15 Dreamy Hotels in Venice to Book for Your Next Italian Getaway

The loveliest places to stay in and around the canals, from grand dame palazzos to quirky guesthouses.Courtesy Starwood Hotels & ResortsIf you're going to indulge in a special stay anywhere, make it at one of the best hotels in Venice. There’s no other city in Italy—perhaps even in the world—as transportive and dreamlike as the City of Water, a realm whose fluid limits curtail the extent to which modernity can seep in and encroach. The canals set the pace, the gondolas glide gracefully, and with each quaint bridge and narrow alleyway, the city preserves a rhythm that feels distinctly of another time. For better or for worse, this otherworldly atmosphere lures over 20 million visitors each year. These islands, crossed with 150 canals and connected by more than 400 bridges, can feel at once magically cinematic and crushingly overrun.At night, Venice is at its most tender. La Serenissima becomes its most serene, crooning a much softer tune: water laps on the canal banks, underscored by fleeting, muffled hums of vaporetti while footsteps and low murmurs echo through the calli. If you’re near a canal, you might awaken to the thud of packages as delivery boats begin their rounds. But here, even that can feel soothing. So, where to sleep on nights like these? Here’s our guide to the best hotels in Venice.Our top picksMore editor-recommended hotels in VeniceFrequently asked questionsMore Italy recommendationsOur top picks:Best for luxury: The Venice Venice HotelBest for families: JW Marriott Venice Resort & SpaBest for canal views: The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection HotelBest for an affordable stay: Casa BuranoThe Venice Venice HotelFor a mix of heritage, craft, and glamour in a world-class setting, with every sensory frill you could wish for (and some you might only come up with in a dream about Canaletto), the Venice Venice more than delivers. It is the first hotel owned and designed by art collectors and designers Alessandro Gallo and Francesca Rinaldo, the husband-and-wife duo who established the Golden Goose brand of sneakers. In a blend of utility and pomp, every space includes something custom-made that might stop you in your tracks—hand-painted wallpaper, a mosaic floor, or a little bar reminiscent of a spaceship. Nothing feels generic. Forty-three bedrooms (some with quiet internal courtyard views, some overlooking the busier water and views of the Rialto Bridge) include a series of impressive suites, one with a panoramic terrace. —Antonia QuirkeRead Full ReviewThe Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection HotelIn a city with such a concentration of luxe hotels, none do it quite like this Grand Canal classic. Though the 15th-century palazzo—now a member of the Luxury Collection—has been open to guests since 1895, a 15-month, $200 million revamp in 2013 ensured that it’s no creaky museum piece. (Most modern extras are cleverly concealed.) But it’s the sheer grace of the place that makes it so appealing. Of course, it’s all inimitably exquisite, with rich Rubelli fabrics and priceless art; but this silky cocoon also manages to be utterly affable. Nothing is too much trouble, from the staff who serve cocktails from the martini trolley to chef Daniele Turco, who creates wonders with castraure—those special Venetian baby artichokes. A restorative facial in the spa? A spin in the Riva Aquariva boat? Full immersion in local food at the culinary school? Only if you can take your eyes off that watery spectacle outside: This is still one of the most beautiful hotels in one of the most beautiful, and most fragile, spots in the world. —Anne HanleyRead Full ReviewCa’ Pisani Boutique Design HotelLocated in the center of Venice, Ca' Pisani is housed in a palazzo built in the late 1500s. The 29-room hotel is a mix of minimalist Art Deco design inspired by the cool graphics of the 1920s Futurist painters and eclectic 1930s and 1940s furniture. Each room has a bed from a different period, offset by funky metallic-silver desks and comfy leather armchairs. Just off the sleek lobby, there is a bar and restaurant, La Rivista, which attracts a fashionable crowd of locals. —Sarah JamesRead Full ReviewAman VeniceThe crush of over-tourism has risked muting the magic of La Serenissima, but the city’s hotels, many of them palaces and villas during the republic’s glory days, remain a bastion of Venetian romance. At the graceful Aman Venice, in the quieter San Polo district, there is slightly more reserve. With its Murano chandeliers and stellar rabbit cappelletti served in a side garden, the hotel mixes the elegantly spare aesthetic of this revered Asian brand with the cultured taste of the Italian count and princess who own the