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In this guide14 sections
- The short answer
- 23 January to 9 February: what the official site has published
- What the tax and the access fee do to a carnival bill
- San Marco: the costumes and the stages
- Castello: the waterfront, with room to breathe
- Cannaregio: quieter streets, and the dinner-show palace
- Dorsoduro: galleries and a quiet canal
- Giudecca: a bed with a view across the water
- Mestre: the lowest tax and a train home
- Getting in from the airport, and around
- How to book Venice for Carnival
- All 12 at a glance
- Before you go
- Frequently asked questions
Venice’s Carnival is spread across squares, canals and palaces rather than held behind one gate, and the official site gives its 2027 dates as 23 January to 9 February, ending on Fat Tuesday. That makes the hotel a question of which carnival you want. The tax bill has a quirk of its own. Venice charges its lower January rate on the first nine nights of that window and its full rate from 1 February, so a four-star in the historic centre costs €3.10 per person per night until 31 January and €4.50 after.
Weighing the two big carnivals? Rio Carnival 2027 hotels covers the Sambadrome nights (7 to 9 February), the street blocos and the e-Visa some passports now need.
This guide covers what the organisers had and had not published in October 2026, six areas matched to the kind of carnival you want, 12 hotels, the tax, the day-trip access fee and what to ask before booking. For the rest of your trip, where to stay in Venice covers six areas and 12 hotels, seven of which also appear here. The hotels are researched picks, chosen for location, what each property publishes and consistent guest feedback, and each was checked as operating in October 2026. No hotel pays to appear here.
The short answer
| If you want… | Stay in | Why |
|---|---|---|
| the costumes and the stages at your door | San Marco | St Mark’s Square is where last year’s main stage stood, and two hotels here look onto it or the Grand Canal |
| the waterfront, a short walk from the Square | Castello | Riva degli Schiavoni, five minutes’ walk from the Square by one hotel’s count |
| quieter streets, and the palace that hosts the official dinner show | Cannaregio | Ca’ Vendramin Calergi is a short walk from the railway station, and the district runs along the northern edge of the city |
| galleries and a quiet canal, with the Square a walk away | Dorsoduro | The Accademia bridge is the way across; one hotel here puts the Square at 15 minutes on foot |
| the lowest bed price, across the water | Giudecca | A hostel on the Zitelle quay that says its rooms look at the gardens, the Lido, the Grand Canal or the Square |
| the lowest tax, and a train home | Mestre | The mainland rate is €3.10 at a four-star from 1 February, and the hotels put Venice under 10 minutes away by train |
Not sure which area? Rank these areas for your trip: pick what matters and see the reasons.
23 January to 9 February: what the official site has published
The organisers’ site, carnevale.venezia.it, was headed “Carnevale di Venezia 2027” in October 2026 and gives the dates as 23 January to 9 February 2027. It had not published a theme or a day-by-day programme. What it had published was three sets of dates.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 23-24 January, 30-31 January, 4-9 February | Venice Carnival Street Show performances | Squares and public spaces; the notice was a call for artists, with the dates “subject to any updates” |
| Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 January, then Thursday 4 to Tuesday 9 February, from 9pm | Carnival Official Dinner Show | Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, on the Grand Canal in Cannaregio |
| Tuesday 9 February | Fat Tuesday, the last day | The site’s dinner-show page names it as the final evening |
The dinner show is for over-18s only, with a compulsory period costume. Tickets are personal, non-transferable, non-refundable and non-changeable, and premium tables start from €650. The site gives the way there as a 10-minute walk from the railway station, 15 from Piazzale Roma, or line 1 to the San Marcuola stop.
Not yet published, as far as we could see: the opening weekend, the Festa delle Marie, the Volo dell’Angelo, the mask contest, and any stage programme for St Mark’s Square. The site’s Festa delle Marie and Street Show pages still describe the 2026 edition, and we have not used them as if they were current.
Last year’s pattern is the best guide to the shape of the event, and 2027 falls about eight days earlier, because Fat Tuesday was 17 February in 2026. The 2026 programme opened on Saturday 31 January with a ball in St Mark’s Square, followed on the Sunday by the Festa Veneziana, a water parade of around 100 decorated rowing boats from Punta della Dogana to Rialto, and the start of the stage programme in the Square. The 12 Marie were selected on the Saturday, and the Maria of the year was proclaimed in the Square on 17 February. Treat that as a pattern, not a promise.
