Zannipolo

Zannipolo Overview

First Impressions

Walking through the narrow streets of Cannaregio to find Zannipolo, you’ll pass locals heading to work and small neighborhood cafes that tourists rarely discover. This three-star hotel sits tucked away on Calle della Testa — honestly, I almost walked past it the first time because it blends so naturally into the residential fabric of this authentic Venetian neighborhood. There’s something refreshing about staying somewhere that feels more like a local secret than a tourist destination.

The Neighborhood Advantage

Cannaregio is where Venice actually lives and breathes beyond the crowds. You’re about a 10-minute walk from the Rialto Bridge, but here’s what I love — you can grab morning coffee at the corner bar where the barista knows everyone’s order, then slip into the tourist flow when you’re ready. The nearby Fondamenta delle Zattere offers some of the best evening strolls in the city, and you know what? Most visitors never make it this far north. Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo is just around the corner, with its massive basilica that’s equally impressive as San Marco but without the queues.

Your Home Base

The room I stayed in was compact but thoughtfully arranged — typical Venetian proportions, really. What struck me was how they’ve managed to fit everything you need without making it feel cramped. The bathroom was surprisingly modern, and the air conditioning actually worked well (trust me, this matters in July). From my window, I could see across to neighboring buildings where laundry hung between ancient walls — it’s these small glimpses of daily Venetian life that make staying here feel authentic rather than touristy.

Getting Around

The Fondamenta Nove vaporetto stop is about a 5-minute walk away, which connects you directly to Murano and the northern lagoon islands. I mean, most people don’t realize how easy it is to explore the outer islands from this part of Venice. For getting to San Marco or the train station, you’ll want the Ca’ d’Oro stop — it’s slightly further but still very manageable. Actually, I found myself walking most places because this location puts you right in the sweet spot between major attractions and real neighborhood life.

Why Guests Love It

That 8.8 rating makes perfect sense once you’ve stayed here. The staff genuinely cares about your experience — they’ll draw little maps showing shortcuts through the maze of streets and recommend places that aren’t in guidebooks. Couples especially seem drawn to this area because it offers romance without the circus atmosphere of the main tourist zones. You can have an intimate dinner at a neighborhood osteria, then wander back through quiet campos under streetlights reflecting off canal water. It’s Venice as it’s meant to be experienced — beautiful, mysterious, but also livable.

Exploring Venice mixes Gothic arches, artisan mask ateliers, and cicchetti crawls along shadowy rii.

Zannipolo Accommodations

Reviews of Zannipolo

• Aicha from Sweden – 24 September 2024 (9/10)

  Homely apartment that’s in walking distance to the Venice main tourist sites, yet in a quiet area. It had everything that we needed during our stay and there is a Coop supermarket just a few minutes walk from the apartment. The host was very proactive and helpful, and genuinely wanted to make sure that his guests had a great time in Venice, he provide plenty of suggestions on things to do, restaurants and other useful information.
  
  What could be improved: Whilst I understand that this may be the general way to do it in Venice, it was quite a challenge to always remember and comply by the rule to not throw used toilet paper in the toilet seat, but to put it in a plastic bag for pick-up by garbage men.

• Qinqin from United States – 3 September 2024 (9/10)

  Our host was helpful, and very responsive.
  The apartment was close to restaurants, and close to the water-bus docks.
  
  What could be improved: The weather in Venice in August is very hot and humid.

• Qiwei from United States – 7 July 2024 (9/10)

  This apartment is located at the quiet part of Venice and it’s easy to walk to St Marks Square or taking the vaporetto to or from the train station, airport, and Murano. Kitchen has everything we need for cooking meals. It’s a good escape from all the tourists near the major sights. I love that there is iron and iron board. WiFi is pretty good.
  
  The host Jean is very communicative. You can see he is a foodie because he has a binder of all the restaurant business cards he tired with hand written comments on them. He checked in with us often to see if we need any guidance on how to enjoy Venice. He also makes sure we understand how to get to airport in the early morning. We are glad we stay in Venice rather than the doing day packing. Thanks for everything!

