The Rough Guide to Venice and the Veneto

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Accommodation
Demand for holiday accommodation in Venice outstrips supply to so great
a degree that this city is the most expensive in western Europe, with some
one-star hotels charging in excess of e150 for a double room in high
season. What’s more, the high season here is longer than anywhere else
in the country – it is officially classified as running from March 15 to November
15 and then from December 21 to January 6, but many places don’t recognize the
existence of a low season any more. (A few hotels, on the other hand, lower their
prices in August, a month in which trade can take a bit of a dip, as every Italian
knows that Venice can be hellishly hot and clogged with day-trippers during that
month.)
It’s never a good idea to turn up in Venice without reserving your accommodation
first, and if you intend to stay here at any time during the official high season
(or Carnevale) it’s wisest to book your place at least three months in advance,
preferably six. If your first-choice hotel is fully booked, your next best option is
an Internet search – it’s not unknown for online agencies such as wwww.webvenice-hotels.com,
wwww.venicehotel.com, wwww.bookings.org or wwww.
tobook.com to have rooms available in hotels that are nominally full, and even
to offer a discount on the hotel’s quoted rate. In addition to these, the tourist
office’s website (wwww.turismovenezia.it) gives details of accommodation of all
types, while the Venetian Hoteliers’ Association (AVA) lists hundreds of hotels at
wwww.veneziasi.it. Finally, should you bowl into town with nowhere to stay,
you could call in at one of the AVA booking offices: at the train station (daily:
summer 8am–9pm; winter 8am–7pm); on the Tronchetto (daily: 9am–8pm);
in the multistorey car park at Piazzale Roma (daily: 9am–9pm); and at Marco
Polo airport (daily: summer 9am–7pm; winter noon–7pm). They only deal with
hotels (not hostels or B&Bs) and take a deposit that’s deductible from your first
night’s bill.
accommodation
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Accommodation price codes
Hotels in this guide are classified into nine price categories, indicating the range
of prices for a double room. As the Venice high season is now virtually an all-year
phenomenon, the minimum price is very rarely on offer – for most of the year, you
should expect to pay something far closer to the maximum.
1 up to e100
2 e100–150
3 e150–200
4 e200–250
5 e250–300
6 e300–350
7 e350–400
8 e400–500
9 over e500
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