Venice, from St. Mark's to the Giudecca
Venice keeps its grand hotels on the water, on the Grand Canal and across the Bacino.
Luxury hotels in Venice
6 hotels
Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice
Five-star · Giudecca
Giuseppe Cipriani's 1958 resort on the Giudecca – an Olympic-size pool and a private launch to San Marco in five minutes.
From $1,500 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
Aman Venice
Five-star · San Marco & the Grand Canal
The 16th-century Palazzo Papadopoli on the Grand Canal – Tiepolo frescoes upstairs and two private gardens on the water.
From $1,500 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice
Four-star · San Marco & the Grand Canal
The palazzo of Doge Andrea Gritti, built in 1475 on the Grand Canal, its terrace facing Santa Maria della Salute.
From $1,300 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
Nolinski Venezia – Evok Collection
Four-star · San Marco & the Grand Canal
Venice's former Chamber of Commerce and stock exchange in San Marco, opened as a hotel in 2023 by the Paris group Evok.
From $900 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
The St. Regis Venice
Four-star · San Marco & the Grand Canal
Five palazzi of the 18th and 19th centuries joined along the Grand Canal, beside Harry's Bar at the foot of San Marco.
From $1,000 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
Violino d'Oro Venezia
Four-star · San Marco & the Grand Canal
A boutique hotel on Campo San Moisè, a few steps from St. Mark's Square – the one boutique house among the six we list in Venice.
From $500 per night
Any mandatory hotel fees are shown before you confirm.
Venice keeps its grand hotels on the water, on the Grand Canal and across the Bacino. They stand along the canal's last reach, from the Rialto down to the Salute and the Bacino di San Marco, in the calli behind St. Mark's Square, and across the water on the Giudecca, the long island that faces the Zattere. We looked at every serious address in the city and kept only those whose service holds up to the view from the water. Two hold five-star standing; the four beside them are four-star addresses, listed at exactly the tier they hold. Six made the cut.
The neighborhoods
San Marco & the Grand Canal
The sestiere of St. Mark's and the last reach of the Grand Canal, with five of the six hotels. The sestiere holds the Piazza and the Basilica, the Doge's Palace, La Fenice and the Mercerie running up to the Rialto; the canal runs from the Rialto Bridge past Santa Maria del Giglio to the Salute and the Bacino.
Giudecca
The long island across the Giudecca Canal from the Zattere, with one hotel at its eastern end. Palladio's Redentore stands on its fondamenta, gardens lie behind the houses, and the whole skyline of St. Mark's faces it across the Bacino; the hotel has its own launch to the Piazza.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Venice?
Two. Of the six hotels we list in Venice, two hold five-star standing: Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice and Aman Venice. Alongside them we keep four four-star addresses, each listed at exactly the tier it holds: The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice; Nolinski Venezia – Evok Collection; The St. Regis Venice; and Violino d'Oro Venezia. Each has its own page, reached from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of Venice should I stay in?
Five of the six sit on the Grand Canal or in the calli of San Marco behind it – Aman Venice in Palazzo Papadopoli near the Rialto, The Gritti Palace and The St. Regis Venice on the canal's last reach before the Salute, Nolinski Venezia on Calle Larga XXII Marzo and Violino d'Oro Venezia on Campo San Moisè, both a few minutes' walk from the Piazza. The sixth, Cipriani, stands on the Giudecca, across the Bacino, with its own launch to St. Mark's. Choose San Marco to have the Basilica, La Fenice and the Rialto on foot; the Giudecca for a pool and quiet, with the city five minutes away by water.
When is the best season for Venice?
Spring and autumn – April to June and September to October – bring the mildest weather and the longest light, and they are the weeks that fill first. The city's calendar sets the rest: Carnival in the two weeks before Lent, the Biennale from spring to November (art in odd years, architecture in even ones), the Festa del Redentore on the third weekend of July with its fireworks over the Bacino, and the Film Festival on the Lido at the turn of August and September. July and August are hot and crowded; November to February is cold, often foggy and quiet, with the highest tides – the acqua alta – most likely in late autumn, and the mobile barriers now holding back the worst of them. Some houses close for part of the winter, Cipriani among them, and the concierge confirms each hotel's dates for the year before you book.
Do I need a car in Venice?
No – there are no cars in Venice. The road ends at Piazzale Roma and the Tronchetto garages, and from there, and from Santa Lucia station, everything moves by water: the vaporetto lines along the Grand Canal, water taxis, and the hotels' own launches. From Marco Polo airport a water taxi crosses the lagoon to the door in about half an hour; the hotel books it, as well as the launch to the Lido, Murano or Burano. On foot, the whole of San Marco is minutes across, but the bridges have steps – let the hotel meet you at the airport or the station rather than wheel a case over them. The day-visitor access fee on the busiest days does not apply to guests staying the night; the hotel handles the exemption.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
