Hotel Galleria in Venice

May 8

I like to think of myself as a discerning traveller, and over the years have honed my hotel booking skills… still typically with champagne taste on a mid-range beer budget, but refined nonetheless! I love searching for the best ‘feeling’ from a stay, and never will you catch me saying “the hotel doesn’t matter, it’s just a spot to sleep!”

We took a 3 day trip to Venice recently, a chance to meet up with friends who were holidaying on a big tour around Italy. Having visited the Floating City several times, we’ve stayed in all different spots around the island — my favourite stay being at the very fun Il Palazzo Experimental a few years ago. It was sadly out of budget for this trip, so I put myself on a quest to find somewhere we’d not tried before that fit my criteria; very Venetian, well located, and under €180 a night.

Hotel Galleria ticked all my boxes; right next door to the Accademia Bridge, directly facing the Grand Canal - and it couldn’t possibly have been any more Venetian. Posters, maps and artwork lining every wall, depicting the islands, gondolas and palazzos in the area. I booked the last room available (and surely one of the smaller ones in all of Venice) but arriving to the most incredible view of boats sailing down the canal, right outside the window, it felt plenty spacious! Being in Dorsoduro, it’s the perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle of San Marco and surrounds, and close by to my favourite spot in Venice - the Peggy Guggenheim Museum - as well as plenty of restaurants and cafes.