by Anne Hanley, The Daily Telegraph, November 17, 2016
A neighbourhood guide to the best districts – also known as sestiere – in which to stay in Venice, as chosen by our resident expert, including the top hotels in San Marco, Dorsoduro, Giudecca and the Lagoon Islands, near to sites including St Mark's Square, the Grand Canal and the Accademia.
San Marco
You can’t get much more central than this – for better and for worse. The San Marco sestiere – stretching from St Mark’s Square and basilica to the Accademia bridge – boasts a slew of five-star hotels, a smattering of humbler hostelries, some seriously chic boutiques and galleries, and the kind of buzz that other areas can’t match. Venice’s most iconic monuments are here – but so too are the hordes who have come to admire them.
The Gritti Palace occupies one of the loveliest spots on the Grand Canal.
WHERE TO STAY
The Gritti Palace Venice, Veneto, Italy
10 Telegraph expert rating
This 15th-century palazzo occupies one of the loveliest spots on the Grand Canal, looking across to the magnificent Salute church, and has equally sumptuous interiors to match, with priceless antiques and frescoes, and a small but exquisite spa. It's moments from Calle Largo XXII Marzo, one of the main thoroughfares in this part of city – this will take you to St Mark’s in five minutes and the Gallerie dell’Accademia in eight. Water taxis can deliver you directly to the hotel’s jetty, but there is also a vaporetto (water bus) stop, Giglio, close by (service 1). Read expert review From £435per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Corte di Gabriela Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
Venice habitués weary of the omnipresent brocade-and-Murano-glass combo, take note: the Corte di Gabriela successfully foists very contemporary décor onto an historic framework, creating a stylish look with startling colours, great textures and some serious pieces of designer furniture. Chic it may be, but it’s also intimate and welcoming. There’s no restaurant but drinks and cicheti (snacks) are served in the lovely wisteria-covered courtyard, as is breakfast in the warmer months. Read expert review From £250per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Novecento Boutique Hotel Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
It’s just a stone’s throw away from the busy San Marco-Accademia thoroughfare at Santa Maria del Giglio, but step into the Novecento and you’ll feel a world away from all that. Tucked down a quiet alley, with its own tranquil courtyard, it is five minutes’ walk from St Mark’s and a 20-minute stroll to the Rialto through an area packed with tempting boutiques. Décor is influenced by Mariano Fortuny, the eclectic Spanish designer who made Venice his home in the late 19th century, but far from aping the standard Venetian Fortuny model, his north African and middle Eastern touches have most inspired here. Read expert review From £97per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Castello
Castello stretches from the thronging Riva degli Schiavoni lagoon-side promenade to the echoing alleys around Palladio’s San Francesco della Vigna, taking in washing-festooned residential areas off via Garibaldi and the atmospheric emptiness (except during the Biennale) of the former shipbuilding Arsenale. There are some gorgeous churches here, and great restaurants too. In fact, this sestiere has a bit of just about everything.
There are some gorgeous churches and great restaurants in Castello.Credit: rh2010 - Fotolia
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Metropole Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
The Oriental-tinged Metropole is a five-star hotel on the prestigious but congested lagoon-facing riva degli Schiavoni promenade. With collections of antique fans and crucifixes lining corridors, and a seriously tenebrous mirrored-ceiling lounge, it comes across part opium den, part Old Curiousity Shoppe. The Oriental bar is open throughout the day, serving light meals and snacks dreamed up in the kitchens of the Metropole’s Michelin-starred MET restaurant, as well as some truly excellent cocktails. Read expert review From £157per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Residenza De L'Osmarin Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
This three-room b&b wins guests’ hearts with its simple and elegant décor, wonderfully welcoming and well-informed hosts, and its great location a short walk from St Mark’s. Rooms all have lovely views over the nearby canal (with subsequent noise of gondolier serenades) and across the rooftops to the belltower of St Mark’s. Extra beds fit comfortably into the top floor suite, which also have a delightful roof terrace. The second-floor Flower Room also has its own little courtyard-facing terrace. Read expert review From £86per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
B&B San Marco Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
There is absolutely nothing hotel-y about this b&b which is truly three lovely rooms in what you will come to regard as your Venetian home. The experience begins at breakfast when the owners will sit with you in the kitchen and discuss not only things to do and places to eat, but Venice’s history, its current situation and what the future may hold for it. It's immersed in the heart of ‘real’ Venice – about half way between San Marco and the Arsenale – this is a lively, residential part of the city that many visitors miss. Read expert review From £69per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Cannaregio
At first glance, the northern Cannaregio district, with quiet canals running parallel along its length, might seem like a backwater. Wrong. Of an evening, these same canals become a nightlife hub, with noisy crowds spilling out of hip bars and cosy restaurants. Mid-sestiere, the world’s original ghetto radiates out from the pretty, busy campo del Ghetto Novo. Two noisy axes dissect the area: the Cannaregio canal and the route (its name changes several times) that channels traffic from station to centre.