• Liam from New Zealand – 8 June 2024 (9/10)

  Nice, clean apartment in a very good location. Our host was very helpful who gave us some great recommendations that allowed us to really experience the highlights of Venice and the neighbouring islands. Would highly recommend.

• Justina from Lithuania – 26 April 2024 (9/10)

  Nice location, cozy apartaments. Everything was good. I recommend.

• Aleksandr from Russia – 29 August 2023 (9/10)

  In my opinion, this is one of the best options to stay in Venice due to the fact that the pricing is lower than you would get in a hotel or a B&B, but you'll get a lot of extras:
  1. dishes, glasses and all kinds of knives;
  2. a washing machine;
  3. an iron;
  4. a vacuum cleaner;
  5. a wine and a beer openers;
  6. a decent shower! even larger than in some 3-4 star hotels.
  7. an electric water boiler.
  The biggest impression is that the appartment has ALL you would ever need! I have even caught myself with a thought that I don't have some things in my household this place has. That is crucial even for a short stay and will be even more crucial for a longer one.
  
  The appartment was very neat and clean when we arrived. We were guided to find the location and the key flowlessly.
  
  For breakfast I would recommend a place called Farini, if you are okay with some good croissants for breakfast, the biggest plus is that is opens at 7 AM unlike other places which is cool if you want to enjoy the city before all the tourists wake up and flood the streets.
  
  A lot of positive things have been said about the landlord and all of them are true. From a traveller's viewpoint the result of his approach is that you NEVER feel lost in an appartment, and in the city, too. Every single thing in the appartment is scrupulously explained by numerous manuals, both handwritten and printed, in French and English, so you will never have even a tiny lacuna in your understanding what you can do in this appartment. It really saves the time. There are a couple of timely warnings, too, which will save your trip.
  
  Monsieur Decobert has created one of the best possible accomodations for travellers in Venice, and he has given us a lot of assistance, too.
  
  Highly recommended!
  
  What could be improved: There is a bit of unpleasant smell close to the door from the inside, but I think it's a Venice thing. There is no smell in the remaining part of the appartment.
  There is a bit of moisture smell in the appartment, but it's a Venice thing, too. We're talking about a city built on the water in a large swamp.

• Roxana from Romania – 10 July 2023 (9/10)

  Great location, very close to Fondamente Nove vaporetto station and 15 minutes lovely walk to Piazza San Marco! The host is very nice and helpful, offering you useful information every day, according to your plans. The appartment has everything a tourist could need for their stay. I recommend it 100%!

• Anna from United Kingdom – 7 October 2022 (9/10)

  The host was very very helpful and easy to communicate with, the property had everything the tourist could ask for and more! We really liked the pieces of information left around the apartment, it made the stay super comfortable 🙂

• Squashy from United Kingdom – 15 September 2022 (9/10)

  Good location and plenty of nearby cafes, restaurants and cake shops. Easy to get to and close to areas of interest. Jean-Luc gives lots of information by text and in the apartment, which is very helpful for visitors, whether your first visit or returning again. The studio has everything that you need.
  
  What could be improved: Only a kettle was missing, but obviously I could use a saucepan to boil water for tea. There are occasional mosquitos in September, so a plug-in mosquito repellent may be useful.

• Alessia from United Kingdom – 24 June 2022 (9/10)

  The apartment is very nice and cosy. There is everything you need, from cookware to hair dryer. There are instructions for everything, AC, gas valve, WiFi. We found also some folders with info about the apartment, restaurants, activities, transports, basically everything you need to know for your holiday written in Italian, English and French. The owner is very nice and helpful. On our arrival day he sent me all the direction to arrive to the apartment and he texted me during our stay to make sure everything was fine and to make recommendations about restaurants or places to visit. The last day he let also leave our luggage after the check out time.
  I definitely recommend it!!

Surroundings

Facilities