property. In a city awash with much-loved legends—the Cipriani, the Danieli, the Gritti Palace—it takes something special for a newcomer to turn heads. But Aman, which splashed down here in 2013, as ever, had a trump card: Palazzo Papadopoli.This 16th-century confection is right on the Grand Canal just past the Rialto Bridge—which guests whizz under in the hotel’s glossy Riva to arrive at the palazzo’s jetty flanked by cerulean bricole. The 24 guest rooms have been slotted into many of the palazzo’s original spaces, so they are all unique. But the opulence does not compete with Jean-Michel Gathy’s minimalist B&B Italia furniture. —Fiona KerrRead Full ReviewJW Marriott Venice Resort & SpaRace across the lagoon in a water taxi and pull up at the dock on Isola delle Rose—the private island where JW Marriott Venice is located—and you may feel like you’re in a Bond film. With 266 rooms and suites, this resort casts a wide and varied net. There are contemporary options in the main hotel building, child-free quiet zones, beautifully sleek suites with plunge pools and private gardens, and even a villa with a private pool that houses up to seven guests. If you’re seeking international style far from crowds, this may be the place for you. —A.H.Read Full ReviewHotel Cipriani, A Belmond HotelThe intimacy of other area hotels is countered by the spaciousness of Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, where every room has garden or water views. Those who prefer to sleep somewhere that’s at least four centuries old can head to its annex, set inside a 15th-century palace on Giudecca Island. From its prime position on the eastern tip of the island, it exudes an air of la dolce vita–style glamour. Whether you pull up directly at the private dock or hop on the hotel launch at Piazza San Marco for the journey across the lagoon, the super-attentive service, manicured greenery, and air of sophistication combine into a pampered world all its own. The list of facilities and services is staggering: central Venice’s only pool (and an Olympic-sized one, at that), a sumptuous spa, children’s activities, cooking classes, tailored tours and boat trips, gorgeous gardens, art classes, tennis courts, and more. —A.H.Read Full ReviewHotel Gabrielli VeniceBefore stepping inside Hotel Gabrielli—a sprawling structure comprising seven palazzos, three of which directly face the canal—your eye is drawn upward across its terra-cotta façade lined with Moorish-style quadrifora windows. This four-lobed design serves as the hotel's emblem and is consistently referenced throughout the glitzy, Andrea Auletta–designed interiors. After a devastating episode of acqua alta flooded Gabrielli back in 2019, the hotel has been through an extensive five-year renovation, redistributing space and salvaging original features to create something that reflects the spirit of the city: resilient, enduring, and regenerative.The hotel's restoration reduced the number of rooms from 105 to 66, making the remaining spaces significantly larger. While the prestige room I experienced was on the smaller side, it was ideal for a weekend stay. Guests planning a longer visit should opt for a suite, which offers more generous proportions and the added luxury of a bathtub. The main restaurant, Felice al Gabrielli, is helmed by Mirko Pistorello, who takes great pride in sourcing fresh regional ingredients from the lagoon and its surroundings. The Corte Grande, where breakfast is held, may well be my favorite space in the hotel. What used to be an outdoor courtyard has been cleverly brought inside with a glass ceiling and has retained its original stone floors. —Stephanie GavanRead Full ReviewNolinski VeneziaMost of Venice’s household-name five-star hotels are converted palazzi. In this respect, and others, the Nolinski—43 rooms and suites on Calle Larga XXII Marzo, the smartest shopping street in town—is different. It occupies a 20th-century building constructed not as a grand private residence but as a stock exchange. Yet there’s nothing the least bit stock exchange-y about it. Its five-story façade, in a version of the Liberty style, is subtly animated by rippling lines and wavy undulations, suitably rich in maritime associations. Interior designers Yann Le Coadic and Alessandro Scotto have pulled off a nifty trick, deploying an adventurous mixture of elements in a way that creates an impression of great restraint and serenity. Mirrors feature prominently, along with a remarkable collection of glassware, assembled specifically for the hotel.Indeed, the art throughout has been curated, hung, and displayed with exceptional flair—nowhere more so than in the ravishing little Library Bar on the piano nobile. Venetians have a particular fondness for sunny courtyard spaces; Nolinski is