11 Best Hotels in Castello, Venice

One of the city's most famous lodgings—built in the 14th century and run as a hotel since 1822—lives up to its reputation: the chance to explore the wonderful, highly detailed lobby is itself a reason to book an overnight stay, plus the views along the lagoon are fantastic, the rooms gorgeous, and the food fabulous.

A wall of windows soaks up extraordinary, sweeping views of the lagoon and the island of San Giorgio, enjoyed from many of the individually decorated guest rooms and suites, which have fine fabric, damask drapes, Biedermeier furniture, Venetian glass, and marble bathrooms. The downstairs restaurant is all glass, light, and water views, as are some of the neoclassical public rooms, with splashes of blue-and-green glass suggesting the sea. The vista must have been pleasing to Tchaikovsky, who wrote his Fourth Symphony here in 1877. The staff is top-notch, as are the restaurant and the bar.

A quiet courtyard secluded from the San Marco melee offers an island of calm in six guest rooms and two apartments (some with private terraces overlooking the Doge's Palace), which are individually decorated with contemporary furnishings and accessories. The public areas entice with classic Venetian elements like the marble stairway, exposed-beam ceilings, and mosaic tiles. Service is highly personal, and guests are often welcomed by one of the owners. There's a courtyard where you can enjoy breakfast or an evening interlude. One room has a Jacuzzi, and one attic apartment is available.

In a residential area off the tourist track, a thoroughly renovated 15th-century building offers pleasant accommodations and plenty of service. Front rooms have a wonderful view of the lagoon, and the 15-minute stroll along the waterfront between Piazzo San Marco and the hotel is through a genuinely "local" part of the city, with plenty of cafés and restaurants. One of the rear rooms has direct access to a pleasant rooftop terrace with tables.

Housed in a palace dating from 1272, with interiors updated by of-the-moment architect Patricia Urquiola, this deluxe hotel offers rooms with views of San Giorgio Maggiore island, two restaurants, and two internal courtyards, all within striking distance of the Venice Biennale grounds. The outdoor restaurant boasts lagoon vistas, and meals include vegetables grown in the attached garden. The reading room and private courtyards are ideal places to take a break after a hard day of sightseeing.

"All rooms with a view" touts this pensione (modest lodging)-turned-four-star-hotel—and the views are indeed expansive: from the hotel's waterfront location near lively Via Garibaldi, your windows swing open to a panorama that sweeps from the Lido across the basin to San Giorgio and San Marco; upper-floor vistas are particularly inspiring. Decor could be termed "understated maritime," meaning deep mahogany wood tones, brass accents, and nautical appliqué abound, from railings to reading lamps to hallway lighting. Enjoy breakfast, a sunset aperitivo, or a nightcap on the quayside terrace.

Welcoming guests with one of the most sumptuous, quintessentially Venetian loggia-lobbies (part of the late-14th-century Palazzo Dandolo, built by the family of the doge who conquered Constantinople), this fabled monument of Venetian history retains much of its luxury luster, with marble columns here, carved archways there, and plush furniture everywhere. Guest rooms are decorated in 18th-century Venetian fashion—many contain authentic period furniture. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Danieli was the principal Venetian stopping place for literary and musical notables such as Goethe, Wagner, and George Sand; in fact, you can stay in the room where Sand and Alfred de Musset carried on their love affair in 1833–34. Best of all, if you stay in one of the lagoon-view rooms, you can delight in a most inspiring panorama: over St. Mark's basin to Palladio's San Giorgio, Longena's Salute church, and the mouth of the Grand Canal. The same view is available, plus a view of the Dolomites on a clear day, from the rooftop dining terrace.

Set in a quiet campo, this renovated 15th-century Gothic-Byzantine palazzo has simple but spacious rooms and lovely public spaces filled with chandeliers, 18th-century paintings, and period reproduction furnishings. Breakfast is served in the main common area, with its high ceilings, stunning pastel stuccowork, Venetian terrazzo floors, and Murano glass chandeliers.

Pastel lacquered furnishings and mock-flock wallpaper pay tribute to 18th-century Venetian style in the six bedrooms of this small pensione on a charming Castello campo; ask for one that overlooks the neighborhood life out front. You'll easily spot the canopied entrance, flanked by two topiaries and umbrella-topped café tables where you can take your breakfast or sip a late afternoon Prosecco in the sunshine.

Atmosphere prevails in this labyrinth of opulent, intimate spaces featuring classic Venetian decor combined with Eastern influences: common areas and guest rooms are filled with an assortment of antiques and curiosities. The best rooms are up on the roof, where there are also two spacious terraces. Suites feature sparkling mosaic sunken baths, Fortuny fabrics, and other notable architectural details.

Renaissance- and Baroque-style common areas are soaring spaces with Venetian terrazzo flooring, frescoed and exposed-beam ceilings, and Murano chandeliers; guest rooms tastefully mix historical style with contemporary furnishings and appointments. Even smaller rooms are quite comfortable, and some of the larger doubles and suites showcase paintings by Tiepolo's maestro, Gregorio Lazzarini. Suites are supplied with coffeemakers, bathrobes, and DVD players.