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The Collection · Venice

Luxury hotels
in Venice

13 hand-picked stays in Venice, independently reviewed.

13

Properties

The destination

Why stay at a
luxury hotel in
Venice

Venice has more historic luxury hotels per square meter than any other European city — every major palazzo on the Grand Canal seems to have been converted, and the result is that a Venice stay almost defines itself by which water-facing room you book. The choice of hotel matters less than the choice of view: the Grand Canal, the Giudecca Canal, or the inner streets.

The canonical Grand Canal addresses (the Gritti Palace, the Hotel Danieli, the Bauer Hotel) are 15th–17th century palazzi with extraordinary public rooms — also the noisiest, the most touristed, and the most photographed. Across the Giudecca Canal, the Belmond Cipriani sits on its own island with the only proper pool in Venice and the most serene approach (private launch from St. Mark's). The new wave (the Aman Venice, the Nolinski Venezia, the St. Regis Venice) sits between these two poles. For a smaller luxury stay, the Ca' di Dio and the Hotel Flora occupy quieter side canals.

Visit in September or October for the best combination of weather and lower crowds. April–May are also excellent but pack out around the Biennale openings. Avoid July and August (sticky, crowded, expensive) and Carnival week (February — packed with day-trippers). Acqua alta season (October–March, occasional) is part of the Venice experience and worth the small inconvenience.

13 of 13 hotels
Nolinski Venezia - Evok Collection
★★★★★
Palazzo Venart Luxury Hotel
★★★★★
Ca' di Dio
★★★★★
Radisson Collection Hotel, Palazzo Nani Venice
★★★★★
Ca' Bonfadini Historic Experience
★★★★★
Londra Palace Venezia
★★★★★
The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice
★★★★★
Palazzina Grassi
★★★★★
San Clemente Palace, Venice
★★★★★
Sina Centurion Palace
★★★★★
view areas at Hotel Metropole Venezia
★★★★★
Hilton Molino Stucky Venice
★★★★★
Hotel Excelsior Venice
★★★★★

Editor's curation

The best Venice hotels — by purpose

Our editors group every hotel into the trips it best serves. Pick the one that fits yours.

Best for design & character

Hotels where the architecture, materials, and rooms feel considered — not just luxe by amenity checklist.

Best for families

Connecting rooms, kids clubs, pools that work for both adults and small children.

Best for spa & wellness

Serious treatment programmes, indoor pools, and the kind of locker rooms where a guest could spend the whole afternoon.

Best for business

Conference facilities, fast Wi-Fi, and a central address that puts meetings within a short walk.

The city guide

Where to go in Venice

Venice in the day is a theme park; Venice at 7am and 10pm is one of the most beautiful cities ever built. The list below assumes you're staying somewhere along the Grand Canal and willing to walk for an hour before breakfast — the only sensible way to experience the city without the day-tripper crowd from Mestre.

01

Restaurant

Quadri

San Marco$$$$

The Alajmo brothers' Michelin-starred dining room on Piazza San Marco

Above Piazza San Marco, in rooms that date to 1638 and now decorated by Philippe Starck, the Alajmo family (Le Calandre, 3 Michelin) runs Venice's most ambitious restaurant. One Michelin star; cooking is modern Italian with Venetian roots. The piano nobile setting overlooking the piazza is the experience as much as the food.

  • One Michelin star
  • Above Piazza San Marco
  • Starck interior

02

Restaurant

Al Covo

Castello$$$$

Castello's small dining room, run by the Mortellito family for 40 years

Cesare Benelli ran Al Covo until 2023; his daughter and son-in-law now run it with no change in standards. The fish comes from the Rialto market that morning; the wine list is one of the deepest in Veneto and the only one in Venice with a serious bargain section. Twelve tables. Two services. Reserve.

