Venice accomodation question

I am planning to visit Venice from April 19th to 21st. I want to stay on the main Venice island (not mainland etc. ) . What is the most reasonable place to stay ? Hotels seems to be expensive. I saw a lot of apartments online, that seem to be available and are reasonable priced. Is it better to go with the apartment ?

Also should I have a prior reservation ? What if I just turn up at the tourist office on the 19th and look for a place to say ? Would it be difficult to find a place to stay at the last moment?

Any feedback on this would be great !!!

Cheers

Sam

April is busy with tourists and if it were me, I would ensure that I had a prior reservation. I have seen the long queues at tourist offices this time of the year! At least with a reservation I would have some say in where I stay.

If you have an apartment then you will of course be able to prepare meals for yourself - but if you are travelling on your own it may be cheaper to stay in a hotel.

Ideally you should be located within walking distance of the main sights but not in the heart of the busiest areas (Rialto, San Marco) which will be noisy and full of tourists. I usually stay in Santa Croce.

Thanks a lot for the replies.

Is the situation same for Florence and Rome or is it easier to get accomodation at the last minute?

Thanks

Hi Sam,
Few years ago a friend and I went to Italy in April and had no reservation. Never again! One night we had to sleep at the train station in Siena. We also walked around Florence for 4 hours looking for a place to stay. It was a little eazier in Venice, cause we called a day ahead, but as I remember we had to call a lot of places before finding a room. So, my sugestion is: BOOK NOW. Its so much ezier and you can spend your time sight seeing and relaxing instead of looking for a place to sleep. A couple of years ago my husband and I went back and here is where we stayed:
Venice -- Pensione Guerrato close to Rialto Bridge, walking distance to everything. Wonderful B&B, friendly service, about $100 a night.
Rome-- The Gulliver's House B&B, 5 minutes from the train station, $90 a night, great deal.
We also have stayed at Hotel Italia in Rome, it was clean, friendly and close to everything, good breakfast. I think we paid $120 a night.
We are going back in May. We love Italia!!! Have a great time. Let me know if you have any questions.

Oksana