Rental Agencies

Renting an apartment is often the most family- (and wallet-) friendly way to see Venice. You get triple the space for your money and can operate on your own timetable and eat breakfast in your pajamas. Most apartments require a week's stay, but some will rent for as few as three nights. Prices begin at about 700 to 800 euro per week for a studio or one-bedroom, and can go as high as 3,500 euros, or more for a lavish spread.

Venice Rentals has a Massachusetts-based office and an English-speaking staff. E-mail them with your needs and preferences, and their staff replies back with a list of recommendations, saving you hours of work. The agency also offers more complete on-site services than most, including optional babysitting, maid service, assistance with food shopping, and more.

VeniceApartments.org is a well-designed European site with photo galleries of each apartment and a map that allows you to click and zero in on specific neighborhoods.

Both Vacation Rentals by Owner and Holiday Lettings are Internet-only agencies that put you directly in touch with apartment owners; there's no middleman for them to pay, so rental rates are often lower. You'll find great properties, but the onus is on you to sort through the listings, and ask the right questions. (Does this apartment have air conditioning? Where is the closest vaporetto stop?)

Venice Hotels

Keep in mind that these prices could increase substantially depending on when you're traveling. High season is typically from mid-March to October.

Castello

An inviting, family-run establishment housed in a historic palazzo in a quiet area of Castello, the hotel offers handsomely furnished triple and quadruple rooms and mini apartments that can sleep up to six, with dining areas and fully equipped kitchens. The buffet breakfast of fresh breads and croissants, fruit, juices, cereals, cheeses, and cold meats is free. The attentive owners will also book guided tours, arrange excursions, call water taxis, and secure babysitters. From 164 euros per night for a triple.

This small hotel offers eight simple, modernist rooms in a newly restored 18th-century palazzo. The décor is white-on-white minimalism (bordering on Spartan), rooms are impeccably clean, and the large, leafy private garden is a delight. Triples and quads are a bargain by Venetian standards, and include a buffet breakfast, yogurt, local breads and pastries, granola, cheeses, coffee, and tea.  From 170 euros for a triple.

San Polo/Santa Croce/Dorsuduro

Once the Venetian home of Alma Mahler, widow of the composer Oltre il Giardino, this boutique hotel offers six stylish rooms that look out to an enchanting walled garden. Four of the rooms can accommodate up to two children and two adults or three adults. The two junior suites are particularly spacious, with both king and queen-size beds, and accommodate two people. In nice weather, breakfast (included in the price) is served in the garden. From 150 euros.

With a bank of windows on the Grand Canal, Ca' Angeli offers lovely views. Its sitting area offers a view of a smaller canal. The spacious rooms include a triple, a quads, and a mini apartment that can sleep a family of five. The buffet breakfast, included in the room price, stresses organic local products. From 175 euros for a quad.

This luxe-sheets-and-fresh-flowers oasis is tucked into a quiet corner near the bustling Rialto markets. Any of the spacious double bedrooms can accommodate a child's cot, and the largest suite holds a king-size bed and double sofa bed. Furnishings are tastefully luxurious, from the monogrammed bedspreads to the complimentary kimonos. From 175 euros for a suite.

Cannaregio

This handsome 66-room hotel enjoyed previous lives as a monastery and a gondola workshop before it became a hotel in 2003. Furnishings are simple and modern, and some rooms have exposed beams, skylights (only three rooms have these), and a sleeping loft. Children under 3 are free, 11 and under get a 50 percent discount if sharing with at least two adults, and there are numerous suites that can sleep up to five. Restaurant and bar on the premises. From 100 euros for a junior suite.

This charming B&B has only two rooms, but one is a large attic suite that can comfortably sleep a family of four. The rooftop terrace offers fabulous views (hang onto your toddlers), and the homemade breakfast (included in price) and afternoon tea are often cited by guests as the high point of their stay. Along with welcoming and well-informed hosts, there are two resident cats, Picci and Cabi. From 105 euros a a night per two people for the suite.