Boutique Hotels in Venice, Italy

The impression of Venice as a city or gondolas, fountains, pigeon-filled piazzas and graceful bridges spanning countless canals is a popular one. But there is another Venice: the Venice that the tourist posters don’t show you and tourist throngs don’t see. Away from the usual sightseer haunts, this city of a hundred islands is a world of backstreet cafes, family-run business, exquisite local restaurants, and the intimate, everyday life Venetians. Sure, you can peer down at the city from the lofty heights of a luxury suite. But to experience the real romance of Venice, a small boutique hotel tucked away on some quite Via is the way to go.

Venice is a walker’s city. Its labyrinth of back streets and side canals will get you and your partner deep into the city’s beating heart. Stop for a stand up express at a tiny sidewalk café; buy a snack from a superette that may just have a ceiling painted by an old master; or just lean against an ancient brick wall and absorb the everchanging palette of streetlife scenes in this most intimate and lived-in city. Away from Venice’s heart, there are the multicoloured buildings of Murano, and the beaches of Lido to explore. And at night, as you dine at some candle lit table, Venice will capture your hearts all over again.