Mistake 2: Staying in the wrong location.

We often get e-mails that read like these paraphrased examples:

"My 80-year-old father and 76-year-old mother, who uses a cane, have booked a prepaid room at a two-star hotel near the Rialto Bridge. Is there an easy way for them to get to their cruise ship's shuttle bus at the Piazzale Roma without walking?"

• Our reply: "No, unless they hire an expensive water taxi, which may be difficult for an elderly person to board."

"We have a 6:30 a.m. flight from Marco Polo Airport. Will we have a problem reaching the airport from a hotel on Giudecca at that hour?"

• Our reply: "You'd be much better off staying near the Piazzale Roma and catching the 5:00 a.m. ATVO airport bus, which would get you to the airport in 20 minutes."

In Venice, where moving around the city usually requires walking (with many footbridges to cross) or taking slow, expensive, and often crowded vaporetti or water buses, it makes sense to stay near a convenient arrival and departure point--especially if you're traveling with anything heavier than a carry-on bag.

Don't let a travel agent who's unfamilar with Venice make a booking decision for you, and don't choose a hotel just because the rate looked good on Orbitz or Expedia.

Our articles about hotels for air travelers, hotels near the railroad station, and hotels for cruise passengers are worth reading before you choose a place to sleep. Even if you don't stay at a hotel that we feature, the articles will help you learn which areas are handy to airport transportation, the train station, or the cruise terminals.

Tip:

• Our Venice Hotel Directions pages make it easy to find your way to more than 170 hotels from taxi stands, bus stops, and waterbus piers. The pages include step-by-step walking directions, maps, and booking links.