Try the life of a Venetian on for size with your own flat

Renting an apartment in Venice

Sometime around day three of an apartment stay in Venice, a transformation occurs. The welcoming 'buon giorno' you've been receiving at the neighborhood cheese shops, butchers, and bakeries grows more enthusiastic, with an obvious trace of recognition.

You find yourself in situations the weekend visitor never experiences—buying wine by the jug at a vineria, picking tomatoes out of crates from a greengrocer's boat moored in a canal. The evening routine you've established includes nibbling on cicchetti (appetizers) with uno spritz (Campari, soda, and white wine) at a cantina, before heading home to cook a delicious feast in your kitchen.

Finding that Venetian apartment
• International agencies
• Local agencies
• Direct from owner
• Hotels with apartments
Pointers and pitfalls
• Prices and apartment hunting
• Booking tips
• Paying tips
• Arrival tips

The fabled Italian lifestyle you've always envied is suddenly your own. You're even able to navigate the city without getting lost—though that won't stop you from wandering aimlessly every day, just because.

To try the life of a Venetian on for size, all you have to do is rent an apartment in the city. The problem is that the rental process isn't as simple as hailing a gondolier. Here are the pros and cons of the four basic approaches and resources, from big international agencies to local Venetian ones, renting direct from the owners, and booking an apartment through a hotel.

» More apartments in Venice from Venere.com...

Outside Resources

This material was last updated January 2007, when it was published in Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine. All information was accurate at the time.

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