where to stay in Venice that won't break the bank

I've stayed at the Hotel Tivoli several times. The rates are reasonable, the neighborhood is a little out of the way but close to the Frari Church, and only a 10-min walk from the train station. It's not on a canal, but is just a couple minutes walk to the grand canal and the St Toma vaporetto stop.

Have you checked the Hotel Campiello? Its a great location and the "small double" was reasonably priced.

Sorry 2Rs won't break the bank is a touch vague and non-specific. Venice is not the cheapest town to rock up at, but what "won't break the bank" may mean way different things to you, me and other folk answering. I've stayed at several places in Venice but am reluctant to push them until I know what your budget is. Can you suggest what you mean, in Euros or bucks?

sorry for vague info.... you are correct. I am thinking in the range of $150- to $175 would be great. I have found a couple of nights at Ca della Forte, which looks nice, at about $160, anyone know about this place?
thanks again

ps Campiello and Tivoli were booked. R

In Venice, you might find the hotels booked and there may be a minimum stay requirement. Take a look at the Hotel Messner. It's near the Santa Maria della Salute church in Dorseduro. It's in the RS book. Aside from the Hotel, which is a 2 or 3 star, they have (or did have) a 1-star hotel out the back door and down a few buildings on a small canal. We stayed there. It was small but very clean. Very quiet down this back canal. The shower was slightly smaller than a telephone booth but again everything was clean. We paid 115Euro a couple of years ago.

At this point in your planning, rahter than trying one place at a time, you might go to Booking.com, Venire.com, and Trip Advisor.com to see what comes up. If you get a hit at Booking.com, use TA to help assess the quality of the place. For 3 nights you might score an apartment. Check VRBO.com. (For two nights you probably won't get one due to minimu stay requirements.)

Venere is a great site to find hotels in Venice. Look for ones in the Cannaregio, Croce San Polo, or Dorsodura districts - all are away from the central areas but everything in Venice is easily walkable. I have stayed at Casa della Melagrano in Cannaregio. It's very close to the Grand Canal and the San Marcuola vaporetto stop, as well as Strada Nuova (the main street running through Venice). Cost (two years ago) was about 90 Euro for a single. There is another hotel close by that seemed to run about the same cost - I think it was called Laconda San Marcuola.

Check Pensione Guerrato near the market near Rialto. Have stayed there several times (last month in fact) for about 130-135 Euro per night. It is in the RS Venice book or just google it. TC

We stayed at Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo and loved it. It's right off the San Stae vaporetto stop, and yet if you're walking, it's not too far from the Rialto Bridge and Frari Church. It was in a peaceful, quiet neighborhood. Except for arriving and departing, we walked the whole time. Rates are $160 for a room with a view, or $140 for one without.

The RS Venice and Italy books contain lots of recommendations for lower cost lodging. But you're running out of time. Mid September is very popular in Venice, as you're finding. Booking.com and Venere.com let you look only at places that are available for your specific dates. Unlike TripAdvisor, those are sites that allow rankings only by people who've actually stayed there (and booked thru them). Trust them over TA.

We just got back, and stayed at the Hotel Villa Rossa, it is 5 min from train station, and not expensive. It is really hard to find, but once you know where it is, no problem. It is on a tiny alley way behind a gellato place.

We stayed at the Hotel Al Piave http://www.hotelalpiave.com/ It was very close to St Marks Square and had a wonderful breakfast. Prices for a double start at around 150 Euro/night if any of those are left for Sept.

We stayed at the Hotel Al Piave http://www.hotelalpiave.com/ It was very close to St Marks Square and had a wonderful breakfast. Prices for a double start at around 150 Euro/night if any of those are left for Sept.

I'm not sure how many nights you will be in Venice, but you might want to look into an apartment instead of a hotel if you have 3+ nights. Last year we stayed in a lovely apartment very near San Marco, through a company called Cross-Polinate. We've also used them twice for an apartment in Rome, and have had very good experiences with them. Their apartments are very reasonably priced, and especially in Venice were MUCH less than a hotel.

I'm not sure how many nights you will be in Venice, but you might want to look into an apartment instead of a hotel if you have 3+ nights. Last year we stayed in a lovely apartment very near San Marco, through a company called Cross-Polinate. We've also used them twice for an apartment in Rome, and have had very good experiences with them. Their apartments are very reasonably priced, and especially in Venice were MUCH less than a hotel.

We stayed in the Jewish Ghetto at Kosher House for $149/nt. It was clean, well-kept, modern (in terms of new-ish, clean furniture, not looking like it's run-down or falling down), close to the train station, and in a wonderfly non-touristy square. It included breakfast, they took credit cards, the young woman at the desk spoke good English, etc. Here's the website: http://www.pardesrimonim.net/

I would definitely recommend Pensione Guerrato ner the Rialto Bridge. Good prices,good breakfasts and very friendly people.

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. We currently have two nights at Ca della Corte in the Dorsoduro. A little more than I'd planned to spend, but the hunt was getting discouraging and all of those places most of you have recommended, included Pension Gueratto, have been booked for our nights for a few weeks now at least. We also struggled with Rome, where we have four nights, as so many recommended places were booked. But we now are at Hotel Ercoli in the Via Veneto neighborhood. If we're making a huge mistake with these based on someone's firsthand knowledge, let me know... I know there are many places to stay in these cities!
Thanks again... your input is invaluable. R

You might want to try B&B Venezia. It is a quaint Bed and Breakfast in a quiet neighborhood of Venice - St. Elena. St. Elena is the "tail part of the fish!" It was a beautiful 20 minute walk to St. Mark's Square. We were in our mid 60s and late 70s and had no problem getting from the train station to the B&B via a vapporato.

The Dorsoduro is a wonderful charming and central neighborhood in Venice. You'll love it.