Featured Hotels

Ca' Pisani Hotel

Ca' Pisani Hotel

Venice, Veneto, Italy

In a relatively quiet part of the city, by the Accademia, this 14th-century palazzo is part of the Design Hotels group.

Oltre Il Giardino

Oltre Il Giardino

Venice, Veneto, Italy

Owned and managed by Lorenzo Muner, Oltre Il Giardino is set in the San Polo area of Venice, just a few steps from the Church of Frari and 15 minutes from St Mark's Square.

Londra Palace

Londra Palace

Venice, Veneto, Italy

The proud boast of this opulent hotel is that it has a hundred windows facing the lagoon.

Hotel Flora

Hotel Flora

Venice, Veneto, Italy

'Quiet, even by local standards', the Romanelli family's B&B hotel has long been loved by Guide readers.

Pensione Accademia – Villa Maravege

Pensione Accademia – Villa Maravege

Venice, Veneto, Italy

A 17th-century villa which was the Russian consulate when Venice was an independent republic, this well-known pensione has a 'super position' by a side canal, near the Grand Canal at the Accademia bridge.

Hotel Colombina

Hotel Colombina

Venice, Veneto, Italy

'One of the attractions of this gem,' write its nominators, 'is its location on a junction of canals just behind the Doge's Palace.'

Hotel Ai Reali

Hotel Ai Reali

Venice, Veneto, Italy

A 17th-century former palace refurbished into a luxury hotel in 2013, Hotel Ai Reali is set on a quiet canal between the Rialto and Piazza San Marco.

La Calcina

La Calcina

Venice, Veneto, Italy

John Ruskin stayed in this pensione on the Dorsoduro in 1877. Now owned by Marc Sibuet and Regina Segre Amar, who promise 'discreet service and peace', it faces the Giudecca canal.

Hotel Palazzo Abadessa

Hotel Palazzo Abadessa

Venice, Veneto, Italy

Set in the quiet Cannaregio district, this 16th-century Baroque palace, formerly an aristocratic family home, boasts gorgeous, individually-decorated rooms and suites with frescoed ceilings, 18th-century antique furniture, handmade silk wallpaper and Murano chandeliers.

The ultimate romantic cityIt's true that tourists slightly outnumber residents in Venice, so many people choose to visit during the spring and autumn shoulder seasons in order to beat the crowds, or in winter, when the city has been returned to its inhabitants but can be cold and gloomy. The general consensus, however, is that it is better to go in the height of summer than not at all: the buildings lining the canals of this fascinating city may have stood unchanged for over 600 years, but this is not a place lost in the past or resting on its laurels; Venice's art, architecture, music, dance and film festivals are stronger than ever and with plenty of focus on the contemporary. Probably the best thing about Venice is that it's easy to get lost, either by mistake or by design, and just a few streets away from crowded areas such as the Rialto or San Marco are the secret squares, deserted alleyways and romantic bridges that make this city so magical.

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