Become a Local: Renting Venetian Apartments

There is something about renting an apartment while abroad that provides a far more rewarding travel experience than merely checking into the local hotel. I suppose it makes you feel much more like a local, and that’s always appealing.

I tend to rent apartments when I visit Moscow because they tend to be cheaper and nicer than many of the hotels in the center of town. Plus, there aren’t any nosey floor ladies checking out your stuff and giving you disapproving looks if you happen to leave a mess or come home late.

The rewards of renting an apartment are immeasurable. Reid Bramblett, writing for Budget Travel, does a nice job summing up the advantages of doing so in Europe’s most romantic city, Venice, Italy. Bramblett steps into the shoes of a local Venetian and experiences the city in a manner that few tourists ever do.

More importantly, Bramblett tells us how we can do it as well. The article provides many tips and contacts for finding apartments world wide to rent–some from the owners themselves and others from international agencies. One example he provides from Villas International is an apartment in a 14th century Venetian building just around the corner from Piazza San Marco. Cost? Just $1,490 per week in the off-season. That’s just over $200 per night–not too bad for such a great location in such a historic building.