Al Ponte Antico has views down the canal to the Rialto bridge.
WHERE TO STAY
Domus Orsoni Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
Set in a delightful palazzo overlooking a private garden and the city's only glass foundry, Domus Orsoni's five rooms are resplendent with glass-mosaic-tiled walls and art works. Popular with participants in the foundry's mosaic courses, the hotel also attracts many Venice habitués who value its quiet location. When staff are not present, guests let themselves in with their own key. Read expert review From £85per night
Hotel Palazzo Abadessa Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
With its beautiful heirloom antiques and frescoed ceilings, Palazzo Abadessa is every inch the aristocratic family palace. The magnificent salone, with its works by followers of Tintoretto, enhances this feeling. But clients are treated very much as friends at a house party. And the lovely, lush garden is a wonderful place to relax after a tough day’s sightseeing. Some rooms have glorious frescoed or stuccoed ceilings. There is no restaurant (breakfast only), but Cannaregio’s restaurants are excellent. Read expert review From £86per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Al Ponte Antico Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
Right on the Grand Canal, just north of the Rialto, this hotel is perfectly located for seeing the sights. However, you don’t need to move too far to soak up the Venetian atmosphere: the little terrace, with views down the canal to the iconic Rialto bridge, is a great place for an evening aperitivo. Décor is exuberant throughout, from the padded reception desk to the old-rose first-floor lounge with its delightful banquettes, polished wood and gleaming brass coffee machine. Read expert review From £207per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Santa Croce & San Polo
San Polo – with its vibrant produce and fish markets by the Rialto bridge, and its humming bar and restaurant scene – blends almost imperceptibly into quieter, more residential Santa Croce. The emphasis here is on small hotels for travellers who wish to immerse themselves in the ‘real’ Venice. It’s a long-ish stroll to best-known sights – but what a stroll: through echoing alleys and sunny squares, past glorious churches.
The Clooneys opted to spend their wedding night at Venice's Aman, a Grand Canal-side palazzo.
WHERE TO STAY
Cima Rosa Boutique Bed & Breakfast Venice, Veneto, Italy
9 Telegraph expert rating
An effortlessly elegant mix of antique and modern, this upmarket b&b is the extremely stylish creation of an Italian architect and American decorator couple. Don’t be surprised to find it full of returnees: guests have a habit of making their way back here whenever they can. The five well-sized rooms and suites are all beautifully decorated in Farrow & Ball pastels that pick up Venice’s water colours and enhance the classic-contemporary elegance. Three rooms have Grand Canal views: if you’re a very light sleeper, the early-morning traffic may disturb you, but the extraordinary panorama merits a little discomfort. Read expert review From £125per night
Aman Canal Grande Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
The Clooneys opted to spend their wedding night in this 16th-century Grand Canal-side palazzo, which says it all. Contemporary furnishings mix with sumptuous chandeliers and burnished mirrors in the 24 ultra-luxe suites. Guests can arrive by boat to enter by the formal 'porta d’acqua’ into a vast, beamed reception with marble chequered flooring and original frescos. Overlooking pantiled rooftops, the wooden 'altana’ is a small decked roof terrace for sunset drinks. Read expert review From £995per night Check availability Rates provided byMr & Mrs Smith
Oltre il Giardino Venice, Veneto, Italy
7 Telegraph expert rating
Tucked away behind a high wall just around the corner from the Frari basilica, the six-room, two-suite Oltre il Giardino looks more country house than Venetian palazzo and boasts that Venetian rarity: a garden. The six rooms in the main building are large by Venetian standards and delightfully airy and bright. Some overlook the garden, others the canals around. Read expert review From £153per night
Dorsoduro
In its eastern reaches, Dorsoduro exudes an artsy sophistication that attracts a knowing in-crowd. From the Grand Masters of the Accademia gallery to the ultra-contemporary at the Punta della Dogana, passing through the modern at the Peggy Guggenheim Foundation, there’s art for all tastes here. Move westwards and things get livelier. Cool bars, excellent eateries and a choice of nightlife scenes – studenty in campo Santa Margherita, more grown-up around San Pantalon – complete the picture.
