17 amazing hotels in Venice with canal views

1. Hotel L’Orologio

Hotel L’Orologio has a superb location in Venice overlooking the Grand Canal in the historic and central San Polo neighbourhood. You will be right in the heart of the action here, next to Rialto Market and less than five minutes’ walk from Rialto Bridge.

The hotel’s canal view rooms give you a georgeous vista across one of the city’s widest canal points. There’s also a ground-floor cocktail bar on site, Santa Cocktail Club, that has views out onto the lagoon.

Rooms are decorated in a minimalist style, so you won’t feel cluttered. At the same time, you can enjoy great facilities, a generous breakfast, and guest access to a terrace and snack bar.

2. Carnival Palace – Venice Collection

Perched in a quiet little corner on the far north of Venice’s main island, Carnival Palace is a modern hotel that sits on Canneregio Canal. While the location is a little out of the way in the offbest Canneregio district, it’s still easy to get around from here, with a water taxi stop right next to the hotel.

The rooms have a classic Venetian feel, with huge beds, some rooms featuring four-posters. It has a romantic vibe for a couple’s weekend away, with those canal views at night and breakfast served in the hotel’s gardens in the morning.

3. Hotel Ai Cavalieri di Venezia

Hotel Ai Cavalieri di Venezia is a four-star hotel in the quieter, residential neighbourhood of Castello, but within walking distance of the main sights of San Marco. It’s not the cheapest option in Venice, but it’s a beautiful place to stay if you’re ready to treat yourself.

The building has the feel and style of a 19th-century palacio, decorated with ornate features, antique furniture and chandeliers. Some rooms and suites look out over a concealed canal, where you can see gondolas quietly drifting by.

4. Aqua Palace

Perched on the threshold of San Marco and a short walk from Rialto Bridge, Aqua Palace is a lovely boutique hotel that provides affordable luxury in a central location. It is set in Scalfarotto Palace, which has been run by the same local family of hoteliers for two generations.

The hotel’s name reflects its waterside location, overlooking the Rio de San Zulian canal. It even has its own private dock for water taxis. Not all rooms come with views, so be sure to book one that does if you can – it will make a big difference to your experience.

5. EGO’ Boutique Hotel – The Silk Road

Set within 100 metres of Rialto Bridge along the Grand Canal, EGO’ Boutique Hotel is a luxury Venetian four-star hotel that features one of Venice’s most iconic views. Some rooms also have views looking out onto the smaller, quieter San Salvador Canal.

The hotel has developed a reputation for its attentive service. Technically it is four-star hotel but it feels a touch more special than that, with elegant décor that oozes extravagance. It’s the kind of place where you’ll feel pampered without all the fuss, and the location is unrivalled.

6. Hotel Canal Grande

You probably guessed it from the name… Hotel Canal Grande sits right on the Grand Canal. This boutique hotel is located in the quieter Santa Croce district, a bit off the beaten path but still well connected with excellent transport links. Plus, it has the added bonus of its own private dock.

Housed within a renovated noble Venetian palace, the hotel’s striking white facade and red-brick rooftop stand out along the waterside. The bar features a terrace overlooking the canal, so you can soak up the view even if you opt for a room without one.

7. Ai Mori d’Oriente

If you like to stay somewhere a little tucked out of the way, Ai Mori d’Oriente might be right up your street, with views over Rio della Sensa in the Cannaregio neighbourhood.

The hotel is set among peaceful small canals on the north side of the main island, with relaxing communal spaces like a reading room and breakfast area. Deluxe rooms on the upper floors have beautiful views over the water.

8. Il Palazzo Experimental

Il Palazzo Experimental is set in the artsy Dorsoduro district on the south-west of Venice, known for its street art and galleries. The hotel has its own private garden that backs onto a canal, while rooms on the front side look out towards Giudecca Island.

This is a rarer example of a Venice hotel where you don’t need a suite or a deluxe room for canal rooms; there are double and twin rooms that come with the benefit.

The hotel has a classy feel to it, with marble trims and terrazzo floors integrated into its design. You can also enjoy one of the city’s best Italian-style hotel breakfasts.

9. Hotel Olimpia Venice

Located close to where Dorsoduro meets Santa Croce, Hotel Olimpia Venice is in a quiet spot on a sleepy canal. While it’s set a little away from the main attractions, there are still some interesting sites nearby, with the majestic Scuola Grande di San Rocco within ten minutes’ walk.

One of the most striking features of the hotel its beautiful flower gardens, where you can eat breakfast when the weather allows. Just around the corner you can eat freshly made pizzas with canal views at a lovely little restaurant called Rio Novo.