The Volo dell’Angelo needs a plain note. The organisers’ pages from earlier years describe it as a tradition in which the previous year’s winning Maria descends from the campanile into the Square, and one records it as not held in 2022 because of pandemic restrictions. The 2027 site does not mention it. If it is the reason you are going, wait for the official programme before you book a non-refundable room.
We found no 2027 access rules for St Mark’s Square on the organisers’ site. The Enjoy Respect Venezia guidance on it says the Square is a protected historic site, asks visitors not to sit on the ground or eat and drink on monuments, steps, bridges and quaysides, and lists fines of €25 to €500.
What the tax and the access fee do to a carnival bill
Every hotel, B&B and rental in the municipality collects the imposta di soggiorno. The rate depends on the star rating, the zone and the overnight period: January is low season, and high season runs from 1 February to 31 December. Carnival straddles the line, so both columns matter. Per person, per night, for hotels:
| Hotel category | Historic centre and Giudecca, to 31 Jan | Historic centre and Giudecca, from 1 Feb | Mainland (Mestre), to 31 Jan | Mainland (Mestre), from 1 Feb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five stars | €3.50 | €5.00 | €2.40 | €3.50 |
| Four stars | €3.10 | €4.50 | €2.20 | €3.10 |
| Three stars | €2.40 | €3.50 | €1.70 | €2.40 |
| Two stars | €1.40 | €2.00 | €1.00 | €1.40 |
| One star | €0.70 | €1.00 | €0.50 | €0.70 |
The Lido and the lagoon islands sit between the two: a four-star there pays €2.50 in January and €3.60 from 1 February. B&Bs and holiday flats are graded in “lions” and pay €2 to €5 a night in the centre from 1 February, 30% less in January. Children under 10 are exempt, and the tax stops after five nights. These are the city’s rates for stays from 1 April 2025, the latest table we could find.
As our arithmetic, assuming each night is charged at the rate for its own date: a couple staying four nights from 5 to 9 February in a four-star in the historic centre pays 4 × 2 × €4.50 = €36 in tax, and in a four-star in Mestre 4 × 2 × €3.10 = €24.80. A couple whose four nights run 29 January to 2 February pays €3.10 each for three nights and €4.50 each for the fourth, €27.60 in all.
The access fee. The city charges day visitors a contributo di accesso on selected days. The 2026 trial ran on 60 days between 3 April and 26 July and has ended. The city’s council approved a 2027 calendar on 15 October 2026: 72 days from Good Friday, 26 March, to 15 August, with a maximum fee of €10. None of those days falls in January or February, so the fee does not apply to a carnival trip. The rules for exemptions, booking and payment, including whether overnight guests are exempt, had not been set when we looked. Check the city’s access-fee site before you plan any visit in spring or summer.
San Marco: the costumes and the stages
San Marco is the district of the basilica, the Doge’s Palace and the Square, and in 2026 the organisers called the stage in the Square the beating heart of the carnival. If you want the parades and the costumes without a boat ride, sleeping here is the shortest route. The cost is the crowd outside your door.
Where to stay in San Marco
How the hotel links work: a hotel’s name goes to its own website. “Check rates” opens it on Booking.com through our partner Stay22, which pays us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.
- Hotel Concordia, comfortable. A four-star of 51 rooms in a 17th-century Venetian house, run by the Beggiato family for four generations. The hotel says it is the only hotel overlooking Piazza San Marco, and that most rooms look at the basilica’s spires and mosaics. Choose it to watch the Square from your window. Watch out: “most” is not all, so book a category named for the St Mark view, and ask about noise on carnival nights. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, comfortable. At San Marco 1332, in Palazzo Dandolo, where the Ridotto, the city’s gambling house, opened in 1638; the hotel’s own history says it became a theatre of masks and gambling for six months of each year, during Carnival. You can arrive through its water gate, and the Grand Canal Restaurant has a terrace on the canal. Rooms run from the 22 m² Golden Leaf to the 50 m² Casanova Alcove. Choose it for a hotel with a real carnival story. Watch out: the page puts the Grand Canal views with the suites. Check rates on Booking.com →
Castello: the waterfront, with room to breathe
Castello runs east from St Mark’s along the Riva degli Schiavoni, the waterfront promenade, past San Zaccaria to the Arsenale and the Biennale Gardens. The Riva is a short walk from the Square, and the San Zaccaria stop, where Alilaguna’s Blue Line from the airport calls, is on it.
