Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Italy / Venice / Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice
Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice
Venice, Italy · Belmond · Apex Luxury
Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Bar and inventor of the Bellini, opened this Giudecca retreat in 1958 with financing from three Guinness daughters of the 2nd Earl of Iveagh, a five-minute hotel launch from St. Mark's Square. Orient-Express Hotels bought it in 1976 for £900,000, the deal that seeded Belmond, and the gardens still hold central Venice's only swimming pool. Oro Restaurant, designed by Adam Tihany, earned a Michelin star in 2015.
- 67 rooms
- Opened 1958
- Neighborhood: Giudecca
- Rooms from 226 sq ft (21 m²)
- Architect: Giuseppe Cipriani (founder/developer); Peter Marino
- Interiors: Peter Marino; Adam Tihany
About Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice
- The hotel sits specifically on the eastern tip of Giudecca Island.
- Three daughters of the 2nd Earl of Iveagh financed the project; each had a suite designed for her family.
- A swimming pool added in 1968 among the gardens remains the only pool in central Venice.
- Sea Containers paid £900,000 in 1976, launching the leisure division that became Orient-Express Hotels and later Belmond.
- George Clooney was married at the hotel; the Michelin star came specifically in December 2015.
History
Founded in 1958 by Giuseppe Cipriani — creator of Harry's Bar and inventor of the Bellini cocktail — on the eastern tip of Giudecca Island, a five-minute launch ride from St. Mark's Square. Cipriani's partners were the three daughters of the 2nd Earl of Iveagh (the Guinness family), who financed the project. The hotel later expanded into the adjacent 15th-century Palazzo Vendramin and added what remains the only seawater Olympic-sized pool in central Venice. James Sherwood's Orient-Express Hotels purchased it in 1976 for £900,000, the founding acquisition that launched the Belmond group. A phased multi-year renovation led by Peter Marino began in 2025.
The setting
Hotel Cipriani, A Belmond Hotel, Venice, rests at Giudecca, 10, on the island's eastern point, its private launch reaching the Piazzetta San Marco in twelve minutes across the shimmering Giudecca Canal. When Giuseppe Cipriani opened the hotel in 1958, he realized a vision for a serene retreat in sight of the city's greatest monuments: the Doge's Palace is thirteen minutes away, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection eighteen minutes, and Santa Maria della Salute sixteen. Giudecca's residential calm, its Palladian churches, and the hotel's lush gardens frame a lagoon panorama that draws the world's most discerning guests to this uniquely privileged island setting. 1 km from Piazza San Marco.
Restaurants and bars
- Oro Restaurant — Restaurant · Chef Vania Ghedini · One MICHELIN Star
- Cip's Club — Restaurant
- Il Porticciolo — Restaurant · Seafood
- Bar Gabbiano — Bar
- San Giorgio — Restaurant
- Il Bacaro Dior — Restaurant
Experiences
- Heated seawater swimming pool — Large, fully heated and filtered seawater pool, the largest in central Venice and the hotel's social hub.
- Edipo Re boat — Sail into the Venetian lagoon aboard Edipo Re, the boat on which Maria Callas and Pasolini fell in love.
- Glorious Giudecca Island — Explore Giudecca with expert rowers and visit Squero Crea boatyards to see traditional gondolas.
- The Ancient Garden of the Redeemer — Visit the Convent Garden of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, with old workshops and greenhouse, with the Venice Gardens Foundation.
- Wooden motor boat hire — Hire the hotel's wooden motor boat for lagoon excursions; private yacht docking may be available on request.
- Golf at Circolo Golf Venezia — The hotel can arrange a game on the 18-hole course at Circolo Golf Venezia on the Lido.
Amenities
- Only seawater Olympic-size pool in central Venice
- 24-hour private water launch from Piazzetta San Marco
- Casanova Gardens
- Tennis court
- Wellness centre
- Children's club
- Private marina
- Palazzo Vendramin event spaces
- Spa
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Fine dining
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Three Keys (2026)
- World's 50 Best Hotels 51-100 (2025)
- La Liste World's Best Hotels — World's Best Hotel (2023)
- Michelin star (Oro Restaurant, held since (2015)
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