  • Family-run since 1986
  • Same-day Rialto fish
  • Serious wine list
View on map →Visit website ↗Castello 3968, Campiello della Pescaria

03

Restaurant

Burano — Lunch at Trattoria al Gatto Nero

Burano (island)$$$$

The lace island's defining trattoria, founded 1965

A 40-minute vaporetto north of the centre, Burano is the island of painted fishermen's houses and lace-making. Skip the lace shops — they're mostly imports now — and go for lunch at Al Gatto Nero, a family-run trattoria serving the lagoon fish that defines Venetian cooking. The risotto di gò is the order. Reservations essential.

  • Lagoon-fish lunch
  • Risotto di gò
  • Reservations essential
View on map →Visit website ↗Fondamenta della Giudecca 88, Burano

04

Attraction

Punta della Dogana

Dorsoduro$$$$

François Pinault's contemporary art in a converted customs house

Tadao Ando redesigned the 17th-century customs house at the tip of Dorsoduro for the Pinault Collection — one of the world's top contemporary art holdings. Major exhibitions only (often single-artist), gorgeous spaces, and a stunning walk back to the centre along the Zattere afterward. Pair with the nearby Peggy Guggenheim.

  • Pinault Collection
  • Tadao Ando architecture
  • Pair with Peggy Guggenheim
View on map →Visit website ↗Dorsoduro 2, Fondamenta Salute

05

Attraction

Scuola Grande di San Rocco

San Polo$$$$

Tintoretto's Sistine Chapel

Tintoretto spent 23 years (1564–1587) covering the ceilings and walls of this confraternity hall with 60 paintings. The result is the densest single concentration of his work anywhere — and one of the most overwhelming rooms in Western art. Mirrors at the entrance let you look at the ceiling without breaking your neck. One hour minimum.

  • 60 Tintorettos in one building
  • Bring the lent mirrors
  • 1+ hour

06

Attraction

Squero di San Trovaso

Dorsoduro$$$$

A working 17th-century gondola yard

One of Venice's last working squeri — the yards where gondolas are still hand-built, repaired, and varnished using techniques unchanged since the 16th century. You can't go inside but you can stand across the canal and watch. Most beautiful in late afternoon when the gondoliers bring boats back. Cross the bridge for a coffee at Cantine del Vino già Schiavi nearby.

  • Working gondola yard
  • Late afternoon best
  • Coffee at Schiavi after
View on map →Fondamenta Nani, Dorsoduro 1097

07

Attraction

Giardini della Biennale

Castello$$$$

The 30-pavilion site of the world's most important art show

Even outside the biennial Art and Architecture Biennales, the Giardini's permanent pavilions — designed by Carlo Scarpa, Alvar Aalto, James Stirling, Sverre Fehn, and others — are an open-air history of 20th-century architecture. During the Biennale itself (alternating springs–autumns) it's the most important art event in the world. Half a day.

  • 30 national pavilions
  • Major architecture in itself
  • Half day during Biennale

08

Bar

Caffè Florian — Off-Hours

San Marco$$$$

Europe's oldest café, before the orchestra starts

Open since 1720. Sitting at an outdoor table in Piazza San Marco with a Bellini and an orchestra playing Vivaldi is, yes, a cliché — but at €30 a drink during high season, it's a cliché that needs strategy. Go at 9am for the indoor rococo rooms and an espresso (€2 standing at the bar, €10 sitting). The 300-year-old interior is the point.

  • Oldest café in Europe (1720)
  • Stand at the bar to skip the surcharge
  • Morning visit

09

Bar

Cantina Do Mori

San Polo$$$$

A 1462 bàcaro in the alley behind the Rialto

Open since 1462 — Casanova drank here — and still functioning as a proper Venetian bàcaro: standing room only, a counter heaped with cicchetti (small bites), wines by the glass for €2–4. Pop in late morning for the ombra (small wine) and a tramezzino. The genuinely Venetian counterweight to anything you do in San Marco.