Where to stay in Castello
- Hotel Metropole, splurge. A five-star on Riva degli Schiavoni 4149, next to the Pietà church, with the Square five minutes’ walk away by the hotel’s count. Its room types are named for lagoon, garden or side-canal views, and the spa has a heated pool at 37 °C in winter and a hammam; 90 minutes of exclusive use is €200 for two. Choose it for a warm spa after a cold carnival night. Watch out: its offers page lists Christmas and New Year’s packages and no Carnival one, so ask about minimum stays. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Hotel Paganelli, good value. A three-star superior at Riva degli Schiavoni 4182, with views of the San Marco basin and San Giorgio, rooftop terraces, a 24-hour reception, a lift and the Sestante osteria, and the San Zaccaria stop about 50 metres away. Choose it for the Riva at a lower price. Watch out: the views belong to named room types; the Classic Annex and ground-floor rooms are its budget options. Check rates on Booking.com →
Cannaregio: quieter streets, and the dinner-show palace
Cannaregio runs from Santa Lucia station along the northern edge of the city, past the Jewish Ghetto and the Ca’ d’Oro. A hotel here puts you a boat ride or a good walk from the Square. It is also the district of Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, the palace that hosts the official dinner show.
Where to stay in Cannaregio
- Ca’ Sagredo Hotel, splurge. A 15th-century palace at Campo Santa Sofia, by the Ca’ d’Oro, declared a national monument, with a frescoed ballroom, 42 rooms and suites, and L’Alcova restaurant on the Grand Canal, opposite the Rialto Market. Choose it for a palace to come home to. Watch out: it is also a venue for weddings and parties, so ask whether anything is booked on your nights.
- Hotel Abbazia, good value. A three-star at Calle Priuli dei Cavaletti 68, in the former abbey of the Discalced Carmelite friars, about a hundred metres from Santa Lucia, with no bridges to cross on the way from the station and a garden. Choose it for arriving by train with heavy bags. Watch out: you are at the station end of the city, a vaporetto ride from San Marco. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Combo Venezia, budget. A hostel in the restored former Convento dei Crociferi, on Campo dei Gesuiti, a few steps from Rialto and its fish market, with 255 beds in twin rooms, lofts, studios and shared rooms, all with their own bathroom, and a 24-hour reception. Choose it for a bed in the historic centre at hostel prices. Watch out: it is a hostel with a bar, so expect company in the shared spaces. Check rates on Booking.com →
Dorsoduro: galleries and a quiet canal
Dorsoduro lies across the Accademia bridge from San Marco: the Gallerie dell’Accademia, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Zattere quay and the Salute at its tip, where last year’s water parade started, at Punta della Dogana. The American Dinesen calls it one of the quietest areas of the historic centre, and the Pensione Accademia puts the Square at 15 minutes on foot.
Where to stay in Dorsoduro
- Hotel American Dinesen, comfortable. A four-star boutique hotel at Dorsoduro 628, on the San Vio canal, with a 24-hour concierge, a cocktail bar, a terrace and a water mooring for taxis. Choose it for a quiet canal near the galleries. Watch out: its room list names a Dependance and a Canal View category, so check which building and which side your room is on. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Hotel Pensione Accademia, comfortable. A three-star superior in Villa Maravege, a 17th-century residence on Fondamenta Bollani, with two gardens, run by the same family for more than thirty years. By the hotel’s count, La Fenice is 12 minutes away and St Mark’s Square 15. Choose it for a garden near the Accademia. Watch out: the building has no lift, and the Basic Double rooms are 12 m². Check rates on Booking.com →
Giudecca: a bed with a view across the water
Giudecca is the long island across the Giudecca Canal from Dorsoduro, and the city’s tax table treats it as part of the historic centre. It is a place to sleep rather than to watch the carnival: every evening ends with a boat across the water, so check the last boat.
Where to stay on Giudecca
- Generator Venice, budget. A design hostel in a former warehouse at Fondamenta Zitelle 86, on the waterfront, with a 24-hour reception, a bar, a terrace and female-only dorms. The hostel says every room has a view of the gardens, the Lido, the Grand Canal or the Square, and puts the Zitelle stop for lines 2 and 4.1 a hundred metres away. Choose it to sleep across the water from the Square at a hostel price. Watch out: it is on an island, so build the last boat into every night. Check rates on Booking.com →
The Lido, the long barrier island across the lagoon, has its own lower tax rates and a stop on Alilaguna’s Blue Line, but we name no Lido hotel, because we did not verify one as open in January and February.
