Every year, the Venice Film Festival plays out as much on a pier as on a red carpet. From 2 to 12 September 2026, for its 83rd edition, mahogany water taxis will drop off actors, directors and jury members at the Hotel Excelsior landing stage on the Lido beach, beneath the lenses lined up along the boardwalk. No other hotel in the world is so closely intertwined with a film festival: the first Mostra, in 1932, was held on its terrace. Here is why this 1908 address remains, nearly a century later, the setting for the year’s most photographed arrivals.
- 🏨 Property · Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort, on the Venice Lido beach, opened in 1908
- 🎬 The event · 83rd Venice Film Festival, from 2 to 12 September 2026, jury chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal, opening with Danny Boyle’s “Ink”
- ⛵ The setting · The hotel’s private pier, where water taxis moor for actors and directors, a few metres from the Palazzo del Cinema
- 🏛️ The history · The very first Mostra, in 1932, was held on the terrace of the Excelsior
- 🌊 The style · Venetian-Moorish architecture, arcaded patios, domed ballroom, private beach with cabanas
The pier where the Film Festival arrives
The Lido is an island, and it is reached by water. During the festival, stars in varnished wooden boats travel up the lagoon from the Grand Canal palazzos and dock at the Excelsior’s private pier, from where a few steps lead to the Palazzo del Cinema. These thirty seconds between the boat and dry land have become the opening scene of every festival day, filmed and photographed even before the traditional red carpet ascent. The jury for this 83rd edition, chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal, and the team behind the opening film, Danny Boyle’s “Ink”, made their entrance here on 2 September.
Hotel fact sheet
A Venetian-Moorish palace from 1908
The Excelsior opened in 1908, at a time when the Lido was becoming the premier seaside resort for European aristocracy. Its architecture borrows from both Venice and the Orient: horseshoe arcades, mosaic patios, domes, decorative minarets and a vaulted ballroom that has witnessed a century of glamorous evenings. The Lido of Thomas Mann and “Death in Venice” was born right here, between this facade and the beach. The hotel is seasonal: it opens in spring and closes in autumn, with the film festival falling precisely during its final full weeks.
What to expect, festival or not
The rooms and suites overlook the sea or the gardens, featuring that blend of stuccos and light fabrics characteristic of grand Italian seaside hotels. The private beach lines up its white canvas cabanas, available for daily rental, along the Adriatic sand. The terrace and beach bar serve guests throughout the season, and the hotel is a fifteen-minute vaporetto ride from St Mark’s Square. Outside of festival season, this is the go-to address for those who want Venice without the crowds: the city by day, the sea by night.
The context: Venice, city of cinema hotels
The Film Festival is not just a cultural event; it is a major showcase for Venetian hospitality. While the Gritti, Danieli, Cipriani and Bauer welcome delegations along the Grand Canal, the Excelsior and the Des Bains have traditionally played this role on the Lido. The Des Bains, closed since 2010, still awaits its renaissance, whereas the Excelsior has never ceased to open its doors to the festival. Across the city, new openings continue, such as Hotel Elizabeth Unique Venice in Cannaregio. Discover more hotel news in Italy on La Revue des Hôtels.
Our perspective
The Excelsior lives with a paradox: it is Venice’s most photographed hotel for ten days a year, and one of its most discreet during the rest of the season. To stay here during the Film Festival, you must book months in advance and accept that the hotel belongs to the event; to truly experience it, we instead recommend late June or mid-September, when the beach belongs to overnight guests. In either case, request a sea-view room, as the panorama fully justifies the price.
Practical information
- Address · Lungomare Guglielmo Marconi 41, Lido di Venezia, Italy
- Venice Film Festival 2026 · from 2 to 12 September, Palazzo del Cinema, Lido
- Official website · hotelexcelsiorvenezia.com
