have the new RS Venice Guide Book yet? If so, great. If not, you should get one as soon as you can - you can order it elsewhere on this RS web site (see Books) We used it extensively in planning our stay in Venice this last September. We enjoyed our 5 night stay there. We had been there before, maybe 10 years ago, and things do change, especially prices!

Chris, because Venice is so expensive, I usually stay in monasteries there - monasterystays.com can be helpful but they do charge you a fee up front. Some other things to consider: many B&Bs and some hotels in Venice do not have elevators and some have shared baths - you can check out a site like booking.com to see descriptions, photos, locations, prices, and reviews from people who've stayd there recently. It's a good research tool even if you decide to book directly with the hotel (the hotel pays the commission to booking.com, you don't).

Chris, As suggested by Charlie, I'd suggest picking up a copy of the Italy Guidebook, as that has lots of good suggestions for lodgings in different parts of the city. Once you find something you like, book right away. One property that's very popular (and used by RS tours) is Pensione Guerrato. I've found that Venice tends to be a bit more expensive than other locations in Italy, so be sure to allow for that in your budget. Are you only stopping in Venice, or will you be travelling to other cities in Italy? Happy travels!

I would definitely book ahead, we did not do that on a couple of trips to France including Paris and it was time consuming and not productive at all. You can go on the site in the upper right hand corner where it says search and put in Venice hotels and it will lead you to what others have posted about their stays there and then follow up with Trip Advisor.

Our plans to-date are two nights in Venice, some time in Florence and Rome before we depart from Milan 12/20. It now seems that we should have returned from Rome, but tickets are bought. We will go to Milan 12/19 as I hear it's not worth time on such a short trip. Our daughter has this semester in Rome, and it seems she took my RS Italy & Rome books w/ her - smart girl. I will get the new editions. Thank you all for the great recommendations. I'm now going to get serious on our plans. You'll likely see more of me on this board. It's a wonderful resource - you all are very helpful!

Don't know what your budget is, but... I've stayed in a convent right by Salute before for about 50E, including a reasonable breakfast. They were full when I last visited, so I stayed at Hotel Doni and really liked it. It's a 1-star place on a little canal very close to San Marco (the next canal after the one spanned by the Bridge of Sighs), and it was 80E for a single room a few weeks ago, en suite, with a minimal breakfast (rolls, coffee/tea, and some type of fruit drink). It was really quiet and they speak English; no elevator, but they carried my suitcase up the stairs for me. But definitely reserve ahead.

We haven't stayed yet, but booked here - Hotel Antiche Figure. Easy to get to from the station, on the Grand Canal and looks like an easy walk to St Mark's Square, etc. The reviews were amazing and the price for our nights were only $117/night. (Nov 21/22).

Thanks again, folks! I'm working the Venice hotel info you've provided. Turning to railpasses...given our 10-day, Venice-Florence-Rome-Milan trek, I see that's an option, but that the pay as you go can make sense, too. Thoughts?

I Recommend buying your train tickets in advance. You can find super economy fares for as little as 9€ between your cities. I don't think that rail passes in Italy are a very good deal. I recently purchased tix for Venice to Florence as well as Florence to Rome in November for 9€ each leg. The only downside is that you are locking in a specific train / time. Changes to these tickets are not allowed. Trenitalia now also has some competition but I don't remember the name of the new company. You can search this forum to find it.

Do NOT buy a railpass. That virtually never makes financial sense when traveling within Italy. Buy point-to-point 2nd class tickets to save a good bit of money. 2nd class is perfectly fine and it's more likely to put you with the Italians rather than with the other tourists (an important consideration for me.) You should absolutely make your lodging reservations NOW. Pensione Guerrato is wonderful. We've stayed there twice and loved it. Do NOT stay outside of Venice proper, in case you're thinking you might save a few bucks that way. That's even more true in December when the weather can be iffy. You want to be right in Venice so you can wander around and go back easily to your lodging whenever you want/need to for a break. Here are a few photos I took of Magical Venice on two of our previous trips, in case you're interested. Granted, Venice will look quite a bit different in December than it did in May, but still, you'll get a glimpse of what makes this one of our favorite cities to visit. We're going back for the fourth time next May. And don't let anyone freak you out about the possibility of high water (acqua alta). If it happens, it's over in a few hours. Most of the city remains perfectly fine and the few places that get water make for some interesting photos. (They put up raised platforms that you can walk on to get around.)

Thanks, Michael. Is your point-to-point recommendation based on advanced purchase or pay-as-we-go? I've got an email to Pensione Guerrato, requesting availability.

Its been a very very long time since I have heard anybody here support a rail pass for only Italy, especially on the usual corridor. I don't suggest "pay as you go", though either. If you do consider the pass you will want to know if it will pay off. Take the pass cost and divide it by the number of legs you will be riding (looks like 3). Add 10€ for each mandatory pass-holder reservation fee. That will be the cost per leg. Now, go to the trenitalia website, or even the new company Italo (web page is at http://www.italotreno.it/EN/Pages/default.aspx ) and look up the walk up fares. That will be the highest price between the 4 cities. I expect that you will find that is still less than the pass leg price above. As was suggested in the previous post, the really smart way is to commit to a specific time and day for each leg and buy advance purchase - nonrefundable - tickets for a pittance. You will never get your pass leg price to get anywhere near 9€ or even 19€ or 29€. Heck the pass-holder reservation fee alone is 10€. Just treat it the same way you do a flight and plan to get to the station a few minutes early in case anything delays you; get a coffee and hop on. Use the money you save to buy lunch or souvenirs or admissions or towards a hotel night. Only if you have money burning a hole in your pocket and doing any advance work is against your philosophy or you absolutely must have maximum flexibility (and still have to pay for the reservations and commit to a specific train when you do) would the pass be the best idea. Even then, you're probably more flexible by buying the tickets as you walk up. I hope you have a really memorable (for all the right reasons) trip.

OK! We're booked for Hotel Campiello @ 65e/night. The rate is 30e less than Pensione Guerrato, and it's on RS's list - I found my books :-). Location seems really good, too - thanks everyone! On to Florence....what do I need to consider? Nigel, working the train, too.
Michael, terrific pics! Thanks!