11 Hotels Near St. Mark’s Square in Venice

Visitors to Venice, especially those who are traveling to this famous canal city for the first time, generally want to make their homebase a hotel that’s as close as possible to the center of activity. And while Venice is easily walkable so that just about any hotel is going to be close to something worth seeing, St. Mark’s Square is arguably the hub of most of the stuff going on in Venice.

If you’re looking at a map of Venice, the placement of this bustling piazza way off to one side of the city doesn’t make it seem like it would be so “central” to tourist life in Venice, but it is. So it’s not surprising that there are a gajillion hotels near St. Mark’s Square (yes, a gajillion - I counted). This is by no means, therefore, an exhaustive list - but it is a list of 11 of the hotels around Piazza San Marco that I think are worth checking out.

Below there’s a bit of information about each hotel, with a link to its own website. One thing to know before you book: staying the night gets you out of Venice’s day-tripper access fee, which is charged on set peak days between April and July. Your hotel collects the city’s tourist tax instead, a few euros per person per night on top of the room rate. If your stay falls on a fee day, you still register online at cda.ve.it for a free QR code.

Venice Hotels Near St. Mark’s Square

Albergo San Marco
San Marco 877 - 30124 Venice
This is actually the very first hotel I stayed in on my very first trip to Italy, so it’s got a special place in my heart. It’s a few short steps from St. Mark’s Square, on one side of a tiny bridge over a small canal, and a hotel has occupied the building since 1857. The three-star San Marco Hotel has 56 individually-decorated rooms, all with en suite bathroom and air conditioning, and breakfast is included with the room.

Unlike many older Venice hotels, this one does have an elevator. Back when I stayed there, I wasn’t interested in getting online - but it appears that the San Marco Hotel has kept up with the times, as there’s now internet access and even WiFi in the public areas.

This isn’t the cheapest hotel around St. Mark’s, but the rates are actually pretty reasonable in the short winter off-season. And given the location near St. Mark’s Square in a city that’s notorious for its overpriced hotels, that’s not a bad deal.

Antico Panada Hotel
Calle degli Specchieri 646 San Marco - 30124 Venice
Located 20 meters from St. Mark’s Square, the Antico Panada Hotel provides everything you’d expect from a top-notch hotel for reasonable prices. The three-star hotel’s 50 rooms over five floors (yes, there’s an elevator) occupy a former 18th century Venetian palace, and the decor includes lots of antiques, Murano lamps, and overstuffed furniture.

A continental breakfast is included in the room rate. All of the Antico Panada Hotel’s rooms have en suite bathrooms, though the “superior” rooms also boast whirlpool baths and other bathroom amenities.

This place may look like a luxurious splurge to budget travelers who are used to more spartan digs, but if you’re visiting in the off-season you can get a great deal.

Hotel San Zulian
Campo della Guerra San Marco 527 - 30124 Venice
The Hotel San Zulian is a few minutes’ walk from St. Mark’s Square (and, in the other direction, a short walk to the Rialto Bridge), and although the building dates from 1800 it’s been renovated recently to accommodate the modern traveler’s needs.

There are 22 individually-decorated rooms in the hotel, all of which come with satellite TV, en suite bathrooms, and free WiFi. In addition to the breakfast room in the hotel, there’s an in-house wine bar called “Cavatappi,” and the hotel runs free tours to nearby Murano.

Rooms in the high season cost several times what the same rooms go for in January, so it definitely pays to travel when everyone else isn’t.

Casa Sul Molo
San Marco 744 - 30100 Venice
Another small hotel that’s only a two minute walk from St. Mark’s Square, Casa Sul Molo is actually technically a Venice B&B. Each of the seven rooms is individually-decorated in a 17th century Venetian style and features Murano glass lighting fixtures.

All of the rooms have en suite bathrooms, satellite TV, air conditioning, and an internet connection - not to mention a view overlooking Campo di San Zulian. And because this is a bed and breakfast you’d expect that breakfast would included in the price of the room - but they’ve upped the romance factor at Casa Sul Molo by providing breakfast in your room at no extra charge. Talk about the ideal way to start each morning of your honeymoon, right?

The B&B will also arrange a trip to Murano island, where you can check out the glass making first-hand, via water taxi at no additional charge. In the low season this place won’t break the bank, either, though the same room costs far more in summer, so you can once again see the benefit of traveling when everyone else is at home.

Hotel Noemi
Calle dei Fabbri 909 San Marco - 30124 Venice
50 meters from St. Mark’s Square en route to the Rialto Bridge you’ll find the Hotel Noemi, a family-run hotel with 16 rooms in a traditional Venetian building. Each of the rooms is decorated in an 18th century Venetian style, and every room has an en suite bathroom, satellite TV, air conditioning, and internet access.

The front desk is staffed by friendly folks and is in operation 24 hours a day, so you don’t need to worry about waking anyone up to get back into your room after hours, and the room rate includes nice perks like breakfast and WiFi access. In fact, you can even get breakfast in your room if you’re so inclined. Do note that there’s no elevator in the hotel, so if you get a room on an upper floor I hope you’ve packed light.

Room rates at Hotel Noemi can be surprisingly low if you’re visiting in the off-season, and the same rooms in late spring cost a good deal more.

