Matino

For visitors on a tight budget, it might seem that the question of where to sleep in Venice is best answered with the word "Don't."

It's true that Venice's hotels have a reputation for being more expensive than their counterparts in other Italian cities. There are good reasons for this: Every towel, bar of soap, roll of toilet paper, bag of coffee, and loaf of bread must be delivered to your Venetian hotel by handcart or boat. Sewage may be stored in an underground cesspit and removed by barge. In short, running a hotel in Venice is an expensive proposition, so it shouldn't be surprising that Venetian hotel rates aren't cheap.

Still, there is some good news: Quoted rates include taxes, unlike rates in some countries such as the United States. The rate frequently covers breakfast, too. When it doesn't, you can save on breakfast by having your coffee and croissant at the counter of a neighborhood bar or cafй.