Venice Hotels

Most of Venice's hotels are in renovated palaces, but space is at a premium—and comes for a price—and even relatively ample rooms may seem cramped by American standards. The most exclusive hotels are indeed palatial, although they may well have some small, dowdy rooms, so it's best to verify ahead of time that yours isn't one of them. Also, not all hotels have lounge areas, and because of preservation laws, some hotels are not permitted to install elevators, so if these features are essential, ask ahead of time. Although the city has no cars, it does have boats plying the canals and pedestrians chattering in the streets sometimes late into the night (most likely along principal thoroughfares, in San Marco and near the Rialto), so ask for a quiet room if noise bothers you.

In temperate weather, be careful about leaving room lights on and your window wide open: mosquitoes can descend en masse. If you find that these creatures are a problem, ask for a Vape, a plug-in antimosquito device (or head for the nearest hardware store and pick one up yourself).

From April through November, and during holiday periods, well-reputed hotels fill up well in advance, particularly over weekends, so book as far ahead as you can.

Many travelers assume a hotel near Piazza San Marco will give them the most convenient location, but keep in mind that Venice is scaled to humans (on foot) rather than automobiles; it's difficult to find a location that's not convenient to most of the city. Areas away from San Marco may also offer the benefit of being less overrun by day-trippers whose primary destination is the Piazza.

It is essential to have detailed directions to your hotel when you arrive. Arm yourself with not only a detailed map and postal address (Dorsoduro 825), but the actual street name (Fondamenta San Trovaso). Transfer options range from the luxurious, private water taxi to the more economical water bus combined with on-foot navigation, which can be accompanied by the more than occasional occurrence of déjà vu if you don't know exactly where you are going.

Many hotels accept reservations from their personal Web site and will guarantee the lowest prices there. Book ahead using any of the numerous Web booking portals; www.venezia.net is unusual in that it furnishes hotels' official Web site links. Venezia Sì (39/0415222264 / from abroad; 199/173309 from Italy Mon.-Sat. 9 am-11 pm. www.veneziasi.it) can also help for last-minute reservations, as their Web site lists most hotels in town (with some photographs), and they offer a free reservation service over the phone.

It's the public relations arm of AVA (Venetian Hoteliers Association) and has booths where you can make same-day reservations at Piazzale Roma (041/5231397. Daily 9AM-10PM), Santa Lucia train station (041/715288 or 041/715016. Daily 8AM-9PM), and Marco Polo Airport (041/5415133. Daily 9AM-10PM).

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