Mestre: the lowest tax and a train home
Mestre is the mainland half of the municipality: a modern town around its railway station, and a practical base. The tax is lower, regional trains run to Santa Lucia, and the city’s Mestre Daily Pass, €5 on its app, covers the mainland buses and trams and the regional trains within the municipality, though not the water buses. The cost is time: check the last train before you plan a late night.
Where to stay in Mestre
- Hotel Plaza, good value. A four-star of 209 rooms facing Venice Mestre station, which the hotel says is under 10 minutes by train from Venice and 17 minutes by bus from the airport. Choose it for a large hotel by the trains at the mainland’s tax rate. Watch out: you are on the mainland, so build the train into every plan. Check rates on Booking.com →
- Anda Venice Hostel, budget. A design hostel at Via Ortigara 10, 200 metres from the station, with mixed and female dorms of six, seven and nine beds, each with its own bathroom, and ensuite doubles. The hostel puts Venice a 10-minute train or bus ride away, and books made direct on its site come with 10% off and a drink. Choose it for a bed at hostel prices. Watch out: dorms sleep up to nine, and the bar is part of the building. Check rates on Booking.com →
Getting in from the airport, and around
- By water from Marco Polo airport: Alilaguna runs to the historic centre for €18 one way or €32 return, with one heavy bag and one hand luggage included. Its Blue Line calls at Murano, Lido, Arsenale, San Zaccaria, San Marco, Zattere and the railway station; the Orange Line calls at Madonna dell’Orto, Guglie, San Stae, Rialto, Sant’Angelo, Ca’ Rezzonico and Santa Maria del Giglio. Its Red Line is marked summer seasonal.
- By bus: ACTV’s Aerobus costs €10 for a 75-minute ticket or €18 return, and an €18 combined ticket adds 90 minutes on the water buses. ATVO’s Venice Airport Bus Express serves Venice and Mestre: its page puts the airport stops at exit D, stop 3 for Venice and stop 4 for Mestre, with no limit on baggage. The Paganelli’s page sends bus passengers to Piazzale Roma.
- On the water buses: a single ACTV ticket costs €9.50 and lasts 75 minutes. Passes cost €25 for a day, €35 for two, €45 for three and €65 for seven. As our arithmetic, three single rides cost €28.50, so a day of hopping around costs less with the €25 pass.
- Crossing the Grand Canal: the traghetti, gondola ferries, cost €2 for visitors and run from Santa Sofia, San Tomà, Santa Maria del Giglio and Punta della Dogana. One of them, Santa Sofia, shares its name with the campo where Ca’ Sagredo stands.
- On carnival days: last year lines 1 and 2 were rerouted away from the Grand Canal on the morning of the water parade. The 2027 notices had not been published, so check ACTV’s site for that Sunday.
- On foot: the historic centre has no roads, and bicycles are prohibited, even pushed.
How to book Venice for Carnival
- Wait for the programme, then book. The official dates fill in most densely from Fat Thursday, 4 February, to Fat Tuesday, 9 February, when the Street Show and the Dinner Show both run daily; before that only the two opening weekends are listed. The theme, the Festa delle Marie and the Volo dell’Angelo were not published in October.
- Ask about minimum stays. None of the 12 hotels publishes a Carnival minimum stay or package on a page we could read. The Metropole’s offers page lists Christmas and New Year’s packages and no Carnival one, and the offers pages for the Concordia, Ca’ Sagredo and the Abbazia showed no readable offers, and the Pensione Accademia’s lists only general rates. Ask before you book, and ask in writing.
- Keep free cancellation. The Dinner Show’s tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable, so book the room with a cancellation window that outlasts your tickets.
- Count the tax by the night. A stay that crosses 31 January pays two rates, and a stay of more than five nights pays the tax for only five.
- Book the view by name. Only the categories sold with a view are sure to have it: the St Mark view at the Concordia, the lagoon-view rooms at the Metropole and the basin-view rooms at the Paganelli. Check room sizes too: the Pensione Accademia’s Basic Double is 12 m².
- Compare totals. Our hotel booking sites compared goes through where to book, and hotel taxes around the world shows how other cities charge theirs.
