San Marco / Santa Maria del Giglio

The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel

★★★★★

The Gritti Palace is the Grand Canal hotel of dreams. Its palazzo dates from 1475 and became the private residence of Doge Andrea Gritti in the sixteenth century, and its canal-side terrace looks directly across the water to Santa Maria della Salute, with gondolas and vaporetti passing a few feet away. It is a member of Marriott's Luxury Collection, and it has decades of fame behind it as the Venetian address of writers, royalty and film stars. The interiors are those of a Venetian palace rather than a modern hotel: antique furniture, Murano glass chandeliers, damask and brocade fabrics, painted ceilings and marble floors, with rooms and suites that differ one from another. The best rooms and suites face the Grand Canal, and some of the suites add private rooftop terraces with views over the city. Dining is a highlight. The Club del Doge restaurant serves Venetian and Mediterranean cooking, and in the warmer months the Gritti Terrace on the canal is one of the city's loveliest places to eat; Bar Longhi, hung with paintings in the manner of Pietro Longhi, is an elegant, intimate cocktail bar; and the Riva Lounge has an outdoor terrace on the water. The Gritti Epicurean School offers cooking classes and tastings for guests who want to take Venice home. A spa by Sisley Paris, a fitness suite for guests and a private water taxi pier complete the picture. Pets are welcome within limits.

The location, on Campo Santa Maria del Giglio in the sestiere of San Marco, is ideal for a first stay. Piazza San Marco is a short walk east through lanes of designer boutiques, the opera house of La Fenice is around the corner, and the wooden Accademia Bridge leads over to Dorsoduro's museums. The Santa Maria del Giglio vaporetto stop is outside, and on 21 November the pontoon bridge for the Festa della Salute begins almost at the hotel's door.

Living in it: the Gritti is about atmosphere — waking to the light reflected off the canal, breakfast on the terrace, a drink at Bar Longhi before dinner. Rooms are luxurious in a traditional way, and canal-view categories are the ones to book if your budget allows, since city-view rooms lose the hotel's main magic. The hotel has received recognition from the Forbes Travel Guide and the Michelin Guide's hotel keys. Seasonal elements, such as the Gritti Terrace and the Riva yacht experiences, operate mainly in spring and summer, so check what is available for winter stays.

Who it suits: couples, honeymooners, anniversary trips and anyone who wants the classic Venetian palace experience on the Grand Canal. It is very expensive, and its formality may feel stiff to some, but for a once-in-a-lifetime stay with the Salute outside your window, it is hard to beat. Guests staying overnight in Venice were exempt from the day-tripper access fee when it applied in 2026. A little history adds to the stay: the palace dates from the fifteenth century and takes its name from Doge Andrea Gritti, who lived here in the sixteenth century, and it has been a hotel for well over a century, a favourite of writers including Ernest Hemingway and Somerset Maugham. A major restoration completed in 2013 refreshed every room while keeping the antiques, fabrics and Murano chandeliers, so the house feels historic without being tired. Compared with the Danieli on the Riva, the Gritti is smaller, quieter and more residential in feel, with the Grand Canal rather than the open basin outside.