a doozy, with a small but extremely fetching adjoining bar and dining room. Upstairs, in a stupendously domed space with gold-trimmed arches, is fine-dining restaurant Palais Royal, overseen by chef Philip Chronopoulos, a protégé of the late Joël Robuchon and much admired for his Hellenic take on classic French cuisine. —Steve KingRead Full ReviewHotel Violino d’OroIt’s easy for hotels to say they want guests to feel at home—it’s harder to pull off. But from the moment you enter this intimate boutique hotel just five minutes from Piazza San Marco, you feel like you’re being welcomed into the abode of a sophisticated host. That’s because it’s a very personal project for Sara Maestrelli, who joined her aunt Elena in the family business. (The Maestrellis own hotels in Florence and Forte dei Marmi, but this property is the first of theirs to be part of the Leading Hotels of the World.) They were adamant that Violino d’Oro be a completely “made in Italy” project that not only showcases archival designs by Fortuny, Venini, and Martinelli Luce, but also supports young Italian artists and artisans—including the Micheluzzi sisters, whose Venetian glass vases decorate the hotel; and Allegra Santini, who created regenerated marble busts for the rooms.The locally minded, artisan-led philosophy extends to the bar, where lauded bartender Francesco Adranga shakes up creative cocktails using Gin Venice (one of the only gins made in the Venetian lagoon); and Il Piccolo restaurant, which serves gourmet dishes with an emphasis on plant-based and gluten-free options served, naturally, on Ginori porcelain. But more than the fancy trappings, it’s the staff—from the charismatic general manager, Annabella Cariello, right down to the receptionist—who make you feel at home. —Laura ItzkowitzRead Full ReviewThe St. Regis VeniceThe stretch of Grand Canal frontage west of St. Mark's Square hosts some of the city's most famously classic luxury hotels. The St. Regis, inaugurated in 2019, is a newly crowned queen among these, boasting more water-facing balconies than any other. If it's a close-up relationship with the superb basilica of Santa Maria della Salute you're seeking, this is the hotel for you. A massive pre-inauguration restoration removed traditional brocades and gloomy corners, clearly aiming to entice a younger, more culturally aware clientele by filling public spaces and suites with some excellent contemporary art and a collection of pieces by top Venetian glassmakers. Between the two canal-facing wings, a gorgeous garden is the perfect venue for aperitivi. —A.H.Read Full ReviewCa’ di DioWith a prime spot on the St. Mark’s Basin waterfront, right in front of the Arsenale ferry terminal, no bridges or steps are required to reach the boutique Ca’di Dio. A water taxi can deliver you directly to the hotel’s dock. From the ferry stop, it’s mere steps before reaching the hotel lounge-meets-lobby. Plush velvet and leather seating and colorful Murano glass are sprinkled about, all courtesy of Spanish designer Patrica Urquiola, who executed a unique retro-modern makeover when the VRetreats hotel opened in 2021. There are 66 rooms, some with lagoon views, others with wooden beam ceilings, all with refined Art Deco–style glass lighting. In a previous life, the bolthole was a medieval pilgrim's hostel. There are two traditional Altana-raised roof terraces and three internal courtyards, the largest of which is a dreamy, leafy space. If the weather permits, don’t miss breakfast—organic eggs, perfect bacon, and fresh juice—or aperitivo hour in the courtyard, possibly one of the most peaceful spots in the crowd-loving city. —L.B.Read Full ReviewIl Palazzo ExperimentalNot exactly a hipster hub, the home of Casanova and the Bridge of Sighs might seem like an odd splashdown for the Experimental Group: an expanding empire that has hotels in London, New York, Ibiza, Verbier, and beyond. But that’s exactly why the 32-room Il Palazzo is so inspiring. Based in a former shipping company head office on the sunny Zattere promenade, it's a fresh lagoon breeze in the city of heavy brocade and historical baggage. Long-time collaborator Dorothée Meilichzon’s retro design scheme flits from the 1920s to the '80s. The soul of the place is the ground-floor restaurant, cocktail bar, and delightful hidden back garden, while the rooms feel like very pleasant afterthoughts. In an airy ambience where floor tiles wink at Carlo Scarpa’s wonderful 1958 Olivetti showroom in St. Mark’s Square, a menu curated by the team behind London’s Italian Supper Club works light, creative variations on traditional dishes from the country’s Adriatic region. —Lee MarshallRead Full ReviewBaglioni Hotel LunaIn terms of location, Baglioni can’t be beaten. Tucked literally around the corner from