All 12 at a glance
| Hotel | Area | Tier | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel Concordia | San Marco | Comfortable | A window on the Square | “Most” rooms, not all, have the view |
| Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal | San Marco | Comfortable | A hotel with a Ridotto history | Canal views are with the suites |
| Hotel Metropole | Castello | Splurge | A spa on the Riva | No Carnival package listed |
| Hotel Paganelli | Castello | Good value | The Riva at a lower price | Views belong to named room types |
| Ca’ Sagredo Hotel | Cannaregio | Splurge | A palace on the Grand Canal | Also a wedding and party venue |
| Hotel Abbazia | Cannaregio | Good value | Arriving by train with bags | A boat ride from San Marco |
| Combo Venezia | Cannaregio | Budget | A hostel bed in the centre | Bar and shared spaces |
| Hotel American Dinesen | Dorsoduro | Comfortable | A quiet canal near the galleries | Dependance and Canal View categories |
| Hotel Pensione Accademia | Dorsoduro | Comfortable | A garden by the Accademia | No lift, 12 m² basic doubles |
| Generator Venice | Giudecca | Budget | Sleeping across from the Square | The last boat home |
| Hotel Plaza | Mestre | Good value | A big hotel by the trains | The train home |
| Anda Venice Hostel | Mestre | Budget | A bed at hostel prices | Dorms up to nine, and a bar |
Before you go
- Before you fly, sort out mobile data (the best eSIM for Europe; check that Italy is included) and cover (the best travel insurance). For the rest of your trip, see where to stay in Venice, and where to stay in Florence or Rome if Venice is one stop of several.
Frequently asked questions
When is Venice Carnival in 2027?
The official carnival site gives the dates as 23 January to 9 February 2027, with Fat Tuesday on 9 February. In October 2026 it had published the Street Show dates (23-24 January, 30-31 January, 4-9 February) and the Official Dinner Show dates, but not a theme or a day-by-day programme.
Where is the best place to stay for Venice Carnival?
It depends on the carnival you want. San Marco puts you by the Square and its stages, Castello gives you the Riva degli Schiavoni a short walk away, Cannaregio has quieter streets and the palace that hosts the official dinner show, Dorsoduro has the galleries, Giudecca is a boat ride across the water, and Mestre has the lowest tax and a train home.
How much is the Venice tourist tax during Carnival?
It is charged per person per night by star rating, zone and date. In the historic centre a four-star pays €3.10 a night until 31 January and €4.50 from 1 February; in Mestre it is €2.20 and €3.10. Children under 10 are exempt, and the tax stops after five nights. These are the city's rates for stays from 1 April 2025.
Do you have to pay the Venice access fee during Carnival?
Not on the calendar the city has approved. Its council approved a 2027 access-fee calendar of 72 days from 26 March to 15 August 2027, with a maximum fee of €10, and none of those days falls in January or February. The rules for exemptions, booking and payment had not been set in October 2026.
Do Venice hotels have minimum stays at Carnival?
None of the 12 hotels in this guide publishes a Carnival minimum stay or package on a page we could read. Hotel Metropole's offers page lists Christmas and New Year's packages and no Carnival one, so ask before you book. The Official Dinner Show's tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable, so keep free cancellation on the room until they are in hand.
How do you get from Marco Polo Airport to Venice for Carnival?
By water, Alilaguna costs €18 one way or €32 return, with its Blue Line calling at San Zaccaria, San Marco and the railway station and its Orange Line running down the Grand Canal. By bus, ACTV's Aerobus costs €10 for a 75-minute ticket and ATVO's Venice Airport Bus Express serves Venice and Mestre. A single ACTV water-bus ticket costs €9.50 and a one-day pass €25.
Sources & further reading
- Carnevale di Venezia 2027: official site
- Venice Carnival 2027: applications open for artists and performers, 19 October 2026
- Carnival Official Dinner Show
- Venice Carnival Street Show and Festa delle Marie, both still describing the 2026 edition
- Carnevale di Venezia 2026: programme announcement, 27 January 2026 and 16 January 2026
- Festa delle Marie 2026: programme
- Corteo delle Marie (2022 news, the Volo dell’Angelo)
- Venice Carnival: how to get to Venice and Enjoy Respect Venezia
- City of Venice: imposta di soggiorno rates (PDF, valid from 1 April 2025)
- City of Venice: access fee site (cda.ve.it)
- AVM/ACTV: Venice urban services and fares
- Alilaguna: fares and lines
- ATVO: Venice Airport Bus Express
- Official websites of each hotel named above, checked in October 2026
Dates, rules, prices and hotel terms change, and the 2027 programme, the access-fee rules and most hotels’ carnival terms were not yet published when we checked; where we describe last year’s arrangements we say so. Every hotel detail here was checked in October 2026; confirm minimum stays, rates and cancellation terms with the hotel before booking. These are researched picks, not reviews. This article contains affiliate links: hotel rates on Booking.com and other booking sites through Stay22, and tours, transfers and eSIMs through our partners; if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No hotel pays to be included.
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