10 best boutique hotels in Venice, from art-filled interiors to sustainable retreats
From Michelin-starred dining to San Marco hotspots, these are best boutique hotels in Venice
Aliver
Known as La Serenissima, her most serene highness and Italy’s city of love, it’s little wonder that Venice is home to dozens of boutique hotels. They’re everywhere: clinging canalside, unfurling in historic buildings, and recalling the city’s proud history with their made-to-measure furnishings. So how to choose? As ever, the key question is location. Do you want to be close to the action in San Marco? Would you prefer a quieter residential area? Or does an island far from the city sound good, living the wild romance of the lagoon?
There are plenty of places that look gorgeous on booking websites but can then let you down on customer service, atmosphere or creature comforts. So this, in no particular order, is my pick of boutique hotels that won’t disappoint. From an affordable heritage hotel on the Grand Canal to snazzy new openings bringing contemporary style to this most historic of cities. Covering canalside boltholes to island retreats, there’s something for everyone here. Now all you have to do is decide who to bring.
Seeking more Italian inspiration? See our guides to the best hotels in Rome and Sicily.
The best boutique hotels in Venice 2025
At a glance
1. Hotel Flora
San Marco
The streets around Piazza San Marco are some of the busiest in the city. Walking around here on a busy day isn’t for the faint of heart – but then you slip down an alleyway three minutes from Italy’s most famous square and you’re in another, altogether more genteel, world. The beautiful Hotel Flora is the pride and joy of the Romanelli family, who’ve been at the helm since the 1960s. You can see their care for the place in every detail: the antiques that fill the rooms, the quiet courtyard where you can have breakfast, and the wonderful, warm staff (some of whom have been working here for decades). This is officially a three-star hotel but ignore that – the Flora is one of the loveliest boutique stays in the city. The beds are fantastic, the toiletries are by the posh Italian brand Ortigia, and the breakfast, brought to your table, is elegance incarnate. Old school in the absolute best way.
Address: San Marco 2283/A, Venezia 30124 VE, Italy
Price: From £220
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2. Cima Rosa hotel
Santa Croce
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There are labours of love and then there’s this: a five-room retreat owned by Daniele and Brittany, a Venetian-American couple, he an architect and she an interior designer. That combination means you get a real sense of Venice – like the soft lagoon colours on the walls – plus real 21st-century creature comforts including Frette bathrobes and local Cultum Cosmos toiletries. The setting can’t get much better – a 15th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal, complete with a private courtyard.
Yes, the rooms are gorgeous – lagoon colours on the walls, antiques restored by Daniele and Brittany, Grand Canal views from three of them – but the emphasis here is on ensuring guests enjoy a real immersion in the lagoon. Guests get “personal orientation sessions” at check-in, they can set up local-centric experiences like artisan-led tours or rowing classes, and there’s even an “artisan corner” in the hotel to pick up sustainable souvenirs. Breakfast is a full-on feast, with homemade dishes from ricotta pancakes to quiches, pies and their signature croissant bread pudding – as well as fruit and veg from the local market.
Address: Santa Croce 1958, Venezia 30135 VE, Italy
Price: From £197
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3. Novecento hotel
San Marco
The Hotel Flora is such a Venetian legend that it was due a sibling for some time – and lo and behold, in 2002, the next generation of the Romanelli family opened Novecento nearby. Where the Flora is traditional, Novecento goes for the boho, multicultural style made popular in Venice in the early 1900s by designer Mariano Fortuny (whose house is now a design and fashion museum, nearby in San Marco). It also draws on Venice’s history as a city of – and for – travellers, with textiles and furniture from Asia and North Africa, plus bathroom fittings by Philippe Starck to keep it slick. There’s a homely living room on the second floor and a quiet courtyard to really enjoy the space. As with the Flora, there’s a fine focus on sustainability and offering experiences that help, not damage, the fragile city.
