The coordination chemistry of hydrated and solvated vanadium(III), oxovanadium(IV), and dioxovanadium(V) ions in the oxygen-donor solvents water, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and N,N'-dimethylpropyleneurea (DMPU) has been studied in solution by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and large-angle X-ray scattering (LAXS) and in the solid state by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and EXAFS. The hydrated vanadium(III) ion has a regular octahedral configuration with a mean V-O bond distance of 1.99 angstrom. In the hydrated and DMSO-solvated oxovanadium(IV) ions, vanadium binds strongly to an oxo group at ca. 1.6 angstrom. The solvent molecule trans to the oxo group is very weakly bound, at ca. 2.2 angstrom, while the remaining four solvent molecules, with a mean V-O bond distance of 2.0 angstrom, form a plane slightly below the vanadium atom; the mean O=V-O-perp bond angle is ca. 98 degrees. In the DMPU-solvated oxovanadium(IV) ion, the space-demanding properties of the DMPU molecule leave no solvent molecule in the trans position to the oxo group, which reduces the coordination number to 5. The O=V-O bond angle is consequently much larger, 107 degrees, and the mean V=O and V-O bond distances decrease to 1.58 and 1.97 angstrom, respectively. The hydrated and DMSO-solvated dioxovanadium(V) ions display a very distorted octahedral configuration with the oxo groups in the cis position with a mean V=O bond distance of 1.6 angstrom and a O=V=O bond angle of ca. 105 degrees. The solvent molecules trans to the oxo groups are weakly bound, at ca. 2.2 angstrom, while the remaining two have bond distances of 2.02 angstrom. The experimental studies of the coordination chemistry of hydrated and solvated vanadium(III,IV,V) ions are complemented by summarizing previously reported crystal structures to yield a comprehensive description of the coordination chemistry of vanadium with oxygen-donor ligands.