Hotel Bucintoro in Venice

Just back from four nights at the Bucintoro to celebrate my lovely wife's 70th birthday, so it had to be something special, which the Bucintoro is. I picked it partly for its 4.8/5 reviews, but mainly for its unique location, on the waterfront, just a 10-minute stroll from St.Mark’s Square, with all rooms having an unobstructed view of the lagoon, which even the larger hotels nearer to St.Mark’s don't have. Even better, you can get the Alilaguna waterbus (or a high speed water taxi) direct from the airport to drop you off at Arsenale waterbus stop, just a few yards from the hotel, saving you long walks and dragging heavy luggage up and down the steps of multifarious bridges if you stay elsewhere in Venice. Better still the massive crowds around St.Mark’s Square are generally either too lazy or too time constrained to walk as far as the Bucintoro, so you have no problem finding a table in one of the several restaurants and pizzerias just around the corner from the Bucintoro for your lunch or evening meal, plus there is little noise late at night, other than occasional noisy boats passing. All hotels in Venice are expensive and the Bucintoro seems to be one of the most expensive of them all, which we would never consider for a normal city break, but for an extra special occasion, the convenience of its location, and the views from the high quality furnished rooms, do somewhat outweigh the hefty room rates, for what was, otherwise, for us, just a typical hotel experience.

I freely admit that, although my wife and I always stay in 4-star hotels in Spanish resorts, and we were aware well before we travelled of what it would cost us to stay at the Bucintoro, we are not accustomed to paying anywhere near such high room rates (€374.88 for our final night, €314.16 for our cheapest night for our Superior room), so are we being naive in expecting the highest attention to detail in return? Unfortunately, that is not what we felt we got in some respects. On arrival, just a week after the hotel re-opened after refurbishments, the one small lift was out of action, meaning the poor uniformed porter accompanied us whilst dragging our luggage up four flights of stairs to show us to our 4th floor room. The new electronic door lock wouldn't let us into the room without multiple keycard swipes and a hefty push on the door. The toilet seat came off one of its (insufficiently secured) hinges the first time it was lifted. The air conditioning didn't work (apparently not activated till later in the month), so sleep was disturbed by noisy boats passing in the night due to the open windows for cooling. There was black mould all around the shower tray, and no soap dish, or similar in the compact corner shower cubicle, into which to place the supplied toiletries/soap (all reported to Reception on the first day, but no apparent action taken). And on our final morning, the shower lever-tap decided to not turn off the water properly!

In conclusion, the exceptional reviews from last year, prior to the refurbishment, raised our expectations to a very high level, which for us, unfortunately, didn't materialise. Don't let our experience put you off booking the Bucintoro, but judge the hotel on 2026 reviews, not the much older glowing reviews that tell you everything is absolutely fabulous!

Excellent location. Small cozy hotel with personal service. We were delighted with the selection. Excellent breakfast. Good value. I'd defitely recommend it.

We are staying at Bucintoro for many years and its always such an amazing place to be. Very charming hotel, great breakfast and view to lagoon from each room. Hotel stuff (personal thanks goes to Stefano!) - very friendly and always ready to help with all the bookings, transfers and information. Always unforgettable stay!

We had an outstanding stay at Hotel Bucintoro. The location is simply perfect – right on the waterfront with breathtaking views over the lagoon and Venice’s skyline. Waking up to see the gondolas and boats passing by was unforgettable.

The rooms are beautifully decorated in a nautical style, spotlessly clean, and very comfortable. Everything felt thoughtful, from the little details in the design to the quality of the bedding.

The staff made the experience even more special. They were warm, attentive, and always willing to help with directions, restaurant tips, or travel advice. Breakfast was plentiful and delicious, with a good choice to suit everyone.

I can’t begin to say enough great things about Hotel Bucintoro and its incredible staff!! Especially Toni and Marco who were always there to greet you with a smile and great recommendations! They have someone at the front desk 24/7. Before we even arrived, the hotel staff assisted with so many of the logistics, including setting up a water taxi during the busy Venice film festival, as well as giving recommendations for amazing restaurants that we enjoyed during our time in Venice. From the moment we arrived we were greeted with warmth and treated very kindly. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay for our 4 nights in Venice! The room and view were just as pictured and the water pressure in the waterfall shower was like no other I have ever experienced! The view of the water from our room was stunning and was easy to be dropped off and picked up by water taxi just next to the hotel! The breakfast buffet spread was always delicious (meats, cheeses, pastries, variety of fruits) including some hot breakfast options (eggs and bacon) and coffee/espresso as well.

You also can’t beat the location! You are only 10 minutes from Saint Mark’s Square and all the action in that area. Also conveniently located a few minutes walk from a vaporetto stop. There is a very nice neighborhood that was perfect for an afternoon and evening when we wanted to escape the crowds just a few steps from the hotel in the opposite direction of St. Marks Square. We highly recommend this hotel if you are looking for an intimate experience with exceptional staff and a great location!

Our first stop in Italy was Venice. The hotel and their staff set a really high bar that no other hotel & staff met while we were in Italy. Stefano at the front desk in the morning and afternoon was amazing and helped us arrange a private water taxi from the airport, to Murano & to the train station after we had issues buying public water taxi tickets. Some of the best service from their staff we have ever received. The rooms were large for the two of us. We had 3 rooms for our party of 6. One room had AC issues and they moved us with no problem. It was an easy walk to St Marks Square and lots of restaurants and shops. The hotel gave us a free tour to Murano & glass blowing demonstration.

Overall wonderful experience. The only downside to this hotel are the size of the rooms. We were traveling in Italy for 3 1/2 weeks so we had several pieces of luggage that made it difficult to move around the room. The view from our room was spectacular and the service was very nice. The best part of this hotel is the front office manager, Stefano Fiore. He's extremely kind, knowledgeable and helpful for whatever you may need for your stay in Venice. Beware of his "free" taxi to the Murano Glass factory :) - it ended up costing us 3,800 € in purchases (obviously our choice & well worth the tour!!!) LOL. But honestly even that was magical, because they also gave us a free taxi to visit Burano! Just exceptional overall- we will definitely stay here again.

If you're expecting a 4⭐️ hotel by other big city standards, this isn't it due to a lack of facilities; pool, bar, terrace etc. But if you want 4⭐️ friendly service, great location, amazing views, then you found the right hotel!

Amazing breakfast selection, though the small breakfast room gets very cramped at peak times.

Rooms are adequate but definitely not roomy, but the views more than make up for any lack of space.

Far enough away from the hustle and bustle to not be bothered by noise, but still only a few minutes walk from many of the tourist spots, and the Vaporetto stops just over the bridge outside.

Handy to be close to Via Garibaldi aswell, where you'll see some authentic Italian life, and have access to a decent selection of bars, restaurants, and shops.

We loved our stay here! Fantastic view from the window was combined with great hospitality of the staff and great breakfast where you can find everything: eggs, bacon, yoghurt, fresh fruits, ham, cheese, croissants, cakes, pancakes and many else.

We loved our stay here. The staff are incredibly friendly and helpful. The rooms are decorated beautifully and the beds are comfortable. You are right by a boat station and so what you gain in terms of location you lose in terms of noise.
Breakfast was really good considering it was included.
It’s a bit of a walk to the key tourist attractions but we preferred that. There are lots of nice restaurants and bars just to the right of the hotel too.