Locanda Silva
Castello 4423 Fondamenta del Remedio - 30122 Venice
I don’t know about you, but when I read “family-run hotel” I usually think it’s marketing hype. With Locanda Silva, it’s not. This Venice inn has been run by the same family since 1956. Locanda Silva is about five minutes on foot from St. Mark’s Square in the Castello district (which neighbors the San Marco district), and the inn’s 23 rooms are spread over three floors. They’re nothing fancy, but they’re clean and comfortable - and, above all for travelers looking for bargains, they’re cheap.

The single and double rooms can be booked with or without en suite bathrooms, and there’s one each of a triple and quad room (both of which have en suite bathrooms), and all rooms come with breakfast included. Because Locanda Silva is concentrating on offering you nothing but the basics, the prices are great, especially if you’re happy with a shared bathroom. Note that the inn can be challenging to locate, so arm yourself with good directions and get some help from the tourist information office if you need it. You can also punch the address into this Venice map website and get an amazingly accurate location pinpointed for you.

Hotel Orion
Calle Spadaria 700/a San Marco - 30124 Venice
This is another hotel that’s between St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge, although it’s closer to the Piazza. Hotel Orion is a two-star hotel a short walk from the square through the archway underneath the big clock (the one that always seems to be under scaffolding). All the hotel’s rooms have en suite bathrooms and air conditioning, and all have been recently refurbished. There’s WiFi available in the hotel, and breakfast is included in the price of the room.

Like every other hotel in Venice, the rates at the Hotel Orion are steeply discounted in the low season - so if you’re a budget traveler, plan to visit in (say) January instead of later in the year, when you’ll pay about twice as much. When I looked, the singles cost nearly as much as the doubles, so I say travel with a friend and split the cost of the double!

Ca’ Dei Conti
Castello 4429 Fondamenta D - 30122 Venice
Usually when I’m looking for hotels near St. Mark’s Square, I don’t look at any hotel that’s got anything but a San Marco neighborhood address. But the four-star Ca’ Dei Conti Hotel is worth mentioning anyway, despite being located in the neighborhood that’s next door to San Marco. It’s still only 200 meters or so from St. Mark’s, and because it’s in the opposite direction from where most of the tourists go, that 200 meters can take you from overly crowded to peaceful and serene in an instant.

This former Venetian palace sits alongside a quiet canal close to Campo Santa Maria Formosa, and you might just forget it’s a former palace when you step inside. All of the 17 rooms have en suite bathrooms, satellite TV, and gorgeous decorations, and breakfast is included with the price. There’s even a private terrace where you can enjoy that breakfast or a drink when the weather’s nice.

Now, as you can imagine, this kind of place doesn’t come cheap in the high season, but bargain hunters can get a much better deal when traveling in the off-season.

Hotel Ai Do Mori
Calle Larga San Marco 658 - 30124 Venice
Saying a hotel is “two steps” from St. Mark’s Square might seem cliche, but in the case of Hotel Ai Do Mori it’s almost true. This Venice hotel is 10 meters from the lively square, and many of the rooms even have a view of the famous bell tower. (Which means that you’re likely to hear the bells quite well - something to keep in mind if you’re a light sleeper, though the windows are double-paned.)

There are 11 rooms in the hotel, all of which come with satellite TV but not all of which have en suite bathrooms. There’s also no elevator, but as the hotel only covers three floors that’s not as much of a problem as it can be in some other (taller) elevator-less hotels in Venice.

Rates for the en suite double rooms swing a lot with the season, so serious budget travelers who fancy the Hotel Ai Do Mori should target the off-season and ask about rates for the rooms without en suite bathrooms.

Rosa Salva Hotel (formerly Hotel Astoria)
Calle Fiubera 951 San Marco - 30124 Venice
When you’re traveling for business and the hotel choice is out of your hands, you’re never sure what kind of accommodation you’re going to get. But when I got booked into a room at the Hotel Astoria on a trip to Venice, I was really pleased: it was a minute’s walk from St. Mark’s Square, a no-frills budget hotel with a great location and excellent rates.

The Astoria is gone now. Its building at Calle Fiubera 951 is home to the Rosa Salva Hotel, so the location is every bit as good as it was. Check its website for what the rooms and rates look like today.

Hotel Firenze
San Marco 1490 - 30124 Venice
Though the building which the Hotel Firenze occupies dates from the 16th century, you can expect all the modern conveniences in the hotel itself while still enjoying the many historic charms. The three-star hotel has 25 rooms covering four floors (there’s an elevator), and the fifth floor is where you’ll find one of the hotel’s most notable features - a rooftop terrace with great views overlooking the city.

Each of the hotel’s rooms has an en suite bathroom, air conditioning, satellite TV, and free WiFi access. Most of the rooms have decent views, and fourth floor rooms even have private balconies. Hotel Firenze is located on the end of St. Mark’s Square that’s closest to the tourist information office, so you’ll be able to get your questions answered easily as soon as you step out the door of the hotel (assuming the nice folks at reception can’t help you).

Room rates in high season can be three or four times the low-season price, so you may want to check this place out during the low season.

original photo at the top by Dimitry B