Ca della Corte

Rooms

The palazzo guest rooms are not the height of luxury or style, but they are perfectly clean and comfortable. Likewise the bathrooms, which are fine by Italian standards but in some cases could do with updating. But this is not a place you come for the décor - it's the friendly service and authentic location that lift it above the ordinary.

The rooms are spread over 3 floors between two adjoining buildings, arranged around the owners’ own accommodation. Most look over the gardens (which are reserved for the owners’ use) or courtyards and are very peaceful. Pride of place goes to the Junior Suite on the first floor - a huge L-shaped room with a mini grand piano, a double bed plus a sofa, bookshelves and pretty Venetian chandeliers. It’s perfect for a romantic retreat. The Superior Rooms are also well sized. Some have double aspect views while others are more cosy and secluded. Standard Rooms are smaller and pared back, but for those on a budget they're a steal.

All rooms have TV, phone, air-conditioning, tea- and coffee-making facilities, breakfast table and a small, simple ensuite bathroom with a bathtub and shower. A few rooms even have Japanese bidet toilets, if that's up your street.

Ca della Corte also has an apartment for 2-3, suiting anyone seeking a more independent stay. Corte Granda is a 5-minute walk from the hotel, set in a shared courtyard with a single and a double bedroom, compact kitchen with seating and a small terrace.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Central heating
• Coffee / tea making
• Cots available
• In-room treatments available
• TV
• WiFi

Eating

Guests get a simple continental breakfast of rolls, croissants, fresh juice, tea or coffee, boiled eggs, spreads and yoghurt, which you can have brought to your room on request. Breakfast is usually served in the small courtyard downstairs or up on the palazzo's roof terrace. In less-favourable weather, it's taken in the first-floor dining room on an antique dining table beneath the most enormous chandelier. Although not offered by default to guests in the apartment, breakfast at the hotel can be arranged.

If you want to eat out, Antiche Carampane is very nearby (although ask for directions as it can be tricky to find); it’s a friendly, family-run establishment with incredibly delicious food - the best of our trip - sourced fresh from the Rialto Market that day. This excellence hasn’t gone unnoticed so ask someone at the B&B to help with booking a table. At lunchtime, grab a bite at one of the city’s barcari - small bars with even smaller dishes called cicheti (mini sandwiches, salads, cured hams and cheeses). They’re fast paced and often filled with locals; we were sat next to a gondolier on his lunch break.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Kids' meals
• Restaurants nearby
• Welcome hamper

Activities

• Take to the water! The vaporetti (waterbuses) are a cost-effective and practical way to see the city, while the gondolas offer a quintessential (if pricey) Venetian experience. For something in between, hop on one of the traghetto, which commuters use to cross the Grand Canal
  
• For something a little more immersive, take a rowing lesson on a gondola and the chances are you’ll have a charismatic teacher who'll give you a guided tour while you’re at it
  
• Take a short walk to the Rialto fish and produce Market, for fresh, edible offering of all shapes and sizes, a little beyond this you’ll find the iconic Rialto Bridge
  
• Venice's churches are myriad and stunning; the Frari church is very close by, and we highly recommend spending an evening at the Chiesa di San Vidal, where Vivaldi recitals are held amongst Renaissance masterpieces
  
• Marvel at St Mark's Square: it’s the centre of the action with the glittering Basilica di San Marco, the historic Palazzo Ducale, and the Museo Corror lining its tourist filled centre
  
• Exercise your flexible friend - San Polo's shops are great for clothes, leather goods (bags, gloves, etc), tasty treats and Venetian masks
  
• Take a waterbus to the nearby islands of San Michele (a huge cemetery park), Murano (famous for glass-blowing), Burano (fishing, lace-making and gaily-coloured houses) or Torcello (with 7th- to 13th-century architecture, Byzantine mosaics and a tiny resident population of some 80 people)
  
• Or just explore the labyrinth of narrow alleys and little hump-backed bridges - getting lost is all part of the fun here and it's very easy to do!

  Activities on site or nearby include:

  • Boat trips
  • Historical sites
  • Museums / galleries
  • Shopping / markets

Kids

Venice can be a tricky place to take kids: we took our baby and found hefting our pushchair up a million steps a day far from relaxing (bring a backpack if you don't want to suffer the same fate). That said, Italians love babies, and we were warmly welcomed wherever we went.

Toddlers will need an extra eye on them at all times but bigger children will enjoy the watery city as much as anyone (especially if they have a taste for gelato). Ca' della Corte's owners are very happy to see children and babies.

Food is easy (unless you're unlucky enough to have a child who doesn't like pizza and pasta) and the city's main attractions have family appeal - boats, beaches, grand art galleries and museums and wide piazzas.

Best for:

Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

Note that the Main Palazzo has a lot of stairs and no lift - not ideal with a pushchair. One of the Main Palazzo's Superior Rooms has a mezzanine-level bedroom which makes it a fun option for families.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Ca’ della Corte's Main Palazzo is in the Dorsoduro district, about 3-4 mins’ walk from Piazzale Roma - the bus / car terminal and a main stop for waterbuses. It’s not that easy to find the entrance so follow the map that i-escape sends you carefully. If you’re staying in the Corte Granda apartment, the owners will escort you there (a 5 minute walk).

By Air
Fly into Venice Marco Polo (13km) or nearby Treviso Airport (34km), which is further into the mainland.

From the Airport
Visitors arriving in Marco Polo Airport can either take a private water taxi or the Alilaguna shared taxi-boat straight from the airport. It's also possible to take a bus/taxi to Piazzale Roma and walk or take a vaporetto (waterbus). There are regular bus services from Treviso Airport (approx 40-minute drive). If you have bags, catch the waterbus to the Ca d’Oro stop, then walk along the Rialto to Calle Priuli (2nd left).

By Train
If you'd prefer to travel overland from the UK, you can reach Venice quite easily with the Eurostar from London, changing in Paris. See the excellent Seat 61 for details.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com

More on getting to Venice and getting around