  • Open since 1462
  • Cicchetti and ombre
  • Standing only
View on map →San Polo 429

10

Shop

Libreria Acqua Alta

Castello$$$$

The bookstore in a sinking palazzo

Books stored in gondolas, bathtubs, and waterproof bins to survive the regular flooding (acqua alta) that the bookstore is named after. More tourist attraction than serious bookshop, but the Borgesian chaos is genuinely charming and the rear courtyard staircase made of waterlogged books is the city's most-Instagrammed pile of literature.

  • Books in gondolas
  • Famous staircase out back
  • 30 minutes
View on map →Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa, Castello 5176

Editor's picks · Updated regularly · No paid placements

Good to know

Common questions about Venice

The questions our readers actually ask — answered honestly.

Which is the best 5-star hotel in Venice?+

The Aman Venice in the Palazzo Papadopoli is the editorial top pick — extraordinary frescoed public rooms, 24 suites, exclusivity that no other Venice hotel matches. The Belmond Cipriani on Giudecca offers the only proper swimming pool and the most peaceful experience (a private boat ride from St. Mark's). The Gritti Palace is the classic Grand Canal address. The new Nolinski Venezia is the strongest of the design-led recent entries.

How much does a luxury hotel in Venice cost?+

Five-star rooms with a canal view run $800–$2,500 per night. Aman Venice starts at $2,500 and is the most expensive in the city. The Gritti Palace, Danieli, and Belmond Cipriani run $1,200–$2,000. Inland rooms at the same hotels can be 30–40% cheaper but lose the experience that justifies the price. June through September are the peak rate months; January–February drop substantially.

Should I get a canal-view room?+

Yes — emphatically. Venice is a city that's almost entirely about water, and a luxury hotel here without a water view is half the experience. Pay for the upgrade even if it means a smaller room. Specify when booking: 'Grand Canal view' or 'lagoon view' or 'Giudecca Canal view' — staff will know the implications. Avoid 'partial canal view' or 'side canal view' — these are usually marketing language for a room above an alley.

When's the best time to visit Venice?+

September and October are consistently the strongest months — pleasant weather, the Biennale exhibitions, manageable crowds. April and May are equally good but compete with Biennale openings and Easter. Avoid July and August (uncomfortably hot, packed with cruise-ship day-trippers, and the most expensive). Carnival (February) is famously busy. November–February (excluding Christmas/New Year) offer the lowest rates and the most atmospheric, quiet city — accept that occasional acqua alta flooding is part of the experience.

What's the best neighborhood for a luxury stay in Venice?+

Directly on or steps from the Grand Canal — that's the experience. San Marco (Gritti Palace, Bauer) is the most central but most touristed. Castello (Danieli, the new St. Regis) is quieter, closer to the Biennale grounds, and walking distance to San Marco. Dorsoduro is the quieter, more contemplative neighborhood (the Peggy Guggenheim is there). Giudecca (Cipriani, Bauer Palladio) is the island option — most peaceful but requires the hotel boat for everything.

Are Venice hotels family-friendly?+

Several are — the Belmond Cipriani has the best family infrastructure in the city, including the pool and the larger family suites. The Gritti Palace and the new St. Regis run kids' programs. Aman Venice and the smaller palazzi (Ca' di Dio, Palazzo Venart) are technically family-friendly but the atmosphere is much more couples-oriented. Venice itself is one of the most child-friendly cities in Europe — narrow car-free streets, boats, the Doge's Palace tour.

Also worth considering

If you like Venice

All destinations →

Editorial

T

Edited by Tor Lindberg

Founding editor

First published
Last reviewed

We refresh ratings and prices monthly; full editorial review at least twice a year.

How we choose

Every hotel on this list is cross-checked across Google, Booking.com, Tripadvisor, Agoda and Hotels.com — plus first-hand traveler accounts on Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok. We screen aggressively for fake or incentivised reviews and weight only verified, recent, substantive guest feedback. We accept no paid placements and no sponsored reviews. When affiliate links earn a small commission, we disclose it; it never influences which hotels appear here.

Read our full methodology →