Venice Airport Hotels: Piazza San Marco

San Marco is the most popular tourist area of Venice, and it's also a convenient place to arrive or depart via the Alilaguna airport boats, since Alilaguna's Blue and Orange lines stop at the San Marco Giardinetti vaporetto station. (Caveat: The boat ride to San Marco takes a lot longer than the airport-bus ride to the Piazzale Roma.)

The best-known hotels in this area are among Venice's most expensive hostelries:

• Baglioni Hotel Luna (5 stars) is friendlier and more intimate than many luxury hotels, with a very helpful concierge. (See our illustrated review.) The Luna Baglioni is Venice's oldest hotel (the Knights of Templar slept on the site in 1118), and its ballroom-like breakfast room is a sight to behold. Check lowest rates, reviews, and availability:

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• St. Regis Venice (5 stars), formerly the Europa & Regina, is a highly regarded Westin property that occupies five buildings along the Grand Canal. The more expensive double rooms have partial canal views. Check lowest rates, reviews, and availability:

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• Bauer Palazzo (5 stars) consists of two sections: the Hotel Bauer, a 20th Century luxury wing, and Il Palazzo, an historic palace facing the Grand Canal. Accommodations range from well-equipped double and twin rooms to exclusive (and expensive) suites. The Bauer Palazzo has a highly-rated restaurant and a café with a terrace where breakfast is served in good weather. Check guaranteed lowest rates, reviews, and availability:

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• Monaco and Grand Canal (4 stars) is just a short walk from the Alilaguna airport boat's pier. The hotel occupies a 17th Century building on a splendid site where the Grand Canal feeds into St. Mark's Basin. It has six rooms for disabled guests and a wheelchair-friendly land entrance. Check lowest rates, reviews, and availability:

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More good hotels in the neighborhood:

Moving down in price, we come to the Anastasia (3 stars), which has single and double rooms for prices that are quite reasonable for this part of town. The Firenze and the Torino (both 3 stars) are also convenient to the airport boat and the Piazza San Marco.

One of our personal favorites is slightly inland and within easy walking distance:

The San Moisè (3 stars, photo at right) is about five minutes from the boat platform, on a quiet street near the Kette (4 stars). We're fond of both hotels, but the San Moisè might be a better choice during the warmer months because it has a courtyard with tables. (See our Hotel San Moisè review.)

Other three-star hotels close by include the Violino d'Oro, the Bel Sito & Berlino, the highly-regarded Flora with its pretty garden, the Do Pozzi on a tiny semi-private square, and--for opera lovers--La Fenice et des Artistes. The Saturnia & International (4 stars, photo at right), the very popular Ala (3 stars), and the inexpensive but highly-rated Locanda Fiorita (1 star, and one of the best values in town) are also in good locations.