It is never advisable to arrive in Venice without having booked accommodation in advance, even if you intend to stay just one night. As one of the world’s most visited cities, Venice has an abundance of great hotels, B&Bs and guest houses ranging from the budget family accommodation to five stay luxury opulence.

The main island of Venice is an extremely expensive place in real estate terms and some of the fancier hotels reflect this. Being an island, is obvious that space is a commodity. Thankfully, for the same reason, it's pretty easy to get around on foot or by Vaporetto, so if you're on the island, you don't need to worry too much about your precise location.

Many of the cheaper accommodations in Venice are located around the Lista di Spagna in the Cannaregio district. This is also known as the gateway to Venice and is where the city's Train Station, Santa Lucia, is located. Vaporetto connections to Marco Polo International Airport arrive and depart from here and Piazzale Roma - the main car park in Venice, is also close by. (Just in case you didn't know, Venice is a no-car zone, so if you're driving here you'll probably be coming in Via Piazzale Roma.)

For those looking to push the gondola out a little, the city's most luxurious hotels are usually to be found around in the San Marco district around Piazza San Marco - St Mark's Square - the heart of Venice and one of the most spectacular sights in the world.

The best value for money to be found in this most touristic of cities, at least in terms of accommodation, is in the 2 and 3 star guest houses that are crammed and wedged around each other in various locations areound the city - Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro and even Castello. Accommodations are small because nothing new has been built here since the middle ages! Those looking for a spectacular bargain may even consider a hotel off the main island. Venice Lido for example, is just 10 minutes by Vaporetto to St Mark's Square.

www.venicehotelsdirect.com is an excellent site offering options on all manner of hotels and guest houses with secure online reservations, up to the minute availability and special offers and bargains.