Venice isn’t a big city, and walking from one end to the other isn’t that long of a trip (unless you take lots of weird side-streets and wrong turns, which is highly recommended) – but the center of tourist activity in Venice is actually on the opposite side of the city from the train station.
That means that if you want to find a hotel near St. Mark’s Square, you’ll have either a good walk ahead of you or a slow vaporetto ride after you get off the train. If, on the other hand, you’d prefer to not carry your bags that far, you can stay in one of these 3-star or 4-star hotels near the Venice train station.
You’ll find a map of Venice around the train station below, with the station and all the hotels on this list marked. That way, you can see what “close to the train station” reall means! Hover over each hotel icon for more information, or find more details about each hotel beneath the map.
>> For budget travelers looking for something more along the lines of cheap hotels, see my post about the 1-star and 2-star hotels near Venice’s train station as well.
>> And for something a little different, one of the unique hotels in Venice I featured in another post is also near the train station – the Hotel Abbazia – so if “interesting” and “near the train station” are both on your must-have list, that’s the hotel for you.
Hotel Antiche Figure
Santa Croce 687 – 30135 Venice
Not only is Hotel Antiche Figure one of the closest hotels to the Venice train station, it’s also only a short walk to Venice’s only car park – so if you’re driving into the city you won’t have far to haul your luggage, either. Couple that with the hotel’s position right on the famous Grand Canal and you’ve got the makings of the ideal location to base yourself for a trip to Venice.
The hotel is in a 15th century palazzo that was completely renovated, so you’ll find all the usual hotel amenities here (including internet service). While it’s only a short walk to the hotel from the train station, the hotel itself is actually on the opposite side of the Grand Canal from the Santa Lucia station. All you need to do when you exit the station is walk across the bridge directly in front of you to find the hotel.
The 12 rooms in the Hotel Antiche Figure overlook either the Grand Canal or the side-streets next to the hotel, and range in price from €120-340 per night (depending on the room and the season). A continental breakfast buffet is included in the price.
>> Book Hotel Antiche Figure in Venice
Hotel Canal
Santa Croce 553 – 30135 Venice
Another hotel overlooking the Grand Canal is the aptly-named Hotel Canal. This hotel occupies an 18th century building, and is located opposite the train station across the Grand Canal. It’s easily reached via the footbridge in front of the train station, and it’s also a short walk from the only parking lot in Venice. If you’re driving to Venice, however, this hotel can even give you special rates on their own garage (a rarity in this boats-only city).
Another aspect of the Hotel Canal that makes it special is its private garden. Although it’s only open in the summertime, guests who visit when the garden is open can enjoy the tranquility of a green space in a city that has painfully few of them. What’s more, this private garden becomes an extension of the breakfast room as well. Looking at the hotel’s pink exterior from the Grand Canal, you probably wouldn’t expect the garden on the other side!
The Hotel Canal has 17 rooms, many of which have views of either the Grand Canal or the private internal garden, and come in singles, doubles, triples, and quads. Prices start at just €45-75 in the low season depending on the size of the room, and breakfast is included with the price.
>> Book Hotel Canal in Venice
Carlton Capri Hotel
Santa Croce 595A – 30135 Venice
For those of you who’d like to be close to the train station but not necessarily overlooking the near-constant bustle of the Grand Canal in that area, the Hotel Capri might be a good bet. The Grand Canal and Santa Lucia station are just around the corner, but the hotel itself is down a side-street and faces a small square. Without having to drag your suitcase too far after getting off your train, you’ll already be more off the beaten path than many tourists ever get in this city.
The Carlton Capri Hotel is across the Grand Canal from the Venice train station, so you’ll cross the bridge in front of the station in order to reach it. But even so close to the city’s main entry point you’re also very close to some artistic treasures that people often miss. One of them is at the Scuola di San Rocco, which features a series of paintings by Tintoretto.
Some of the rooms at the Capri Hotel have their own private balcony, and the rooms range in size from singles to quads (these are considered “family” rooms). Rates run between €150-190 in the low season and up to €200-230 in the high season. Breakfast is included in the price.
Hotel Nazionale
Rio Lista Di Spagna 158 – 30121 Venice
In the Cannaregio district of Venice, where both the train station and the Hotel Nazionale are located, there’s one “street” that can be considered the main thoroughfare. It’s called the Lista di Spagna, and that’s where you’ll find the hotel. If your hotel were way on the other side of the city and you wanted to walk, you’d be hoofing it along this road like all the other tourists. But if your hotel is the Hotel Nazionale, you won’t have far to walk.
There are plenty of quiet corners in the Cannaregio, but the Lista di Spagna isn’t one of them – so choose this hotel if you’d like your hotel to be in one of the more lively parts of the city. You can easily escape the crowds during the day with a little creative wandering, but you’ll also have lots of interesting people-watching opportunities right around your hotel.
There are more than 90 rooms in the Hotel Nazionale, and you won’t be writing home about the decor in them. The rooms are rather plain, but they’re clean and comfortable. Prices start as low as €90 in the low season and go up to €150+ in the high season. Breakfast is included in the price.
>> Book the Hotel Nazionale in Venice
Hotel Ca Lucrezia
Calle Priuli 76 – 30121 Venice
The Hotel Ca’Lucrezia is right around the corner from where you’ll exit the Venice train station, but tucked away down a side street off the main pedestrian road. With only 10 rooms, this place is somewhere between a traditional hotel and more of a bed and breakfast. It looks like a hotel, that’s for sure, but you certainly won’t be lost in a sea of guests here.
