Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, Venice
Facts in brief
Official star rating 4
Location Directly on the Grand Canal between St Mark’s Square and the Accademia Bridge.
Annual opening All year
Closest airport Venice Marco Polo Airport
Distance from airport 30 minutes by water taxi
Closest railway station Santa Lucia
Distance from railway station 25 minutes by water taxi or vaporetto
Hotel facilities and services
Rooftop terrace with Grand Canal views, Grand Canal Restaurant, bar, 24hr reception, concierge services, room service, bookable private water taxi, laundry and dry cleaning, and a water taxi pier.
Complimentary
Wi-Fi
Land sports
Walking tours
Out and about nearby
Saint Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) sits just 200 metres from the hotel, where the magnificent Basilica di San Marco displays golden Byzantine mosaics and the Doge’s Palace reveals centuries of Venetian political power through its Gothic architecture and Tintoretto masterpieces. The Rialto Bridge, Venice’s oldest bridge spanning the Grand Canal, lies within comfortable walking distance and leads to the vibrant Rialto Market, where locals have purchased fresh fish and seasonal produce since 1097. The Gallerie dell-Accademia houses the world’s finest collection of Venetian paintings, including works by Titian, Veronese, and Canaletto, whilst the nearby Peggy Guggenheim Collection presents twentieth-century masterpieces in a palazzo overlooking the Grand Canal. The Teatro La Fenice, one of Europe’s most celebrated opera houses, offers performances throughout the year in an interior of sumptuous red velvet and gold leaf. The islands of Murano, famous for glass-making traditions dating back to 1291, and Burano, known for lace-making and brilliantly painted houses, can be reached by vaporetto for day excursions.
Sports nearby
Gondola rides, rowing, water sports on the Lido.
Everything was extremely well organised.Mr P, May 2025
From about
Holiday Code IE14
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, Venice
The Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal stands on one of Venice’s most coveted stretches of waterfront, where the Grand Canal curves between Saint Mark’s Basin and the Accademia Bridge. The palazzo dates from the 17th century, and its position directly on the water provides guests with front row views of the gondolas, water taxis, and vaporetti that pass continuously along Venice’s main thoroughfare. The building’s façade retains its historic Venetian character, whilst the interior has been designed to reflect both the city’s artistic heritage and contemporary expectations of comfort. Rooms feature Murano glass chandeliers, brocade fabrics, and Venetian terrazzo floors, creating spaces that feel appropriately connected to their surroundings without sacrificing modern amenities. Many accommodations overlook the Grand Canal itself, with windows framing the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute across the water. The hotels’ 98 rooms and suites are distributed across several floors, with the most spectacular views reserved for the upper levels and corner suites – though every room is graced with a charming, quintessentially Venetian outlook. The rooftop terrace serves as a peaceful retreat above the city’s bustle, offering panoramic views that sweep from the Salute church to the Giudecca Canal. Dining takes place in the Grand Canal Restaurant, where Venetian cuisine showcases the day’s market offerings alongside regional wines. The bar provides a more informal setting for aperitivi or evening drinks, with seating that takes advantage of the canal views. The hotel’s private water taxi pier allows guests to arrive and depart directly from the hotel, a significant convenience in a city without roads. The hotel’s helpful multi-lingual staff can offer insider knowledge about navigating Venice’s labyrinthine streets, and can assist with everything from restaurant reservations to private tours.
Room descriptions
The Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal has 98 rooms and suites, each with Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, satellite TV, minibar, safe, hairdryer, and telephone.
Everything was extremely well organised.Mr P, May 2025
From about
Holiday Code IE14
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, Venice
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, fly to Venice Marco Polo Airport and take a private water taxi directly to the hotel’s pier on the Grand Canal, a scenic 30-minute journey. Alternatively take the Alilaguna waterbus from the airport, or travel by water taxi from Santa Lucia Railway Station.
Additional information
Children: The Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal welcomes families and can provide additional beds, cots, or babysitting services on request.
Everything was extremely well organised.Mr P, May 2025
From about
Holiday Code IE14
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, Venice
About Venice
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to Venice is the chance to visit an enchanting and historical city. Venice, or ‘La Serenissima’ as it has been known for centuries, is truly unique and must be visited at least once in a lifetime. It is essentially a floating museum and was the main centre of trade for the north of Italy from the 13th century right through until the 17th century. The Venetian Republic was one of the richest in Europe and was presided over by the Doge who was elected by the Council of Ten, or the most powerful members of the governing families. The art and architecture that can be seen throughout the city is really a tribute to centuries of patronage and wealth. The Venetian lagoon also has numerous other islands, inhabited and uninhabited which used to grow crops and produce to feed Venice itself and which also used to house some of the city's industries such as glass making and lace making.
Cultural highlights of Venice
St Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace, Bridge of Sighs, The Grand Canal, Accademia, Museo Correr, Rialto Bridge, La Fenice theatre, The Church of the Redentore, The Church of Santa Maria della Salute.
Festivals in Venice
Venice’s most famous festival is the Carnevale in February, the actual dates of Carnevale vary from year to year, but it generally spans three to four weeks ending on Shrove Tuesday. Costumed and masked people parade around the streets of Venice and there are numerous private parties and dances, but the atmosphere on the final night of Carnevale itself is electric. Alternatively, there is the Regata Storica on the first Sunday in September, when boats and gondolas race against each other along the Grand Canal, or the Feast of the Redentore in mid-July to celebrate the end of the plague in the 16th century. A makeshift bridge is constructed to link the Giudecca island with the Dorsodouro island and there is a huge firework display.
Gastronomy in Venice
Venetian food is naturally fish and sea food orientated and popular dishes include the sweet and sour ‘sardee in saor’ or sardine salad, cuttlefish risotto with its black ink and ‘caparossoi a scota deo’, which are large clams cooked with lemon and pepper. Liver is also popular as are several sweet fried delicacies or ‘fritole’, popular particularly around festival time. This area is famous for its Prosecco and is the home of the ‘Bellini’ cocktail.
Travel around Venice
Gondola rides are always popular, but are expensive. The vaporetto and motoscafo services are good and will take you from A to B and are essential to reach the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello in the lagoon unless you hire a private water taxi. The services can be disrupted at high tide or ‘Aqua Alta’, which usually occurs in the autumn, or if the lagoon is particularly choppy. To cross the Grand Canal the precarious ‘traghetti’ are like large Gondolas, but you are expected to stand up in order for the maximum number of passengers to board, so it is an art, as well as an experience to remember!
