Many of the best places to stay in Venice have views of the water and you should always at least try for a room with a view: you need to book well in advance for high season, and be prepared to pay extra for the privilege. Or consider a winter visit: the skies are often blue, the crowds dispersed, prices are low, and that perfect room with a view is far more likely to be yours.
The secret of a successful interlude in Venice is to get lost. Leave behind the crowds around San Marco and the Rialto and wander away, along quiet canals and through dusty squares, pausing from time to time in churches to find a Bellini here, a Vivarini there, and in neighbourhood osterie and bacari for something to eat and drink. Then back to your hotel or guesthouse, where, if the spell is not to be broken, atmosphere counts for everything.
Our recommendations have something to fit every taste and every budget, whether you want to spend top dollar or to book a simple B&B. Use our guru’s pick of the best places to stay in Venice and start to plan your trip.
Best places to stay in Venice
For great value
La Residenza is one of our top choices for a cheap stay in Venice. It’s a historic property close to St Mark’s Square where you’ll find wonderful architecture and period furnishings. Plus doubles start from just €80 B&B.
Hotel Villa Pannonia is marginally more expensive (rooms from €85 B&B), and offers contemporary bedrooms, lovely terraces for breakfast in warmer months, and a charming location on the Lido.
Grand Hotels
The Bauer Il Palazzo on the grand canal is a sumptuous five star spot ideal for honeymooners and hopeless romantics. Glorious restaurant and roof terrace breakfasts.
Also on the grand canal is the wildly oppulent Ca’ Sagredo Hotel which has stucco, chandeliers and gilding everywhere you look. Excellent service in a truly remarkable building in a world renowned location.
The Gritti Palace is a classic grand hotel and our ultimate favourite of many favourite places to stay in Venice. The former Doge’s Palace is traditional with heart-stopping views. Re-opening after a refurbishment which we trust will only have burnished its loveliness.
Hotels with gardens
The homely yet sophisticated Locanda Cipriani has a lovely garden in which to eat dinner in peaceful seclusion.
If an outside space is a priority, the Palazzo Abadessa has a lovely walled garden. Owned and run by its former occupant this palazzo in atmospheric Cannaregio gives guests the impression of being at a constant house party.
The Metropole on the Riva overlooking the lagoon has traditionally opulent bedrooms and antique curios dotted about but is also home to Venice’s only Michelin-starred restaurant
You possibly wouldn’t want to be in a hotel next to a bus stop but being next to the boat stop as guests at the Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo are is a different matter. Traditional and intimate, it has a pretty courtyard where breakfast is served in summer.
Venice for families
For famillies or anyone looking for the best places to stay in Venice which are a little less high-octane the Quattro Fontane is a very good choice not too far from the action. It is a family run former family house close to the lido but delightfully peaceful.
The simple friendly Pensione La Calcina is a good choice for families and has a floating terrace restaurant in front of the hotel.
Restored palazzos
The Ca Maria Adele is a 16th century palazzo richly decorated with damask fabrics. The five themed rooms are the ones to choose if you can and the best of these is the sala noir with its sophisticated black chandlier.
Housed in a muted pink palazzo, the Ca’ Pisani was the first designer hotel in Venice and is an antidote, for anyone who wants one, to the baroque excess of many of the city’s hotels.
Waterfront Hotels
Overlooking the lagoon is the Hotel Londra. Original paintings and a huge lovely view of the lagoon will vie for your eye. Shutters keep the bedrooms dark and quiet.
There are cheaper places to stay on the grand canal if you know where to look – and we do! The Locanda ai Santa Apostoli is a third floor apartment guesthouse accessed via discreet but handsome dark green doors to this converted Palazzo.
A half hour boat trip from downtown Venice is the Venissa, a hotel and restaurant in an idyllic island setting, promisingly named after the local wine.
Another of the best places to stay in Venice if you want off-the-beaten-track, is the Locanda del Ghetto, situated in what was the world’s first Jewish ghetto. Surrounded by water but in easy reach of the Rialto it is simply decorated and understated.
Guesthouses
A sexily chic B & B with oriental decoration in a great location for shoppers is the Novecento which is owned and run by the son of the owner of the popular but more traditional Flora.
There is a steep climb up to La Villeggiatura but it is an ideal spacious guest house for families who have perhaps not travelled with any grandparents.
For Apartments
If you’ve changed your mind about a hotel and think that an apartment would suit you better, then click here to access our online booking partner, booking.com, where you’ll find a wide range from budget studios, to luxury flats.
Browse through our list of the best places to stay in Venice and start to plan your stay. Please feel free to call or email a friendly guru for advice. Contact