Piazza San Marco, it has a private canal for water taxi arrivals and a gondola ride stop literally on its doorstep. It’s also the oldest hotel in Venice, dating all the way back to 1118, and one of the most Venetian—as can be only expected from the Italian hotel brand. Inside is suitably resplendent with original Murano chandeliers, antique furniture, and silk brocade walls. In the rooms, ornate gilt bedframes are flanked by tasseled pendant lights, and bathrooms are generously sized and all marble. Breakfast is served in a grandiose room with a fresco ceiling.In the evenings, head to the downstairs bar for aperitivo hour—the alla moda order is a glass of Cantine Ferrari followed by a very special supper at The Canover. You’re in good hands here with chef Claudio Sadler, who received a Michelin Star in 2021 when helming the Gusto by Sadler restaurant at Baglioni’s Sardinia property. Dishes include Venetian-style ox meat or cappellacci stuffed with shrimp from the lagoon. Whatever the order, everything is delicately plated to look like a whimsical work of art. —L.B.Read Full ReviewCasa BuranoFor most visitors to the Venetian lagoon, brilliantly colored Burano is a quick day trip. Casa Burano is brought to you by the Bisol family of winemakers behind Venissa, the Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel on Mazzorbo (an island linked to Burano by a footbridge). Very pared-back, stylish rooms and suites are loft-style with an international feel, but pack a Venetian punch. A living room/kitchen in each room provides coffee machines and a place to consume a complimentary picnic breakfast that's brought to guests from the nearby Venissa mother house, which also hosts the reception where a discreet, amiable staff will accompany you across the bridge to your perch. Guests can tour and participate in tastings at the vineyard, or join sommelier walks through the gardens to pick wild herbs and mix them into botanical cocktails. —A.H.Read Full ReviewFAQWhat is the best area in Venice to stay in?Many of the hotels on this list are located in San Marco, the most popular of Venice’s six sestieri (central districts). San Marco is home to the city’s top attractions—Saint Mark's Basilica, Doge’s Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs—and, in turn, is also the busiest part of the city.While the Venice Venice Hotel lies within the central cluster of islands, it’s perched at the edge of the Cannaregio district, where the Rio dei Santi Apostoli flows into the Grand Canal. Cross the first bridge on your left when you leave the hotel, and you’ll find yourself in a lively yet pleasantly calmer part of the city, where you’re often moving against the tide of crowds heading toward San Marco.For a stay that’s away from the crowds, opt for a hotel in Dorsoduro, like Il Palazzo Experimental, located at the eastern end of Le Zattere, a residential area which is becoming a bit of a Venice restaurant hub. Also relatively removed from the fray is the Ca’ di Dio, which sits on a scenic stretch of promenade near the entrance to the Arsenale, the Biennale’s central hub, and just a short walk from the Biennale gardens.For a genuine reprieve, head to the outer islands. Giudecca sits just across from the historic center on the opposite end of the Giudecca Canal. There, you’ll find the Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel. Over on Isola delle Rose, the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa offers a secluded luxury escape, while Casa Burano brings boutique charm to the colorful island of the same name.How we choose the best hotels in Venice:Every hotel review on this list has been written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has visited that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider properties across price points that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination, keeping design, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind.More Italy recommendations:The Best Affordable Hotels in VeniceThe Best Airbnbs in VeniceThe Best Hotels in ItalyThe Best Villas in ItalyThe Best Airbnbs in ItalyThe Best Hotels in MilanThe Best Hotels in FlorenceThe Best Hotels in NaplesThe Best Hotels in RomeThe Best Hotels in PugliaThe Best Hotels in Lake ComoA version of this article originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveller UK. It has been updated with new information since its original publish date.Sarah James is deputy digital editor at Condé Nast Traveller. She moved to London from England's greatest (and most under-rated) city Birmingham in 2016 to complete a Masters in Journalism at City University. She started working at Traveller in 2017, and has visited approximately 112 coffee shops since. ... Read MoreTrust us, you'll want to get lost