Rick Steves&#59; Venice hotel recommendations

Laurel, I wouldn't be too worried about being close to the train station. I'd suggest choosing a hotel that fits your budget and other criteria, and just using the Vaporetti to get back & forth to the station. You might have a look at Pensione Guerrrato, as that's a RS favourite. Happy travels!

We stayed in a nice hotel in Venice, we were on a a Rick Steves Tour. He doesn't put all his tour hotels in his books( otherwise he would have trouble booking rooms for his tours I assume). Even Rick knows there are many nice hotels in any city that are not in his books,, don't be a slave to them. Just so you know on his tour I don't think any of the hotels we stayed in were in his books, but I have kept most of their names as they were great hotels that I would stay in again.. and as I said, not in his books. My point is, don't limit yourself to only hotels in Rick Steves books. You are making life harder then it needs to be as the RS hotels are generally small and book up well in advance for the season.. so unless you are booking for after this summer season you may find yourself sad to not be able to get into a RS hotel.. Anyways it was Hotel Al Piave .

Laurel, staying near the train station places you a bit distant from most of the great sites. But, Venice is small enough that you can get around just fine by walking or taking the Vaporetto. Check out the Hotel Santa Lucia. It's very near the train station and quite reasonable.

It's tough to find anything decent in that price range in Venice. Hotel Bel Sito and Berlino was small, charming, breakfast included with an elevator close to St. Marks Square but it comes in @ eu140 per night.

The price range you mentioned may be tough to pull off, but staying close to the train station will help to drive the price down. I think it would be very tough for me to just list off the hotels as I don't know what you are looking for specifically. Just wait to get the book. Shouldn't be more than a few days more, or if you are really in a hurry, try the library and see if you can get a copy of the book. Or, go to a book store and peruse through that section.
I know that this is unsolicited advice, and staying near the train station has its advantages, but try and stay closer to the hustle and bustle. I bet you can find your hotel just as easily (but again, your price range may be tough to pull off).

I like Hotel Tivoli. It is walking distance from the train station, across the bridge and through streets to the area of Frari Church. It can also be reached via the vaporetto, stop San Toma. I've stayed there several times. The rates may fall within your affordable range. I've stayed in a single, so don't know what it would cost for a double. The hotel is family-run and included a generous breakfast. There is an outdoor patio/garden area for guests. I like the pizza place across the street; pizza by the slice is inexpensive and delicious. There are many shops and cafes/restaurants in the area. Hint: if you don't insist on a canal-side setting, hotels cost less. Most hotels in Venice do not have elevators. There are a few hotels near the train station. Exit the station and walk to the left. Within 100 yards there are a few. I would consider staying at one of them for the convenience of access to the train station and to avoid hauling luggage around town. And, these hotels tend to be less expensive than others.

I actually booked the Bel Sito for the 19th and 20th of this month for 105.00 for one night and 125.00 for the second night. Looks easy to get to on the Vaporetto and close to the things I want to see.

Great Choice, Liz, and it is very close to St. Mark's. When I stayed there, the front desk recommended a great lunch place, that served local Venetian food. A kind of point and buy place with hot dishes that were absolutely delicious and cheap! The very best meals we had were at this working man's lunch counter. They had picnic tables inside, and a glass case where you chose hot or cold food. It was March, and we chose the hot food.

if you are OK with simple (1 star), the Hotel Doni will fit your budget. It's recommended in the guidebook, clean, on a quiet side canal, right behind the Doge's palace, less than 5 min walk from San Marco.

Laurel, I'd like to second the suggestion for Albergo Doni. If you want clean, basic accommodations at reasonable prices, it's a good choice. It's only about a two minute walk to Piazza San Marco, they serve a decent breakfast, and the staff are nice. I didn't suggest it earlier, as I wasn't sure if you'd be interested in a one-star property. There's no Elevator though, so you'll need to haul your bags up the stairs. They're a bit "touchy" about guests dragging luggage up the stairs. The building used to be a Palace or something, and they don't want to damage the original wood work on the stairs. Cheers!

When we were in Venice we stayed at the Hotel Campiello, which was an RS recommended spot. If I remember correctly we paid 119 euros (early September) for the "small" double. It was small but the bathroom was a good size. Well located only a short walk from San Marco. We'd go there again.

We've stayed near the train station several times, but I prefer the Castello area next to San Marco. It's a lovely, residential area that's less than 10 minutes (by foot) from the main sections of Venice.

If you'll look at www.yeego.com and/or www.alpharooms.com sometimes you can find some really good prices especially for Venice. I've used both of these sites for previous bookings at really reduced rates and never had a problem. PS - There are many good hotels all around that aren't included in RS recommendations. Likewise some of his recommendations get really really poor reviews. Look at Grand Hotel Leveque in Paris for an example of mediocre RS hotel.

We prefer not to stay close to the train station. Last trip to Venice we enjoyed the Hotel al Ponte Mocenigo. It brought us to a different neighborhood and the hotel was quiet, comfortable and very pleasant and helpful owners. We had a room on the ground floor that was huge and were not expecting it. Lovely hotel.

Thank you everyone for your replies. This is so helpful!

Just returned from a stay at Locanda la Corte. About 109 euros per night with the cash payment discount. Not near the train station, but very nice accommodations.

Hotel Ala - I've stayed there every year for several years now (it's a Best Western). Very affordable, extremely convenient (50 yards from the vaparetto stop 'Giglio) and an amazing breakfast. I made the mistake one time of staying near the train station. Not a choice I would make again.