Hotel Leonardo

Situated north and east of the train station, Cannaregio is the first neighborhood that tourists experience when arriving by train. You descend the steps from the station, Grand Canal in front of you, and hang a left, following the swarm of tourists that snakes through the neighborhood, spiraling around toward San Marco.

While many tourists think of Cannaregio as a neighborhood to “get through” on the way to San Marco’s gold, it offers its own charms, including the Jewish Ghetto, a list of fabulous churches, and some of Venice’s finest palaces, among them the breathtaking Ca d’ Oro, whose original façade once gleamed in solid gold.

Sleeping in Cannaregio: For budget travelers, Cannaregio makes a very practical home base, as it offers not only quick access to the train station, but some of the city’s cheapest hotels and restaurants. While many of these sleeps and eats are also pretty forgettable, there are some real gems among the lot. Our favorite hotels in the neighborhood include the Hotel Villa Rosa and Hotel Santa Lucia (both very close to the station), and the Hotel Bernardi Semenzato, closer to where Cannaregio meets San Marco.