Private Venice Boat Tour:
Cruise through the Grand Canal
Destination
Venice, Italy
Duration
1.3 hours
Tour size
Max 8
Language
English
Overview
Venice was built to be read from the water, and this private Venice boat tour gives the city back to you that way. Aboard a private motorboat with your own guide and driver and no other guests, you'll cruise the Grand Canal past its great palaces, then slip into the quiet back canals where the city actually lives.
- •Cruise the Grand Canal in a private motorboat reserved for your group
- •Pass the Ca' d'Oro and Ca' Pesaro palaces, the Rialto Bridge, and the fish market
- •See the Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs from the water, the way Venice meant them seen
- •Slip into the quiet inner canals for a glimpse of everyday Venetian life
- •Set the pace and the questions, with the boat to yourselves
What's included
- A one-hour private motorboat ride
- A local English-speaking guide
- A professional boat driver
You will visit
- The Grand Canal by private boat
- St. Mark's Square
- The Doge's Palace and Bridge of Sighs (from the water)
- The Rialto Bridge and Rialto fish market
- The Accademia Bridge and the Ca' d'Oro and Ca' Pesaro palaces
- The island cemetery of San Michele (from the water)
Get a taste of Private Venice Boat Tour
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What to expect
The Grand Canal, to yourselves
You'll board a private motorboat with your guide and driver, and the Grand Canal opens in front of you, lined with the ornate façades of palaces like the Ca' d'Oro and Ca' Pesaro. Your guide tells the story behind each one as you pass: the fishmongers still gathering at the Rialto Market, the prisoners who glimpsed Venice one last time from the Bridge of Sighs. With the boat to yourselves, you can linger wherever you like.
Into the back canals
Then you'll turn off the main waterway into Venice's quieter inner canals, the watery backstreets where laundry sways between windows and church bells carry over still water. You'll float beneath the Accademia Bridge and past the island cemetery of San Michele. These are the everyday scenes Venetians have lived for centuries.
"From the water, the palaces finally make sense. Their grand front doors open onto the canal, not the street. People always say they understand Venice once they've seen it by boat."
WalksDevour Venice guide
"The Grand Canal is the showpiece, but I love turning into the little back canals. Laundry overhead, a grandmother waving from a window. With your own boat, we can just stop and watch."
WalksDevour Venice guide
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Frequently asked questions
Our guides love answering your questions. Here are some things they'd like you to know before you arrive.
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