Venice is a bit of a distraction from the rest of the Veneto region, but only until you realise that Verona is another centre, Padua too, along with ‘the Sophia Loren of ski resorts’, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Palladian beauty Vicenza, and the prosecco producing hills of Conegliano and Valdbiadenne. In fact on a clear day you can see all the way across Veneto, from the snowy edge of the Dolomites to Venice’s lagoon. We’d love to say that some of the best places to stay in Veneto offer this view, but while there are some incredible hotels on our list, our Gurus’ can’t promise that. Quite. They have lined up some picturesque ski chalets, incredible palazzos in Venice and Verona, Michelin stars in the Prosecco Hills, and a rural escape close to Lake Garda.
Veneto is a fantastic region to explore, and if you’re just browsing destinations, then we highly recommend planning a road or rail trip through Veneto. Venice makes an obvious starting or finishing point, with its incredible sights, magical atmosphere, and some of the most gloriously opulent of our hotel recommendations. Treviso, just outside Venice is often overlooked, but it has some rather lovely canals of its own. Verona offers Roman ruins, Shakespeare’s balcony scene, and an incredible annual summer of opera, and Vicenza has an incredible cluster of villas by the acclaimed architect Andrea Palladio, who the Palladian style is named for — Vicenza is his glorious home town and where he cut his teeth.
Heading north again will wind you through the Prosecco Hills, dotted with picturesque hamlets and towns, amongst neat vine-rows and vineyards. This area is definitely one of the best places to stay in Veneto during harvest. It’s lively and delicious, and the opportunities to learn are bountiful. On one side of the hills is the Adriatic, with a smattering of charmingly faded seaside resorts, and on the other is Lake Garda, or you can head north again for Veneto’s spa resorts, Abano Terme and Montegrotto Terme, and the ski resorts of the Dolomites!