Address: San Marco 2683/84, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Price: From £220
4. Hotel Al Ponte Mocenigo
Santa Croce
How refreshing for a boutique hotel to be affordable, too. This lovely property, in a 17th-century palazzo just a 30-second skip from the Grand Canal, is the work of two friends, Sandro and Valter. Both proud Venetians, they’ve run this gaffe for 20 years as a homage to their city, using it as an opportunity to introduce tourists to the real Venice that they know and love. There’s a nod to the decadent 1700s in the rooms, which echo traditional Venetian style with Murano chandeliers, fabric wall coverings, and olive and gold colouring for the furniture, while outside is a tranquil courtyard, where breakfast is served. At the end of the street is the San Stae vaporetto stop, while St Mark’s Square is a pretty 15-minute walk across the Rialto Bridge.
Address: Santa Croce 1985, 30135 Venezia VE, Italy
Price: From £88
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5. Madama Garden Retreat hotel
Cannaregio
In peaceful Cannaregio, cocooned by its canalside garden, lies this adults-only retreat. Owner Mara De Guidi worked for decades in the perfume industry, and she’s brought that same delicacy to the nine rooms – they’re modern but cling tightly to Venice’s history, with silks, brocades, velvets and glass all reflecting the city’s heritage. Each is named after a flower and themed accordingly – so expect walls draped in dramatic fabrics, minimalist four-poster beds and swirling dark marble in some of the bathrooms. Of course, it smells beautiful too, with carefully chosen fragrances in the public areas, and Diptyque toiletries in the suites. And then there’s the tranquil garden, the piece de resistance. Arrive by taxi for a fairytale entrance, walking in under a pergola of citrus trees.
Address: Cannaregio 3604, Fondamenta San Felice, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy
Price: From £246
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6. Venissa hotel
Lagoon
A Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms on the tranquil island of Mazzorbo, Venissa is a place where you can retreat from the crowds (not just in Venice – in neighbouring Burano, too), have a slap-up dinner, and wake up the next day overlooking a quiet canal or the vineyard out back. This is a self-contained little paradise: two restaurants (the eponymous fancy one and the more laidback Osteria), vines growing the local dorona grape (which the owners rescued from near-extinction), a vegetable garden which supplies much of what’s on the menu, and a tasting room to make the most of the in-house wares. The five rooms lie above the main restaurant. They’re all rustic-chic, with the palest of neutrals on the walls and pops of tasteful colour on the bedspreads, plus exposed beams reminding you that this is the countryside. The island is connected to Burano by a bridge, while the vaporetto stop to the city (40 minutes away) is right outside the front door.
Address: Fondamenta S. Caterina 3, 30142 Mazzorbo, Venezia VE Italy
Price: From £141
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7. Il Palazzo Experimental hotel
Dorsoduro
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For decades, even while arty types descended on the city for the Biennale, the reigning style for Venetian hotels was traditional – heavy drapes, damask walls and a whole lot of antiques. This sassy hotel on Dorsoduro’s Zattere waterfront has turned all that on its head with a thoroughly modern, if timeless, style that nods to Venice’s history rather than rams it down your throat. In the 32 rooms, the colouring is very Venetian Renaissance – dawn-light pinks, lagoon blues and greens – while the look is slightly Wes Anderson, all oversized headboards, strong silhouettes and gently clashing pastels. While the name reflects the courage in creating a non-traditional room in Venice, it’s actually a tribute to the owners, the Paris-based Experimental Group, known for its chic hotels and cocktail bars. You should, of course, sample their concoctions – either at the cafe-bar or in the speakeasy-inspired Experimental Cocktail Club.
Address: Dorsoduro 1410, Zattere Al Ponte Lungo, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy
Price: From £255
8. Hotel Palazzo Stern
Dorsoduro
There’s one thing most of the hotels on the Grand Canal have in common – they’re big beasts, with ultra-luxury rooms by the dozen, and canalside bars that you must share not only with the other guests but also the regular folks trying to taste that Bezos lifestyle. And then there’s this – a gorgeous little family-run hotel not far from the Accademia. Dwarfed by its neighbour, the vast Ca’ Rezzonico (the museum of the 18th century), this is a place where small really is beautiful – starting with the dinky waterside garden, where you can sit with a drink right on the Grand Canal.
A 15th-century house that was once the home of a German art collector is now a 24-room hotel. There are echoes of its past at every turn – a Byzantine-style column as you walk in, a coffered ceiling over reception, the portico staircase (a bit like a mini Danieli) and the spectacular bar, painted in royal blue, scarlet and gold. The rooms aren’t as slick as its Grand Canal neighbours – it could do with some new bedspreads, for starters – but that’s all part of the charm. One breakfast in the garden is all it takes to make you a regular.