In addition to the more personalized attention you’ll get at Hotel Ca Lucrezia, the hotel also boasts a tiny private garden in which you can enjoy your breakfast (weather permitting). And while you’ll be a few steps from the famous Grand Canal, you’ll also be a stone’s throw from some of the interesting (and under-appreciated) sights of the Jewish Quarter.
Rooms are available in single, double, or triple size and prices range from €95 in the low season to €130 in the high season. Breakfast is included in the price, and there is WiFi access throughout most of the hotel.
Locanda di Orsaria
Cannaregio 103, Calle Priuli dei Cavalletti – 30121 Venice
A short walk from the train station and the Grand Canal will get you to the Locanda di Orsaria, which occupies a 16th century building. Unlike many of the hotels in Venice, this one isn’t just a former palazzo, however – it’s been a taverna and an inn since the late 19th century. In fact, the hotel takes its name from the last innkeeper who ran the place before the current family took over in 1980.
The Locanda di Orsaria has only 15 rooms which are simple but comfortable, and there’s internet access available throughout the hotel. All the guestrooms are air conditioned, but as an added bonus the windows all have mosquito screens (amazingly rare in Italy) so you don’t have to shut Venice out even in the height of summer.
Rooms range in size from singles to quads, and prices range from €65-130 in the low season to €155-310 in the high season. A breakfast buffet is included in the price of the room.
Antica Casa Carettoni
Cannaregio Lista di Spagna 130 – 30121 Venice
Like the Hotel Nazionale listed above, the Hotel Antica Casa Carettoni is also on the bustling Lista di Spagna in the Cannaregio near the train station. The hotel is in a 15th century building that’s been completely renovated to turn it into a hotel with all the modern comforts you’d expect.
Each of the 16 rooms at the Hotel Antica Casa Carettoni is individually decorated, and all the rooms have internet access via a modem plug. There’s an on-site bar which transforms into a sunny breakfast room in the morning.
There are both singles, doubles, and triples available at the Antica Casa Carettoni, and prices start in the €60-90 range in the low season (they go up to €200-300 in the high season, so there’s quite a bit of difference there). Breakfast is included in the price.
Santa Chiara Hotel
Santa Croce 548 – 30135 Venice
The Santa Chiara is another hotel located in the Santa Croce area, which means you’ll have to cross that bridge over the Grand Canal when you exit the train station, but it’s still not a long walk we’re talking about here. In addition to being a short walk from the station, this hotel is also very close to the Piazzale Roma (the one parking lot in Venice) and offers private parking for its guests within the hotel itself (it’s the only hotel in Venice to offer this service).
Many of the more than 40 rooms in the Santa Chiara Hotel overlook the Grand Canal, and you’ll find typically Venetian decor throughout – including Murano chandeliers. The building itself was a 16th century monastery, and in addition to its proximity to two of the main entry points to Venice it’s also right next to the lovely Papadopoli Gardens. The hotel has its own private courtyard, as well.
Rooms at the Hotel Santa Chiara can sleep as many as four people, and prices range from as low as €90 neighborhood in the low season to €250+ in the high season. Breakfast is included in the price, but a private parking space will cost you extra.
Hotel Carlton & Grand Canal
Santa Croce 578 – 30135 Venice
As the name suggests, this luxury hotel sits right on the Grand Canal directly opposite from the Venice train station. It’s actually right next door to the three-star Hotel Antiche Figure listed above. The Hotel Carlton & Grand Canal is significantly larger than its neighbor, however, and boasts “100 windows overlooking the Grand Canal.” With the right travel budget, one of them could be yours.
You’ll get the feeling of elegance as soon as you walk into the Hotel Carlton & Grand Canal, from the decor to the meals served in the on-site restaurant and bar. There’s a private internal patio which some rooms look out upon, and which you can take advantage of in nice weather to eat your breakfast or relax after a day’s sight-seeing.
There are more than 150 rooms in the Hotel Carlton & Grand Canal, all of which were renovated in 2001, and many of which offer pleasant views of either the Grand Canal, the internal courtyard or neighboring Venetian streets. Prices start in the €150-180 range in the low season (that’s for a room without a view, of course), and even low season rates can go as high as €280. In the high season, the prices are more in the €220-350 range. And breakfast isn’t always included in the price. But if you can afford this hotel, you probably aren’t too worried about paying extra for coffee and a croissant in the morning.
>> Book the Hotel Carlton & Grand Canal in Venice
Hotel Principe
Lista di Spagna 146 – 30121 Venice
Once again we’re back on the busy Lista di Spagna just down the street from the train station’s front doors (and down the street from a couple of the other hotels on this list), but this time we’re in the gorgeous Hotel Principe. Like many other hotels, this one also overlooks the Grand Canal. But unlike many, this one does it in supremely high style.
Everything about the Hotel Principe is elegant – the decorations, the service, the atmosphere, you name it. There’s a nice restaurant on-site as well as a bar and lounge, but if you’ve had a night out on the town you’ll be able to get in and out of the hotel in style as well – this is one of the places that has its own Grand Canal landing. You’ll feel like you live in your own Grand Canal palazzo.
There are more than 130 rooms in the Hotel Principe, and despite the old-world elegance they’re all equipped with modern conveniences (some even have WiFi access). You can get a room in this hotel for as little as €160 in the low season, as long as you don’t want a view of any kind. To get a view of the Grand Canal, you’ll have to pay at least €220 in the low season. In the high season those prices go up to €270 for a view-less room and €350+ for a room with a view. An “American breakfast buffet” is included with the price.
photo of Venice train station by patrick fromm