From the Grand Masters of the Accademia gallery to the ultra-contemporary at the Punta della Dogana, passing through the modern at the Peggy Guggenheim Foundation, there’s art for all tastes in the Dorsoduro district.Credit: lea49 - Fotolia
WHERE TO STAY
Ca' Pisani Hotel Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
Ca’ Pisani was the first Venetian hotel to abandon brocade and chandeliers in favour of an Art Deco décor – with some superb period pieces. The hotel's location close to the Accademia gallery makes it popular with art lovers. The Accademia bridge is nearby for quick access across the Grand Canal to San Marco. Right next door, Ca’ Pisani’s La Rivista wine bar, with its Futurist-inspired décor, has a good selection of cheese, cold cuts and wine. Read expert review From £98per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Ca Maria Adele Venice, Veneto, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
Tucked away behind the church of Salute in the pleasantly quiet, gallery-filled Dorsoduro sestiere, Ca Maria Adele has its own water entrance. It’s a short hop from here to the vaporetto stop and on to San Marco. It takes Venetian style to gothic extreme in five statement concept rooms. An additional five deluxe rooms and two top-floor suites are equally plush, with an air of warm, welcoming urbanity. The Sala Noire with its black Murano glass chandelier is deliciously decadent. Read expert review From £227per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Centurion Palace Venice, Veneto, Italy
7 Telegraph expert rating
Facing off across the Grand Canal from the Gritti Palace – and with a canal entrance to pull up at in your water taxi – the Centurion is in the artsy Dorsoduro sestiere: right in the centro storico, in the shadow of the Salute basilica, but across the canal from the the thickest tourist crowds. The 50 rooms and suites combine antique features with contemporary design – striking colours, huge mirrors and bathrooms in burnished gold leaf. Read expert review From £205per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Giudecca & lagoon island
Secretly hip and quietly trendy, the once-industrial Giudecca island conceals a thriving artist community and lots of student life, plus some earthy neighbourhood cafés. Classic luxe destination hotel the Belmond Cipriani is here, but it’s a world unto itself. Out in the lagoon, more big-name hotels occupy lush islands – the perfect bolt-holes for tranquility-seeking visitors who relish popping across to experience the Venice hustle only when they choose.
Classic luxe destination hotel the Belmond Cipriani is on Giudecca.
WHERE TO STAY
Belmond Hotel Cipriani Giudecca, Venice, Italy
8 Telegraph expert rating
The 95-room Belmond Cipriani is a five-star Venetian classic. It’s also an oasis of breezy elegance, with huge pool, manicured gardens, luxury spa, an Adam Tihany-designed fine-dining restaurant, and the kind of discreet professional service you’d expect in a hotel used to hosting VIPs. It’s a five-minute hop into the thick of things, and the hotel’s setting, with 270-degree views over the water, is very special indeed. Read expert review From £588per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
Venissa Burano Suites Venice, Veneto, Italy
7 Telegraph expert rating
Most Italophiles have seen photos of Burano, with its canal-facing rows of crazy-coloured houses; and many visitors to Venice have done the 40-minute hop across the lagoon to this small island, where tourist hordes flock in season, drawn by the island’s traditional lace-making. Venissa offers guests the chance to experience the brilliant colours and lively local scene of this most picturesque Venetian lagoon island. A collaboration between several high-design companies from north-east Italy, the accommodation is extremely minimalist-stylish, though rather more chic showroom than comfortable nook. Read expert review From £60per night Check availability Rates provided byBooking.com
San Clemente Palace Kempinski Venice, Veneto, Italy
7 Telegraph expert rating
The tree-filled island of San Clemente in Venice’s southern lagoon originally housed a pilgrims’ hospice in the 11th century. The accommodation these days is certainly more luxurious, thanks to the Kempinski group, which offers 190 elegant rooms and suites, professional service and wonderful views. It's an ideal pampered bolthole if intensive sightseeing in visitor-packed Venice leaves you reeling. However the trip to San Marco takes little more than 10 minutes in the hotel’s complimentary launch, which potters back and forth regularly. Read expert review From £293per nightCheck availabilityRates provided byBooking.com
This article was written by Anne Hanley from The Daily Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