Address: Dorsoduro 2792/A, Venezia 30123 VE, Italy
Price: From £277
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9. Hotel San Cassiano
Santa Croce
Not many hotels on the Grand Canal fall into the budget category. But this is the former home of 19th-century painter Giacomo Favretto (in fact it’s also known as Ca’ Favretto), so perhaps it lends itself to artsy travellers on a budget. A step inside is a step into the past: creaking traditional terrazzo floors, dark furniture, heavy drapes and textile-clad walls. Most of the rooms overlook a small canal or the street, although six of them dangle over the Grand Canal itself. Even if you go for a cheaper room (without the blockbuster view) you can take to the bar, where a small terrace is cantilevered over the Canal Grande. The rooms are a bargain compared to other Grand Canal properties, and the feeling is one of stepping back in time.
Address: Santa Croce 2232, 30135 Venezia VE, Italy
Price: From £75
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10. Ca’ di Dio
Castello
You can’t really beat the views from this 66-roomer on the waterfront overlooking St Mark’s Basin. A 15-minute stroll from Piazza San Marco, it’s every bit as iconic as those grande dame hotels set closer to the action, yet this hotel sees a fraction of the hordes that block the views lower down. In fact, its perfect location is what caused consternation when it was first converted into a hotel – this was a retirement home, and it was a dark day for Venetians when it became five-star digs. (An extra reason to make your stay sustainable and spend money locally if you pick here.)
For those lucky enough to stay, it’s a top-of-the-range kind of place – just nine rooms compared to 57 suites, with the top two suites sharing an altana, a traditional Venetian roof terrace, overlooking the lagoon. The sprawling building dates from the 13th century, and there’s plenty of space for lounging, including two courtyards where you can kick back with a drink (there are also tables outside on the waterfront). The rooms, designed by Patricia Urquiola, are filled with local touches, from Murano glass to artisan-carved boiserie (decorative wood panelling).
Address: Riva Ca’ di Dio 2183, Castello 30122 Venezia VE, Italy
Price: From £302
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Why trust us
The hotels featured in this list have been carefully selected by The Independent's expert travel writer, Julia Buckley, who has a deep knowledge of Venice, having lived there for several years. Our hotel contributors either live in these locations or visit frequently, ensuring a personal and informed perspective. When picking which hotels to include, they consider their own experience staying in the hotels and evaluate location, facilities, service and all the other details that make for an exceptional stay for all types of traveller.
FAQs
When is the best time of year to travel to Venice?
The best time of year to visit Venice really depends on what is most important to you: good weather, fewer crowds or cheaper costs.
The shoulder seasons of April to June and September to October bring pleasant weather and fewer crowds to compete with. July and August are peak months for tourism, meaning plenty of crowds, premium prices and temperatures in excess of 30C. February also attracts large crowds and hotel prices rise due to the annual carnival. November to January bring fewer crowds and colder weather – but visiting Venice at this time of year can be very atmospheric.
Where are the nicest areas to stay in Venice?
Where to stay in Venice depends very much on your travel preferences and budget.
San Marco and San Polo are both central, lively and close to many of Venice’s main attractions, but they’re also crowded – and the former can be expensive.
Cannaregio is situated in the historic Jewish Ghetto and is home to canalside bars, a local vibe and cheaper accommodation and food options. Elsewhere, Castello is much more peaceful, with gardens and fewer tourists, and is a great option if you’re visiting for the Biennale.
And as the home of the Gallerie dell’Accademia and Peggy Guggenheim museum, Dorsoduro is a great option for art lovers seeking an authentic feel and plenty of culture.
What currency do I need?
The currency you will need in Venice is the Euro (EUR).
What is Venice most famous for?
Venice is most famous for its picturesque canals that connect more than 100 small islands. A gondola ride along the Grand Canal is often cited as a bucket list experience for many travellers. The history and architecture of Venice is also a major draw to this romantic city, with St Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace and the Rialto Bridge major attractions. Venice has an extensive history as a hub of Renaissance art and trade and, today, hosts the Biennale, a major contemporary art exhibition every other year, plus the annual Carnevale di Venezia, keeping the artistic spirit of this truly unique city alive.
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