10. Hotel Moresco

Hotel Moresco is another gem in Santa Croce, set on the Tolentini Canal, one of the district’s main waterways. This is a boutique hotel in a 19th-century building with a classic elegant Venetian feel, and while it isn’t the cheapest, your money goes a long way in terms of the quality of the facilities and setting.

There is a choice of canal-view rooms from doubles and twins up to superiors and suites. At the top of the range you can indulge with private terraces and spa baths.

Breakfast is a highlight at Hotel Moresco, and in the early evening you can enjoy tapas and snacks in the bar.

11. Ruzzini Palace Hotel

Ruzzini Palace Hotel is a four-star hotel in a lovely central location within ten minutes’ walk of St Mark’s Square. Dating back to the 16th century, the building has an esteemed history, having been the residence at times to several ‘Doges’ (Venetian heads of state and military for a thousand years).

On one side, the hotel overlooks Campo Santa Maria Formosa, one of the oldest and largest squares in Venice, lined by historic palaces, churches and bell towers.

Inside, the hotel feels steeped in magnificence, not least with the inclusion of a grand piano (that guests are welcome to play!). The canal view rooms are actually among its lower-cost options, looking out onto a narrow, peaceful waterway at the rear.

12. Residenza d’Epoca San Cassiano

While many of the hotels in Venice with canal views have eye-watering room rates, Residenza d’Epoca San Cassiano is a rare find where you can stay right on the waterside for a more manageable price, especially in low season.

This is particularly impressive considering it is a well kept 14th-century villa perched right on the Grand Canal as it passes through the Santa Croce district. On the hotel’s ground floor, you can dine on decking that stretches out over the water’s edge, a setting that feels particularly magical after dark.

13. Hotel Giudecca

Giudecca Island lies in the Venetian Lagoon just south of the city’s main island. Interwoven with a handful of canals, Giudecca has a more peaceful setting compared to the bustling centre of Venice. With unobstructed views to the west, it’s also where you can witness Venice’s best sunsets, as featured in our guide to exploring Venice at night.

Hotel Giudecca sits on the corner of two canals on the island. The hotel has a retro vibe and the atmosphere of a personable, family-run business. Several of its 30 rooms have views looking out over the Palada Canal, where the hotel also has its own private water dock.

This is a great spot if you’re looking for a more low-key retreat in Venice. And when you want to explore, you can reach the sights on the main island in ten minutes on a vaporetto waterbus.

14. Hotel Tiziano

If you are looking for hotels in Venice with canal views but don’t have the budget to stretch to the premium hotels, take a look at Hotel Tiziano. You will also find it featured in our guide to the best affordable hotels in Venice, as it provides great value for money. In low season you can get a superior double canal-view room for less than $150 a night.

We love the location of Hotel Tiziano, in a quiet corner of the Dorsoduro neighbourhood, but within a few minutes’ walk of Campo Santa Margherita, a lively square that’s great for evening food and drinks.

Set in a 15th-century building decorated in classic Venetian style, this hotel is a gem of a find for a relaxing or romantic Venice getaway.

15. Hotel Antiche Figure

Hotel Antiche Figure stands tall over the Grand Canal in the Santa Croce district, less than five minutes’ walk from Santa Lucia train station and close to water taxi stops for getting around.

The canal-facing rooms offer some of the best unobstructed views in the city, especially magical at night when the Grand Canal lights up. The décor is traditionally Venetian, with Murano glass accents.

Be sure to try the hotel’s coffee – it’s delicious! The breakfast is excellent, and thoughtful extras for guests like a free boat trip to Murano make the stay even better.

16. Hotel Ai Reali

Located near the intersection of the San Marco, Cannaregio and Castello neighbourhoods, Hotel Ai Reali sits in a great location for exploring Venice. This little pocket of the city is a gem, with a quiet scene of sleepy back-street canals and lanes, while still being within a close walk of the main attractions.

The hotel, set in a centuries-old Venetian palace, is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World chain. While rooms – especially canal-view ones – can be pricy, the reward is a stunning setting and opulent surroundings that transport you back in time to old Venice.

17. The Gritti Palace

We conclude our selection of canal-view hotels in Venice with one of the city’s most spectacularly luxurious properties: The Gritti Palace, which overlooks the Grand Canal as it flows out into the Venetian Lagoon. The hotel features the “Club del Doge” restaurant with a stunning waterside terrace, facing directly onto the basilica of Santa Maria della Salute.

The hotel is part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection, a category that is reserved for its very finest, and yes, we’re talking four figures for a night’s stay here. If one of your bucket list items is to live like royalty for a night in Venice, then you can’t do better than saving up for a night or two here.

Set in a palace that was built in the 15th century for a Doge, this is a place where you can experience the height of luxury Venetian hospitality.